 |
"This was definitely the last time. You really are a little uke, though. My little uke, this one last time. I don't expect I'll ever really see you again...soon. At least, not in any real capacity. I'll probably be expected to consider you as an enemy. A black sheep that abandoned it's flock."
Reaching out, the vocalist pulled Naoko down to the bed, pulling out of him so they could just...cuddle together, for a bit.
"You'll have to be leaving soon...I'm going to miss you." he admitted, kissing the blond's forehead and sighing sadly.
~ ~ ~
Naoko lay atop Hayato, his arms wrapped around the older musician. Amber eyes were closed as he just lay there, an ear to the other man's chest, listening to the heartbeat within.
Soon, Jun could feel cool drops on his skin... because try as he might, Naoko couldn't stop the sadness.
"What if you just ran away?" the blond whispered. "Just run as far as you can? You... you could get a second house somewhere and Shou could come visit you. I could come visit with Ryu. You don't have to be alone, Jun. Please. Just... just ask Yamada-san. I know he can make it happen if you but asked."
~ ~ ~
"Naoko....please..." Jun frowned, trying to keep his own composure. Truthfully, he hadn't expected Naoko to react so emotionally to what was going on.
"I can't talk to Yamada about this. Neither can you. Hell, for all we know, he'd go and tell Matsumoto. If I just ran away...I'd be found. Hiding is all but impossible with some of the people Izo has on hand. I imagine You would find me in an instant...and I'd really rather not have another meeting with that man. The things he does...you don't want to know."
Running his thumb under the pianist's eyes, he kissed the tears, almost reverently. To think...this man who he'd made cry so many times...all because of him...was now crying for him. It was painful. The longer he lay here, dwelling, the more painful it got.
"You should...probably go soon. I don't think it's wise for you to stay too much longer, kitten."
~ ~ ~
Sniffing, Naoko sat up, his hands on Jun's chest as he straddled the man beneath him, "You're right." the blond spoke, taking a deep breath and shoving the sadness in his soul deep. "My head kind of hurts from the hangover... and... well I haven't gotten to take my medicine today so it'd probably be better for us both if I did that instead of suddenly trying to kill you... or the taxi driver..."
He swung his body slightly, slipping off of Hayato and to his feet on the other side of the bed. "Just... promise me you won't do something stupid to get yourself hurt. Alright?" the pianist asked, refusing to look back at Jun, before slipping into the bathroom.
~ ~ ~
"I'll...I'll try." he smiled sadly, sitting up in the bed as Naoko stood, heading into the bathroom.
The last time...it had been the last time he would ever be close to Naoko like that. He would still get to see Shou...well, hopefully Sai, too, but that would be another last for him.
Everything he knew was coming to an end. It would be either a time for death...or rebirth, for the better or the worse.
While he wanted to rush into the bathroom and grab Naoko, just kiss him over and over again...he kept himself from doing such. That kind of behavior would only make things worse. Instead of doing that, he just picked up the phone and called for a cab to come in about thirty minutes. Enough time for Naoko to get cleaned up nicely and for them to say their final goodbyes.
~ ~ ~
After about fifteen minutes, Naoko exited the bathroom, a towel around his waist. He was kneeling next to the bed, looking under it for his clothes.
Finding his pants, he grabbed them and stood up.
He didn't say anything... because he didn't know what to say.
There wasn't a single word that could come forth that wouldn't have made the pianist start crying.
Instead, the blond just kept gathering up his clothes, knowing full well that Hayato had already called him a cab.
~ ~ ~
The silence was awkward, the tension thick. What was there to be said, after all? They'd said it all, then some.
After a long moment, Jun stood up.
"Cab will be here in ten...fifteen minutes."
Without another word, he walked into the kitchen and grabbed a bottle of water and the bowl of leftover noodles he'd tucked in the fridge from the night before, heating the meal for a moment in the microwave before bringing the two items back to Naoko, handing them over with a silent order. Eat, drink, and feel better. He knew that his kitten had to be hung over, and this would get him by until he got home.
In it's own way...it was another way to say, "I love you".
~ ~ ~
When Jun was gone to the kitchen, Naoko was busy getting dressed.
Turning, he found a bottle of water and leftover noodles pushed into his hands. For a moment, the blond just stared at them, then, without a word, he set them on Hayato's dresser, turned around, and wrapped his arms around Jun's neck, kissing the dark-haired vocalist with all the passion he felt.
