Lonely Souls - Part 3
Authoremmachase
Requested by: No One
Title: Lonely Souls Part 3
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst, Fluff
Pairing: OkaJima
Summary: Keito has spent his life alone, Yuto spent his life sheltered, when these two boys meet their friendship grows through understanding, and the sharing of a small journal.....
It struck Keito as being ironic…. How as he stared at the pond before the bench, the world seemed to be such a peaceful place, but within his heart the world was a turbulent storm of pain and anguish. So long had he wanted someone to believe in, someone to recognize him, and just as quickly as it came, he found out the joy was only meant to be momentary. He clutched his chest as a sharp stabbing pain came to him and he looked up.
“So this is what it’s like to be… heart broken…..”
“Keito!” Yuto called as he ran out after him.
“Don’t…. touch me….” Keito waved away the boy’s hand.
“P-Please Keito… just listen to me... please?”
“What could you possibly have to say to explain anything to me!?” A boil of emotions swelled within Keito’s body as he fought to keep from crying, screaming, and breaking down all at the same time.
“You don't understand! Please!” Yuto got down on his knees and begged, wrapping his arms around the older boy’s legs.
“No! I understand perfectly well! I was so happy to be with you, I was so happy to finally have someone to talk to!”
“I know…. I read your journal….. I wanted to be that someone…. I still want to be that someone….” Yuto whimpered quietly
“I…. I know now…. I know that burning feeling in my heart, that warm feeling whenever I talked with you…. I found out that wasn't just some strange feeling…. That was love! I loved you! And it all comes down to this! I can’t give you all the things that you can get from marrying Takeo! I can’t give you anything more than just me! You have to decide Yuto, either your life with Takeo and your money…. Or me.” With that Keito kicked off Yuto’s clasping arms, knocking the boy onto his back and stormed off.
“Yuto-Sama!” Two of the event’s guards rushed to his side and helped him up.
“Keito! Let go! Keito!” Yuto shouted again, but the boy didn’t turn around…..
“Keito! Keiiiito!” He continued as he throat began to hurt from the sheer volume he was producing.
“Keito!!!!!!!!” Yuto screamed as the two guards dragged him back inside and the iron gates of the mansion slammed shut with an audible clang.
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Back upon the rooftop, Keito was restless again as he fidgeted with the formal wear he was stuffed into. He had been trying for the last two hours to discover again that sense of peace that he once held, but his mind kept drifting back to Yuto, and that memory seemed to hurt him the most.
A deep sense of loneliness surrounded him as he, for the first time, realized just how quiet the rooftop was, just how plain and boring it was to sit here with no one to talk to. He missed…. Yuto.
“What am I saying I can’t think about him….. I shouldn't….” Keito shook his head as he forced his mind into a blank slate.
“Why can’t you think about him?” A man’s voice asked.
Startled Keito turned to see Misaki standing on the roof.
“W-What are you doing here?”
“I… am here to return these to you…. And maybe…. To explain some…. Events…” Misaki held out a clear transparent bag that contained Keito’s old clothes, including the jacket that Yuto had bought him.
“I don't want to hear it. I… I hate him….” He said bluntly as he snatched the bag from the man’s hands.
“You do not mean that…. And you may not want to hear it, but it must be said.”
“I don-“
“Could you at least consider it a fair trade? For those clothes, could I buy a bit of your time then?” Misaki interrupted.
“F-Fine…” Under the intense gaze of the man’s eyes Keito relented and slumped to look at the passing people on the pavement below.
“Yuto hasn’t led an easy life….. “
“You don’t say... seems like he’s led an easy life…having the money he needs to do anything… playing around with people’s hearts….” Keito said sarcastically, but with each word he felt that stabbing pain grow deeper
“Yuto was telling the truth when he said that he didn’t love Takeo-kun….”
“Oh really….. then why is the stupid guy his fiancé?” Again the stabbing pain intensified.
“When Yuto was only five years old, a pact was made between the heads of the families, Takeo-kun’s father and Yuto’s father. The companies would build themselves up until the heirs of their families were mature and with the union of their families, they would become the strongest business entity in all of Japan. Ever since Yuto was young, he has been informed over and over again about his responsibility to marry Takeo, but has never acknowledged it once……” Misaki paused as he noticed the look of pain and anger vanished from Keito’s face.
“So… it was… arranged?”
“Yes…as far as I know… Yuto is actually terrified of Takeo… he is coarse…. Rough…. And he is ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants….”
“Then… I’ve…. Accused Yuto of something terrible… haven’t I? Ugh… I'm so stupid I-I was just so…mad…. What…. What am I going to do now?”
Misaki stayed silent this time as he was unsure how to answer Keito’s question.
“I-I’ve got to go apologize….and…and…” Keito stopped short as he noticed the man sitting beside him shaking his head.
“W-What’s….. what’s happened?”
“After you left, Yuto cried…. And cried…. Until I fear that was nothing left of him….. he slipped through the night as a ghost… quiet but polite, exactly the way his father had wanted…and that also meant….. “
“He didn't…..”
“He said he felt that you hated him and had left him forever…. And that you were so angry you could never forgive him…. and so…. that night, he accepted the proposal….they announced it at the end of the night.” Misaki shook his head again.
“Yuto….” Keito collapsed onto the ground, the jagged rocks that lined the rooftop dug into his knees but that pain was nothing compared to what he felt. He had driven Yuto away….
“He is resting now…. But by tomorrow…. He will realize what a terrible mistake he’s made…”
“W-Why Misaki? Why are you telling me all this….? Don't you work for his family… don't you want Yuto to marry Takeo?”
“I owe nothing to Yuto’s father, only Yuto, and I believe that you, Keito, you are who can help him find true happiness.”
With that Keito felt the man’s strong hands rest gently against his shoulder and give him a light squeeze.
“I’ve said all I can…. The rest is up to you…. Thanks for your time.” He sighed as he opened the door to the building, gave a polite bow and walked down the flight of stairs. As the sounds of his echoing footsteps ebbed away Keito sighed quietly as he began to change into his own clothes again, this time leaving the jacket Yuto had bought for him off. He set the formal wear out in front of him and sighed again as he looked at his clothes.
“This is what I was with you Yuto…. A better man…” Keito said to himself as he patted down the suit’s no doubt expensive jacket.
“But… this is what I really am…. And I wonder….. if you know that…”Keito turned to look at himself in a small mirror that rested above the utility sink on the rooftop. The streaked glass distorted his face, but his body remained the same as it always had, dressed in plain and simple clothes he had always taken great care to preserve.. and alone….. no one by his side.
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Meanwhile….. Yuto had fallen asleep outside the party area… after the two guards released him onto a couch in a private part of the mansion, he had cried himself to sleep after telling his father he agreed to the union. He heard the many applauses that followed the announcement and his heart sank. Quietly he hid in the corner of the room, hoping no one would find him. With every breath he whispered Keito’s name as his voice had vanished from screaming so loudly, and now his eyes were dry as he felt he could cry no longer.
