[fic] Silent Collision - Chapter Nine ~The Burning~
Title: Silent Collision
Author:
prettyorianna
Pairing: Akame. Ryo x Kame. Ueda x Junno.
Rating: NC-17. Eventually.
Genre: crime drama? AU story
Beta by: nobody
Disclaimer: I don't own the people. I write this for fun and for other fans of these fine folks. But don't steal my plots, mmkay? I put a great deal of time into them except for when I'm randomly spastically spitting words onto a page. But I value those too...
Summary: Jin kills in self defense only to find himself a fugitive. Along the way he meets a scared boy...
Warning: Character death(s). Abuse, murder, gangs, kidnapping, etc etc.
Author's Note: Chapter Seven isn't very long, but here you go!
The Master Posts:
On my journal - Silent Collision Master Post
On the akame_ Community - Silent Collision Master Post
On the akame_fanfics Community - Silent Collision Master Post
On the kattun_fanfics Community - Silent Collision Master Post
Chapter Nine ~The Burning~
Walking through the front door of his house, Ueda was sure he smelled curry. This was confirmed when he got to the kitchen. He stared at the pot on the stove with suspicion and unease.
Had he somehow been transported into an alternate reality where his friend Jin could cook something that didn’t involve a microwave? What else had changed in the universe while he was away? Ueda didn’t feel different…
From behind him he heard Jin’s laughter. In his concern for reality, he’d completely overlooked Jin sitting at the small table. “Kame-chan cooked it, Ueda. It’s fine.”
“He isn’t in the guest room anymore?”
Jin looked troubled as he said, “He came out for a little bit. I think I said something wrong but I don’t have a clue what… he’s back in the guest room. I think.”
“I’ll talk to him.” But when it looked like Jin was going to follow him, Ueda said, “Alone, I meant.”
Jin looked indignant but Ueda gave him the stubborn look. Apparently his friend figured out how useless it was to argue, because he sat back down at the table, crossing his arms and giving a melodramatic sigh.
Ueda knocked on the door first before letting himself into the room. “Kame? It’s Ueda. I need to talk to you…?” At first he didn’t see him and thought perhaps the boy had gone to the secret room but he was actually in the corner to his left, softly crying.
Damn, what had that baka said to the boy?
But as soon as Kame saw Ueda, he tried to wipe the tears off of his face. He wasn’t really having a lot of success since he hadn’t actually stopped crying, but he kept trying.
“Kame, the police found your uncle. He’s been so worried about you; he wants you to come live with him. Do you think you’re ready to…” but he trailed off at the completely confused expression Kame had on his face. “What is it?”
Kame’s brow furrowed and he titled his head slightly to the side. It seemed like he was thinking hard but after a while he looked back at Ueda and shook his head, still looking confused.
“Do you remember your uncle?”
The boy shook his head but mid-motion, some sort of understanding hit him.
“Well, he’s at the police station so I’ll take you now, okay?”
Only Kame was suddenly on his feet and bolting past Ueda, almost knocking him over in the process. Then, from the kitchen, he heard Jin’s surprised, “Kame, what the hell? UEDA? WHAT DID YOU DO?!”
Walking back towards the kitchen, he couldn’t help but wonder the same thing.
+++
“It’s okay, Kame-chan…” Jin said soothingly to the boy hiding between his chair and the wall. “What’s wrong?”
As Ueda came into view, Kame tugged at Jin’s sleeve and pointed at Ueda. Then he sunk back down the rest of the way to the ground, back against the wall, so that Jin was blocking his view of Ueda. Jin could see he was visibly shaking.
See? This was why Jin should have been in there. Ueda could take ‘alone’ and just shove it.
Angrily, Jin asked, “What did you say to him?”
“I only asked if he was ready to go to the station so he could be reunited with his uncle?”
Jin looked down at Kame. The boy was shaking his head over and over again.
Looking back up at Ueda, he asked, “I thought he didn’t have an uncle?” and then Kame was tugging on his shirt sleeve again only much harder. When Jin glanced down at him, the boy pointed at Jin and nodded.
