“This is still verging on a civil war among your organization,” Nobura says with a shake of his head. “We Yakuza are familiar with these. I have no interest in participating in someone else’s.”
I open my mouth to answer, unwilling to give in just yet, but Kaito speaks before I can.
“Why not rule together?” he asks carelessly. “You have the birthright and more knowledge; your brother has the desire and drive. I can see in your eyes that you do this for duty, not because you wish to be here or even there. So why not combine your strengths rather than splintering them apart?”
I look at Kaito, startled. The shift from indolent carelessness to shrewd questioning throws me off, and I know he’s done it intentionally. It occurs to me then that, though his demeanor irritates his father, it seems to be an act. A careful act to conceal how sharp he truly is. And it works. I was fooled, and I wonder how many others have been.
I wonder if his father’s displeasure with him is a part of the act, as well.
“You seem to know a great deal about my family,” I say carefully. “But this is conjecture.”
Kaito shrugs. “I met your brother. It’s well known that you abandoned the Kings when there was strife between you and your father. Your brother has kept them together in the absence of you both.” He leans forward, necklaces swinging as he pins me with his sharp black eyes. “Your brother is a man full of passion. I helped him because I respected that. A man unwilling to let others take from him what he loves.” He sits back, sprawling again with his arms over the back of the couch. “You will not win as easily as you think, McGregor-san. Have you heard the tale of Haru Nakamura?”
I frown. “No, I haven’t.”
“Of course,” Kaito smirks. “Americans care so little for the history of anyone but their own lineage. Even those they wish to ally with.”
Nobura throws his son a warning look. “Forgive my son’s rudeness, McGregor-san,” he says carefully. “He mentions this because it is a tale not unlike the situation you find yourself in now.”
I glance at him. “Oh?”
“My father was not the eldest son of our clan,” Nobura says slowly. “His brother, Haru, was. However, my grandfather chose to break with tradition and pass on the role ofkobunto my father rather than Haru. He felt my father’s temperament was better suited to leadership, though my father had no real desire for the role. Still, duty is everything among us, and my father accepted.” He pauses. “I imagine you can predict where this is going next.”
I nod but don’t speak, letting him continue.
“Haru was resentful and angry that he’d been passed over. He waited for my grandfather to pass away, and when my father was officially madekumicho, he attacked with men of his own. There was a great civil war between my father and uncle. It lasted months and was exceedingly bloody. The Nakamura clan split between brothers. During an attack on my father’s home, Haru’s men killed my father’s first wife—the wife Haru would have married--and the child inside of her. As a result, my father swore a blood oath. The clan rallied around my father after that, and Haru went on the run, but my father had sworn he would never know peace until his blood soaked the ground where his wife’s blood had spilled. He dragged his brother back and executed him in that courtyard there—” Nobura gestures towards the outside of the house, “—in front of the entire clan. His body was left in the woods to be consumed by beasts, his head buried at the foot of my father’s wife’s grave. Even now, no Nakamura will ever name a child Haru again.” He pauses, looking at me with black eyes as intense as his son’s. “My father remarried, of course, and the Nakamura clan is as strong as ever. But the curse of violence stays with us. The Nakamura clan is known now as the bloodiest of the Yakuza. I would have preferred a more peaceful leadership, but now we must rule through fear, rather than respect as we once did. This is the legacy I pass on to my son.”
Nobura takes a breath, leaning forward. “This story is not the same as yours, of course. But my father wished to make peace with his brother. Had Haru not come to him with violence and anger from the start, my father might have broken with tradition and found a way to share the role ofkumichowith his brother. They might have started a new era of the Yakuza together, a time where the role ofkumichowent not to the eldest son in the future, but to the son best able to lead, who rose to the role with passion and strength and devotion rather than blind duty. But that was not to be because of Haru’s refusal to bend. To hear what his brother truly wanted, and rely on the bond of familial love rather than self-righteous anger.”
I can feel Kaito’s eyes on me as his father speaks. The words settle somewhere in my chest, lodging thickly and making me feel tired and worn. The story isn’t the same as mine and Liam’s—it differs in many ways, and the roles of all involved, the brothers, and the wife, are not the same. But in the end, the core of it resonates.
Most of all, I can see how the feud between Liam and me, if not resolved soon, could come to an equally bloody end. It’s not what I want. I don’t believe it’s what he wants, either.
Butpeace?It feels beyond the realm of possibility. I don’t see how after all this time, with all of our differences and after all that’s happened, Liam and I could simply put all that aside and lead the Kings together.
“I’m sorry to say that I can’t give you the answer you hoped for,” Nobura says, standing. “But I hope you’ll think on what you’ve heard here today, McGregor-san. Perhaps in the future, things might be different.”
There’s nothing for it but to leave. It’s clear that I won’t be getting what I came for. I know the Yakuza well enough to know that I shouldn’t push the issue or do anything to get on Nobura Nakamura’s bad side. I stand too, inclining my head, and I feel Kaito’s black eyes on me from where he’s still lounging on the sofa.
“Thank you for your time, Nakamura-sama. And your wisdom. Nakamura-san.” I incline my head to Kaito, and then the paneled door opens, the three black-suited men there to escort me back to my car.
I feel heavy on the drive back, weighted down by Nobura’s tale and the night ahead of me. I know Saoirse will want my attention for our night to be romantic. Since I have no intention of letting her know who I spoke to or what passed between the Nakamuras and me, I’ll need to behave as if nothing is wrong, as if I merely met an old friend for drinks.
Lies on lies on lies.A mountain of pretense, of games, building on each other until I feel exhausted by it. I have no one in my life with whom I can be fully myself. Not even Jacob, because at the end of the day, Jacob still takes orders from me. He’s my friend, but there will always be a difference in power between us.
I lean my head back against the seat, feeling tired. What I want is to go back to the hotel room and sleep, but that’s not an option.
My phone buzzes, and I see it’s a text from Saoirse.Onsen in an hour. Private meal and bartender.There’s a smiley face with hearts next to it, and I frown.
This entire weekend might have been a mistake. Not only did I fail in making an ally of the Yakuza, but I’ve let my guard down too far with Saoirse. I’m losing sight of what matters and of the danger she poses to me if she’s playing her own game.
All my life, the simplest lesson of this life that I’ve learned is to trust no one completely. In fact, it’s better to trust as little as possible.
But I’m also coming to find that’s a lonely existence.
When I go up to the room to change, Saoirse is already gone. I find her downstairs in the room where the open-air onsen is, seated on a low couch picking at a plate of fruit. The room is empty aside from her, a sign on the door warning that it’s reserved, and the same soft music is playing that was in the massage room. Behind a half-moon bar is a bartender polishing glasses, here just for us. The wreathing steam from the onsen spills out over the balcony towards the stunning view of the national park just beyond.
Saoirse looks up as I walk in, her face softening into a smile. “They let you choose your own music for the evening. But I wasn’t sure what you’d like.”