Passing the Baton

The Dragon King

Han had made a deal with Jin Goda. Han would join the Goda Clan when he finished highschool, and in return Han would help take care of and tutor Ryuji Goda. Han only grew stronger after that day, and Giichi grew worried about his friend. Han was seemingly obsessed with power, and seemed like he had no time for anyone that wasn't strong.

Even some of the Yakuza in the Goda Clan got the cold shoulder from Han now. Giichi shared his concerns with Jin Goda and the older man was genuinely worried about the young man that had caught his eye. Jin knew that Han could be possibly the strongest Yakuza to have lived. But he didn't seem able to see the strength in those that weren't strong in a traditional sense. Han couldn't see the strength in showing restraint, or the strength to simply not fight at all. Han was a monster in the making, but the people close to him didn't want a monster they wanted a human. The monster transformation started that day when he was in middle school and continued for the couple of years that followed. He was almost out of highschool now, and even his classmates have a tough time seeing him as a human.

"Tatsuya-san why'd you do that?" Sakura Watanabe asked the future Yakuza legend. This wasn't the first time she'd asked Han this question. But this time something was really wrong Han had seemingly snapped in the hallway earlier. Now there were 3 bloody bodies laid out on the ground and Han walking away with blood covering his hands, and forearms.

"They asked for it." Was all Han had to say. The bastards had talked badly about Giichi, and even if his views on strength were changing Han always had a soft spot for his best friend. Not even Han knew what was going on with him recently. He knew he was seeing the world differently, and that he had a seemingly unending drive for strength. However he didn't know why. Why was he doing this? He had been trying to think of a reason, but it was almost subconscious not needing a reason to happen it just was.

"You know damn well that's no reason to do THAT!" Sakura shouted not being able to think of words to describe the brutality Han had just demonstrated. Hearing those words finally helped Han realize why his views had shifted like this. He wanted to help people originally. He didn't even fight people he knew were weaker than him until the day Giichi was dragged in front of him. It was that day he realized that strength ruled this world. People who only had kindness and people who showed restraint wouldn't rise to a high enough position to change anything. Han wanted to help those he cherished, and to do that he'd need to play by the rules of this eat or be eaten world. Happy at the realization Han walked off with a smile on his face shocking many people

"Hey Watanabe-san. Thank you for shouting some sense into me." Han said leaving everyone in shock once again. Han hadn't really smiled in school since middle school, and nobody has heard him thank anyone that wasn't Giichi in just as long.

"What happened to him?" Sakura quietly asked herself. The future reporter had a strong sense of justice, and had always gotten along with Han until recently when he'd started taking his anger out on his classmates.

Han decided to leave early again. His mind was too mixed up right now to focus properly anyway. He ended up at the arcade and went inside. He saw elementary kids all around playing and laughing. He smiled at the sight remembering good times with Giichi when they were that little. He heard a sudden thumping sound, and turned to see the source of the noise. He saw a few highschool kids he didn't recognize hitting one of the UFO catchers clearly pissed that he didn't get a prize. One of the machines chimed across the arcade. It was unmistakably the other UFO catcher, and the noise meant someone got a prize. The high schoolers left their machine, and marched towards noise while Han went to the abandoned catcher and started playing.

"Hey! Give that back!" A loud voice that definitely belonged to a young woman rang out. Han looked over and saw a young woman with long black hair wearing an apron with the arcade's name on it. Han couldn't help but notice that she filled out her work uniform nicely. She had red eyes and was a little bit shorter than Han. If he had to guess he'd say she was around 5'7.