◯◯◯

◯◯◯

The Toman members present in the hospital are--- Draken, Mitsuya, Smiley, and his twin brother Angry, Hakkai, and Mikey who still haven't spoken a word. He was the first one to hop on his motorbike and follows the ambulance with her girl and childhood friend inside. The other followed him, leaving the junkyard before the authorities arrive on the scene. Not that they care about the police right now. 

"Draken-kun! Mitsuya-kun! How is it?!" Takemitchi arrived in the waiting room after being treated. No one could really answer. 

Kiriko is inside of the operating room, they said she lost a lot of blood and her wound extended because of her moving way too much after receiving a deep stabbed on the back. She's been in the operating room since they arrived in the hospital. 

"Where is Chifuyu---" 

"Chifuyu is waiting for Baji's mother..." Mitsuya answered lowly making Takemitchi lower his head and internally blaming himself for not being able to save Baji. 

"Is Baji really..." Smiley started to talk but then couldn't finish what he was about to ask when a lump stuck on his throat, unable to say the words he wanted to say. Draken clenched his teeth, preventing himself to cry. Mitsuya did the same while Angry and Hakkai is already crying silently in the side. Mikey is still unable to read. 

"What's up with those faces?" they lifted their heads and saw the triplets behind Takemitchi, "Ouzou-kun, you better take a snap of their faces and show it to Kiriko-chan when she wakes up." Ouzou whipped his flip phone from his pockets and did what his older triplet just ordered. 

"R-Ryuuji-kun! Ouzou-kun! Kota-kun!" Takemitchi called out their names. Draken stands up from his seat and walks towards the three. 

"What happened? How did she get that wound?!" he asked the three. Ryuuji is the one who answered him, "She's been attacked." he answered truthfully. 

"By who?" Mitsuya is the one who asked this time. 

"We don't know," Ouzou said. They know who attacked her and confirmed their identities. He heard that the Cloud Division already contacted the Vongola's in Italy and they surely already sent a transmission to the Vindice about their escapee prisoner. 

But he can't really say that in front of the civilians. He decided to tell a white lie. 

"Are they in a gang perhaps?" Hakkai said, "Could it be that Valhalla---" 

"We don't know. She's been badly wounded the moment we arrived." Kota cut Hakkai's sentence before he could create a conclusion that is way too far from the real cause. 

Draken punched the wall, "Damn it!" he cursed, "How about Baji?" Draken asked that only received silent answers. No one wanted to voice out what happened. They all know. Especially when they saw their fellow Toman member with a white cloth covering his body, indicating his outcome. 

"Where is... Nava-san...?" Takemitchi gathered his courage to ask this question to the triplets. He knows how upset the pink-haired is. Especially those ill-intent looks on her eyes. It was frightening. He could still feel a tremendous pressure he felt when Milim release such intent directly to Chifuyu.  

Ryuuji is a bit hesitant to answer the question regarding the pink-haired's whereabouts. 

"She's... cooling her head for a moment," he answered the safest one. It seems like Takemitchi took it. 

The light in the operating room turned off, indicating that the operation have ended. They all rose up from their seats and eagerly waited for the doctor to come out and have the results of the operation. 

A woman doctor steps out from the door and faced the eager expressions of the youngsters in front of her who are anxiously waiting for the results. She give a glance to the triplets before she started to speak, "It was a miracle. That girl is a fighter. Anyone would have died from the amount of blood she lost." 

"T-That means---!" The doctor finished Takemitchi's words for him, "The operation was a success." 

Unlike their reactions when Draken was stabbed. No one cheered, but they all cried in joy. Except for their leader who left the room after hearing the news that the girl is now safe. Draken noticed Mikey's presence gone and followed the dazed blonde. Leaving the others in the waiting room who are still processing the good news that they received after the bad news. 

The triplets, also couldn't help but let out their tears break from their eyes. 

"We did it..." Ouzou muttered under his breath and leaned on the wall with his hands covering his eyes. Kota hummed in response who did not even cover his face and let his tears be seen freely falling from his eyes. Ryuuji pats the shoulders of his brothers with tears also present in his eyes, but a smile lingering on his face. 

"We did it, my brothers..." with a relieved smile Ryuuji continue what he was about to say, "We stopped her death... that future won't happen now..." but then a hint of uncertainty was also present in his tone. 

They know that this is not the end of it. They may already capture the one who attacked her and currently experiencing another batch of hell in the Cloud's Pit of Judgment. The mastermind of the whole ordeal is still on loose. The situation just became more serious when a Vindice escapee attacked the Cloud's Fairy Reaper, those masked guards won't stay quiet any longer and the Yllona's will definitely won't get the easy way out when the Vindice captured them.

But what if...

What if getting Vindice to be involved is part of Yllona's plan? Ryuuji couldn't help to question the possibility. Especially that it happened on the same day when the Toman is having a fight against another gang. It's like it is a plan.