His tongue delved into the other man's mouth, the normally fragile uke suddenly dominating the kiss.
But when Naoko pulled back, his lips almost brushing against Hayato's own, he spoke. "Damn it, Jun... Don't make me hate you for this..."
The youngest Oumori didn't know if he could forgive the older man for this... if he could somehow get past the notion that Jun was tossing him and Sai away and condemning himself to what the blond saw as a suicide.
"I hated you for a long time... don't make me hate you again..."
~ ~ ~
"Better you hate me than love me and suffer for it..." Jun growled, somewhat stunned by the sudden kiss. Sure, he had returned it. How could he not?
Kisses that delicious didn't grow on trees, after all.
"Just eat the damn food and drink the damn water. You'll get sick if you don't. Take it with you, if you have to." he turned the blond around in his arms and directed him toward the meager snack once more, trying to avoid the subject altogether. He simply couldn't stand to talk about it anymore. It would be easier if they just didn't speak of it.
~ ~ ~
Naoko was suddenly pouting, turned around with Hayato's arms around him, facing the food. "I'll take the damn food with me but... Damn it, Jun just talk to me. I don't want to sit there and eat if this is the last time I'll see you."
The blond's own hands moved down, resting on Jun's own and he leaned back, taking comfort in the embrace.
~ ~ ~
"I finally learn what it is to feel...and it seems all I'm meant to feel...is pain..." the words suddenly came forth. Words he hadn't wanted to say. Feelings he hadn't wanted to admit to. The way Naoko touched him, spoke to him...it tore his walls down bit by bit. If he could bring himself to just pick the blond up and put him out on the doorstep, he would...but he couldn't do that. He really was weak...just like his brother had always told him.
"But you...look at you, darling. My little kitten, how you've changed. You're strong now, so what is there to really talk about? We can discuss the weather, if you like...or the latest gossip...but please, don't ask me to speak of anything else. At least let our last conversation be a happy one..." his hands trembled beneath Naoko's. Should he give in to his feelings, he would throw everything away for the ones he loved...but the temptation was growing stronger by the moment.
~ ~ ~
"And our conversation would be happy if you would just listen to me." Naoko replied, one hand reaching up to caress Jun's cheek from behind him. "You'll only destroy yourself and Shou if you were to abandon him. If you've learned to feel, learned to love, then you have to. You have to prove me wrong. Prove that even a monster can be redeemed, Jun-kun..." the blond turned within the older man's arms, looking up into Hayato's dark eyes. "Help us take down Izo, Jun... come with us. Come with me, with Shou. You love us both, ne? If you love us, truly do, then you won't just abandon us. You'll come with us... please, Jun. I don't want this," Naoko gently took Hayato's face in his hands. "to be our last meeting."
~ ~ ~
"Kitten...I am telling you...I spoke to the Chairman of Ohayou directly. He explained in no uncertain terms that I was not welcome, and that Shou would not be accepted if I were a part of the deal. He would have me locked up for the things I did to his grandson, to his star manager. Really, he's done me a kindness as it is. Believe me...if I could run away with you to Ohayou, I would. I'm not pushing you away for any other reason than I literally, absolutely do not have another way." Jun explained, his brow furrowed as he tried to explain things yet again. Naoko was so persistent. It was sweet, really.
"Do you realize what you're saying, though...you're begging me to stay. It doesn't seem like it was all that long ago you were begging me to let you go, to leave you alone." he laughed, finding himself oddly amused by the irony of the situation.
~ ~ ~
Amber eyes turned downcast, the pianist starring at Hayato's chest now. "I'm begging because you've changed. Because my brother and, technically, my boss, love you. Because I want to see how you've grown... but..."
Naoko sighed softly, trying to keep his utter disappointment hidden. "What of you weren't part of the deal? Once we've switched sides, just drop off the radar. If you're with Shou then Shou's bodyguards would have to protect you too. Simply... simply don't sign with Ohayou, Jun. Go with us, but don't sign. Thus you're not part of the deal."
~ ~ ~
"It still isn't that damn simple, Naoko!" Jun found himself raising his voice. It was exasperating, saying the same thing over and over and over again, knowing full well he didn't have a choice in the matter, but being made to feel guilty, as though he had one and were just choosing not to take it.
