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[noir-shiroi.livejournal.com]

Title: Inugami-kai: Battle of the Dog Gods
Author: noir_shiroi
Part: 2
Rating: Will probably be T or M
Summary: The Inugami-kai is a small Yakuza family based in Tokyo. The youngest son of the Godfather has been in a coma for the last five months and on the day that he awakens it is discovered that his personality and the way he sees the world has changed. As the members struggle to reacquaint Saburo with reality his older brothers plan separate coups to overthrow their father. When the battle for the head of the family begins who will be victorious: Keiichi, the oldest son with the heart of steel, Yuji, the second son with the soul of a trickster, or Saburo, the youngest son with an altered perception of himself and his world?


Next were the older members of the Inugami-kai who didn’t care as much about Saburo’s well being as they did their boss, they were worried what would happen to the syndicate and them if he never woke up. He found the majority of them hanging around in the lounge, the television playing the sumo match of the day. Some of the guys were crowded around the television intently, betting on each match, Mamoru saw that there was a good 50,000 yen on the table.

He first found the senior most members in the room, these were the boss’ most trusted men because they had been around the longest, some even had small groups of their own men that they controlled on behalf of the entire syndicate. He told them what had happened and asked them to relay the information to as many people as they could before asking where he might find Hisao. Hisao was one of the few members that had garnered respect and admiration from just about everyone in the family, despite only being in his forties. He refused to give anyone an exact age and wouldn’t tell anyone just how old he had been when he had joined in the first place. Unlike Keiichi and Yuji, Saburo had never seemed interested in vying for the position of boss someday; he was more prone to hobbies and activities that he could engage other people in, unlike his brothers who preferred solitary activities that they could compete with. While Mr. Tsukino had encouraged all of his sons to participate in whatever activities they wanted, he had worried that Saburo would be manipulated by his brothers who knew that he had no interest in syndicate activities. He wanted his youngest son to at least be able to protect himself if it was ever called for so he had called upon Hisao to mentor the youngest Tsukino son, in hopes that it would raise his self confidence and make it impossible for his brothers to trample him. Hisao had always seemed like a loner but when the boss asked you to do something that involved his family you did not refuse.

Mamoru found Hisao alone in the library; only senior members had access to it, sitting in one of the comfortable winged chairs, a thick book sitting in his lap. The rain still pelted the windows of the Tsukino family mansion and Mamoru wondered if the guys that didn’t live in the mansion would be able to get home that night. Hisao and him didn’t have to worry, because they were entrusted with Saburo’s welfare they both had their own quarters, Mamoru’s right next door to Saburo’s while Hisao’s were in a different part of the mansion. The older man didn’t even raise his head as he took the chair next to him, just turned the pages of the book in his lap.

“Have they pulled the plug yet?” Hisao finally asked. His eyes were still trained on the book but Mamoru heard the emotion in his voice. Even though he had always seemed like the loner type, after spending years with Saburo as his mentor Hisao had grown fond of the boy and in a way he blamed himself for what had happened to him. Of course Mamoru blamed himself just as much for the accident; as his bodyguard he was supposed to be there to protect him but he had failed in his duties that night.

“They don’t have to,” Mamoru told him, “he woke up.” Hisao’s eyes rose from the page but they were partially hidden the curtain of his long salt and pepper colored hair.

“When?”

“An hour or two ago.”

“Is he okay?”

“Well, that is still to be determined I think.”

“What do you mean? Does he have amnesia?”

“No, he remembers who he is but it’s if he remembers you that is the question.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Saburo had changed his clothes, from hospital grade pajamas to black dress pants, a red button up shirt, the sleeves rolled up to the elbows, and a black tie, and had shaved, even though he hadn’t let them touch his hair, by the time that Mamoru and Hisao found him. He had moved from the hospital room and was now in the main meeting hall along with all the other members of the syndicate that was currently present in the mansion. The meeting hall looked like something from a medieval European castle, dark wood and light stone. None of the members were quite sure why Mr. Tsukino had decided on the style for the meeting hall but none of them cared enough to ask him also. The boss was eccentric in his own right so whenever they found something unexplainable within the mansion or in the way he acted they chalked it up to his eccentricity. Mamoru figured that Keiichi and Yuji had gotten the same eccentricity from their father but hadn’t gotten any of his good nature. They stood in the back of the room and looked up to where Mr. Tsukino stood, his arm around a visibly uncomfortable Saburo. Keiichi and Yuji stood off by themselves to the right of them, neither looking particularly pleased with the current situation.

“Well, he doesn’t look that different, other than, you know; his hair. I bet Keiichi and Yuji love that,” Hisao observed. Mamoru smirked at the mention of the two unenthusiastic males.

“I bet their pissed that he’s awake,” he scoffed.

“Me too, Saburo gets to go back to being daddy’s favorite and they get to go back to striving for recognition. I wouldn’t be surprised if they were planning something,” Hisao commented. At that time neither of them knew how right Hisao’s comment had been but they would soon figure out that something not quite right was going on in the Inugami-kai.

