[In his Care] Chapter 85 ~part 1/3
BAKANISHI!! Come back from Narnia, I mean America, and marry Kame instead!
Ugh, I liked Kuroki Meisa, but being in between Akame is not a good place to be >.< Now she's been both Kame's and then Jin's bride - evidence? XD I loved Cata's theory of her offering to be the mother of Akame's child. No beards or wives will ever convince me those two are simply straight. Not in the entertainment industry. Not with those hips or the bitchy attitude&mood swings. And don't even get me started on Kame. <3
Anyway, we come bearing a chap I feel good about posting on this special day - Kame's birthday <3 Cata was wonderful and got it beta-ed in such a short time too! Thank you, aikata ^^ I hope it will be able to bring some comfort to all my fellow Akame fans <3 I always prefer dreams and fiction over reality anyway, so no matter what happens in the real world I know I'll always have fics and doujinshis ^^
...Though I'm kinda nervous to see how this chap is received. I think you'll know why when you get far enough. ^^; But I hope you wonderful readers will enjoy yourselves reading it!
Title: In his Care
Chapter: 85/86
Pairings: Akame, TxT, KinKi Kids, TomaPi, RyoUchi, YunJae and many more.
Fandoms: JE, wFL, random Jboys, random Kboys and hints of tenimyu and dramas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: please pay attention to possible extra warnings (e.g. spoiler warnings) posted at each chap, overall warnings for non-con, violence and language.
Summary: AU. Kame's two years in prison and his life after that. In this chapter the future foretold by HeeChul is nearing...
[Phase one] Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
[Phase two] Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47
[Phase three] Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79
[Phase four] Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84
Happy birthday, Kame-chan!!
Chapter 85
Cell doors slammed shut one after the other behind him as he was led down an endlessly long corridor, accompanied by two guards.
He knew this place a little too well and silently he wondered how he had managed to get himself sent back here again. He had broken the law, but that wasn’t why he had gotten caught. Love was why. It had a stronger hold on him than the handcuffs he wore. It imprisoned him better than any prison could.
They stopped by the last set of cell doors and he could finally see other prisoners. A shiver ran through him and while the guards worked on the lock he wondered if he wasn’t just plain stupid to be standing here again.
The lock clicked and the door was pulled open. He was sure he would get killed.
The entire dining hall was quiet, as prisoners watched him from the tables, the garden and the second floor, leaning over its railings that were newer and steadier looking than the rusty old ones. The prison really had been remade after the attack on it a few years ago. Johnny had had to wait for an accident and a break out to understand the prison needed some reconstruction work made.
The guards unlocked his handcuffs and left him to his own then, but he couldn’t move as one leg shook a bit and he hugged his belongings, a pair of spare prison clothes, a hairbrush, a toothbrush and some other stuff, closer to him.
“Kame-chan?” Takki and Tsubasa were the first ones to say anything.
He took a deep breath and stepped further into the big dining hall, all the time feeling eyes study his every move.
“KAME-CHAN?!” a whole group of various Johnnys let out together.
They seemed as surprised as Tuti and Nagayan had been, seeing him today before he was led into the prisoners’ section. From the corner of his eyes he could see them all; SMAP, Tokio, V6, Arashi, Kanjani8, News…and AT-TUN.
“What is he doing here? Isn’t he working with Masa-chan?”
“Did Masa-chan double-cross him?”
“Did they plant him here to figure out more things about us?” Maruyama said, suspicious.
“Like what?” the gang mate and leader Subaru asked. “What more useful things can he possibly learn about us here? He already caught us all.”
“Yeah, but they’ll want us to stay here too.” Maruyama insisted. “And this was where he first got involved with us, learning so much about us.”
There was plenty of mumbling around him as he crossed the big dining hall, passing the long tables.
“Kame-chan.”
For some reason Yamapi’s voice reached him, it was probably his survival instinct kicking in, and Kame stopped to send the News leader a rather frightened look. Yamapi returned it with a smug smile and Kame wondered if that meant pain for him.
“Welcome back.”
Kame ripped his gaze from the gang leader, forcing himself to move again.
He knew where Jin was. He could feel Jin’s eyes the clearest of them all. He refused to glance at the spot by the railing and instead took a step up the stairs.
Rumors about him and everything he had done seemed to have already spread over the entire prison and everyone just seemed to be waiting for what the Johnnys would do. The gangs had been there only three months, but they were already the ones making the rules. Just like old times…
“Eh?! The west wing?” Kusano moaned out in disappointment as Kame had reached the second level and turned left to head into the corridor there. “Why is it never the east~?”
Kame had never thought he’d be returning to this place, actually he had sworn not to. When he had first stepped foot in here he had planned another future than the one he had ended up taking. Now four years later on this sunny, hot day in August there he was again. Still, if he had the choice then he’d do it all again.
His heartbeat fastened the closer he got to his destination. The familiar corridor still looked the same regardless the changes in surveillance that he was mostly responsible for. Despite the surveillance having improved Kame doubted he was safe, but he took comfort in HeeChul’s words.
Happiness, strength…he counted on finally getting that. There had to be a reason behind all the suffering. HeeChul had insisted he was on the right path, which probably meant that there was a brighter future ahead of him after all this darkness. There was a smile waiting after all the tears shed.
Kame wondered if he was weird having such optimistic thoughts while entering prison.
It seemed he was stuck in an evil circle, never fully being able to act rightfully. To take Johnny down he had used measures he’d never normally sort to, but what he regretted the most was hurting the gangs to finally earn Johnny’s trust. For that reason he didn’t want to walk the streets free, even if Masa and he had righted the people they had wronged. He would step out of this circle right now. He would use his time in prison to redeem, even if he was the only prisoner doing so.
Kame paused by the last cell in the corridor. It had been repaired on a bit and the felt wasn’t there, but otherwise it was just as he remembered it. On the inside the upper bed was taken, but the lower one was free.
Pausing by the open cell door he took the step, placing his foot inside the familiar cell. He had barely made it inside as a voice said behind him, “I don’t remember asking for a boy toy.”
He spun around, finding Jin leaning against the cell bars, watching him through them with an unreadable look in his eyes.
“But I guess I don’t mind.” the leader continued. “So how long are you in for this time?” Jin asked, pushing himself off the bars and walking over to the open door while never breaking their eye-contact. “You got me a good ten years, so don’t tell me it’s only a few years’ trip.”
He wondered if Jin would have revenge on him in here, but should Jin he wouldn’t object. Even if Jin had wronged him he had wronged Jin too no matter what the law said. Never would he have thought capturing criminals could feel so wrong.
“I’m in for two years…for hacking into the government’s website.” Kame said and Jin raised an eyebrow.
“You actually hacked in there a second time?” Jin had to chuckle. “So because your first record is still wiped clean you got the same two years again, as if this was a first offense.”
“Yes.” Kame replied. “Masa had to wipe clean the first time because only then could I work with him and he couldn’t prosecute me for the things we did together because then we wouldn’t be able to eventually prosecute Johnny or it would in the least hurt the case.”
“That will be a long and painful trial.” Jin said. “Better make sure you have all those judges bought again.”
Kame didn’t reply. He had no idea how Jin would react, but expected Jin to be angry. He could only imagine what the near future would bring him now.
“You want to atone, don’t you?” Jin guessed. “I doubt Masa put you here against your will. You came back because you feel guilty. You want our forgiveness so you throw yourself in here with us. You couldn’t stand to live freely on the outside, knowing you prosecuted us for things you got away with yourself, so your solution is to join us even if you have no power in here. Johnny never had, Masa won’t have either. You have no one to protect you. You know that yet you came here willingly.”
“Masa will make things different.” Kame said. “He will make sure this prison becomes a place where people atone the way it was meant to be.”
“So no more rapes, violence, allies or drugs will occur here?” Jin concluded and Kame kept still as the leader stepped closer, laughter in his voice. “I’d like to see that.”
“Maybe we will.” Kame replied. “But whatever happens, since Masa is in charge of this prison now no matter how powerful you’ll become in here there’s one thing you can’t change.”
Jin looked at him curiously and Kame knew the leader took that statement as a challenge, always eager to break limits. “And what is that?”
Kame hugged the stuff in his arms closer to him, feeling the hairbrush beneath his fingertips. “You can’t change cellmates.”
A smile spread over Jin’s lips and Kame managed to not budge as Jin leaned in closer.
“Make yourself comfortable then.” the leader said and Kame didn’t move until Jin did, who pulled away and headed for the open cell door.
With a little effort Kame turned his back towards Jin in order to put his belongings onto the shelf next to his cellmate’s. He felt Jin’s eyes on him.
“Lunch is almost over.” the leader said from the door. “You better hurry if you’re hungry.”
With that the older boy left and Kame breathed out, supporting himself against the nearby wall.
He had stepped on everyone’s toes. It was only a question of who would get to him first. He was kind of scared to go back to the dining hall and memories of rice balls and other food being thrown at him already once before made him even more reluctant to go.
Keeping his eyes and ears open Kame left the cell, finding no trace of Jin anywhere. He walked down the west corridor, peeking into the empty cells on the way. TTUN’s cells were next to Jin’s again, after theirs were Arashi’s, but none of the gangsters were there at the moment. All gangs had gotten their old cells back. Masa had said it would feel like coming back home for the gangsters, but Kame guessed it was just Masa’s way of screwing with them.