“Yuto-Sama…” One of the workers at the Mansion tried to wake him up but to no avail.
“I’ll h-haandle it….”
A drunk Takeo walked up to her and dismissed the worker. Perhaps he had a bit too much to drink tonight, but he figured it was the announcement of his wedding! He should enjoy life a bit more….Now, he smiled as he saw his future husband on the couch and as he thought about the boy, his smile turned into a grin of mischief….
After being assure that no one was in the small passageway between the private room and the car, Takeo carried Yuto out and placed him in his private car. He smiled as he giggled happily to himself and told the driver to speed up.
Quickly and discreetly, he carried the unconscious boy up to a room he had reserved on the way there and set him on the bed.
“Mnnh… W-Where… ?” Yuto awoke as he felt himself placed on a soft surface.
“You’re with your husband…. Yuto….” Takeo said with a drunken smile.
“T-Ta…Takeo?” By now he had fully awoken and found himself in strange surroundings.
“Shhhhhhhh” Yuto trembled as he saw a look in the other boy’s eyes he had never seen before.
“B-unh!” Before he could get another word out, Yuto found himself pinned to the bed under Takeo’s body.
“I just want to…. preview what’s going to be mine….”
“N-n get off me!” Yuto struggled as he kicked but his body was too weak.
“What’s the matter…? Eventually you’ll be mine anyway…. It’ll be a good chance…. For us to get to know each other….” Takeo smiled as his alcohol-laden breath made Yuto gag.
“K-Keito!” Yuto screamed as he felt the buttons of his shirt being torn open.
“H-hm?” Keito gasped as a sudden scream pierced his ears.
“Keito!” Yuto shouted again… there was no one else he could depend on…..
“W-Whats th-?” Keito looked up from his perch above the city and he found his gaze looking through the window of the hotel that rested directly across the way. He watched as a familiar figure straddled an even more familiar figure on the bed and he gasped as he realized what was going on.
“Keito!!!!” Yuto screamed again
“Shut up!” Takeo screamed back as he slapped Yuto hard, making the him hit his head on the headboard.
“Unh..K-keit..o..” Yuto moaned as he drifted between consciousness, his head hurt so much, it throbbed and pulsed as his mind became a jumble and he began to feel light headed….
“Oh god…” Keito panted as he flew down the fire escape and darted across the street, nearly getting hit about three times on the way there. He ran up to the elevator and pushed the button, but the light showed the elevator was still going up. He gulped as he knew it would be too late…
He suddenly felt a dull thud in his heart and he gasped as he knew something was wrong…..
“Please be okay….” He panted as he ran to the stairs and dashed up the steps, tripping as he got half way up the second floor, he slammed his knee into the steps and winced as he tried his best to ignore the shooting pain radiating up and down his leg. Quickly he ran to the hallway and listened quietly.
“Now look what you’ve made me do… I wont… I w-wont be able to hear you… scream my name……” Keito heard a drunk Takeo giggle and he clenched his fists. Angrily he kicked down the door that divided them and when the drunken mess looked to see who had dared to disturb him he saw nothing more than a fist before his surroundings were enveloped in darkness.
“Yuto…” Keito sighed as he felt his anxiety dissipate slowly…. He was safe……
Slowly Keito slipped his hands under Yuto’s limp body and lifted him up and he nearly cried as he realized just how fragile the younger boy really was. He was so light, and so delicate…..
“I’m sorry I said I hate you…” He whispered as he did his best to straighten Yuto’s shirt and clothes before carrying him out of the hotel. He didn’t know where to go…. Other than…..
Getting Yuto up the rooftop was easier this time…. As he walked into the lobby and the receptionist bowed as she nodded to him and made way to open the elevator doors that would take him to the top.
“Take care of him……” She said as she watched the doors close and sat down at her desk again.
Once they had reached the rooftop again, he set Yuto down upon the small chair that served as his bed during rainy days and laid out the blankets. He turned and sighed as he picked up his fallen angel and set him down on the soft covers in a makeshift bed.
Even if Yuto was unconscious, for the first time that night…. Keito felt that everything would be alright… somehow. He had jumped to conclusions too quickly…. And for that he was incredibly sorry. He just hoped that it wasn't too late….
Silently he laid down next to the slender boy and turned to look at him, sleeping peacefully and he smiled. Without really knowing why… he reached for Yuto’s hand and clasped it tightly in his and gently pressed his lips against Yuto’s.
“I guess… kisses that wake people up are supposed to come from princes ne? Yuto? He chuckled to himself as tears began to form.
The night was wasted away as Keito tended to the boy’s needs, covering him with the blankets when he shivered and holding him in his arms when even that wasn’t enough.
Even though he had not slept the whole night, Keito smiled as he saw the first streaks of brilliant red shoot through the skies as the sun began its crawl behind a myriad of clouds. It was then that he felt the bundle in his arms begin to stir and he turned his head to look at Yuto who yawned and opened his eyes slowly to the bright red-orange skies.
“H-Hunh!?” Yuto gasped as he suddenly remembered the events of the night before. He tried to struggle slightly but the blankets kept him wrapped in a cocoon in Keito’s arms and he stopped as the familiar softness of the covers relaxed him. Yuto turned to see Keito smiling at him.
“Keito…” Yuto quickly looked away as he buried himself deeper beneath the covers. He felt so ashamed……
“Yuto….? What’s wrong? Would you look at me? Please?” The older boy asked gently. Yuto shook his head as he shrunk even more into the covers.
“Yuto… why did you feel you couldn’t tell me? Why… did you agree to it?”
“B-Because… I don't…. want him… and… because… because I have a responsibility to my family… to my father….”
“Yuto… you have a responsibility to yourself too…. To find and make your own happiness…that’s not the real reason… and you know it…. So now why…. I’m going to ask again, and I want the truth, Why did you feel you couldn’t tell me? Why did you agree to it?”
“Because… I don't. want him…. and…Because….you…. didn't want me.” Yuto sniffled as he closed his eyes, now the tears were flowing
“I wanted you… “ Keito sighed as he remembered the feelings he had been trying to force out just the night before.
“I wanted you…. I wanted you so much… and that’s why it hurt so much…..that’s why I was so….. sad… disappointed……angry….. I don't know….But I wanted you Yuto….” Keito said as he tightened his hug upon the wrapped up boy in his arms.
Slowly Yuto turned around again, looking Keito in the eyes.
“Of course… I wanted you….” Keito smiled as he noticed the way Yuto’s eyes sparkled with the morning light.
“I’m…. sorry….” Yuto shivered as the last gust of air the dying night had to offer wafted over him.
“H-Here….” Keito pulled over the bag that contained his clothes and pulled out the jacket that he had been so reluctant to put on. Without letting the younger boy protest, he slipped him into it, though it may have been just a little too big for him. Afterwards he wrapped Yuto up in the blankets again.
“W-What about you?” Yuto asked as he shrunk into the warmth of the wrappings once again.
Keito dug in his bag again and pulled out a familiar pure snow white scarf and wrapped it around his neck.