“Brothers, today is a glorious day indeed. Five months ago my youngest son Saburo was involved in an unexpected accident which left him in a coma until now. But today, he woke up and put an end to the uncertainty that I have been feeling recently. I know some of you have been worried as well but now we can rest assured and things will return to normal. Expect business to return to how it once was and your jobs to start up once again. I’m sure you will be as loyal as ever now that the youngest master has rejoined us. You are dismissed.” Mr. Tsukino concluded his little speech with a bow, his arm Saburo’s shoulders forcing him to bow to everyone as well. The men in front of them bowed in return before leaving the meeting hall. Mamoru and Hisao made their way through the crowd that was moving towards the doors and as they approached Saburo noticed them from behind his father, a smile forming on his face.

“He still smiles the same,” Hisao said, relief evident in his voice. Saburo escaped from the group that surrounded him and met the two of them a few steps away. The smile stayed plastered to his face as he threw his arms around Hisao. Hisao looked down at the boy wrapped around his middle in amusement. He obviously still remembered him and that made the man happy in a way that he would probably never admit to anyone. He must have been grinning like an idiot because when he looked up Mamoru gave him a knowing smile which he countered with a threatening smirk.

“It’s good to see you awake Saburo,” Hisao said, patting the shorter man on the top of the head.

“I’m glad that you’re still here Hisao,” Saburo answered. “You too Mamoru,” he added letting go of Hisao.

“From what the doctors have gathered he only seems to remember people that he saw every day before the accident. You, Hisao, Junichi, Eiji, us. It explains why he doesn’t remember father,” Keiichi said breaking away from the group himself, taking a few steps towards the three of them.

“So, in other words, he won’t remember any of the other guys,” Hisao confirmed.

“Probably not,” Keiichi responded. Saburo’s head was turned towards his brother, an ugly scowl on his face. Keiichi practically hissed at him, “what are you staring at brat?” Saburo smirked, a wicked glint in his eye.

“You almost sounded like what you really are just then, a snake,” he bit out. Keiichi’s face twisted in anger, the only emotion Mamoru remembers him ever showing, but before he could lash out at Saburo he took a deep breath through clenched teeth and turned on his heel, taking long rigged strides away from them and out of the room. Yuji followed with a bemused expression, probably only going to make his brother’s anger worse by poking fun at him which would only end in a fist fight between the two of them that Mamoru would probably have to break up. He was not in the mood to get between them if Keiichi wanted Yuji’s blood, he had gotten punched enough times by accident during their fights and he really didn’t feel like having it happen that night.

“That was nasty of you.” Hisao commented, even though he didn’t seem upset by Saburo’s outburst.

“Nasty but true,” the younger man replied.

“I hope Keiichi doesn’t try to kick Yuji’s ass. I always have to clean up their fights,” Mamoru lamented.
“Aw, poor baby. You just go right ahead and let the two hell spawn kill each other if they feel like it,” Saburo joked in a girly voice, pinching one of Mamoru’s cheeks before giving it a quick kiss and sashaying away in an overly dramatic fashion, swinging his hips back and forth in a way no real girl ever would.

“What the hell was that?” Mamoru wiped the kiss from his cheek; hand slow in his disbelief as he stared at the door that his charge had just exited from.

“Apparently he’s developed a strange sense of humor. Let’s hope he only uses it on you and not on any of the other guys that haven’t seen a touchable woman in years.” Hisao’s face resembled Mamoru’s with a similar expression of shock. They looked at each other, eyes searching when they both realized that neither was sure what to make of the new Saburo.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Mamoru’s fears of flooding and guys being unable to leave the mansion were confirmed that night when Saburo told him that they were all going to have dinner in the meeting room. They were in Saburo’s private library, not as grand as the main library but still pleasant and full of books that had been read a million times. Mamoru was sitting on the desk that was situated in one corners of the room while Saburo ran his fingers and eyes over the spines of the books, reacquainting himself with his collection.

“It’s so weird, I remember you but this place, I have no recollection of it,” Saburo murmured as read the titles of his books.

“Your library or this house?” Mamoru asked.

“This house. Everyone keeps telling me that I live here, but, the longer I spend here the more uncomfortable I feel. It’s…”

“Too big, too cold, unfriendly,” Mamoru finished the other’s sentence. Saburo cast him a glance over his shoulder and smiled.

“Exactly.”

“I see those feelings haven’t changed. You never liked this house, especially not when you were a child. You were terrified of all the shadows and the dark corners at night. You would try to sleep in your father’s room but he would always tell you that you would never get over your fears if you didn’t face them and then would send you back to bed. You didn’t like that very much and would sneak into my room instead. I’ve lost count of all the times I woke up in the morning and found you wedged somewhere on my bed,” Mamoru told him. Saburo walked over to the desk, slipping in between Mamoru’s legs, and wrapped his arms around his shoulders. Mamoru didn’t know what to do as the other man rested his chin against his shoulder.

“Help me remember,” he whispered.