“You…” Jin started slowly, watching Kame’s reaction, “are pointing at me because… I am… right?”
Kame nodded again.
“You… don’t have an uncle?”
More nodding.
“So then, who is…” but Jin didn’t have to finish the question. Kame’s trembling told him everything he needed to know.
“Tat-chan, he says he doesn’t have an uncle.”
Jin could see Ueda’s mouth fall open in amazement. “But the police checked the guy out. He had the boy’s birth certificate and an impeccable background.”
“I don’t care what the police found. And just how do you even know, anyway? Were you selling me out earlier? Is that where you went?” Now he was pissed.
“Selling you out? God, Bakanishi, you’re being paranoid. Okay, yeah, I talked to Detective Tanaka. But that was mostly about Kame. I thought…”
“You thought wrong.” For good measure, he glared. Because sometimes you just needed to glare to really get your point across.
But then his face softened and he turned back to Kame. “Don’t worry. I won’t let the man who kidnapped you have you back. I’ll keep you safe, okay? You just have to trust me.”
And Kame nodded, wrapping his arms around Jin’s leg in a tight hug.
+++
The sun had just gone down - the perfect time for reconnaissance. Peering through the window from his crouched position, Uchi saw two figures. One of them was unfamiliar; most likely, Ueda Tatsuya. The other was unmistakably Jin.
Such luck! It was going to be so much easier to get to him here than if he was staying with his cop friend.
He flipped open his phone and dialed Yamashita. Very quietly, he asked, “Sir, he’s here. What do you want me to do? Do you want me to send in a group to separate him from the others and take him out?”
Yamashita’s voice from the other end of the line, “Just burn the house down. It’s easier.” Then he hung up.
Wait, did Yamapi mean for him to do it? But Yamapi knew he didn’t kill. It wasn’t his skill. His job was, well, administrative mostly. He spied and he did errands and whatever else. But not killing.
No, surely that’s not what he meant. He must have meant to contact one of the two teams with an arson specialist in them.
Still… this Ueda person hadn’t done the gang any harm. It seemed a shame to… wait, was that a third person? Younger… that must be the boy the cops were yammering about on the news. Great, two innocent victims.
His stomach turned as he dialed the number for Keiichiro Koyama. He ran one of the crews with an arson specialist. Uchi answered a few questions about the address, the occupants, and so on; the whole thing took about five minutes to set up.
The sooner he could get away from the place, the better Uchi would feel.
Maybe… maybe he should just leave… Leave the whole gang behind. Heck, leave the city!
But…
No matter what, he couldn’t abandon Yamapi. Someone had to keep an eye on him, no matter how cold and ruthless he’d become in the past year.
Was it hopeless to wait for the day the man who was once his friend would be back to his old happy self?
+++
That smell.
Burning and silent screaming. He knew that smell. Fire.
Was it… was it Him?
No, He wanted him back, not dead. Besides, He liked to burn up close.
Fire. The smell. Oh, god, the smell.
Must hide.
No, wait; must leave! This was a trap!
Must tell Jin.
Tugging at the sleeve, trying to pull him along.
“What is it Kame-chan?”
Jin, please, please come with me. More effort. Still pulling.
Confusion on Jin’s face. “You want me to go with you? Where are we going?”
“Wait,” and that was the Friend of Jin; his name was Ueda, yes? Ueda continued, “Do you smell something?”
Yes! Point at Ueda.
“Now that you mention it, yeah, I do… Is that… is something burning?”
Yes! Burning and then pain and then silent screaming. They had to go. Now. It was the house. If they didn’t leave quickly, the fire would herd them to the back door and they’d have to deal with the six men he could hear moving around outside.
Front door, then.
Pulling Jin as hard as he could, towards the front door, racing to beat the flames that would reach the front door on either side soon.
Jin seemed hesitant. But, no, it didn’t matter what he thought. They were watching the back. It had to be the front. Please, Jin, just trust me!
Thankfully, Jin gave in and the three of them raced for the front door. The bathroom was on fire and it was spreading along the hallway wall.