"I was told I can't even have contact with Shou, or I'll be taken down. God damn it, Naoko, if there were any loophole at all, don't you think I would have found it by now? Don't you think I would be with you...with your brother...if I were given the option? It. Is. Not. Possible!"
Without even realizing it, Hayato had pushed Naoko down on the bed and he was looming over the blond, breathing heavily with reddened eyes, threatened tears that he held back from falling.
"Just let it go, Naoko. Let me go..."
~ ~ ~
Collapsing onto the bed, Naoko looked up at Hayato from the flat of his back. Amber eyes steeled themselves quickly and he shook his head.
"IIE!" the blond shouted back, his own anger evident. Tears threatened his vision as well. "I'm not just going to let it go! Shou won't let it go, don't you get it?! This could destroy the man, damn it! Who in their right mind wants to sing and weave tales of fantasy, when their own happiness comes crashing down around their head?!" half sitting up, using his elbows for support, the pianist continued. "Don't you think they know what I did too?!" or, at least, it was safe to reason Ohayou knew. "They're letting me in on the deal so why not you?! If Ohayou can be convinced that Shou's worthless without happiness, they HAVE to let you stay with him, damn it! It would be suicide not to!" he reached out, putting a hand to Jun's chest. "Yamada-san can help. Really he can. We should both talk to him first, Jun-kun. Please. Just try it! Right now Shou's on the other side of the world! What could Izo do to him there under the protect of Izzy Lucky-san's own family?! If Ryu and I are with you when you talk to Yamada, then we're all fine. Izo wouldn't touch someone who influences Shou so much. He couldn't!"
~ ~ ~
"God damn it, Naoko, do you hear yourself talk? Seriously? No, nobody knows what you've done, Naoko. If they knew what you did to Chiyou, especially, then you'd be in the same position as me...totally outcast, if not worse. This isn't just some...game...where we can dilly dally around and play with maybes, trial and error! Trying to step outside of the box in any way could result in disaster for some, if not all, of us. Not to mention the fact that Shou will be just ******** fine without me. Shou never once said he loved me. Not...in outright words. Sai did, yes...but you underestimate Shou. Nothing could keep Shou down. Not losing me, not anything...except Matsumoto Izo. Don't underestimate that rat b*****d, either. You'd be amazed at what he would do and who he would do it to just for the sake of running a power play. You're naive, Naoko. Naive and stupid. If you say a word to anyone about this, you'll be killing your brother, too, by the way. Maybe not physically, but you most certainly be killing any hope he has of getting away from this ******** up Yakuza-wannabe record label without coming to any harm. Therefore, you need to shut your pretty little mouth, suck it up, and deal with this. ******** deal with it!" Hayato screamed at this point, shaking Naoko against the mattress and standing up, throwing his hands in the air in an attempt to curb his rage and frustration.
Why wouldn't Naoko listen? Why couldn't he just understand?
This was simply beyond exasperating at this point...
~ ~ ~
Naoko went completely silent.
He didn't cry, didn't say a word, and practically didn't move either. The blond just lay there on the mattress, watching the obviously distressed and frustrated figure of Hayato throw his hands up in rage.
How was he supposed to just 'deal with it'?
It would DESTROY Sai.
Sure, the pianist liked Shou too but... he didn't want his brother destroyed all because of some ******** up politics.
"Ohayou has to understand that you did as you were ordered." Naoko eventually spoke, sitting up fully on the bed. He tilted his head to the side just a tiny bit, amber eyes a darker shade of golden as he stared at Jun. "I wasn't ordered to do what I did. You were. There's a fundamental difference. Even if, in the end..." Naoko smirked darkly. "We both enjoyed the screams."
Okay so it had been really hard for the younger Oumori to tell the difference between a hangover headache and a 'holy ******** you're going to be evil in 3, 2, 1' headache.
But with the anger in Hayato... came the seething raging maelstrom that was the darker side of Naoko.
A side long suppressed.
A side long hungry.
~ ~ ~
"We both enjoy....we both....what the ******** is wrong with you, Naoko? Chiyou is just a...just a kid! Hell, I still can't believe you did such a thing to a little child like that! Of age or not...that was a kid who's eyes you ripped out. For ******** sake...that's even beneath me! Look...I don't know what kind of s**t you're wanting to pull here...but you obviously have no grasp as to the importance of what needs to be done, why it needs to be done, and why there is no way around it!" the vocalist yelled, punching the wall.