“I’ll be fine…. So long as I have this…. and you…..” He said as he looked at Yuto and as the two boys leaned in, their lips met and for a brief few moments they shared a tender kiss.
As they parted and Keito opened his eyes he saw the most beautiful thing in his whole life and he chuckled as he felt that bubbly feeling rise within him again, and it took great self-control to contain himself
“I-I- “ Yuto stuttered as his eyes fluttered.
“Shh…. You’re still exhausted… if you’re tired… go back to sleep…. I’ll be here when you wake up….I promise….” Keito nodded as he set Yuto down on the soft grounds again and made sure the blankets covered every inch of the boy’s body.
“Arigatou…Keito..” Yuto said in a voice barely above a whisper. Slowly, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“I had better get us something to eat…..” Keito sighed as he stood up and looked down from the rooftop to see if his friend’s sushi restaurant was open, he smiled as he saw the small curtains hanging outside the door and began his journey down and across the street.
“Could I….. have two?” He asked sheepishly as the older man gave him a puzzled look.
“Aha Keito-kun are you that hungry?”
“N-No! I uh… I….”
“Ohhh I see…. You’ve got a special… someone don't you?” The man chuckled knowingly.
“W-What? H-How…?”
“Because you’ve got that gleam in your eye, the spring in your step, and even that sense of joy in the way you talk…. “
“I….. er……” Keito looked down as he felt suddenly very shy, but once again the reason seemed to elude him… it seemed he had been having a lot of these moments since he met Yuto…
“And right about now… you’re probably wondering why you feel so shy….” The man raised an eyebrow. Keito nodded
“How…?”
“Because you’re blushing… and because I know you…”
“Then… do you know why?”
“Because Keito….. you’re in love!” The man laughed loudly as he gave Keito a pat on the shoulder
“Love….” Keito mumbled to himself….
“Hai, here… take these two.” The man offered two finely made boxes of sushi.
“O-Oh I c-cant take these…. These are for your customers…”
“And I’m giving them to you…. Just take it…just come visit an oldtimer like me every once in a while okay?” The man smiled as he picked up another handful of sushi rice and lovingly molded it into a small block.
“Arigatou…. Hontou ni…” Keito bowed gratefully as he picked up the two containers and walked out to the street. He smiled as he looked down at the sushi in his hands and hoped Yuto would like it. He set them carefully into his bag and made his way back up to the roof again to find things exactly as he had left it.
After checking on Yuto he began to pull out the boxes and set them on the small table in the opposite corner of the roof, it was a little old, but certainly still served its purpose. Now…. All he had to do was wait…..
After a few minutes Keito felt himself drifting to sleep and when he finally jerked awake again , he resolved to will himself to STAY awake… Yuto must have been completely worn out.. the sky was already beginning to darken… He checked on the food to find it still sealed, the cold weather had prevented it from going bad and he sighed gratefully.
“Well well…. If it isn’t the lil brat who spoiled my fun….” Keito snapped to attention as he looked around for the source of the voice. He looked around to see Takeo and the two boys from the party standing at the entrance to the roof access.
“I think you’re wrong there…. The only brat here is you…..” Keito stood up angrily, he felt as if his own sanctuary had been defiled…..
“Oh, you’ve got a mouth on you too!” Takeo swung, catching Keito off guard. With a thud Keito hit the ground and he winced as the gravel scraped against his body.
“That’s for last night….”
“And this….is for ruining my fun!” A kick landed squarely in Keito’s gut and he gasped as all the air in his body pulsed its way out and he panted to regain it.
“Get out of here!” Keito yelled as he kicked out the other boy’s legs and landed on him a flurry of punches. After the first two punches he felt the other two boys that Takeo had brought catch his fists as they pulled him off and held him against the edge of the rooftop with their hands.
“Tch… you’ve got some nerve…..” Takeo said as he composed himself again and walked over, this time he smiled evilly as his fist slammed itself into Keito’s body again and he screamed in pain.
“Once again…. Payback….” Takeo smiled as he nodded for the two boys to let Keito go. Immediately as his arms were released, the older boy grabbed Keito’s shirt and pulled the scarf tightly around his neck.
“That should keep you from running your little poor boy mouth…now… Yuto… is mine you understand that?”
Keito gasped for air.
“Good.” Takeo shoved Keito back and turned around.
“Yuto’ll never be yours! Never! He hates you!” Keito shouted as he ran full speed in an attempt to tackle Takeo but once again the other two boys intervened. Forcefully they pulled him back as his nemesis walked over and gave him a shove.
“Yuto’s mine whether he wants to be or not…. If you give him to me now…. If you tell me where he is… I wont be too rough on him…. maybe just…. take him to bed…. A few times….he’ll like that…” Takeo laughed as he shoved Keito back again.
Keito lunged another fist swiped through the air and hit him squarely in the stomach again as he felt himself nearly throw up.
“No?” Takeo teased as he punched Keito in the jaw and knocked the boy back again.
Keito gulped as he swallowed the irony taste of his own blood and out of the corner of his eye he saw a drop of the blood dripping out the corner of his mouth fall and stain the pure white scarf. Its crimson redness swam through the fabric, making the stain grow redder, angrier…
Keito charged again with as much strength as his weakened body could muster and he managed to hit Takeo, making him stumble.
“You’ve been a thorn in my side for the last time…” Takeo warned as he shoved Keito back again, every time Keito regained his legs another shove shook him off balance until he found himself squarely against the ledge
“Good bye… you stupid boy….” He smiled evilly as he gave a last push, stronger than before, and Keito felt his body lose its balance again and his heart stopped as he knew… he was going to fall over…
“Nooooo!” A scream came from beside him as a blur appeared beside him and grabbed him. Within that single moment, time slowed and he saw Yuto’s face…. Keito felt his body be whirled around, thrown backwards back onto the building and his thanks at being saved instantly turned to horror as he landed on the ground and realized that Yuto… in saving him… had thrown himself off balance and fallen over the edge, the younger boy’s hand clasped the edge of the building but was losing ground fast, his already exhausted body dangled from the ledge and gravity became a cruel opponent.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted as he got up in time to catch Yuto’s hand.
“Keito….”
“Just wait okay Yuto… Just wait…. I’ll …. I’ll pull you up!” Keito screamed for the other boys to help, but realized they were long gone already.
“Keito….thank you….” Yuto closed his eyes.
“Don't you dare talk like that to me Yuto Nakajima… ! Don’t you dare...! Somebody… oh god.. somebody please help….! ” Keito shouted, as he tried his best to pull Yuto off the side, but his battle scarred body wouldn’t allow it and it took all he had just to hold on to Yuto’s clasped hand. If he didn't pull Yuto up soon… he would be falling over the edge too….
“Why did you do something that stupid!?” Keito shouted
“Keito….. you asked me… if I would choose my life….. or you....”
“Yuto no…!”
“Of course…. I chose…… you…..” Yuto smiled weakly as he raised his other hand just barely enough to touch Keito’s outstretched body and with another weak smile he began to relax his fingers, letting his body slip slowly out of Keito’s grip.