As Johnny had been wounded by their backstabbing, Masa had managed to convince Johnny to let him handle the prison for Johnny. Actually, Masa had done that without a word, somehow getting Johnny to ask Masa to do him that favour - to keep an eye on his worst enemies Johnny had come to fear all the more after being wounded. Johnny feared any gangs escaping, leaving Masa in charge of them, counting on the detective’s skills as Masa had been the one to capture the gangs already twice. Johnny still trusted Masa blindly, but it wouldn’t take long until Masa would lose that trust.
Kame reached the opening on the second floor, proceeding carefully down the stairs to the dining hall. Masa had doubled the guards also inside the prisoners’ section, but strangely there was no one in sight. Kame had heard of several fights breaking out between prisoners and guards in the past three months, probably resulting in a lack of guards in the prisoners’ section, and Kame guessed this was the Johnnys’ way of screwing with Masa. Despite all Masa’s efforts to keep the prison under control, the gangs were already ruling it from the inside.
Kame sat down with his tray by a fairly empty table.
So far everyone had left him alone.
He didn’t dare to go sit with AT-TUN. Fortunately since lunch was almost over there were more free tables. He could swear he saw Jin glance smugly at him once and several Johnnys were eyeing him from the tables around him.
Kame didn’t like this atmosphere. The gangsters were too calm. Something big was in the air and he just waited for them to put it in action. The gangs had had three months to scheme their revenge. He was definitely going to get it if he couldn’t talk himself out of a punishment with the only ace he carried.
“How much do you want to bet Akanishi has him tonight?”
Kame snapped his head to the table behind him. Kanjani8 had sat down there. Were they talking about him?
“If he is all remorseful and willing to do anything to earn Akanishi’s forgiveness then I say tonight.” Hina said in a teasing tone Kame was sure was meant for him.
“I’m curious as if to why that hasn’t happened already. Maybe it won’t be that easy.” Maruyama pondered. “Therefore I say tomorrow night.”
“Akanishi will never hold out that long with that boy in his cell - first night, if it hasn’t happened already!” Ryo said, sure of his bet.
“If he still fears physical contact then maybe on the third night...” Subaru commented and Kame concluded that, yes, they were definitely talking about him. Kame groaned for himself, trying to eat faster to escape the mocking. The gang had seated themselves so he could overhear them easily, as they were betting on when he and Jin would hook up.
“After a year without Akanishi? Even he can’t be that innocent! He may be naïve, but his body will betray him.” Yokoyama pointed out. “Second night at the latest. The UST between them is enough to blow up the prison.”
“Yeah, and if it’s all powerful ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’! ‘No, I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you too’ then I say the first night too.” Uchi added.
“But if Kame-chan’s still using his backbone then it’s the third, earliest.” Ohkura pondered.
“He couldn’t resist Akanishi Jin for that long!” Yassan cut in.
“Fanboy!”
“He did before.” Ohkura argued his point.
“But this time it’s different. He’s been introduced to and embraced that side of him…” Yassan debated back. “He knows now boys love can be hot~”
Kame gave up on eating and got up. He was the topic of the day, he noted, as he trailed across the dining hall to dump his dishes and head back to the cell, where he waited for the night.
He sat down on his bed, noticing how he got more and more nervous while he waited, but it still felt too soon as the lights flicked off.
Holding his breath, he heard footsteps approach, sounding clearer with every step. A dark figure appeared by the cell door, pulling it shut just before the guards came over to check the cell. They looked at both him and his cellmate before continuing their round.
“They don’t…greet you every night anymore?” Kame asked, a little carefully, not knowing what went on inside Jin’s head right now. The perfect boyfriend image was long gone and the real Akanishi Jin with all the qualities Kame both loved and hated was standing at a small distance in front of him.
“They will soon enough.” Jin replied, walking further into the cell. “Besides those two are new. They don’t know me. They’ve only been here for a couple of years.”
Kame tried not to let it show how unsettled he was as Jin crouched down in front of his bed.
“Where’s the felt?” Kame asked, nodding towards the bare prison bars and Jin gave it a look.
“I’ll hang it up soon enough. I haven’t really needed it before now.”
Before now?! Kame pushed that thought away, reminding himself not to get carried away by Jin’s provocations. It would only make it easier for Jin to manipulate him. Should Jin be out for revenge then it could mean Jin was going to make him a boy toy again. But even Jin had rules the leader didn’t break. If Jin wanted to make Kame his boy toy again, it wouldn’t happen until Kame admitted defeat and submitted to that fate, which was something Kame wasn’t going to do this time. At least not to save his own ass like the last time...
Managing to compose himself, Kame met Jin’s gaze again. “You don’t rule the prison yet, do you?”
“You get points for the ‘yet’.” Jin smirked. “You’re insane for coming back here like this.”
Something clenched in his belly hearing Jin say that.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to talk you into leaving, so I won’t even try.” Jin added. “Besides I won’t deny I like the fact that you’re here. These nights have been lonely without a cellmate.”
Jin’s eyes travelled up and down him at that point and Kame felt the urge to press back against the wall behind him. He knew he had brought this upon himself and he knew his behaviour on the outside, challenging Jin, had made Jin even more eager to get him on his back.
“What are you going to do?” he asked as normally as he could. Trying not to think that he was sitting in the bed he had lost his virginity in with the man in front of him and once more he was at that man’s mercy. “Make me your boy toy?”
Jin pursed his lips together as the boy studied him. “I’m actually keen to learn what you have to offer me. Maybe this time around you’ve become so powerful yourself you have something that will save you from that fate.”
Kame partly hadn’t wanted to believe Jin would ever put him through something so humiliating as making Kame his boy toy again, even though Kame knew he had put Jin through hell too. Admittedly it stung a bit, but this time he had something to bargain with.
“In fact I do.” Kame replied, gaining Jin’s interest. “But I’d prefer to give it to you with everyone else present.”
Jin sat down on his bed. “Then what should we do while we wait for morning?”
“Sleep.” Kame replied. “Separately.”
“That sounds as boring as the past three months I’ve spent in here all alone…” Jin said, touching his knee Kame had pulled up in front of him and Kame refused the urge to back away for that would’ve been a sign of giving Jin ground.
“But you will give me the opportunity of the choice, won’t you? Seeing as this is my first night here, won’t you give me till next night to think it over?” Kame asked playing Jin’s game. “If you’re not pleased with what I have to offer tomorrow, I guess my fate will be sealed, so either way you win.”
Despite the fact that his heart was beating faster than what was probably good for him, Kame was curious to know if he could hold his own against Jin.
“Che~” Jin clicked his tongue, pulling away. “Better be good…” the leader muttered as he disappeared into the upper bed.
Kame breathed out a silent relief, lying down on his own bed.
The cell fell silent and Kame tried to remember how he had ever managed to survive a single night in here. He found it hard to close his eyes let alone sleep and when his eyes actually fluttered shut he’d wake up alarmed at the sound of Jin changing position in the upper bed.
Secretly he had wished against all odds that he could’ve made up with Jin tonight, that by seeing Jin again they would be able to sort things out and maybe even spend the night in each other’s arms again, but Jin was not making it easy for him. Jin wanted to play. Jin wanted some sort of payback and it made him sure Jin was mad at him.
Jin pretty much ignored him the next morning as the leader got out of bed.
“Takki and Tsubasa are having some honeymoon or wedding party here tonight. Make sure you attend it.” was the only thing Jin had to say to him that morning, leaving the cell before him.
Feeling beat, Kame lied back down on his bed. He was late for breakfast when he finally did get up and he ate alone, as he still didn’t want to go near AT-TUN’s table although he saw the four other gang members shoot him looks.
Kame sighed, concentrating on eating his rice ball while trying to ignore how he wanted to go over and sit with them again, but Jin would probably not allow that. He didn’t like not knowing where he stood with the older boy.
The day passed by slowly. He kept mostly to himself, as there was no wFL he could turn to. He hardly knew the other prisoners than from their records that Masa had showed him over the past year.
He sat outside in the garden, watching the other prisoners from a safe distance and watching the sky turn different colors. The sun was setting and he still hadn’t figured out how to handle his situation. Somehow he needed to talk with all the Johnnys before night fell upon them, but he couldn’t simply march over to them and ask for a meeting. But if he didn’t do something then he would be locked up with Jin for a second night and have no choice but to give his offer solely to Jin. Maybe Jin could then forward the message to the other gangsters of the Johnnys, though Kame hoped he would be able to do that himself since his offer concerned all of them.
Kame snapped out of his thoughts as his eyes that had been staring blankly in front of him suddenly caught the figures of News members approaching him. Instinctively Kame flew to his feet, noticing then the rest of News approaching him from another angle.
Not wanting to cause a scene, as it would only draw him more attention which Kame had learnt was never a good thing in prison, Kame headed as normally as he could for the only route of escape he had. He pretended to be calm, though on the inside he was everything but that, as he walked in fast steps towards the door and he had to circle past many gangs to do that.
The Johnnys were finally making their move. Figures News would be the first to want to get to him. He experienced a short moment of relief as he made it inside, deciding to head for the cover of his cell and wait for Jin to come back even though that wouldn’t be for another few hours. He would have to pull the cell door shut behind him and pray no one would be able to open it.
Kame stopped dead in his tracks where he was standing in the middle of the dining hall. He hadn’t noticed until it was too late that everywhere around him were Johnnys gangs, sitting by their own tables with their eyes on him. Of the only gangs he couldn’t spot was AT-TUN and to his luck Tackey and Tsubasa were too nowhere to be found.
Forcing himself to move Kame speeded up, seeing from the corner of his eyes all Johnnys gangs standing up by their tables, while News came in from the garden. He reached the stairs, flying up a few steps before coming face to face with Arashi. Quickly concluding he would not be able to get passed them, Kame retreated down the steps being met by gangs closing in on him from behind.