They could clearly create a different cover-up story for Kiriko getting attacked. They can say that Toman's enemy attacked her while the whole gang member of Toman is busy dealing with their fight.

But is Kiriko famous for being close to these gang members?

No... Kiriko may be getting out of her room usual than before, but she is careful not to get seen by suspicious eyes... except... Ryuuji came to a conclusion. He needs to go back in the future and discuss what he just thought of.

This is not just a mafia war concerning mafia to mafia anymore...

Out of their knowledge, a certain crybaby cobalt-eyed just heard them, now having a surprised and stunned look on his face. 

Chifuyu is bowing in front of Baji's mother, who is crying so loud, hugging the cold body of her son. Her cries break the heart of the Toman's 1st Squad Vice-Captain. He simply stands beside the woman, his mind wandering on both Baji's death and Kiriko's well-being. 

"How dare you... cry over him but not to Kiri-chan... She is heavily injured too... she is your cousin..."

Milim's words keep ringing on Chifuyu's head. 

He doesn't know. 

Chifuyu did not notice the presence of Kiriko, he was way too focused on stopping Baji that he failed to notice her arrival with her group. Especially when Baji died in his arms, he totally blocked out everything in his sight. Focusing on his Captain that is no longer breathing at that time. 

He clenched his teeth in frustration. His mind now wonders about his cousin who also received a fatal wound. He is sure that it didn't come from any of the Valhalla's--- the only thing he could conclude is that she 

"Why? Why does this have to happen?! Keisuke!" 

Chifuyu lowered his head even further, "I am sorry." his tears dropping on the floor, "I am very sorry. I failed... I failed to stop..." he sobbed, "I failed to stop Baji-san." 

The woman does not blame the man at all. She recognizes Chifuyu, other than the Toman division captains and founding members. He is one of the closest friends of her son. They often stay in their apartment and pet a cat in Keisuke's room, sometimes they are having a study session only to be ended up with her son proudly saying that he confidently answered the question and that is already enough then Chifuyu will correct him saying that it is not how it supposed to be. 

Instead of blaming the young man. Baji's mother embraced Chifuyu as she cried on his shoulders. 

"Thank you... for being a good friend of Keisuke..." 

Chifuyu's tears burst out from his eyes as he started to sob full of pain, "I-I am very sorry. I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I am sorry, Ma'am! I failed! I failed to stop him! I'm so sorry!" 

In that room, beside the cold body of their dear friend and son, they cried their hearts out. 

Mikey is standing outside of the hospital, a bit far from the entrance facing a concrete wall. Draken follows him from behind. Watching his leader on what he is going to do. He still has the blood he gets from Kazutora's beatings, he refused to get treated while Kiriko is under operation. He still has nothing covering his upper body, with only bandages on his stomach. His head is full of dried blood and his eyes show no emotion at all.

Draken was surprised when Mikey punched the wall harder than he expected it to be. Then he heard a little sob coming from him.

"What should I do, Kenchin?" he asked knowing that Draken is just behind him, "Should I be happy or should I be sad?" he slowly turn around his head, with his lifeless eyes greeting Draken's eyes, "I am glad that Kiricchi is safe... but I can't... I can't be glad knowing Baji is..." he gritted his teeth, the tears he's been holding since earlier starting to fall from his eyes, "Baji is..."

Draken didn't talk or approach Mikey. Because even he, couldn't find the right answer to his question.

Can they be really happy even if they lost their precious friend? 

"I am in there..." he spoke again, "I am in that very same place! If I just stopped Kazutora from stabbing Baji! If I just happen to stop Baji from stabbing himself! If I just noticed Kiricchi's condition earlier! They wouldn't be in this kind of situation! Baji wouldn't have died! Kiricchi wouldn't endanger her life and Kazutora should not have been arrested!"

He bangs his injured head in the concrete wall, "I CREATED TOMAN TO PROTECT! WHY CAN'T I PROTECT THOSE IMPORTANT TO ME?! JUST WHY DID I GO WRONG?!—" he then come into a realization, "—no... it wasn't me..." his tears continue to fall from his eyes mixed with blood coming from his injured head, "It wasn't me... who created Toman..."

"It was Baji."

𝙄 𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙙 𝙨𝙝𝙤𝙬𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙫𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙨𝙘𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙩 𝙥𝙚𝙤𝙥𝙡𝙚. 𝙄 𝙖𝙡𝙨𝙤 𝙝𝙤𝙥𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙈𝙞𝙡𝙞𝙢'𝙨 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙫𝙞𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙤𝙣𝙚. 𝙄𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙥𝙥𝙤𝙨𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙢𝙚 𝙩𝙬𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙 𝙣𝙤𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙚𝙣𝙙 𝙪𝙥 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙚𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙨 𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙖. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙣𝙚𝙭𝙩 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛𝙤𝙘𝙪𝙨 𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝘾𝙡𝙤𝙪𝙙 𝙂𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙣~! 𝙒𝙞𝙨𝙝 𝙢𝙚 𝙡𝙪𝙘𝙠 𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙖𝙝𝙖.

卍