“Yuto!” Keito screamed as he felt the boy slipping slowly out of his grasp, the scarf that was wrapped around his neck hung loosely now, jarred by his fight and as the wind blew… its soft length floated in front of his eyes and blinded him…. in that moment…. Yuto’s hand….. was gone.
“Yuto! Yuuto!” Keito shouted and screamed as he watched the boy fall to the ground. Although the building wasn’t incredibly tall…. Keito knew Yuto’s life was hanging by a thread… and he dashed down the building and ran out to the front where a crowd was already beginning to form. He ran to the huddled mass on the hard concrete and grabbed Yuto’s body, he felt the blood seep from somewhere on the boy’s head and the way his arm was bleeding, the many scraps on his back… a sea of red appeared, with Yuto at its center and he cried as he held the boy’s body in his arms.
“K-Keito..” Yuto’s voice was raspy as he fought for every last breath.
“Yuto!? Somebody call an ambulance! Please!” Keito looked at the bystanders who instantly whipped out their cellphones.
“It doesn’t hurt…I-It d-doesn’t hurt…. I c-can only f-feel the p-pain in m-my heart… for b-betraying you…”
“No…. Yuto… it’s okay…. Everything will be okay!” Keito was delirious by now…
“I’m… c-cold….wil-will you.. hold me again?” Yuto asked quietly as his voice began to fade. His head whirled around as he felt weak again and the pool of blood seeped further out, finally meeting the already red stained scarf around Keito’s neck that lay on the floor. Now the redness crept up the scarf dying it red….
Keito cried as he held Yuto in his arms.
“Don’t you dare die… Yuto. Or… or I….. I’ll really hate you….”
He watched as Yuto smiled weakly, now the color began to disappear from his face and his skin became paler.
“Even..i-if y-you d-did… I-I would s-still… l-l-love… you…” Yuto said as his stuttering became worse and he began to have trouble concentrating.
“Th-This..J-Jacket… smells like you…it-it’s like.. you’re hugging me…”
“Yuto just hold on okay!?”
“I couldn’t be happier… to-to…” Yuto gasped as he felt the air leave him again and he took heavy breaths
“Yuto don’t talk…. Just don’t talk…”
“I couldn’t….b-be happier… to die… in your arms….” Yuto smiled as his blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
“You’re not dying! You’re not…. You cant be!” Keito cried.
“I-I’m… tired…and… sl-slee-sleepy…” Yuto’s eyes began to close and Keito screamed at him to keep them open.
“Don’t sleep Yuto! Don’t sleep! Stay awake with me! Haven’t you slept long enough!?” But it was too late…. Yuto’s body fell limp in his arms and Keito howled in pain as he wept into Yuto’s shoulder, a mix of his tears and Yuto’s crimson red blood now stained the scarf that was still seated around his neck….. and the night was silent….
Moments later, the paramedics came and confiscated Yuto’s body from Keito and he pleaded as they forbade him from entering because he “wasn’t family.” Keito watched helplessly as the ambulance drove off into the night and he was left alone with a blood red scarf and the last few words Yuto had spoken jumbling in his mind.
Still in denial…. He walked his way up the fire escape again, his mind in a daze. He didn't want to believe it…. He didn't want to know…. He just wanted everything… to be okay. Keito reached the top of the rooftop again and he stayed far away from the place where he let Yuto’s life slip through his hands… and he sat at the table, with the two boxes of sushi neatly and carefully arranged. Quietly he opened one of them and picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth.
“I-It’s delicious.. Y-Yuto…. Do-Do you… taste it too?” He asked as he looked up to see no one sitting opposite him and he sniffled, as reality reared its ugly head and he knew…. Yuto might not come back…. Keito wept as he forgot all about the food now and just laid his head against the table and closed his eyes, letting his tears help the already rusted table. He pictured Yuto…. Dying in his arms and he winced in pain as he remembered the last few words….
“I couldn’t….b-be happier… to die… in your arms….”
Keito was alone again… the rooftop was silent only except for his cries of sadness and grief. It took him two hours…. But as his tears began to dry… exhaustion set in… and for once in his life…. He was grateful for it… at least for now… he wouldn’t have to think about it anymore…..
“Keito-kun? Keito-kun?” A voice called to him.
“Mnnh…”
“Keito-kun?” A hand rested on his shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze.
Hunh!?” Keito jumped slightly as he looked up to see Misaki standing beside him.
“Keito-kun..”
“M-Mi-Misaki…Misaki….I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Keito cried as he felt the tears return again.
“Keito-kun… it’s okay….”
“No! No its not! Yuto…. Yuto…. It’s because I was too weak to protect him! It was because I was too weak to believe in him…. to listen to him! It’s all my fault!” Keito wailed.
“Okamoto-kun…. It’s okay….. Yuto has been taken to the hospital… and after a few dire moments in surgery… they doctors have pulled him out of danger…. They say it's a miracle to have survived a fall like that…” Misaki said as he patted Keito’s back.
“Y-Yuto. Yuto’s alive!?” Keito asked and he cried even harder as Misaki nodded.
“I’ve come to take you to the hospital….if you’d like to go.. that is….” Keito nodded anxiously as he did his best to clean himself up, wiping away the tears and stifle his shuddering voice. He pulled the scarf around his neck and washed away the trail of redness it had left against his neck.
“I’ll have it cleaned for you….” Misaki said as he took the scarf and folded it neatly.
With a long 15 minute drive… Keito found himself standing before the tallest hospital building he had ever seen, Misaki led him in and told the receptionist to allow him access from now on. Quietly Misaki pulled Keito into an elevator and swiped a card of some sort before pressing the top most button.
“Here…. This key card will give you access to Yuto’s room…. Without it you cannot reach the floor he’s on… don’t lose it… is that clear?” Misaki asked as he handed the card to Keito who nodded.
When the elevator dinged the two stepped out and Keito looked around as the whole floor seemed to be Yuto’s room… He gasped as he saw the pristinely white bed that Yuto lay upon and rushed to its side.
“Oh Yuto…” He whispered as he saw the bandages around Yuto’s head, the wrappings around his body and the cast around his arm and legs.
“It’s a miracle…” Keito turned to see a doctor dressed in white coming up behind him.
“He’s….. very special….. “ Keito nodded.
“This…. little one…. Must have had something he really wanted to see again….” The older doctor smiled as he clipped the board onto Yuto’s bed and walked away, leaving the two boys alone.
“Yuto…” Keito sighed a sigh of relief as he gently laid himself on the bed, giving Yuto a small hug, not daring to add any weight. He just so gently pressed his head against an unbandaged part of Yuto’s chest and he heard the soft beating of his heart, coupled with Yuto’s, they were in sync…. Keito chuckled slightly as he felt such relief wash over him.
“K-Keito…”
“Yuto? You shouldn’t be awake! Just rest…. Just rest….” Keito stood up again.
“Keito…I-I was wrong…”
“A-about what?”