He took the only option left and headed down to a sure dead end when slipping into the corridor under the stairs. His only hope was to find Tackey and Tsubasa, AT-TUN or even guards there, but instead found himself being chased into the prison kitchen.
He slowly turned around, having reached his dead end, finding only News on his tail. He wondered where the rest of the gangs were hiding. He should’ve chosen another place to run to, he had all but pleasant memories of the last time he had been alone with News in this kitchen.
“Kame-chan.” Yamapi said, his voice sugar coated. “It’s so good to see you again. We’ve missed you.”
Kame backed into a shelf as Kusano circled the tables standing in his path to where Kame stood trapped.
“I’m Akanishi Jin’s-” Kame started in an attempt to defend himself, as Kusano reached him, grabbing him tightly.
“Boy toy?” Yamapi finished for him. “I didn’t know you had accepted the position yet. Or are you doing it now?”
Kame didn’t answer and Yamapi eyed him amused also closing in on him.
“You know the position is open for you. Are you accepting it now to save yourself?” Yamapi continued to taunt. “Though you should know it wouldn’t matter to any of us who you belong to…”
Especially not if it’s News’ rival gang, Kame bet.
Kusano railed him in closer, speaking into his ear. “I always found all your resisting and hard-to-catch personality to be enticing, but after figuring out just how good you are at that I’ve started to want to cut to the point.”
Kame tried to move out of the embrace forced upon him, but the arms around him gave no opportunity for resistance.
“Oi! What are you guys doing?” Ryo asked, peeking into the kitchen. “Quit toying with him. We’re waiting. Bring Kame-chan along. Tackey and Tsubasa said they won’t start their party before we’ve settled the score with Kame-chan.”
Kame’s heart sank upon hearing that even Tackey and Tsubasa had forsaken him. He hadn’t even captured them, though he had been behind the capture of their senpais and their kouhais.
“Come on,” Yamapi nodded to Kusano. “The kitchen will be crowded soon with the preparations for this evening’s special supper.”
“Special my ass…” Massu muttered. “Prison food is prison food.”
“Why do you complain? You’d eat anything.” his gang mates teased him as they dragged Kame along.
Kame came to notice just how little Masa’s guards had control over anything as the gangsters pulled him along to areas they were not supposed to be in and he ended up in a room he knew all too well. The torture chamber. How fitting that they had decided to take him there to the place filled with instruments they could use on him for both pain and pleasure and to the one place prisoners had been rumoured to disappear in. Nobody would miss him if he never got out of there, though what Kame feared the most was to be hung from the ceiling in chains again.
“Well, well, well… Look who we have here.” the senpai leaders said, as he was locked into the room with all the Johnnys currently in prison. “We would never have expected you’d be as stupid as come here and all by yourself. Do you believe in Masa-chan’s protection to this extent? You should know better.”
“I do know.” Kame replied.
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here after you gassed us!” Massu piped in, waving a fist.
“That was the most humiliating moment of my life and I have had some pretty humiliating moments before!” Tegoshi agreed.
“So, Kame-chan. This was the big plan?” Ohno asked.
“You and Masa-chan have played yourselves into one tricky position.” Sho said. “Just a moment ago you were so powerful, having all of Johnny’s forces behind you, but then you had to pick them apart… Now what have you got? You sold out on us. What guarantees you we won’t make you pay dearly for it?”
“You won’t touch Masa. Not with Gackt alive.” Kame said.
“But you don’t have anywhere to run.” Yassan pointed out.
“Meaning you…” Yamapi said and Kame subconsciously held his breath, “went and did something so incredibly…stupid again.”
“And now you’re going to answer for what you did!” Matsumoto agreed.
“I can stand a lot, but I’ve wasted too many years of my youth in here! I did not want to come back and waste the rest of my youth!” Kusano said and Kame guessed Kusano was probably the most eager to chain him to the ceiling.
“We wasted five years in here!” the other News members shouted.
“We wasted six!” Kanjani8 members complained.
“We won’t even count how many years we wasted!” their senpai gangs Smap, Tokio and V6 added with painful groans.
“You wasted all that time because you stole from people, abused cops and defied the law in every way you could think of!” Kame replied. “And if you all had really been charged for everything you’ve done then nothing under a decade would have even nearly been long enough!”
“What was that, Kame-chan?!” was the general reaction.
“Akanishi! You better spank him extra hard tonight! We wanna hear his voice all the way to the south corridor!” Kanjani8 members insisted.
“So what is your aim for dragging us back in here?” Sho asked.
“You think you were doing the right damn thing again?” Nino added.
“Or did you hope to change us by forcing us back in prison thereby forcing us to redeem?” Ryo said. “Did you really imagine that after we’ve served our sentences here we’d have changed and would go off and be good citizens? Is that how you were planning on saving us?”
“It’s not too late for you to change.” Kame said.
“I don’t want to change! I like what I do and I’m good at it!” SMAP’s Shingo said and paused then to take a look around at his surroundings, before adding not so proudly, “Well, pretty good anyway!”
“I am going to enjoy seeing you become Akanishi’s boy toy again!” Nagase said. “I will personally make sure you get matching cock rings this time!!”
“Us too!” the other Tokio members agreed. “Masa won’t be able to save you from that fate! He may be taking over this prison, but the prisoners themselves will always be the true owners of their prison! And we will make you pay!”
“Kame-chan, you’re in deep shit this time!”
Kame shot Jin a look before taking this opportunity to say what he had been wanting to tell them, “I’m not here empty handed.”
That caught most of their interest and they couldn’t wait to hear what Kame would try to bargain with to escape the destiny they all seemed to have waiting for him.
“Masa came to me a year ago, asking for my help to take Johnny down.” Kame started. “When I agreed to help I made him promise me something.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.” Massu cut in. “To save all the people you would end up wronging.”
“Including you.” Kame said and the gangster fell silent. “You were also people I wronged by helping Masa.”
“Damn straight!” Ryo said. “So what are you going to do about it now?”
“When Masa finally told me his whole plan, I found out he was going to use me to capture you all.” Kame continued. “I protested, ready to pull out when he said that prison might be the best answer for you there is…although you would strongly disagree on that.”
And the gangsters did.
“He said if you served your sentences you would finally know the feeling of truly being free again. He said it would be a feeling you could never imagine until the day truly came and that you would be thankful you had worked so hard for it and not given up in the middle.” Kame said, pausing for a second. “I want you to be able to be free. I want you to be able to have a future, to do what you want to do, to go where you want to go with no one chasing you down, to see your families and the people you love and who love you-”
“That’s very cute, but it’s too late for us.” Morita Go said.
“No.” Kame insisted. “It’s never too late to start over.”
“Start over?” the leader of SMAP chuckled. “When we finally get out as middle aged men with prison records? Yeah, that will get us accepted right back into the society. So many doors will be open for us…”
“Besides, we don’t believe in redeeming in prison or in anything else in this rotten society.” the fellow senpai leader, the leader of Tokio, agreed.
“And we’re not like you.” the leader of V6 added. “We were never free to begin with. Most of us here were getting blamed before we had ever done anything to get blamed for, just because we were different, just because we didn’t adapt, because we didn’t fit in… People were afraid of us for that reason and it was easier to hate us than to try to understand us.”
Kame remembered then the stories he had heard about AT-TUN, trying to solve mysteries but instead getting the blame for every case they worked on.
“You think I fit in?” Kame asked. “Then what was I doing here in the first place?”
“You got excited nerding on the computer, that’s all.” Okada Junichi brushed it off.
“That’s not true.” Kame insisted. “I was doing exactly what most people out there do, searching for my place. But just like you I ended up in here and I got dragged over borders of worlds, losing all sight of where I belonged.”
Jin had to wonder if Kame had finally found it. When he looked at Kame now, he got the feeling Kame had found some answers.
“We know where we belong.”
“And prison isn’t it!” SMAP’s Shingo had to point out.
“I agree.” Kame said, surprising them as Kame had been the one to put the majority of them back into prison. “I don’t know if Masa was right or wrong, and I might be doing you more harm than good, but I’ve come here with an offer.”
Their looks clearly told him it had better be a good offer.
“Join us.” Kame said then. “And this could well be your last night in prison. That’s our offer.” he said, shooting Jin a quick look before reluctantly adding, “And what I have to give you to avoid being made a boy toy again.”
“Let me get this straight. You caught us and now you’re setting us free?” Aiba asked.
Kame bit his lower lip. “Yes.” he answered and hurried to add, “We had to win Johnny’s trust completely. He wouldn’t let his guard down before we had you all. Once you were all behind bars again he was finally vulnerable, he finally let me in too and that’s when we stroke. Now he’s in a pinch.”
“I wonder for how long…” Yamapi said and Kame looked at him, wondering what the News leader was thinking and there was a moment of silence as the gangsters seemed to consider what he had said and Kame prayed that for once Masa would be wrong.
“In other words Masa’s desperate enough to cut us some slack if we do something for you.” Jin was the one to break the silence, taking Kame aback. “You can paint it with as colourful words as you want, but that’s the bottom line, isn’t it?”
Kame didn’t know how to respond. Jin caught up really fast and Kame sensed that Yamapi wasn’t far behind either based on the News’ leader’s earlier comment.