But then they were at the door and they threw themselves out. It was so hot… Oh, god, hot embers on his back. Flesh burning. Shirt off and then keep running. Please, Jin, follow me. We can’t stay…
Ueda was just standing there, staring wide-mouthed at the house which was now completely ablaze. Better grab him too. Pull them both.
Running.
Running.
Out of breath. So much pain. Teeth gritted. Can’t pass out… can’t!
Dizzy and darkness. Stumble. Vaguely aware of strong arms catching him, braking his fall.
Then nothing.
+++
Junno was completely floored when Ueda showed up on his doorstep… and not alone, either. He had Akanishi and Kamenashi with him!
“Uebo, what’s going on?”
“They burned my house down! Can you believe it? My house, Junno!”
What?! “Who?”
“I don’t know! Can… can we crash here until the morning? We don’t have anywhere else to go. Please!” Ueda was begging him, tears in his eyes.
Did Ueda really think he’d turn him away? He wasn’t thrilled about having a fugitive with him, but on the other hand, he’d definitely have an edge on the other reporters now…
Reaching a hand up to caress Ueda’s cheek, Junno said, “Of course you can stay, dummy.” And he kissed his boyfriend.
And even though they weren’t alone, Ueda let him.
Wow… things must be serious.
Akanishi was carrying the unconscious Kamenashi. Junno showed him to a room where he could lay the boy down and watched as he ever-so-tenderly placed the boy on his side on the bed. Junno flipped the light switch.
That’s when he, Akanishi, and Ueda almost simultaneously gasped. The boy’s chest was a mass of scars and fading bruises and healing cuts and… were those cigarette burns?
Akanishi gently put a hand on Kamenashi’s side to turn him just enough to get a glimpse of his back. It was much the same, with some obviously fresh burns too big to be a cigarette.
“Once I know who burned down your house, I’ll kill ‘em!” Jin said angrily as he stared at the brand new burns on the boy’s already-scarred back.
Grabbing Ueda’s hand, Junno pulled him out of the room and down the hall.
“Look what he did to that boy!” Junno said angrily. “How could you bring a man like that here, Uebo?”
Ueda looked confused for a second. “Wait, you mean Jin? Oh, no, that wasn’t him. I think some embers from the house fire landed on him and the rest of it must have been the kidnapper.”
“Which is Akanishi, isn’t it?” Though it wouldn’t be the first time the cops got something wrong.
Ueda shook his head. “No. He ran upon the boy by chance and didn’t have the heart to leave him crying under a desk in a warehouse. Look, he’s a good guy. He can be an idiot but he’s doing his best to help, even though he has his own problems.” A bitter laugh. “Even if his problems do get my house burned down. Damn ga-”
Junno shut him up with a kiss.
Finally laughing, Ueda said, “Well, when you put it that way, how can I resist?”
“I better check every inch of you to make sure you didn’t get burned by the fire.” Junno nodded seriously.
“Oh, you’re Doctor Taguchi now, then?”
“You bet! And I have the best medicine for you.”
“You’re not about to tell a joke are you?”
Sporting a sheepish grin, Junno said, “Well, ’Ienaiyo’ tte, ienaiyo…”
Ueda smacked him playfully on the back of his head. “That’s not funny, mister. I loved that house!” But he let Junno pull him towards the main bedroom, where Junno made good on his declaration and quite thoroughly over the next two and a half hours ensured his lover was unharmed by the fire.
But even when they were done, Ueda seemed so tense to him. It kind of hurt. They were dating; that meant they were supposed to confide in each other. They didn’t have to put up a strong front when they were together… it was supposed to be the one time for sure they could express their fears and insecurities without worrying about the consequences.
But Junno just couldn’t get Ueda to open up to him. Because now that the adrenaline from the fire and the adrenaline from making love had worn off, Ueda just looked tired and afraid and silent.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The story continues:
Chapter Ten ~The Uncle~
A/N: For those who don't know, that dajare (assuming the internet isn't a lying bitch) basically means "It’s hard to say I don’t have a home."
Well, you finally got Kame's POV, even if it's his panicked survival instinct perspective and not his normal self. He's a little more coherent when he's not strictly survival-instinct driven. But you'll have to wait to see that.