“Just now… I re-realized…I was w-wrong…”
“what are you talking about…. You’re always right…. You’re always…. Right…”
“No… when I said… the I couldn’t be happier… to… t-to die… in your arms….”
“Yuto…..”
“I re-realized…. I wa-was wrong… I could be happier….W-What I co-couldn’t be happier to do… is wake up…. In your arms…….” Yuto smiled weakly again as Keito’s emotions go the best of him again and he sobbed quietly within himself.
“J-Just rest now… Yuto…” Keito’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“W-Will… y-you be there…? When I wake up?”
“I promise you…. You’ll wake up in my arms again…” Keito smiled as he used his finger to wipe away the tears on the corners of his eyes. And this answer seemed satisfactory to Yuto who nodded and closed his eyes, and within seconds….. was out like a light….
“Yuto! My son!” Keito heard a man’s voice barreling into the room and he watched as the entire Nakajima family burst out of the elevator and rush to the bedside.
“H-How could this happen?” Yuto’s mother asked as she looked pitifully at her son.
“M-MISAKI! Where are you!? Come out at once!” Yuto’s father barked and in an instant Keito saw the all too-familiar man appear
“How could you let this happen! Who did this!” a flurry of questions came out of the angry father’s mouth and none of them answerable.
“Yuto-kun disappeared from the hall…. When..”
“When Takeo kidnapped him…” Keito finished.
“Who are you!” The man barked again.
“This…. is Okamoto Keito… the boy…. Yuto has been….. seeing….” Misaki struggled to put it in a proper manner.
“You!?”
“Yuto…. Was taken from the party…. By Takeo…. He was drunk…. And pulled Yuto into bed.. and wanted to…..” Keito looked at the man, hoping he would get his meaning.
“W-What!?” The man shouted angrily again, this time only to have his wife try to calm him down.
“D-Don’t worry! Nothing happened…. Fortunately…. I-I got there… in time.” Keito said quickly, trying to ease Yuto’s father’s still flickering anger.
“That….that stupid BRAT….. wanted to… do that…… to my……my…. Son….. oh Yuto…” The man slammed his fist into the wall.
“I’ll make him… AND his father pay…..”
“Dear…..right now…. Is not the time.. for angry talk…. We should just be happy…. That Yuto is okay….” Ms Nakajima said as she brought her husband to sit on one of the small chairs near the bed.
“Yuto Nii-Chan……” Little Raiya sniffled as he walked up to the bed and put his hands on the soft mattress. Keito took pity on the little boy…. And walked over to his side…
“Yuto Nii-Chan…. Wake up…. And play with me…” He shook the bed slightly, but received no response.
“Raiya-Chan….” Keito said in his best cheerful voice
“Who are you?” The little boy asked.
“My name is Keito…”
“Keito Nii-Chan?”
“Y-Yes….. Yuto is just resting a little okay? He’s very tired… and just needs to sleep here for a few days… so I’m here to play with you too… is that okay?” Keito asked as he smiled brightly. He saw a bit of the same playfulness in Raiya that he saw in Yuto… and that fact seemed to comfort him….
“Un… it’s okay.. I’ll let Yuto Nii-Chan rest… will you color with me?” Raiya asked as he pulled out a small coloring book and a few crayons, one more worn down than the rest. Keito picked it up and gazed at it.
“That’s Yuto Nii-Chan’s favorite color…. I like to make him a lot of things with that crayon…. Maybe… he’ll feel better if I color him something with it?” Raiya asked curiously and Keito smiled as he nodded and handed the crayon to him. He looked up to see Ms Nakajima smiling at him and she nodded slightly to which he smiled back and shyly turned to see what Raiya was coloring in with broad strokes.
While Raiya colored away at the designs in his book, Keito was grilled by Yuto’s parents, but found support in Misaki by his side.
“I see….so that’s how it is……” Yuto’s father sighed as he folded his arms.
“Dear….”
“I’ll have a talk with that boy… and his father first thing tomorrow morning… to you…. Okamoto-kun was it? Thank you very much… for saving my son…”
“N-Not at all! In…. many ways….. he’s the one who saved me….” Keito said as he looked at Yuto resting peacefully in the bed.
“Would you….. like to continue…. Seeing our son?” Ms. Nakajima asked.
“I…..”
“We would….. appreciate it….if someone like you… were around to protect him…..” Yuto’s father added.
“I w-would…”
“Good….. Yuto can be quite a handful… he’s spent his life sheltered… a rather lonely boy….. but lately…. It seems his good mood wasn't in part to the party…. But because of you…..” The man said as he strolled to the window.
“M-Me?”
“Yes…. And I…. want my son to be happy….. will you give my Yuto happiness?” The man asked as he stopped his stroll in front of Keito.
“I want to give him so much more than that..” Keito said, determination he didn't know he had voiced itself and Yuto’s parents nodded.
“Come Raiya… it’s time to go home…”
“But I want to stay here with Yuto Nii-Chan!”
“Yuto has Keito to take care of him…”
“Mmm…. Demo…” Raiya twiddled his thumbs
“Raiya-chan… I promise I’ll take good care of Yuto okay?” Keito asked as he knelt down beside the boy, after a few moments of thought…. Raiya nodded and scurried to his parents and the three of them disappeared.
When the floor was quiet again Keito made his way to the bed and gently hugged Yuto again.
“mnnh… how embarrassing…” Yuto said slowly.
“You’re awake again…… didn't I tell you to go to sleep…..” Keito pouted playfully.
“Mnnh… gomen… gomen… but how… embarrassing… you’ve met my parents already…..” Yuto cracked a soft smile and Keito giggled.
“Be embarrassed later…. Just sleep now…. Okay?”
“I can’t sleep… nothing….. to think about….”
“Do you need something to think about?”
Yuto nodded
“It helps me to… dream….” Yuto said softly.
“Then…. How about this….”
“What?”
“I love you…. Yuto Nakajima… I love you… and I want you to wake up in my arms… forever…. And I want you to stay there…. Forever…. I… love…. You.” Keito said as he leaned in and kissed Yuto again. He felt his entire body electrify and tingle as he kissed Yuto tenderly and he smiled peacefully as they parted and Yuto nodded.
“I love you too…. Keito Okamoto…..and I hope with… you wont ever feel lonely again with me by your side….”
“Then go to sleep…. So you can keep me company and love me more when you wake up..” Keito chuckled playfully as he pulled the covers over Yuto.
“Will I…?” Yuto stopped as Keito laid a finger of his mouth.
“Yes…. I’ll be here when you wake up…. I’ve promised you that before…. And I also promise you that you’ll wake up in my arms…. And I promise you.. I’ll always keep you safe within them…. And I hope you’ll stay here… in these arms of mine…. Forever….” Keito smiled as he gave Yuto another light hug.
“….. in your arms…… forever….” Yuto mumbled as he felt tiredness visit him once again and this time he drifted off to a deep sleep as he dreamt of the love that Keito had promised him…..
“forever….”
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Hua! So…. this story is my attempt to write an artistic story…. Please let me know how badly I failed…….. T_T. Sorry this chapter is so long too!