“You two didn’t take Johnny down. You’re close to succeeding, but only if you have us. Masa gave you up as the culprit, but it won’t be long until Johnny will figure out Masa is betraying him too, which means that then neither of you will be able to sneak behind Johnny’s back anymore. You’ll have to face him directly and to do that you need someone to turn to, someone Johnny can’t turn over to his side and someone that he fears. Us.” Jin continued. “That’s Masa’s agenda in this offer you come bearing to us. He let you have it your way and come here to atone, knowing you’d end up before me and offer me this with a pleading look in your eyes and on top of it convinced you’re doing what is in our best interest. If he had come down here himself we would’ve shoved his offer right up his ass and introduced him to what prison feels like from a boy toy’s point of view.”
“He’s not a bad guy.” Kame insisted.
“And we can’t be bought.” Jin retorted. “You can go tell Masa that when he comes to visit you and while you’re at it get yourself out of this prison.” Kame had to admit he was hurt at how Jin wanted him gone. “If that’s all you have to offer me then you might as well go if you know what’s best for you.”
“You haven’t even heard me out yet.” Kame said, though knowing the leader, Jin had already figured out the cards in his hands and that left him with very little to offer.
“I’ve heard enough.” Jin replied. “Now my question is still unanswered. What do you have to offer me?”
If Jin refused this offer then he had nothing left to bargain with, except for his body as usual. Kame doubted even working in the prison kitchen would allow him a way out if Jin had his mind set on him.
Kame wanted to turn to the others, wanted to reason with them, but he guessed he would have to turn Jin’s head first. It seemed his fate still rested in Jin’s hands, as far as any of the gangsters were concerned Jin still decided on the matters regarding him.
“You’re turning down a chance to get out of here?” Kame asked, still hoping it would reach at least one of the gangsters as they were all without a doubt dying for their freedom.
“Kame-chan, you still believe in people that much?” Subaru said in a teasing tone. “Masa won’t hold his end of the bargain and let us all walk out.”
“As Jin said he needs you.” Kame replied. “If this is a matter of trust, then I can assure you I have good reason to believe in him-”
“In the very least he’ll double-cross us once he’s strong enough to handle Johnny without us and he’ll attempt to put us right back here.” Yokoyama agreed.
“No-” Kame insisted.
“Look at yourself.” Matsumoto said, taking Kame aback. “You’re in prison. All you have now is his word, but Masa is out there more powerful than ever before. He used you then he let you take the fall.”
“I wanted out once it was all over! I played my part, putting you back in prison. I took the blame so he could continue taking Johnny down. He is so close to Johnny. He can do much more than I.” Kame replied. “So will you please just hear me out this one time? This is your chance to walk out of here with no cops chasing you down! You could be free!”
“Is Masa really going to right everything for all of us? As if he would…” Koyama said, suspicious.
“Akanishi your ex-boy toy soon to be your boy toy again has played right into Masa’s trap!” Ryo said, turning to Jin while pointing at Kame. “Masa will never do anything for us! He’ll team up with anyone else, including Johnny, before he’d ever join forces with us! He just gave Kame-chan an empty promise, knowing Kame-chan would then voluntarily go to prison and take the blame for him. It doesn’t take a brilliant player to fool Kame-chan when he believes in others so easily despite all evidence pointing at the contrary.”
Jin didn’t reply and let Kame continue.
“We’re not trying to buy you.” Kame assured. “We both want the same so we should just be on the same side. Masa is trying to show that by offering you your freedom. This deal would benefit both him and you-”
“We don’t want that.” Jin replied and Kame froze, looking into Jin’s eyes.
“But your records would be clean and you could see your families then-” he tried, but was cut off again.
“This is who we are.” Jin said and Kame couldn’t believe Jin wasn’t going to take this deal, as it would benefit Jin and didn’t Jin live just like that? The way it suited him the best? Was it a matter of pride? In that case couldn’t Jin change his ways even just a little?
Kame was shocked that they were all refusing his offer, just like Jin had. He wondered if Masa had agreed to his terms because the detective had seen this coming.
“It’s who you are?” Kame repeated. “You were mere children when you first got caught up in something that led you all into leading this life. It drove you apart from your families and from a life you could’ve lived. Now your survival depends on your status and your reputation.”
“It’s true, some of us never had the chance to begin with, but we all made our call at some point how we were going to lead our lives.” Jin replied.
“Kame-chan, you want to save us from ourselves?” Ohno asked.
“I want to give you the second chance you should’ve been given a long time ago! I don’t think it was just your faults that you’re here today. I think other people should’ve tried more with you. You were all so young, just school boys when you got off onto the wrong path and the people around you and the rest of the society should’ve tried harder to prevent that. The bad things that have happened to you, making you turn your backs on everything should’ve been prevented too as far as possible.” Kame replied, adding, “I want to give you that chance now. There are other ways to atone than prison.”
“Like how?” Jin asked. “Like Masa?”
“Yes!” Kame replied. “Atone like Masa! Make right what you have wronged!”
That didn’t sit well with the gangsters at all to atone like a detective, even if Masa hadn’t always been a detective.
“Instead of rotting away in here, building your own hierarchies and making people your servants and toys, you could do so much more.” Kame insisted. “I put you here not only because I needed Johnny to believe I had really changed sides, but because you lived selfishly, stealing not only from rich men with abused power, but also from innocent, hard-working people. To steal from those who wrong themselves…I don’t know if that’s condemnable, but to steal from those who earn their money in an honest way… I didn’t want you to go down like that. I don’t want you to continue living like that and I don’t believe you honestly want it either. Life is not just a game. The things you do, what you cause other people through your actions, they do matter. You of all people should know that having been victims of what other people have selfishly done.”
Yamapi knew Kame was referring to among others him at that point.
“Why won’t you help us put an end to all this?” Kame asked and doubted he should even be saying this, but he couldn’t let it be. “I don’t want you to give up your dreams I know you once had and maybe secretly still have. If you helped us, we could help you get a new start. Toma, you could become a cop like you wanted when you were young. Okada, you can be an SP for real and not only as a cover on gigs. Yamapi, you could study law or medicine in Todai with Shirota. Ryo, you once wanted to be a doctor too, right? You could study there with them. Ohno, you could continue being a lawyer. Morita, you were once a private detective, weren’t you? Sho, you loved baseball, right? And Yokoyama-”
“Enough.” Jin said. “We know you’ve been studying us thoroughly, letting Masa fill in the blanks we hadn’t told you personally.”
Kame was startled by that, having forgotten how the gangs still thought he had been the one to squeal on them, but he couldn’t tell them Tsuyoshi was the one who had given Masa everything. The gangs already held grudges against their fellow gangster. Kame had really been a fool to come back to prison by himself. Of course they were all waiting for a chance for revenge and this was it. He would just have to take their anger. That was, after all, his part in the trio he had been part of together with Masa and Tsuyoshi.
“We really underestimated you more times than we care to remember.” Yokoyama said.
“But we won’t be repeating those mistakes.” Koyama added.
Kame swallowed. “I’ll accept any punishment.” His eyes finding Jin’s for a moment before setting them anywhere else, adding, “Even the one of a boy toy.”
He heard some chuckles and was only waiting to learn what the gangsters had in store for him.
“You were really never going to tell us, were you?” Yamapi said and Kame raised his head to meet the gangster’s eyes. Yamapi was one of them he had probably pissed off the most. “Not a very good way to re-establish trust, Kame-chan.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kame said.
“We’ve known for quite some time now that it wasn’t you who squealed on us.” Jin said. “It was Tsuyoshi.”
Kame’s eyes widened and Jin smiled at his reaction. “So it was true.”
“How…?” was the only thing Kame could ask.
“How did we find out?” Jin asked. “Koichi-chan-senpai came to apologize to us the first day he was back at work here. I can imagine him having a real go at Tsuyoshi himself, but according to him that was the first thing Tsuyoshi had told him.”
Tsuyoshi hadn’t wanted Kame to take the blame after all?
“What’s going to happen to Tsuyoshi?” Kame was afraid to even ask.
“Are you sure you want to let us out?” the gangsters asked and Kame realized then that if they got out they would be able to track down their treacherous fellow gangster.
“He was only trying to save Koichi.” Kame insisted, but received only chuckles in response.
“As always, you’re defending someone else when you should be worrying about yourself.” Nagase said. “Masa’s deal isn’t going to cut it, Kame-chan.”
“I am sorry.” Kame said, sinking into a deep bow. “I am truly sorry for what I did.”
They were all silent and Kame didn’t look up.
“I left because I knew I didn’t fit in with you and that you didn’t need me, but don’t think it was easy for me to face that truth and walk away.” he explained. “I wanted to do something useful to you, and Masa with his power gave me the opportunity to do just that, but even with his power in my hands you still don’t seem to need me.”
“It’s not his power we need.” Jin said and as Kame slowly straightened himself enough to meet Jin’s eyes, the leader asked again, “So what do you have to offer me?”
If this offer was out then he was there once again empty-handed. Risking being made into a boy toy on the spot he answered, “Nothing.”
“Wrong answer.” Jin replied and Kame refused the urge to burst. What did Jin want then? His body again? Have him humiliate himself by accepting the position of Jin’s boy toy in front of everyone?
“Then what do you want from me?” Kame asked, holding back those emotions the best he could. “What do you want me to do to redeem to you?”
Jin’s voice lowered an inch, as if the leader had wanted to say the following only to him. “You should know by now.”
part 2
Ugh, I liked Kuroki Meisa, but being in between Akame is not a good place to be >.< Now she's been both Kame's and then Jin's bride - evidence? XD I loved Cata's theory of her offering to be the mother of Akame's child. No beards or wives will ever convince me those two are simply straight. Not in the entertainment industry. Not with those hips or the bitchy attitude&mood swings. And don't even get me started on Kame. <3
Anyway, we come bearing a chap I feel good about posting on this special day - Kame's birthday <3 Cata was wonderful and got it beta-ed in such a short time too! Thank you, aikata ^^ I hope it will be able to bring some comfort to all my fellow Akame fans <3 I always prefer dreams and fiction over reality anyway, so no matter what happens in the real world I know I'll always have fics and doujinshis ^^
...Though I'm kinda nervous to see how this chap is received. I think you'll know why when you get far enough. ^^; But I hope you wonderful readers will enjoy yourselves reading it!
