Born and raised as nobility, he is expected to take over his father’s corporation when he can no longer function. He seemed like the perfect man to do it. He was well-respected, honest, and had more perseverance than any man alive. He had a smile that would comfort any man, too. But what happened behind closed doors to make Tomi appear like this… that was incomprehensible. The person he showed the world, that was not him. That was what his father beat into his back and skull for years; he was not allowed to disappoint his father, he was not allowed to appear weak. He had to appear to be the perfect man to take over the business.
But when the war started, everything in their world changed. Only a year into the war and their lands were losing. The country he lived in was dying, and people began floundering about like fish out of water. Soldiers who went off to war more times than not, never returned, and as a result, life back at home turned to shit. People lived in poverty, and once people entered poverty, businesses like his families were hurt. Extremely so. Despite this, his father was an incredibly stubborn man and insisted that Tomi continue to act as a respectable upcoming heir to the company. His father refused to acknowledge that their country was dying. Tomi, however, could not simply stand by.
Their country was a world where demons and humans lived together peacefully. The one they fought was whole heartedly demon right down to the core. With so many demons unwilling to lay down their lives in Tomi’s country, they were losing. It was this point that brought about his decision. His father wanted him to be someone that he was not, and his father expected him to stand back while humans put their lives on the line for them. That was not who Tomi was, he would not sit by any longer. And so when his father finally pushed him over the edge, Tomi left. And he never looked back. He entered the war, welcomed with open arms by his brethren.
Life was hard there, and it hardened Tomi even more than his father had. The life in his eyes was slowly fading, and his only thoughts began to be ‘fight or die’. Despite that, Tomi was strong physically. His unit lost very little in numbers, they were a unit of all demons and it was their unit that brought many victories. Still, injuries were inevitable when facing off against a horde of blood-thirsty demons that no longer had any humanity left. And though the war had raged on for a year now, neither side had quite taken the victory yet, but it certainly leaned in favor of the demon country.
One particular battle proved harder than ever before, and Tomi and his unit were easily outnumbered. For the first time in a year, the unit faced casualties. Tomi escaped with his life, but his injuries proved him incapable of fighting until healed. It was intended to send him ‘home’ to recuperate, but Tomi would not have that. Instead, he took a train to a random destination and got off. His intention was to simply find a hotel to stay at until he was able to fight once more. He saw Jiro that night upon walking home from the station. The way he stopped to look at Tomi caused him to turn his eyes on the boy. He was surprised to see just how lifeless and broken he seemed to be. Before any words could be spoken, the boy was gone. But Tomi’s interest in him never faded.
He happened to stumble upon one of V.O.T.E’s fighting tournaments at night as he was feeling restless and could not sleep. Only part of him was surprised to find the boy there. In the days that followed, Tomi always came to watch Jiro fight. And when it became clear to the both of them that there was a mutual interest, they met on days that Jiro did not fight. Tomi listened to the boys story, and in some ways, it was not unlike his. Both had a father that did more harm than good in their lives. And so it was Tomi that began to shape Jiro into someone better, someone that could accept his father, and someone that would not play with the law. He showed Jiro love, care, attention, and hard work. Jiro stopped fighting in V.O.T.E and left his boys, who were sorely disappointed and pissed at him. But Jiro had Tomi now, it didn’t matter.
But Tomi was already caught up in a war that had no end. As soon as his injuries healed, he was duty-bound to head back. And so he parted with Jiro, but not truly. They sent letters constantly, and Jiro’s obvious admiration and love for Tomi gave him renewed hope. His thoughts were no longer ‘Fight or die’ they were ‘live another day, one step closer to reaching him’. Tomi’s father was easily forgotten in this new light, he had someone else to occupy his mind. A reason to live and to fight on.