Once again, Comments are <3
~Emmie
Requested by: No One
Title: Lonely Souls Part 3
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Romance, Angst, Fluff
Pairing: OkaJima
Summary: Keito has spent his life alone, Yuto spent his life sheltered, when these two boys meet their friendship grows through understanding, and the sharing of a small journal.....
It struck Keito as being ironic…. How as he stared at the pond before the bench, the world seemed to be such a peaceful place, but within his heart the world was a turbulent storm of pain and anguish. So long had he wanted someone to believe in, someone to recognize him, and just as quickly as it came, he found out the joy was only meant to be momentary. He clutched his chest as a sharp stabbing pain came to him and he looked up.
“So this is what it’s like to be… heart broken…..”
“Keito!” Yuto called as he ran out after him.
“Don’t…. touch me….” Keito waved away the boy’s hand.
“P-Please Keito… just listen to me... please?”
“What could you possibly have to say to explain anything to me!?” A boil of emotions swelled within Keito’s body as he fought to keep from crying, screaming, and breaking down all at the same time.
“You don't understand! Please!” Yuto got down on his knees and begged, wrapping his arms around the older boy’s legs.
“No! I understand perfectly well! I was so happy to be with you, I was so happy to finally have someone to talk to!”
“I know…. I read your journal….. I wanted to be that someone…. I still want to be that someone….” Yuto whimpered quietly
“I…. I know now…. I know that burning feeling in my heart, that warm feeling whenever I talked with you…. I found out that wasn't just some strange feeling…. That was love! I loved you! And it all comes down to this! I can’t give you all the things that you can get from marrying Takeo! I can’t give you anything more than just me! You have to decide Yuto, either your life with Takeo and your money…. Or me.” With that Keito kicked off Yuto’s clasping arms, knocking the boy onto his back and stormed off.
“Yuto-Sama!” Two of the event’s guards rushed to his side and helped him up.
“Keito! Let go! Keito!” Yuto shouted again, but the boy didn’t turn around…..
“Keito! Keiiiito!” He continued as he throat began to hurt from the sheer volume he was producing.
“Keito!!!!!!!!” Yuto screamed as the two guards dragged him back inside and the iron gates of the mansion slammed shut with an audible clang.
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Back upon the rooftop, Keito was restless again as he fidgeted with the formal wear he was stuffed into. He had been trying for the last two hours to discover again that sense of peace that he once held, but his mind kept drifting back to Yuto, and that memory seemed to hurt him the most.
A deep sense of loneliness surrounded him as he, for the first time, realized just how quiet the rooftop was, just how plain and boring it was to sit here with no one to talk to. He missed…. Yuto.
“What am I saying I can’t think about him….. I shouldn't….” Keito shook his head as he forced his mind into a blank slate.
“Why can’t you think about him?” A man’s voice asked.
Startled Keito turned to see Misaki standing on the roof.
“W-What are you doing here?”
“I… am here to return these to you…. And maybe…. To explain some…. Events…” Misaki held out a clear transparent bag that contained Keito’s old clothes, including the jacket that Yuto had bought him.
“I don't want to hear it. I… I hate him….” He said bluntly as he snatched the bag from the man’s hands.
“You do not mean that…. And you may not want to hear it, but it must be said.”
“I don-“
“Could you at least consider it a fair trade? For those clothes, could I buy a bit of your time then?” Misaki interrupted.
“F-Fine…” Under the intense gaze of the man’s eyes Keito relented and slumped to look at the passing people on the pavement below.
“Yuto hasn’t led an easy life….. “
“You don’t say... seems like he’s led an easy life…having the money he needs to do anything… playing around with people’s hearts….” Keito said sarcastically, but with each word he felt that stabbing pain grow deeper
“Yuto was telling the truth when he said that he didn’t love Takeo-kun….”
“Oh really….. then why is the stupid guy his fiancé?” Again the stabbing pain intensified.
“When Yuto was only five years old, a pact was made between the heads of the families, Takeo-kun’s father and Yuto’s father. The companies would build themselves up until the heirs of their families were mature and with the union of their families, they would become the strongest business entity in all of Japan. Ever since Yuto was young, he has been informed over and over again about his responsibility to marry Takeo, but has never acknowledged it once……” Misaki paused as he noticed the look of pain and anger vanished from Keito’s face.
“So… it was… arranged?”
“Yes…as far as I know… Yuto is actually terrified of Takeo… he is coarse…. Rough…. And he is ruthless when it comes to getting what he wants….”
“Then… I’ve…. Accused Yuto of something terrible… haven’t I? Ugh… I'm so stupid I-I was just so…mad…. What…. What am I going to do now?”
Misaki stayed silent this time as he was unsure how to answer Keito’s question.
“I-I’ve got to go apologize….and…and…” Keito stopped short as he noticed the man sitting beside him shaking his head.
“W-What’s….. what’s happened?”
“After you left, Yuto cried…. And cried…. Until I fear that was nothing left of him….. he slipped through the night as a ghost… quiet but polite, exactly the way his father had wanted…and that also meant….. “
“He didn't…..”
“He said he felt that you hated him and had left him forever…. And that you were so angry you could never forgive him…. and so…. that night, he accepted the proposal….they announced it at the end of the night.” Misaki shook his head again.
“Yuto….” Keito collapsed onto the ground, the jagged rocks that lined the rooftop dug into his knees but that pain was nothing compared to what he felt. He had driven Yuto away….
“He is resting now…. But by tomorrow…. He will realize what a terrible mistake he’s made…”
“W-Why Misaki? Why are you telling me all this….? Don't you work for his family… don't you want Yuto to marry Takeo?”
“I owe nothing to Yuto’s father, only Yuto, and I believe that you, Keito, you are who can help him find true happiness.”
With that Keito felt the man’s strong hands rest gently against his shoulder and give him a light squeeze.
“I’ve said all I can…. The rest is up to you…. Thanks for your time.” He sighed as he opened the door to the building, gave a polite bow and walked down the flight of stairs. As the sounds of his echoing footsteps ebbed away Keito sighed quietly as he began to change into his own clothes again, this time leaving the jacket Yuto had bought for him off. He set the formal wear out in front of him and sighed again as he looked at his clothes.
“This is what I was with you Yuto…. A better man…” Keito said to himself as he patted down the suit’s no doubt expensive jacket.
“But… this is what I really am…. And I wonder….. if you know that…”Keito turned to look at himself in a small mirror that rested above the utility sink on the rooftop. The streaked glass distorted his face, but his body remained the same as it always had, dressed in plain and simple clothes he had always taken great care to preserve.. and alone….. no one by his side.
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Meanwhile….. Yuto had fallen asleep outside the party area… after the two guards released him onto a couch in a private part of the mansion, he had cried himself to sleep after telling his father he agreed to the union. He heard the many applauses that followed the announcement and his heart sank. Quietly he hid in the corner of the room, hoping no one would find him. With every breath he whispered Keito’s name as his voice had vanished from screaming so loudly, and now his eyes were dry as he felt he could cry no longer.