"Naoko...I swear to god if you screw this up for me and things go south for Shou, I'm taking it out of your a**!" he turned around to face the blond, face full of anger, fear, sadness...then shame.
"Why do you make me do this, kitten? I don't want to scream at you anymore..."
~ ~ ~
"I'm not your kitten." Naoko spoke, the blond suddenly moving fast, probably faster than Hayato had ever seen the young man move.
Pushing out, Oumori pushed his hand against Jun's chest, shoving the man backward hard enough that he wouldn't have good footing, before closing quickly and slamming the vocalist into the wall. One arm went up, just below Hayato's neck, the other grabbed one of the man's hands and pinned it to the wall, while his body pressed in close. Hell, he even wrapped one leg around Jun's own, just to keep the balance to his advantage.
"I don't think you understand what you've done here, Jun-kun." Naoko spoke, his voice keeping a rather dark tone. "See... you made little Naoko cry. It was easy to worm my way back to the forefront with him an emotional mess inside. So you're scared of what Izo can do, are you? Scared of this You person?" the blond smirked. "Believe me. I know what Izo's capable of. Now... tell me seriously that you didn't enjoy it. Tell me hearing Izzy Lucky scream, or Narcissus beg, didn't just turn you on... Tell me that keeping your precious little kitten locked away for your own amusement didn't satisfy your base urges... your carnal hungers... and then tell me that you weren't thinking about just doing it all again to your dear Naoko..." the pianist began to laugh, but his grip never wavered, the pressure he kept on Hayato's body, never changing. "You love the screams... just as I love the blood. If you weren't just as twisted as I, I'd have slit your wrists and bathed in it by now. I very nearly did the same thing to that damned violinist... annoying p***k... giving Naoko medicine to keep me quiet..." he laughed again, tilting his head so that he could lick up Hayato's chest as he smirked. "The only difference between the two of us... is I just do what I damn well please... while you wait, patiently, planning... before you strike. We'd make a good team, you know... I bet Izo would easily have use for a couple assassins like us. Especially... if I learned how to clean up my messes, hahahahaha..."
~ ~ ~
Of all the times of all the things he hadn't seen coming in his life, this was by far the greatest, most surprising, most disconcerting of them all.
Staring up at Naoko, he didn't even recognize the blond anymore. Just in that split second, his little kitten had turned into a wild, bloodthirsty tiger.
"Naoko...oh...no...no no no...Naoko..." he stuttered, horrified by what he was seeing, what he was hearing.
"You can't. You can't do these things, Naoko. You listen to me right now. What would Sai say if he saw you like this? Get a hold of yourself, because this isn't you. This is...this is the demon I put inside of you. Naoko...please...stop. I love you."
~ ~ ~
The blond cracked up laughing, "Any fool would say they loved me if I held a knife to their throat. They would beg and plead and tell me to stop... just like you are now." Naoko's smile disappeared, his burnt amber eyes narrowing dangerously. "I don't give a ******** what Sai would say. You may have put this demon within me, but your little kitten helped it to grow. You know what the tipping point finally was? It wasn't your brother or having bashed his lover's head in with a metal pipe... it was seeing you... on a date... with Sai."
He pressed Jun against the wall harder, "The knowledge that his saintly brother was screwing a monster like you drove him to absolute madness... isn't it romantic, hahahahahahaha! And now! Now the brat begs for you not to leave that brother's side! It's just too priceless! I had to make myself known... especially if this would be the last chance I might ever get... to finally rip your head from your shoulders."
~ ~ ~
Jun's eyes narrowed.
"You misunderstand, kitten. I'm begging you....for your sake." he spoke softly, calmly, as he looked directly into those wild amber eyes.
Moving just as suddenly as Naoko had, the vocalist shifted, pulling his elbow up under the pianist's ribs and jabbing him hard enough to stun as he rolled and reversed their positions, pinning Naoko to the floor with his arm barred across the blond's neck.
"Now, are you going to stop this madness? Or am I going to have to take care of you myself?"
~ ~ ~
The world was suddenly turned upside down.