Title: In his Care
Chapter: 85/86
Pairings: Akame, TxT, KinKi Kids, TomaPi, RyoUchi, YunJae and many more.
Fandoms: JE, wFL, random Jboys, random Kboys and hints of tenimyu and dramas
Rating: NC-17
Warnings: please pay attention to possible extra warnings (e.g. spoiler warnings) posted at each chap, overall warnings for non-con, violence and language.
Summary: AU. Kame's two years in prison and his life after that. In this chapter the future foretold by HeeChul is nearing...
[Phase one] Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Chapter 15 Chapter 16 Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21
[Phase two] Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Chapter 44 Chapter 45 Chapter 46 Chapter 47
[Phase three] Chapter 48 Chapter 49 Chapter 50 Chapter 51 Chapter 52 Chapter 53 Chapter 54 Chapter 55 Chapter 56 Chapter 57 Chapter 58 Chapter 59 Chapter 60 Chapter 61 Chapter 62 Chapter 63 Chapter 64 Chapter 65 Chapter 66 Chapter 67 Chapter 68 Chapter 69 Chapter 70 Chapter 71 Chapter 72 Chapter 73 Chapter 74 Chapter 75 Chapter 76 Chapter 77 Chapter 78 Chapter 79
[Phase four] Chapter 80 Chapter 81 Chapter 82 Chapter 83 Chapter 84
Happy birthday, Kame-chan!!
Chapter 85
Cell doors slammed shut one after the other behind him as he was led down an endlessly long corridor, accompanied by two guards.
He knew this place a little too well and silently he wondered how he had managed to get himself sent back here again. He had broken the law, but that wasn’t why he had gotten caught. Love was why. It had a stronger hold on him than the handcuffs he wore. It imprisoned him better than any prison could.
They stopped by the last set of cell doors and he could finally see other prisoners. A shiver ran through him and while the guards worked on the lock he wondered if he wasn’t just plain stupid to be standing here again.
The lock clicked and the door was pulled open. He was sure he would get killed.
The entire dining hall was quiet, as prisoners watched him from the tables, the garden and the second floor, leaning over its railings that were newer and steadier looking than the rusty old ones. The prison really had been remade after the attack on it a few years ago. Johnny had had to wait for an accident and a break out to understand the prison needed some reconstruction work made.
The guards unlocked his handcuffs and left him to his own then, but he couldn’t move as one leg shook a bit and he hugged his belongings, a pair of spare prison clothes, a hairbrush, a toothbrush and some other stuff, closer to him.
“Kame-chan?” Takki and Tsubasa were the first ones to say anything.
He took a deep breath and stepped further into the big dining hall, all the time feeling eyes study his every move.
“KAME-CHAN?!” a whole group of various Johnnys let out together.
They seemed as surprised as Tuti and Nagayan had been, seeing him today before he was led into the prisoners’ section. From the corner of his eyes he could see them all; SMAP, Tokio, V6, Arashi, Kanjani8, News…and AT-TUN.
“What is he doing here? Isn’t he working with Masa-chan?”
“Did Masa-chan double-cross him?”
“Did they plant him here to figure out more things about us?” Maruyama said, suspicious.
“Like what?” the gang mate and leader Subaru asked. “What more useful things can he possibly learn about us here? He already caught us all.”
“Yeah, but they’ll want us to stay here too.” Maruyama insisted. “And this was where he first got involved with us, learning so much about us.”
There was plenty of mumbling around him as he crossed the big dining hall, passing the long tables.
“Kame-chan.”
For some reason Yamapi’s voice reached him, it was probably his survival instinct kicking in, and Kame stopped to send the News leader a rather frightened look. Yamapi returned it with a smug smile and Kame wondered if that meant pain for him.
“Welcome back.”
Kame ripped his gaze from the gang leader, forcing himself to move again.
He knew where Jin was. He could feel Jin’s eyes the clearest of them all. He refused to glance at the spot by the railing and instead took a step up the stairs.
Rumors about him and everything he had done seemed to have already spread over the entire prison and everyone just seemed to be waiting for what the Johnnys would do. The gangs had been there only three months, but they were already the ones making the rules. Just like old times…
“Eh?! The west wing?” Kusano moaned out in disappointment as Kame had reached the second level and turned left to head into the corridor there. “Why is it never the east~?”
Kame had never thought he’d be returning to this place, actually he had sworn not to. When he had first stepped foot in here he had planned another future than the one he had ended up taking. Now four years later on this sunny, hot day in August there he was again. Still, if he had the choice then he’d do it all again.
His heartbeat fastened the closer he got to his destination. The familiar corridor still looked the same regardless the changes in surveillance that he was mostly responsible for. Despite the surveillance having improved Kame doubted he was safe, but he took comfort in HeeChul’s words.
Happiness, strength…he counted on finally getting that. There had to be a reason behind all the suffering. HeeChul had insisted he was on the right path, which probably meant that there was a brighter future ahead of him after all this darkness. There was a smile waiting after all the tears shed.
Kame wondered if he was weird having such optimistic thoughts while entering prison.
It seemed he was stuck in an evil circle, never fully being able to act rightfully. To take Johnny down he had used measures he’d never normally sort to, but what he regretted the most was hurting the gangs to finally earn Johnny’s trust. For that reason he didn’t want to walk the streets free, even if Masa and he had righted the people they had wronged. He would step out of this circle right now. He would use his time in prison to redeem, even if he was the only prisoner doing so.
Kame paused by the last cell in the corridor. It had been repaired on a bit and the felt wasn’t there, but otherwise it was just as he remembered it. On the inside the upper bed was taken, but the lower one was free.
Pausing by the open cell door he took the step, placing his foot inside the familiar cell. He had barely made it inside as a voice said behind him, “I don’t remember asking for a boy toy.”
He spun around, finding Jin leaning against the cell bars, watching him through them with an unreadable look in his eyes.
“But I guess I don’t mind.” the leader continued. “So how long are you in for this time?” Jin asked, pushing himself off the bars and walking over to the open door while never breaking their eye-contact. “You got me a good ten years, so don’t tell me it’s only a few years’ trip.”
He wondered if Jin would have revenge on him in here, but should Jin he wouldn’t object. Even if Jin had wronged him he had wronged Jin too no matter what the law said. Never would he have thought capturing criminals could feel so wrong.
“I’m in for two years…for hacking into the government’s website.” Kame said and Jin raised an eyebrow.
“You actually hacked in there a second time?” Jin had to chuckle. “So because your first record is still wiped clean you got the same two years again, as if this was a first offense.”
“Yes.” Kame replied. “Masa had to wipe clean the first time because only then could I work with him and he couldn’t prosecute me for the things we did together because then we wouldn’t be able to eventually prosecute Johnny or it would in the least hurt the case.”
“That will be a long and painful trial.” Jin said. “Better make sure you have all those judges bought again.”
Kame didn’t reply. He had no idea how Jin would react, but expected Jin to be angry. He could only imagine what the near future would bring him now.
“You want to atone, don’t you?” Jin guessed. “I doubt Masa put you here against your will. You came back because you feel guilty. You want our forgiveness so you throw yourself in here with us. You couldn’t stand to live freely on the outside, knowing you prosecuted us for things you got away with yourself, so your solution is to join us even if you have no power in here. Johnny never had, Masa won’t have either. You have no one to protect you. You know that yet you came here willingly.”
“Masa will make things different.” Kame said. “He will make sure this prison becomes a place where people atone the way it was meant to be.”
“So no more rapes, violence, allies or drugs will occur here?” Jin concluded and Kame kept still as the leader stepped closer, laughter in his voice. “I’d like to see that.”
“Maybe we will.” Kame replied. “But whatever happens, since Masa is in charge of this prison now no matter how powerful you’ll become in here there’s one thing you can’t change.”
Jin looked at him curiously and Kame knew the leader took that statement as a challenge, always eager to break limits. “And what is that?”
Kame hugged the stuff in his arms closer to him, feeling the hairbrush beneath his fingertips. “You can’t change cellmates.”
A smile spread over Jin’s lips and Kame managed to not budge as Jin leaned in closer.
“Make yourself comfortable then.” the leader said and Kame didn’t move until Jin did, who pulled away and headed for the open cell door.
With a little effort Kame turned his back towards Jin in order to put his belongings onto the shelf next to his cellmate’s. He felt Jin’s eyes on him.
“Lunch is almost over.” the leader said from the door. “You better hurry if you’re hungry.”
With that the older boy left and Kame breathed out, supporting himself against the nearby wall.
He had stepped on everyone’s toes. It was only a question of who would get to him first. He was kind of scared to go back to the dining hall and memories of rice balls and other food being thrown at him already once before made him even more reluctant to go.
Keeping his eyes and ears open Kame left the cell, finding no trace of Jin anywhere. He walked down the west corridor, peeking into the empty cells on the way. TTUN’s cells were next to Jin’s again, after theirs were Arashi’s, but none of the gangsters were there at the moment. All gangs had gotten their old cells back. Masa had said it would feel like coming back home for the gangsters, but Kame guessed it was just Masa’s way of screwing with them.