“Yuto-Sama…” One of the workers at the Mansion tried to wake him up but to no avail.
“I’ll h-haandle it….”
A drunk Takeo walked up to her and dismissed the worker. Perhaps he had a bit too much to drink tonight, but he figured it was the announcement of his wedding! He should enjoy life a bit more….Now, he smiled as he saw his future husband on the couch and as he thought about the boy, his smile turned into a grin of mischief….
After being assure that no one was in the small passageway between the private room and the car, Takeo carried Yuto out and placed him in his private car. He smiled as he giggled happily to himself and told the driver to speed up.
Quickly and discreetly, he carried the unconscious boy up to a room he had reserved on the way there and set him on the bed.
“Mnnh… W-Where… ?” Yuto awoke as he felt himself placed on a soft surface.
“You’re with your husband…. Yuto….” Takeo said with a drunken smile.
“T-Ta…Takeo?” By now he had fully awoken and found himself in strange surroundings.
“Shhhhhhhh” Yuto trembled as he saw a look in the other boy’s eyes he had never seen before.
“B-unh!” Before he could get another word out, Yuto found himself pinned to the bed under Takeo’s body.
“I just want to…. preview what’s going to be mine….”
“N-n get off me!” Yuto struggled as he kicked but his body was too weak.
“What’s the matter…? Eventually you’ll be mine anyway…. It’ll be a good chance…. For us to get to know each other….” Takeo smiled as his alcohol-laden breath made Yuto gag.
“K-Keito!” Yuto screamed as he felt the buttons of his shirt being torn open.
“H-hm?” Keito gasped as a sudden scream pierced his ears.
“Keito!” Yuto shouted again… there was no one else he could depend on…..
“W-Whats th-?” Keito looked up from his perch above the city and he found his gaze looking through the window of the hotel that rested directly across the way. He watched as a familiar figure straddled an even more familiar figure on the bed and he gasped as he realized what was going on.
“Keito!!!!” Yuto screamed again
“Shut up!” Takeo screamed back as he slapped Yuto hard, making the him hit his head on the headboard.
“Unh..K-keit..o..” Yuto moaned as he drifted between consciousness, his head hurt so much, it throbbed and pulsed as his mind became a jumble and he began to feel light headed….
“Oh god…” Keito panted as he flew down the fire escape and darted across the street, nearly getting hit about three times on the way there. He ran up to the elevator and pushed the button, but the light showed the elevator was still going up. He gulped as he knew it would be too late…
He suddenly felt a dull thud in his heart and he gasped as he knew something was wrong…..
“Please be okay….” He panted as he ran to the stairs and dashed up the steps, tripping as he got half way up the second floor, he slammed his knee into the steps and winced as he tried his best to ignore the shooting pain radiating up and down his leg. Quickly he ran to the hallway and listened quietly.
“Now look what you’ve made me do… I wont… I w-wont be able to hear you… scream my name……” Keito heard a drunk Takeo giggle and he clenched his fists. Angrily he kicked down the door that divided them and when the drunken mess looked to see who had dared to disturb him he saw nothing more than a fist before his surroundings were enveloped in darkness.
“Yuto…” Keito sighed as he felt his anxiety dissipate slowly…. He was safe……
Slowly Keito slipped his hands under Yuto’s limp body and lifted him up and he nearly cried as he realized just how fragile the younger boy really was. He was so light, and so delicate…..
“I’m sorry I said I hate you…” He whispered as he did his best to straighten Yuto’s shirt and clothes before carrying him out of the hotel. He didn’t know where to go…. Other than…..
Getting Yuto up the rooftop was easier this time…. As he walked into the lobby and the receptionist bowed as she nodded to him and made way to open the elevator doors that would take him to the top.
“Take care of him……” She said as she watched the doors close and sat down at her desk again.
Once they had reached the rooftop again, he set Yuto down upon the small chair that served as his bed during rainy days and laid out the blankets. He turned and sighed as he picked up his fallen angel and set him down on the soft covers in a makeshift bed.
Even if Yuto was unconscious, for the first time that night…. Keito felt that everything would be alright… somehow. He had jumped to conclusions too quickly…. And for that he was incredibly sorry. He just hoped that it wasn't too late….
Silently he laid down next to the slender boy and turned to look at him, sleeping peacefully and he smiled. Without really knowing why… he reached for Yuto’s hand and clasped it tightly in his and gently pressed his lips against Yuto’s.
“I guess… kisses that wake people up are supposed to come from princes ne? Yuto? He chuckled to himself as tears began to form.
The night was wasted away as Keito tended to the boy’s needs, covering him with the blankets when he shivered and holding him in his arms when even that wasn’t enough.
Even though he had not slept the whole night, Keito smiled as he saw the first streaks of brilliant red shoot through the skies as the sun began its crawl behind a myriad of clouds. It was then that he felt the bundle in his arms begin to stir and he turned his head to look at Yuto who yawned and opened his eyes slowly to the bright red-orange skies.
“H-Hunh!?” Yuto gasped as he suddenly remembered the events of the night before. He tried to struggle slightly but the blankets kept him wrapped in a cocoon in Keito’s arms and he stopped as the familiar softness of the covers relaxed him. Yuto turned to see Keito smiling at him.
“Keito…” Yuto quickly looked away as he buried himself deeper beneath the covers. He felt so ashamed……
“Yuto….? What’s wrong? Would you look at me? Please?” The older boy asked gently. Yuto shook his head as he shrunk even more into the covers.
“Yuto… why did you feel you couldn’t tell me? Why… did you agree to it?”
“B-Because… I don't…. want him… and… because… because I have a responsibility to my family… to my father….”
“Yuto… you have a responsibility to yourself too…. To find and make your own happiness…that’s not the real reason… and you know it…. So now why…. I’m going to ask again, and I want the truth, Why did you feel you couldn’t tell me? Why did you agree to it?”
“Because… I don't. want him…. and…Because….you…. didn't want me.” Yuto sniffled as he closed his eyes, now the tears were flowing
“I wanted you… “ Keito sighed as he remembered the feelings he had been trying to force out just the night before.
“I wanted you…. I wanted you so much… and that’s why it hurt so much…..that’s why I was so….. sad… disappointed……angry….. I don't know….But I wanted you Yuto….” Keito said as he tightened his hug upon the wrapped up boy in his arms.
Slowly Yuto turned around again, looking Keito in the eyes.
“Of course… I wanted you….” Keito smiled as he noticed the way Yuto’s eyes sparkled with the morning light.
“I’m…. sorry….” Yuto shivered as the last gust of air the dying night had to offer wafted over him.
“H-Here….” Keito pulled over the bag that contained his clothes and pulled out the jacket that he had been so reluctant to put on. Without letting the younger boy protest, he slipped him into it, though it may have been just a little too big for him. Afterwards he wrapped Yuto up in the blankets again.
“W-What about you?” Yuto asked as he shrunk into the warmth of the wrappings once again.
Keito dug in his bag again and pulled out a familiar pure snow white scarf and wrapped it around his neck.