Looking up at the dark-haired man over him, Naoko smirked. "Why would I stop when it's so very entertaining?" he asked, laughing shortly afterward.
A few seconds passed, and then the blond brought one knee up hard into Hayato's groin in an attempt to break the man's hold.
~ ~ ~
It hurt.
Oh hell did it ever hurt...but Jun didn't let up, straining against that knee until he could shift his own leg up and push Naoko's leg down and to the side, pinning it beneath his own knee, leaving him stretched out heavily atop the blond.
"Hush...Naoko..." Jun breathed the words into the blond's ear as he panted, trying to recover from the pain.
"If you're going to be so upset, then fine...I guess I really don't have a choice. I'll talk to Yamada, like you asked...even though I'm certain it will only lead to folly. If that will bring my sweet kitten back, then I'll do it." he promised warmly, kissing the pianist on the cheek.
He'd do anything, at this point. Anything to make this demon go away and bring back his Naoko.
~ ~ ~
But Naoko was cracking up laughing again, even though he was pinned to the floor, unable to do much more than try and wiggle free.
"While that makes your kitten happy... it doesn't quite placate ME... you see..." the blond licked his lips, hungry for blood. "See... Naoko didn't realize that the hangover headache he had, wasn't all a hangover. I've been bidding my time well, you know... waiting... listening... watching... until the perfect moment to shove that soft uke down into the depths of his own mind and spring forth to destroy anything I can get my hands on." he smirked. "I'm sure Naoko appreciates the gesture, Jun..... but I think you have more to worry about than the happiness of a mere pianist."
~ ~ ~
"What have I done to you?" Jun lamented, realizing more and more just how desperate the situation was.
Naoko had become something even he had trouble comprehending. It was like he was possessed.
Question was...what could he do? If he moved...Naoko would have at him, and then he'd be faced with either allowing himself to be hurt or possibly even killed...or having to hurt or...kill...Naoko.
Looking down at the crazed pianist, he made up his mind.
Releasing Naoko, he pushed himself up quickly and made a run for it...but tripped and wound up falling onto the bed.
~ ~ ~
Naoko sprang at Hayato with all the grace and ease of a large ferocious cat. His slender flexible body allowed for him to quickly cross the distance between where Hayato had fallen and where he himself had just been pinned to the floor.
With Jun on his stomach, his legs not quite on the bed, it was simple for the blond to slam into the man, pinning Hayato's dangling legs with his own hips. Lithe hands reached out, grabbing Jun's own arms and grasping both behind the man's back at the wrists with one hand. The other went up, latching onto the back of the vocalist's neck and pinning him tight.
A vicious smirk played across the pianist's lips as Naoko leaned down, whispering darkly into the other man's ear. "You have made me an animal, Jun-kun... you should be proud." Moving dark hair out of the way, the youngest Oumori licked down Hayato's neck. "I can almost taste your grief at what your little kitten has turned into... you should have broken him again once you found him... made him yours... docile... instead your brother helped create me... a monster who thrives on fear and the feel of his hands soaked in blood." Naoko's nails dug painfully into Hayato's neck as the man barely kept his bloodthirst at bay. "I wonder if your death would be easier on Shou-san than the notion that you've dumped him..."
~ ~ ~
Hayato didn't say a word. Instead...he merely laughed!
"See...this is why you'd be no good at working as a killer. You don't ******** think before you act." he chuckled just before he bucked once to de-stabilize the blond, then, once his legs were beneath him, he stood up with Naoko still clinging to his back and slammed his back into the wall, knocking the wind out of the pianist.
As he had done this, he'd also pulled something out from beneath his pillow. A lovely pair of handcuffs.
Turning around, he grabbed the blond by the wrist and cuffed him, locking the other cuff to the bed post while Naoko was still stunned.
"I meant to fall, kitten. And you're nowhere near heavy enough to keep me pinned in that position. Now...you're stuck." he smirked, leaning in just close enough to ruffle the blond's messy hair.
"Now...it's time for you to really be punished."
While Naoko may have expected Hayato to beat him, torture him, or do any number of terrible things to him...that wasn't what happened.
Instead, Jun picked up Naoko's cellphone and dialed Ryuukaze's number.