As Johnny had been wounded by their backstabbing, Masa had managed to convince Johnny to let him handle the prison for Johnny. Actually, Masa had done that without a word, somehow getting Johnny to ask Masa to do him that favour - to keep an eye on his worst enemies Johnny had come to fear all the more after being wounded. Johnny feared any gangs escaping, leaving Masa in charge of them, counting on the detective’s skills as Masa had been the one to capture the gangs already twice. Johnny still trusted Masa blindly, but it wouldn’t take long until Masa would lose that trust.
Kame reached the opening on the second floor, proceeding carefully down the stairs to the dining hall. Masa had doubled the guards also inside the prisoners’ section, but strangely there was no one in sight. Kame had heard of several fights breaking out between prisoners and guards in the past three months, probably resulting in a lack of guards in the prisoners’ section, and Kame guessed this was the Johnnys’ way of screwing with Masa. Despite all Masa’s efforts to keep the prison under control, the gangs were already ruling it from the inside.
Kame sat down with his tray by a fairly empty table.
So far everyone had left him alone.
He didn’t dare to go sit with AT-TUN. Fortunately since lunch was almost over there were more free tables. He could swear he saw Jin glance smugly at him once and several Johnnys were eyeing him from the tables around him.
Kame didn’t like this atmosphere. The gangsters were too calm. Something big was in the air and he just waited for them to put it in action. The gangs had had three months to scheme their revenge. He was definitely going to get it if he couldn’t talk himself out of a punishment with the only ace he carried.
“How much do you want to bet Akanishi has him tonight?”
Kame snapped his head to the table behind him. Kanjani8 had sat down there. Were they talking about him?
“If he is all remorseful and willing to do anything to earn Akanishi’s forgiveness then I say tonight.” Hina said in a teasing tone Kame was sure was meant for him.
“I’m curious as if to why that hasn’t happened already. Maybe it won’t be that easy.” Maruyama pondered. “Therefore I say tomorrow night.”
“Akanishi will never hold out that long with that boy in his cell - first night, if it hasn’t happened already!” Ryo said, sure of his bet.
“If he still fears physical contact then maybe on the third night...” Subaru commented and Kame concluded that, yes, they were definitely talking about him. Kame groaned for himself, trying to eat faster to escape the mocking. The gang had seated themselves so he could overhear them easily, as they were betting on when he and Jin would hook up.
“After a year without Akanishi? Even he can’t be that innocent! He may be naïve, but his body will betray him.” Yokoyama pointed out. “Second night at the latest. The UST between them is enough to blow up the prison.”
“Yeah, and if it’s all powerful ‘I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you’! ‘No, I’m sorry’ and ‘I love you too’ then I say the first night too.” Uchi added.
“But if Kame-chan’s still using his backbone then it’s the third, earliest.” Ohkura pondered.
“He couldn’t resist Akanishi Jin for that long!” Yassan cut in.
“Fanboy!”
“He did before.” Ohkura argued his point.
“But this time it’s different. He’s been introduced to and embraced that side of him…” Yassan debated back. “He knows now boys love can be hot~”
Kame gave up on eating and got up. He was the topic of the day, he noted, as he trailed across the dining hall to dump his dishes and head back to the cell, where he waited for the night.
He sat down on his bed, noticing how he got more and more nervous while he waited, but it still felt too soon as the lights flicked off.
Holding his breath, he heard footsteps approach, sounding clearer with every step. A dark figure appeared by the cell door, pulling it shut just before the guards came over to check the cell. They looked at both him and his cellmate before continuing their round.
“They don’t…greet you every night anymore?” Kame asked, a little carefully, not knowing what went on inside Jin’s head right now. The perfect boyfriend image was long gone and the real Akanishi Jin with all the qualities Kame both loved and hated was standing at a small distance in front of him.
“They will soon enough.” Jin replied, walking further into the cell. “Besides those two are new. They don’t know me. They’ve only been here for a couple of years.”
Kame tried not to let it show how unsettled he was as Jin crouched down in front of his bed.
“Where’s the felt?” Kame asked, nodding towards the bare prison bars and Jin gave it a look.
“I’ll hang it up soon enough. I haven’t really needed it before now.”
Before now?! Kame pushed that thought away, reminding himself not to get carried away by Jin’s provocations. It would only make it easier for Jin to manipulate him. Should Jin be out for revenge then it could mean Jin was going to make him a boy toy again. But even Jin had rules the leader didn’t break. If Jin wanted to make Kame his boy toy again, it wouldn’t happen until Kame admitted defeat and submitted to that fate, which was something Kame wasn’t going to do this time. At least not to save his own ass like the last time...
Managing to compose himself, Kame met Jin’s gaze again. “You don’t rule the prison yet, do you?”
“You get points for the ‘yet’.” Jin smirked. “You’re insane for coming back here like this.”
Something clenched in his belly hearing Jin say that.
“I don’t think I’ll be able to talk you into leaving, so I won’t even try.” Jin added. “Besides I won’t deny I like the fact that you’re here. These nights have been lonely without a cellmate.”
Jin’s eyes travelled up and down him at that point and Kame felt the urge to press back against the wall behind him. He knew he had brought this upon himself and he knew his behaviour on the outside, challenging Jin, had made Jin even more eager to get him on his back.
“What are you going to do?” he asked as normally as he could. Trying not to think that he was sitting in the bed he had lost his virginity in with the man in front of him and once more he was at that man’s mercy. “Make me your boy toy?”
Jin pursed his lips together as the boy studied him. “I’m actually keen to learn what you have to offer me. Maybe this time around you’ve become so powerful yourself you have something that will save you from that fate.”
Kame partly hadn’t wanted to believe Jin would ever put him through something so humiliating as making Kame his boy toy again, even though Kame knew he had put Jin through hell too. Admittedly it stung a bit, but this time he had something to bargain with.
“In fact I do.” Kame replied, gaining Jin’s interest. “But I’d prefer to give it to you with everyone else present.”
Jin sat down on his bed. “Then what should we do while we wait for morning?”
“Sleep.” Kame replied. “Separately.”
“That sounds as boring as the past three months I’ve spent in here all alone…” Jin said, touching his knee Kame had pulled up in front of him and Kame refused the urge to back away for that would’ve been a sign of giving Jin ground.
“But you will give me the opportunity of the choice, won’t you? Seeing as this is my first night here, won’t you give me till next night to think it over?” Kame asked playing Jin’s game. “If you’re not pleased with what I have to offer tomorrow, I guess my fate will be sealed, so either way you win.”
Despite the fact that his heart was beating faster than what was probably good for him, Kame was curious to know if he could hold his own against Jin.
“Che~” Jin clicked his tongue, pulling away. “Better be good…” the leader muttered as he disappeared into the upper bed.
Kame breathed out a silent relief, lying down on his own bed.
The cell fell silent and Kame tried to remember how he had ever managed to survive a single night in here. He found it hard to close his eyes let alone sleep and when his eyes actually fluttered shut he’d wake up alarmed at the sound of Jin changing position in the upper bed.
Secretly he had wished against all odds that he could’ve made up with Jin tonight, that by seeing Jin again they would be able to sort things out and maybe even spend the night in each other’s arms again, but Jin was not making it easy for him. Jin wanted to play. Jin wanted some sort of payback and it made him sure Jin was mad at him.
Jin pretty much ignored him the next morning as the leader got out of bed.
“Takki and Tsubasa are having some honeymoon or wedding party here tonight. Make sure you attend it.” was the only thing Jin had to say to him that morning, leaving the cell before him.
Feeling beat, Kame lied back down on his bed. He was late for breakfast when he finally did get up and he ate alone, as he still didn’t want to go near AT-TUN’s table although he saw the four other gang members shoot him looks.
Kame sighed, concentrating on eating his rice ball while trying to ignore how he wanted to go over and sit with them again, but Jin would probably not allow that. He didn’t like not knowing where he stood with the older boy.
The day passed by slowly. He kept mostly to himself, as there was no wFL he could turn to. He hardly knew the other prisoners than from their records that Masa had showed him over the past year.
He sat outside in the garden, watching the other prisoners from a safe distance and watching the sky turn different colors. The sun was setting and he still hadn’t figured out how to handle his situation. Somehow he needed to talk with all the Johnnys before night fell upon them, but he couldn’t simply march over to them and ask for a meeting. But if he didn’t do something then he would be locked up with Jin for a second night and have no choice but to give his offer solely to Jin. Maybe Jin could then forward the message to the other gangsters of the Johnnys, though Kame hoped he would be able to do that himself since his offer concerned all of them.
Kame snapped out of his thoughts as his eyes that had been staring blankly in front of him suddenly caught the figures of News members approaching him. Instinctively Kame flew to his feet, noticing then the rest of News approaching him from another angle.
Not wanting to cause a scene, as it would only draw him more attention which Kame had learnt was never a good thing in prison, Kame headed as normally as he could for the only route of escape he had. He pretended to be calm, though on the inside he was everything but that, as he walked in fast steps towards the door and he had to circle past many gangs to do that.
The Johnnys were finally making their move. Figures News would be the first to want to get to him. He experienced a short moment of relief as he made it inside, deciding to head for the cover of his cell and wait for Jin to come back even though that wouldn’t be for another few hours. He would have to pull the cell door shut behind him and pray no one would be able to open it.
Kame stopped dead in his tracks where he was standing in the middle of the dining hall. He hadn’t noticed until it was too late that everywhere around him were Johnnys gangs, sitting by their own tables with their eyes on him. Of the only gangs he couldn’t spot was AT-TUN and to his luck Tackey and Tsubasa were too nowhere to be found.
