Chapter Text
The first thing Majima notices is how fucking cold it is in Tokyo compared to Hawaii. He’s wearing an actual shirt for once - Saejima wouldn’t let him leave for the airport without one - but it’s still freezing, the air feels so dry. Everything that happened in Hawaii feels like a fever dream and now that he remembers his old friends and home, he’s more than ready to return.
“Are ya sure the name Kazuma Kiryu doesn’t ring any bells?” Saejima asks as they get in a taxi bound for Kamurocho.
“For the last time, bro, no. That name doesn’t mean shit to me.” Majima is so sick of his kyodai asking about that fucking guy. If he was so important, Saejima could just tell him what he’s supposed to remember. Majima frowns and turns to face his body towards the window of the taxi. Tokyo feels so huge it’s almost suffocating. Buildings crowded together, people everywhere, a dark night sky with no stars to be seen. He knows there’s nowhere else he could live, Kamurocho is his home.
A beach drenched in moonlight.
“Look at all the stars, wow. A guy could get used to this.”
Majima shakes that scrap of a memory out of his brain.
“Ya ever thought of living somewhere other than Kamurocho?” Majima asks.
“Sure, I liked Okinawa a lot. After that fishing village anywhere warm and beachy would be great.” Saejima says, turning to Majima with a strange look in his eyes.
“Hm, Okinawa. Too hot, too rural. I need some city dirt and grime.” Majima says and turns back to look out the window. Something about that memory on the beach, looking up at the stars sticks with him for the rest of the ride.
The taxi drops them off right in front of the Tenkaichi Street gate. When Majima gets out, all of his senses are flooded at once. The neon lights seem brighter, the crowds seem louder. It’s almost too much.
“Kyodai, ain’t this a little far from our apartment? I still remember where we live.” Majima squints his eye at Saejima, suspicious.
“Heh, I thought this kinda thing might be good for yer amnesia. A walk through the city, takin’ in the sights and smells” Saejima says.
Majima sighs. “Yeah, Kamurocho is widely known for its good smellin’ streets. Let’s get it over with then, I can’t wait to get my ass in a real bed.”
Not even one step beyond the gate, Majima feels a sinking feeling in his gut. This is his home, his turf, why does it feel so wrong and empty? Has it always felt that way? They keep walking down Tenkaichi Street, stepping around gross puddles and ignoring barkers.
Winning a fight easily.
“There’s one thing you haven’t lost while you were doin’ hard time… It’s those eyes.”
Majima rolls his eye. He’s won plenty of fights on this exact street, why would his brain decide to remind him of one where he doesn’t even remember his opponent? Whatever, let’s get this walk down memory lane over with.
“So why’s it so important that I remember this Kiryu guy anyways?”
“Well, he was the Fourth Chairman of the Tojo Clan….” Saejima trails off.
Majima frowns, “Doesn’t mean much of anythin’ anymore does it?”
“Not just that, Daigo sees him as a father. He was a real good friend to us both. You’ve known him since the 80s, when all that Empty Lot bullshit was goin’ down.”
“Ugh, nothin’ back then is even worth rememberin’, Kyodai. Seriously, I don’t even wanna think about it. I’m supposed to be enjoyin’ my retirement years, not wallowing in the past.” Majima says. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if there were things he would never remember. He can think of a few things he wished he didn’t.
“Kiryu’s my friend, too. So I’m gonna try to make ya remember him whether ya like it or not.”
“Well, ya could start by tellin’ me somethin’ about him.”
“In the 80s and 90s, when you were the Mad Dog of Shimano, he was the Dragon of Dojima. I can’t tell ya much about that time period for obvious reasons, but ya both were pretty infamous.”
Majima’s stomach drops at the mention of the Dragon of Dojima. Majima isn’t sure if it’s because of the legendary rampage he went on through the Dojima Family offices or another unknown, forgotten reason. His heart squeezes in his chest, suddenly he feels like he can’t breathe. Majima’s head is aching and pounding, probably from trying so hard to remember why he’s feeling this way at the mere mention of the Dragon of Dojima.
“Alright, alright. Enough of that. My brain feels like it’s tryin’ to eat itself.” Majima says, waving Saejima off.
Saejima looks at Majima and nods. They both continue their walk home in silence.
As soon as they’re in the front door, Majima trips all over himself trying to get his shoes off so he can race to his room and get in bed. He sinks into the mattress, thanking whatever deity there is that he had splurged on a big bed when they left the fishing village. Majima flops on his back, sighing at the ceiling. It feels so good to be home, but there’s also a lingering, itchy feeling in his brain. Instead of a missing puzzle piece, it feels like someone blasted out the middle of the puzzle with a shotgun. There’s something huge missing and he can’t figure it out.
Majima has had enough sleepless nights to recognize when one is coming. No matter how tired he feels, his brain is working overtime. He can’t stop thinking about the Dragon of Dojima. Ever since Saejima said those words, they’ve been rattling around in his head. It’s something he should remember, it’s something he has to remember, it feels like the most important thing in the world, but his brain won’t let him.