"Ryuukaze-san? Yes, this is Hayato. Uh huh. Well, I have Naoko over here at my place. He's handcuffed to my bed. Mm. Yes, actually...but he consented. Now he's just having some issues. Hm? Oh, no...I didn't do anything untoward to him. He's just gone completely mad and is trying to kill me. Oh? Alright then. I see. I see. No. It's a long story. Good news is Shou's alive, though. Yes, I know! Alright. Yes. Not too far from downtown. Make a right at this little Maid and Butler Cafe and...yes, that's the one, and it'll be the fourth driveway on the left. Ok. See you soon." and with that, he hung up the phone, staring the pianist dead in the eye the whole time.
~ ~ ~
Slammed backward into the wall, Naoko's grip faltered and he fell to the floor. Already he was getting to his feet, but his recovery had taken too long and the pianist pulled, his wrist suddenly shackled to the bedpost, causing him to fall backward onto his a**.
Amber eyes fixed on the handcuff, expecting that this 'punishment' Hayato spoke of was going to hurt.
But instead...
"b*****d!" Naoko hissed at Jun as soon as he was off the phone.
In a move that very nearly dislocated his shoulder, the pianist swept his legs out and around, catching Hayato's ankle and sending the man crashing to the floor. His free hand reached out, jerking hard on the fallen man's leg to pull him back JUST enough that he could pin Jun down by the neck with one leg. The other leg under one of Hayato's legs then over the other. The knee at the vocalist's neck easily digging in and keeping the man in place.
"Give me the key. Now." the pianist spoke, a deadly fire in his eyes as he put pressure on Jun's neck with his knee, cutting off his airway.
~ ~ ~
So he had been somewhat cocky and managed to stand too close to Naoko. Oh well. What was done was done.
"No..." he rasped, struggling for air with a smile still on his face.
Even if he died here, like this, his goals would essentially be met. Shou wouldn't be his lover anymore. Naoko would be picked up by Ryuukaze shortly, and taken care of from there. Shou would be devastated, and all the more likely to go to Ohayou because of it. And he...he might finally attain some form of peace.
~ ~ ~
Hissing angrily, Naoko kept the pressure tight but not enough to kill the man. "GIVE ME THE KEY!" the blond shouted at him angrily.
He even went so far as to quickly release Hayato's neck... only to slam his ankle down on the man's groin, before replacing the knee at the vocalist's neck again. "I'll ******** eviscerate you if you don't..." he warned, perfectly content with continuing to bash away at the man's jewels until he gave in.
~ ~ ~
Taking a deep breath when the pressure released only allowed Jun the ability to release an animal-like shriek of agony as he was abused.
Perhaps the only thing that made it any more bearable was the knowledge that he really ******** deserved it, from Naoko, at least.
"C....can't....can't....reach..." he sputtered, barely able to form words now. It was the truth, though. He couldn't get to the key. The key was in a drawer on the other side of the room.
~ ~ ~
Naoko's amber eyes narrowed dangerously. "If you let me go, I'll leave. But if I release you and you don't get the key... I'm not responsible for what happens afterwards, understand?" the blond asked, moving his legs off of Jun.
This was the other man's only chance for freedom, and he wasn't playing around. Going back to Ryu meant the pills, which meant he would be smothered within Naoko again until the blond somehow lost control...
The killer within loved his freedom... craved it like water, or blood... and he wasn't about to let Hayato screw it up.
~ ~ ~
"I....understand..." the vocalist rasped.
The pressure finally let up and he knew he was free...to get up and get that damn key.
Rolling over, he pushed himself up slowly, taking deep breaths to ease his aching body.
Walking over to the chest of drawers on the other side of the room, he made as if to open the drawer...then stopped, turned around, and grinned at the blond.
"I said I understand...not that I would let you go, mind you. Ryu will be here soon, and I'm not responsible for what happens when he gets here, but you, my dear, aren't going anywhere. Letting you go would do you more harm than good, and I promised I'd never hurt you again, if I can help it."
~ ~ ~
Smirking, Naoko shook his head, "Well then... seems like you will hurt him... again. I wonder how well a pianist can play... with a broken arm, hmm?" the blond asked with a laugh.
He was on his feet in seconds, still handcuffed to the bed. Naoko wedged the cuffs between the bedpost and the mattress just right, then hopped up onto the bed as best he could and literally threw himself off the side.
The motion not only dislocated the blond's shoulder, tearing the rotater-cuff in the process, but it also broke the young man's wrist.