Forcing himself to move Kame speeded up, seeing from the corner of his eyes all Johnnys gangs standing up by their tables, while News came in from the garden. He reached the stairs, flying up a few steps before coming face to face with Arashi. Quickly concluding he would not be able to get passed them, Kame retreated down the steps being met by gangs closing in on him from behind.
He took the only option left and headed down to a sure dead end when slipping into the corridor under the stairs. His only hope was to find Tackey and Tsubasa, AT-TUN or even guards there, but instead found himself being chased into the prison kitchen.
He slowly turned around, having reached his dead end, finding only News on his tail. He wondered where the rest of the gangs were hiding. He should’ve chosen another place to run to, he had all but pleasant memories of the last time he had been alone with News in this kitchen.
“Kame-chan.” Yamapi said, his voice sugar coated. “It’s so good to see you again. We’ve missed you.”
Kame backed into a shelf as Kusano circled the tables standing in his path to where Kame stood trapped.
“I’m Akanishi Jin’s-” Kame started in an attempt to defend himself, as Kusano reached him, grabbing him tightly.
“Boy toy?” Yamapi finished for him. “I didn’t know you had accepted the position yet. Or are you doing it now?”
Kame didn’t answer and Yamapi eyed him amused also closing in on him.
“You know the position is open for you. Are you accepting it now to save yourself?” Yamapi continued to taunt. “Though you should know it wouldn’t matter to any of us who you belong to…”
Especially not if it’s News’ rival gang, Kame bet.
Kusano railed him in closer, speaking into his ear. “I always found all your resisting and hard-to-catch personality to be enticing, but after figuring out just how good you are at that I’ve started to want to cut to the point.”
Kame tried to move out of the embrace forced upon him, but the arms around him gave no opportunity for resistance.
“Oi! What are you guys doing?” Ryo asked, peeking into the kitchen. “Quit toying with him. We’re waiting. Bring Kame-chan along. Tackey and Tsubasa said they won’t start their party before we’ve settled the score with Kame-chan.”
Kame’s heart sank upon hearing that even Tackey and Tsubasa had forsaken him. He hadn’t even captured them, though he had been behind the capture of their senpais and their kouhais.
“Come on,” Yamapi nodded to Kusano. “The kitchen will be crowded soon with the preparations for this evening’s special supper.”
“Special my ass…” Massu muttered. “Prison food is prison food.”
“Why do you complain? You’d eat anything.” his gang mates teased him as they dragged Kame along.
Kame came to notice just how little Masa’s guards had control over anything as the gangsters pulled him along to areas they were not supposed to be in and he ended up in a room he knew all too well. The torture chamber. How fitting that they had decided to take him there to the place filled with instruments they could use on him for both pain and pleasure and to the one place prisoners had been rumoured to disappear in. Nobody would miss him if he never got out of there, though what Kame feared the most was to be hung from the ceiling in chains again.
“Well, well, well… Look who we have here.” the senpai leaders said, as he was locked into the room with all the Johnnys currently in prison. “We would never have expected you’d be as stupid as come here and all by yourself. Do you believe in Masa-chan’s protection to this extent? You should know better.”
“I do know.” Kame replied.
“You have a lot of nerve showing up here after you gassed us!” Massu piped in, waving a fist.
“That was the most humiliating moment of my life and I have had some pretty humiliating moments before!” Tegoshi agreed.
“So, Kame-chan. This was the big plan?” Ohno asked.
“You and Masa-chan have played yourselves into one tricky position.” Sho said. “Just a moment ago you were so powerful, having all of Johnny’s forces behind you, but then you had to pick them apart… Now what have you got? You sold out on us. What guarantees you we won’t make you pay dearly for it?”
“You won’t touch Masa. Not with Gackt alive.” Kame said.
“But you don’t have anywhere to run.” Yassan pointed out.
“Meaning you…” Yamapi said and Kame subconsciously held his breath, “went and did something so incredibly…stupid again.”
“And now you’re going to answer for what you did!” Matsumoto agreed.
“I can stand a lot, but I’ve wasted too many years of my youth in here! I did not want to come back and waste the rest of my youth!” Kusano said and Kame guessed Kusano was probably the most eager to chain him to the ceiling.
“We wasted five years in here!” the other News members shouted.
“We wasted six!” Kanjani8 members complained.
“We won’t even count how many years we wasted!” their senpai gangs Smap, Tokio and V6 added with painful groans.
“You wasted all that time because you stole from people, abused cops and defied the law in every way you could think of!” Kame replied. “And if you all had really been charged for everything you’ve done then nothing under a decade would have even nearly been long enough!”
“What was that, Kame-chan?!” was the general reaction.
“Akanishi! You better spank him extra hard tonight! We wanna hear his voice all the way to the south corridor!” Kanjani8 members insisted.
“So what is your aim for dragging us back in here?” Sho asked.
“You think you were doing the right damn thing again?” Nino added.
“Or did you hope to change us by forcing us back in prison thereby forcing us to redeem?” Ryo said. “Did you really imagine that after we’ve served our sentences here we’d have changed and would go off and be good citizens? Is that how you were planning on saving us?”
“It’s not too late for you to change.” Kame said.
“I don’t want to change! I like what I do and I’m good at it!” SMAP’s Shingo said and paused then to take a look around at his surroundings, before adding not so proudly, “Well, pretty good anyway!”
“I am going to enjoy seeing you become Akanishi’s boy toy again!” Nagase said. “I will personally make sure you get matching cock rings this time!!”
“Us too!” the other Tokio members agreed. “Masa won’t be able to save you from that fate! He may be taking over this prison, but the prisoners themselves will always be the true owners of their prison! And we will make you pay!”
“Kame-chan, you’re in deep shit this time!”
Kame shot Jin a look before taking this opportunity to say what he had been wanting to tell them, “I’m not here empty handed.”
That caught most of their interest and they couldn’t wait to hear what Kame would try to bargain with to escape the destiny they all seemed to have waiting for him.
“Masa came to me a year ago, asking for my help to take Johnny down.” Kame started. “When I agreed to help I made him promise me something.”
“Yeah, yeah, we know.” Massu cut in. “To save all the people you would end up wronging.”
“Including you.” Kame said and the gangster fell silent. “You were also people I wronged by helping Masa.”
“Damn straight!” Ryo said. “So what are you going to do about it now?”
“When Masa finally told me his whole plan, I found out he was going to use me to capture you all.” Kame continued. “I protested, ready to pull out when he said that prison might be the best answer for you there is…although you would strongly disagree on that.”
And the gangsters did.
“He said if you served your sentences you would finally know the feeling of truly being free again. He said it would be a feeling you could never imagine until the day truly came and that you would be thankful you had worked so hard for it and not given up in the middle.” Kame said, pausing for a second. “I want you to be able to be free. I want you to be able to have a future, to do what you want to do, to go where you want to go with no one chasing you down, to see your families and the people you love and who love you-”
“That’s very cute, but it’s too late for us.” Morita Go said.
“No.” Kame insisted. “It’s never too late to start over.”
“Start over?” the leader of SMAP chuckled. “When we finally get out as middle aged men with prison records? Yeah, that will get us accepted right back into the society. So many doors will be open for us…”
“Besides, we don’t believe in redeeming in prison or in anything else in this rotten society.” the fellow senpai leader, the leader of Tokio, agreed.
“And we’re not like you.” the leader of V6 added. “We were never free to begin with. Most of us here were getting blamed before we had ever done anything to get blamed for, just because we were different, just because we didn’t adapt, because we didn’t fit in… People were afraid of us for that reason and it was easier to hate us than to try to understand us.”
Kame remembered then the stories he had heard about AT-TUN, trying to solve mysteries but instead getting the blame for every case they worked on.
“You think I fit in?” Kame asked. “Then what was I doing here in the first place?”
“You got excited nerding on the computer, that’s all.” Okada Junichi brushed it off.
“That’s not true.” Kame insisted. “I was doing exactly what most people out there do, searching for my place. But just like you I ended up in here and I got dragged over borders of worlds, losing all sight of where I belonged.”
Jin had to wonder if Kame had finally found it. When he looked at Kame now, he got the feeling Kame had found some answers.
“We know where we belong.”
“And prison isn’t it!” SMAP’s Shingo had to point out.
“I agree.” Kame said, surprising them as Kame had been the one to put the majority of them back into prison. “I don’t know if Masa was right or wrong, and I might be doing you more harm than good, but I’ve come here with an offer.”
Their looks clearly told him it had better be a good offer.
“Join us.” Kame said then. “And this could well be your last night in prison. That’s our offer.” he said, shooting Jin a quick look before reluctantly adding, “And what I have to give you to avoid being made a boy toy again.”
“Let me get this straight. You caught us and now you’re setting us free?” Aiba asked.
Kame bit his lower lip. “Yes.” he answered and hurried to add, “We had to win Johnny’s trust completely. He wouldn’t let his guard down before we had you all. Once you were all behind bars again he was finally vulnerable, he finally let me in too and that’s when we stroke. Now he’s in a pinch.”
“I wonder for how long…” Yamapi said and Kame looked at him, wondering what the News leader was thinking and there was a moment of silence as the gangsters seemed to consider what he had said and Kame prayed that for once Masa would be wrong.
“In other words Masa’s desperate enough to cut us some slack if we do something for you.” Jin was the one to break the silence, taking Kame aback. “You can paint it with as colourful words as you want, but that’s the bottom line, isn’t it?”
Kame didn’t know how to respond. Jin caught up really fast and Kame sensed that Yamapi wasn’t far behind either based on the News’ leader’s earlier comment.