Toes in the sand, the sun shining down.
Majima is standing on a pristine stretch of beach, staring out into the waves.
It feels a lot like Hawaii, but looking around, Majima decides that it isn’t.
His heart feels full, he can hear children laughing and yelling and the metallic ting of a baseball meeting a bat.
Majima can hear the crunch of footsteps on sand walking up behind him but he’s frozen to the spot. Can’t turn around, can’t move.
Big, warm arms wrap around his waist, the scratch of stubble on his cheek as he’s wrapped up into a hug.
“I’ve missed you so much.” A low, rumbling voice.
A soft knock on his bedroom door jolts Majima awake. His head whips around the room, he’s not in Hawaii, he’s not on that idyllic dream beach, he’s in his bed in Kamurocho.
“What’s up?” Majima grumbles.
“Hey, bro. Sorry to wake ya but it’s almost noon and I thought we could hit the batting cages today, blow off some steam.” Saejima says through the closed door.
“Yeah, sure, lemme get dressed.” Majima jumps at the opportunity, it feels so natural, so normal, he goes to the batting cages with his kyodai, they hit a few home runs, everyone’s happy right? He really needs something to distract himself from how he’s been feeling.
Saejima and Majima don’t talk at all in the batting center. Turns out, the batting cages were exactly what he needed. Majima is only focused on the way the bat feels in his hands, the satisfying metallic sound of the bat hitting the ball, the way it feels when he hits the sweet spot and the tingly stinging sensation when he doesn’t.
Crushing guilt, she’s just a little girl, why does she have to be so embroiled in yakuza drama.
Of course, the hero comes to save the day, Majima knew he would.
A twisting, shooting, stabbing pain in Majima’s abdomen.
Of course it was worth it, he would do it a million times over.
A promise made, a promise forgotten.
“I’m the only one allowed to kill him”
Nope, nope. Majima does not like that memory at all. He remembers the stabbing pain in his stomach and looks at the skin where it hurt in the memory. There is a perfect straight line of a scar.
“Oi, Saejima. Do ya remember how I got this scar?” Majima asks.
“Kyodai, ya have ‘bout a million scars. The only one I can remember is the one on yer arm ya got from tripping with the fire poker in yer hand at Nick Ogata’s apartment.”
“Alright, well that’s enough of that fer me. I’m heading home.” Majima says, sauntering towards the exit. Majima hesitates for a second. “Thanks for taking me here, I really did need to blow off some steam.”
Saejima stares after him. He’s not sure how to get through to Majima and actually help him recover his memories. He needs help.
Meeting at Cafe Alps, the four former yakuza feel far too big for this tiny cafe, each sipping their fancy coffee drinks. Saejima assembled everyone he could think of that was close to his oath brother.
“He really doesn’t remember Kiryu-san at all? Not even a little bit?” Nishida finally asks even though he already knows the answer.
“It’s like that part of his brain is completely turned off. The other day I caught him staring at a graphic tee shirt with a dragon on it in a shop window with the strangest look on his face. Like he was trying to remember something so hard his head might explode.” Daigo sighs and rubs his forehead. “We have to do something to help him remember, we owe it to them both.”
“I already tried the batting cages like ya suggested, Nishida.” Saejima says after taking a sip of his latte. “He seemed like he was in his own world, I’m not sure if it helped or not.”
Nishida looks down at the table, there’s so much previously useless information about his former boss stored in his brain. Nishida knows where Kiryu and Majima’s first proper date was, all of the costumes and silly disguises Majima made Nishida organize to get Kiryu to fight him, he knows about the trips Majima had him plan to spend time in Okinawa after Kiryu moved. He even knows which love hotel his former boss had taken Kiryu to when they… did the deed for the first time.
That last thought makes him blush, he would only use that information if he really needed to.
“Why don’t we just bring Majima-oyaji to see Kiryu-san? That could make him remember real quick” Minami says.
“I really don’t think that would be good for Kiryu-san right now.” Daigo says solemnly. “A grand reunion after so long apart and Majima doesn’t even remember him? I don’t know if he could handle it in his current state.”
Minami sinks down in his chair. Nishida knows that Daigo is right, there are definitely other ways they can help Majima remember without putting Kiryu through any emotional distress.
“Okay, well, I have a few places in mind that might help Majima-oyaji remember Kiryu-san.” Nishida starts. “I still have the costumes and remember the plans he made to stalk Kiryu in 2005.”
“I’m not wearin’ a costume.” Saejima says.
“Hopefully none of us have to wear costumes, but maybe we could all help and visit places where they did things together or shared important moments.” Nishida says. "So are you all in to help?"
"Of course." Daigo says.
"You bet!" Minami shouts.
"As long as ya don't make me wear a costume." Saejima grumbles.
"Alright, then! Let's work on some plans." Nishida says, taking out his yellow legal pad.