Instead of crying out in pain however, Naoko was laying there on the ground, laughing hysterically, his arm at a very very odd angle. Of course the man buried deep within was screaming in agony... which only made the dark side of the pianist laugh harder.
~ ~ ~
"NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!!" Jun screamed at the top of his lungs. His heart went to his throat as he stood there, knowing there was nothing he could do, no way he could get to Naoko in time to stop him. All he could do was look in in horror as the blond damaged himself...and he fell to his knees, unable to deal with the sight before him.
Of all the things that could have happened, this was the worst. Completely unexpected, completely horrible, completely devastating.
"Why? Whyyyy?" he sobbed, stretching out his arm as if he wanted to go to the pianist, then pulling it back as if confused.
If he had thought...if he had known...he would have been happier if he had been killed.
~ ~ ~
"You're crying and you weren't even hurt!" Naoko laughed, his dark amber eyes looking over at Hayato from where he was laying. "I wonder if I could break it even more..." he mused, getting to his feet with a wince.
But that was as far as the man got, because he came crashing back down to his knees, an unearthly scream ripping from his lungs.
Collapsing to his chest on the floor, Naoko lay there for a few moments before soft sobs could be heard.
"I... Ittai...." Naoko cried, his free hand going to his shoulder where he lay.
It hurt too much to even get up... to move...
"Jun.... tasukette... ittai yo..."
~ ~ ~
Sobs broke from Jun as he heard Naoko scream, realized the pianist had come back to himself.
"Naoko....Naoko....Naoko...." he repeated, his voice choked with misery as he slowly crawled over to the blond, picking the blond up from the floor as gently as he could and placing him delicately on the bed in the best position he could without harming him any further.
"Oh....god..." he mourned as he looked over the damage.
"I'm so sorry, kitten. I'm so sorry. I'm so sorry." he repeated over and over, as if he had done this to the pianist with his own two hands.
He didn't release Naoko, however. He didn't know if or when the other side could come out...and, frankly, he was afraid.
~ ~ ~
Naoko lay on the bed crying, his knees drawn up and body tense as he writhed where he was. "Get it off! Get it off it hurts!!" the pianist sobbed, talking about the handcuff on his wrist.
Which had dug in and was actually causing the wrist to bleed.
"What the ******** did you do?!" he screamed, arching on the bed as his free hand went to that shoulder again.
He didn't remember anything... the last thing he could recall was aruging with Jun and then this... this pain... ripping through his body.
~ ~ ~
"I can't...I'm afraid you'll...change...again." Hayato answered sadly, not sure what he should do from here. Obviously, the cuff was causing Naoko more pain, and possibly injuring him further...but if he let Naoko go, there was no predicting what may or may not happen.
"I....I didn't do this to you, kitten. You did this to yourself. You don't remember, do you? You went crazy. Wanted to kill me. I managed to cuff you down...and you did this to yourself just to spite me...all because...because..I didn't want to hurt you..." he fell into another chorus of sobs, totally distraught over Naoko's injuries.
An idea came to him and Jun fumbled for the bottle of water he had gotten out earlier for the blond, opening it and reaching into the bedside drawer for a bottle of morphine pills he had left from when he was recovering from his coma. Taking out four pills, he held them to Naoko's mouth, with the water in his other hand.
"Take these..." he offered, knowing four would be enough to take away the pain without making him ill. He'd be high as a kite, but ok, for a while, if he took them.
~ ~ ~
"Ittai yo...." Naoko sobbed, his amber eyes opening just enough to look up at Hayato, pain evident in those golden depths.
He wasn't faking.
It wasn't the darker Naoko.
The pianist was in dire pain, and being cuffed to the bed wasn't helping. Not only was the cuff physically hurting him, but it was bringing back too many bad memories.
Naoko's mouth clamped closed and he turned his head away from Jun and the offered pills. After all, the last time he'd been laying cuffed to a bed... well... he'd had a taste of too many illegal substances courtesy of Hayato.
"Hanase yo... hanase yo... iitai yo..." Naoko begged, but refused to take the medication.
He didn't trust Jun.
That much was obvious.
~ ~ ~
The distrust was evident in those fearful amber eyes. It was nearly unbearable to the vocalist, looking at Naoko in such a state. It reminded him too much of the past, when he had put Naoko into positions like this willingly, for his own pleasure. Used to be, he thoroughly enjoyed seeing the pianist in this kind of pain, injured, afraid, and begging.