“You two didn’t take Johnny down. You’re close to succeeding, but only if you have us. Masa gave you up as the culprit, but it won’t be long until Johnny will figure out Masa is betraying him too, which means that then neither of you will be able to sneak behind Johnny’s back anymore. You’ll have to face him directly and to do that you need someone to turn to, someone Johnny can’t turn over to his side and someone that he fears. Us.” Jin continued. “That’s Masa’s agenda in this offer you come bearing to us. He let you have it your way and come here to atone, knowing you’d end up before me and offer me this with a pleading look in your eyes and on top of it convinced you’re doing what is in our best interest. If he had come down here himself we would’ve shoved his offer right up his ass and introduced him to what prison feels like from a boy toy’s point of view.”
“He’s not a bad guy.” Kame insisted.
“And we can’t be bought.” Jin retorted. “You can go tell Masa that when he comes to visit you and while you’re at it get yourself out of this prison.” Kame had to admit he was hurt at how Jin wanted him gone. “If that’s all you have to offer me then you might as well go if you know what’s best for you.”
“You haven’t even heard me out yet.” Kame said, though knowing the leader, Jin had already figured out the cards in his hands and that left him with very little to offer.
“I’ve heard enough.” Jin replied. “Now my question is still unanswered. What do you have to offer me?”
If Jin refused this offer then he had nothing left to bargain with, except for his body as usual. Kame doubted even working in the prison kitchen would allow him a way out if Jin had his mind set on him.
Kame wanted to turn to the others, wanted to reason with them, but he guessed he would have to turn Jin’s head first. It seemed his fate still rested in Jin’s hands, as far as any of the gangsters were concerned Jin still decided on the matters regarding him.
“You’re turning down a chance to get out of here?” Kame asked, still hoping it would reach at least one of the gangsters as they were all without a doubt dying for their freedom.
“Kame-chan, you still believe in people that much?” Subaru said in a teasing tone. “Masa won’t hold his end of the bargain and let us all walk out.”
“As Jin said he needs you.” Kame replied. “If this is a matter of trust, then I can assure you I have good reason to believe in him-”
“In the very least he’ll double-cross us once he’s strong enough to handle Johnny without us and he’ll attempt to put us right back here.” Yokoyama agreed.
“No-” Kame insisted.
“Look at yourself.” Matsumoto said, taking Kame aback. “You’re in prison. All you have now is his word, but Masa is out there more powerful than ever before. He used you then he let you take the fall.”
“I wanted out once it was all over! I played my part, putting you back in prison. I took the blame so he could continue taking Johnny down. He is so close to Johnny. He can do much more than I.” Kame replied. “So will you please just hear me out this one time? This is your chance to walk out of here with no cops chasing you down! You could be free!”
“Is Masa really going to right everything for all of us? As if he would…” Koyama said, suspicious.
“Akanishi your ex-boy toy soon to be your boy toy again has played right into Masa’s trap!” Ryo said, turning to Jin while pointing at Kame. “Masa will never do anything for us! He’ll team up with anyone else, including Johnny, before he’d ever join forces with us! He just gave Kame-chan an empty promise, knowing Kame-chan would then voluntarily go to prison and take the blame for him. It doesn’t take a brilliant player to fool Kame-chan when he believes in others so easily despite all evidence pointing at the contrary.”
Jin didn’t reply and let Kame continue.
“We’re not trying to buy you.” Kame assured. “We both want the same so we should just be on the same side. Masa is trying to show that by offering you your freedom. This deal would benefit both him and you-”
“We don’t want that.” Jin replied and Kame froze, looking into Jin’s eyes.
“But your records would be clean and you could see your families then-” he tried, but was cut off again.
“This is who we are.” Jin said and Kame couldn’t believe Jin wasn’t going to take this deal, as it would benefit Jin and didn’t Jin live just like that? The way it suited him the best? Was it a matter of pride? In that case couldn’t Jin change his ways even just a little?
Kame was shocked that they were all refusing his offer, just like Jin had. He wondered if Masa had agreed to his terms because the detective had seen this coming.
“It’s who you are?” Kame repeated. “You were mere children when you first got caught up in something that led you all into leading this life. It drove you apart from your families and from a life you could’ve lived. Now your survival depends on your status and your reputation.”
“It’s true, some of us never had the chance to begin with, but we all made our call at some point how we were going to lead our lives.” Jin replied.
“Kame-chan, you want to save us from ourselves?” Ohno asked.
“I want to give you the second chance you should’ve been given a long time ago! I don’t think it was just your faults that you’re here today. I think other people should’ve tried more with you. You were all so young, just school boys when you got off onto the wrong path and the people around you and the rest of the society should’ve tried harder to prevent that. The bad things that have happened to you, making you turn your backs on everything should’ve been prevented too as far as possible.” Kame replied, adding, “I want to give you that chance now. There are other ways to atone than prison.”
“Like how?” Jin asked. “Like Masa?”
“Yes!” Kame replied. “Atone like Masa! Make right what you have wronged!”
That didn’t sit well with the gangsters at all to atone like a detective, even if Masa hadn’t always been a detective.
“Instead of rotting away in here, building your own hierarchies and making people your servants and toys, you could do so much more.” Kame insisted. “I put you here not only because I needed Johnny to believe I had really changed sides, but because you lived selfishly, stealing not only from rich men with abused power, but also from innocent, hard-working people. To steal from those who wrong themselves…I don’t know if that’s condemnable, but to steal from those who earn their money in an honest way… I didn’t want you to go down like that. I don’t want you to continue living like that and I don’t believe you honestly want it either. Life is not just a game. The things you do, what you cause other people through your actions, they do matter. You of all people should know that having been victims of what other people have selfishly done.”
Yamapi knew Kame was referring to among others him at that point.
“Why won’t you help us put an end to all this?” Kame asked and doubted he should even be saying this, but he couldn’t let it be. “I don’t want you to give up your dreams I know you once had and maybe secretly still have. If you helped us, we could help you get a new start. Toma, you could become a cop like you wanted when you were young. Okada, you can be an SP for real and not only as a cover on gigs. Yamapi, you could study law or medicine in Todai with Shirota. Ryo, you once wanted to be a doctor too, right? You could study there with them. Ohno, you could continue being a lawyer. Morita, you were once a private detective, weren’t you? Sho, you loved baseball, right? And Yokoyama-”
“Enough.” Jin said. “We know you’ve been studying us thoroughly, letting Masa fill in the blanks we hadn’t told you personally.”
Kame was startled by that, having forgotten how the gangs still thought he had been the one to squeal on them, but he couldn’t tell them Tsuyoshi was the one who had given Masa everything. The gangs already held grudges against their fellow gangster. Kame had really been a fool to come back to prison by himself. Of course they were all waiting for a chance for revenge and this was it. He would just have to take their anger. That was, after all, his part in the trio he had been part of together with Masa and Tsuyoshi.
“We really underestimated you more times than we care to remember.” Yokoyama said.
“But we won’t be repeating those mistakes.” Koyama added.
Kame swallowed. “I’ll accept any punishment.” His eyes finding Jin’s for a moment before setting them anywhere else, adding, “Even the one of a boy toy.”
He heard some chuckles and was only waiting to learn what the gangsters had in store for him.
“You were really never going to tell us, were you?” Yamapi said and Kame raised his head to meet the gangster’s eyes. Yamapi was one of them he had probably pissed off the most. “Not a very good way to re-establish trust, Kame-chan.”
“I don’t know what you’re talking about.” Kame said.
“We’ve known for quite some time now that it wasn’t you who squealed on us.” Jin said. “It was Tsuyoshi.”
Kame’s eyes widened and Jin smiled at his reaction. “So it was true.”
“How…?” was the only thing Kame could ask.
“How did we find out?” Jin asked. “Koichi-chan-senpai came to apologize to us the first day he was back at work here. I can imagine him having a real go at Tsuyoshi himself, but according to him that was the first thing Tsuyoshi had told him.”
Tsuyoshi hadn’t wanted Kame to take the blame after all?
“What’s going to happen to Tsuyoshi?” Kame was afraid to even ask.
“Are you sure you want to let us out?” the gangsters asked and Kame realized then that if they got out they would be able to track down their treacherous fellow gangster.
“He was only trying to save Koichi.” Kame insisted, but received only chuckles in response.
“As always, you’re defending someone else when you should be worrying about yourself.” Nagase said. “Masa’s deal isn’t going to cut it, Kame-chan.”
“I am sorry.” Kame said, sinking into a deep bow. “I am truly sorry for what I did.”
They were all silent and Kame didn’t look up.
“I left because I knew I didn’t fit in with you and that you didn’t need me, but don’t think it was easy for me to face that truth and walk away.” he explained. “I wanted to do something useful to you, and Masa with his power gave me the opportunity to do just that, but even with his power in my hands you still don’t seem to need me.”
“It’s not his power we need.” Jin said and as Kame slowly straightened himself enough to meet Jin’s eyes, the leader asked again, “So what do you have to offer me?”
If this offer was out then he was there once again empty-handed. Risking being made into a boy toy on the spot he answered, “Nothing.”
“Wrong answer.” Jin replied and Kame refused the urge to burst. What did Jin want then? His body again? Have him humiliate himself by accepting the position of Jin’s boy toy in front of everyone?
“Then what do you want from me?” Kame asked, holding back those emotions the best he could. “What do you want me to do to redeem to you?”
Jin’s voice lowered an inch, as if the leader had wanted to say the following only to him. “You should know by now.”
part 2