No more. Not any more. He couldn't bear to look at the man like this any more...
Sprinting to the drawer, he fished out the key and hurried back, releasing the cuff, praying he wouldn't regret it.
"Please...please take the medicine. Ryu will be here shortly. I told him what happened over the phone. We have to get you to a hospital..."
~ ~ ~
Once released, Naoko pulled himself back and away from Hayato. He pressed his back against the headboard, free hand going to his arm once more and holding it in sheer agony. "Iie! Not til Ryu's here... Cause I... I.... I don't remember... god what happened..." he began crying once more, but the tears weren't just of pain.
Many were of confusion as well.
"I tried to kill you didn't I? It always happens like that when I can't remember. I hurt people... for no reason... I just... I'm sorry... I'm sorry sorry sorry..." his lithe fingers went down and grasped the injured wrist, turning it just enough to see that the cuff had nearly cut to the bone.
Naoko paled, suddenly feeling sick, but he didn't throw up.
"Oh god... oh god the concert... I can't..." he shook his head, mentaly beratting himself for this foolishness. "Everything was going so good, damn it!"
~ ~ ~
"It's all my fault...I should have let you kill me. At least you'd still be in one piece then..." he said as he put the pills to the side, accepting that Naoko wouldn't take them.
"Don't worry about that right now, kitten. More important things have to be dealt with..." he explained as a knock came at the door.
Leaning over the bed, he pressed one last kiss to the blond's forehead before going to answer the door.
When he returned to the bedroom, Ryuukaze was by his side.
"Naoko...." Ryu gasped, bringing his fingers to his lips as he stood there, tears in his eyes, clad only in sweatpants and a t-shirt. Hayato had explained to him what had happened in the time between the phone call and his arrival. There was nothing he could do about what was already done. All he could do was walk over to the bed and sit down on the edge, leaning over the pianist.
"I'm sorry...this is all my fault..." the violinist whispered, regretting nearly everything he did the night before.
~ ~ ~
"How would you being dead make things better?" Naoko asked, amber eyes focused on Hayato. "It's just.... just broken.... I'll be okay.... it just hurts so much and..." the blond's body arched and his free hand's grip on his shoulder tightened as a silent scream tore itself from the pianist.
Whatever the hell he'd done to ******** up his arm... hurt like nothing he'd felt before.
'Was this a fraction of the pain Chiyou felt?' the pianist wondered to himself before suddenly Ryu was there by his side.
Reaching out with that free hand, Naoko grabbed Ryu and pulled him down, kissing the man so as to stop Ryu's self blame, before releasing him. "I did this to myself." he said, sweat beginning to run down his forehead from the pain. "Just get me to a hospital or call an ambulence or something."
~ ~ ~
Jun didn't say another word. He just stood and stared at the two musicians, his arms crossed over his chest in an obvious sign of discomfort. There was nothing else for him to say, at the moment.
Really...he should just turn the pianist over to Ryu and be done with it, go ahead and let Naoko go...but it was hard to make such a choice when the pianist was lying there, in so much pain...so broken.
Ryu looked back at Jun and knew just from looking what the vocalist had to be feeling. With a sigh, he looked back at Naoko and pulled out a baggie containing the pianist's medication for the day.
"Take these." the violinist ordered, in the calmest voice he could. Calm, and terribly sad. Slipping the pills into his lover's mouth, he held the bottle of water to the blond's lips and waited for him to swallow.
"Jun...call an ambulance. I'm not comfortable trying to get him to the hospital on my own." he said, voice flat.
Jun nodded silently and went into the other room, calling for the rescue crew.
The taxi he had called had already come and gone, probably assuming the call to be a prank.
"We'll get you all fixed up." Ryu tried to smile...but failed...as he did his best to comfort Naoko.
~ ~ ~
Without a moment's hesitation, Naoko opened his mouth and took the pill, swallowing it down with a few quick gulps of water before laying back on the bed, obviously still in pain.
"It wasn't Jun's fault..." the blond whispered. "I was too drunk... should have gone home..." wincing, the pianist's amber eyes focused on the vocalist across the room. "I missed my medicine twice so... I'm... I'm to blame... really..."
|
 |