“I’ll be fine…. So long as I have this…. and you…..” He said as he looked at Yuto and as the two boys leaned in, their lips met and for a brief few moments they shared a tender kiss.
As they parted and Keito opened his eyes he saw the most beautiful thing in his whole life and he chuckled as he felt that bubbly feeling rise within him again, and it took great self-control to contain himself
“I-I- “ Yuto stuttered as his eyes fluttered.
“Shh…. You’re still exhausted… if you’re tired… go back to sleep…. I’ll be here when you wake up….I promise….” Keito nodded as he set Yuto down on the soft grounds again and made sure the blankets covered every inch of the boy’s body.
“Arigatou…Keito..” Yuto said in a voice barely above a whisper. Slowly, he closed his eyes and drifted off to sleep.
“I had better get us something to eat…..” Keito sighed as he stood up and looked down from the rooftop to see if his friend’s sushi restaurant was open, he smiled as he saw the small curtains hanging outside the door and began his journey down and across the street.
“Could I….. have two?” He asked sheepishly as the older man gave him a puzzled look.
“Aha Keito-kun are you that hungry?”
“N-No! I uh… I….”
“Ohhh I see…. You’ve got a special… someone don't you?” The man chuckled knowingly.
“W-What? H-How…?”
“Because you’ve got that gleam in your eye, the spring in your step, and even that sense of joy in the way you talk…. “
“I….. er……” Keito looked down as he felt suddenly very shy, but once again the reason seemed to elude him… it seemed he had been having a lot of these moments since he met Yuto…
“And right about now… you’re probably wondering why you feel so shy….” The man raised an eyebrow. Keito nodded
“How…?”
“Because you’re blushing… and because I know you…”
“Then… do you know why?”
“Because Keito….. you’re in love!” The man laughed loudly as he gave Keito a pat on the shoulder
“Love….” Keito mumbled to himself….
“Hai, here… take these two.” The man offered two finely made boxes of sushi.
“O-Oh I c-cant take these…. These are for your customers…”
“And I’m giving them to you…. Just take it…just come visit an oldtimer like me every once in a while okay?” The man smiled as he picked up another handful of sushi rice and lovingly molded it into a small block.
“Arigatou…. Hontou ni…” Keito bowed gratefully as he picked up the two containers and walked out to the street. He smiled as he looked down at the sushi in his hands and hoped Yuto would like it. He set them carefully into his bag and made his way back up to the roof again to find things exactly as he had left it.
After checking on Yuto he began to pull out the boxes and set them on the small table in the opposite corner of the roof, it was a little old, but certainly still served its purpose. Now…. All he had to do was wait…..
After a few minutes Keito felt himself drifting to sleep and when he finally jerked awake again , he resolved to will himself to STAY awake… Yuto must have been completely worn out.. the sky was already beginning to darken… He checked on the food to find it still sealed, the cold weather had prevented it from going bad and he sighed gratefully.
“Well well…. If it isn’t the lil brat who spoiled my fun….” Keito snapped to attention as he looked around for the source of the voice. He looked around to see Takeo and the two boys from the party standing at the entrance to the roof access.
“I think you’re wrong there…. The only brat here is you…..” Keito stood up angrily, he felt as if his own sanctuary had been defiled…..
“Oh, you’ve got a mouth on you too!” Takeo swung, catching Keito off guard. With a thud Keito hit the ground and he winced as the gravel scraped against his body.
“That’s for last night….”
“And this….is for ruining my fun!” A kick landed squarely in Keito’s gut and he gasped as all the air in his body pulsed its way out and he panted to regain it.
“Get out of here!” Keito yelled as he kicked out the other boy’s legs and landed on him a flurry of punches. After the first two punches he felt the other two boys that Takeo had brought catch his fists as they pulled him off and held him against the edge of the rooftop with their hands.
“Tch… you’ve got some nerve…..” Takeo said as he composed himself again and walked over, this time he smiled evilly as his fist slammed itself into Keito’s body again and he screamed in pain.
“Once again…. Payback….” Takeo smiled as he nodded for the two boys to let Keito go. Immediately as his arms were released, the older boy grabbed Keito’s shirt and pulled the scarf tightly around his neck.
“That should keep you from running your little poor boy mouth…now… Yuto… is mine you understand that?”
Keito gasped for air.
“Good.” Takeo shoved Keito back and turned around.
“Yuto’ll never be yours! Never! He hates you!” Keito shouted as he ran full speed in an attempt to tackle Takeo but once again the other two boys intervened. Forcefully they pulled him back as his nemesis walked over and gave him a shove.
“Yuto’s mine whether he wants to be or not…. If you give him to me now…. If you tell me where he is… I wont be too rough on him…. maybe just…. take him to bed…. A few times….he’ll like that…” Takeo laughed as he shoved Keito back again.
Keito lunged another fist swiped through the air and hit him squarely in the stomach again as he felt himself nearly throw up.
“No?” Takeo teased as he punched Keito in the jaw and knocked the boy back again.
Keito gulped as he swallowed the irony taste of his own blood and out of the corner of his eye he saw a drop of the blood dripping out the corner of his mouth fall and stain the pure white scarf. Its crimson redness swam through the fabric, making the stain grow redder, angrier…
Keito charged again with as much strength as his weakened body could muster and he managed to hit Takeo, making him stumble.
“You’ve been a thorn in my side for the last time…” Takeo warned as he shoved Keito back again, every time Keito regained his legs another shove shook him off balance until he found himself squarely against the ledge
“Good bye… you stupid boy….” He smiled evilly as he gave a last push, stronger than before, and Keito felt his body lose its balance again and his heart stopped as he knew… he was going to fall over…
“Nooooo!” A scream came from beside him as a blur appeared beside him and grabbed him. Within that single moment, time slowed and he saw Yuto’s face…. Keito felt his body be whirled around, thrown backwards back onto the building and his thanks at being saved instantly turned to horror as he landed on the ground and realized that Yuto… in saving him… had thrown himself off balance and fallen over the edge, the younger boy’s hand clasped the edge of the building but was losing ground fast, his already exhausted body dangled from the ledge and gravity became a cruel opponent.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted as he got up in time to catch Yuto’s hand.
“Keito….”
“Just wait okay Yuto… Just wait…. I’ll …. I’ll pull you up!” Keito screamed for the other boys to help, but realized they were long gone already.
“Keito….thank you….” Yuto closed his eyes.
“Don't you dare talk like that to me Yuto Nakajima… ! Don’t you dare...! Somebody… oh god.. somebody please help….! ” Keito shouted, as he tried his best to pull Yuto off the side, but his battle scarred body wouldn’t allow it and it took all he had just to hold on to Yuto’s clasped hand. If he didn't pull Yuto up soon… he would be falling over the edge too….
“Why did you do something that stupid!?” Keito shouted
“Keito….. you asked me… if I would choose my life….. or you....”
“Yuto no…!”
“Of course…. I chose…… you…..” Yuto smiled weakly as he raised his other hand just barely enough to touch Keito’s outstretched body and with another weak smile he began to relax his fingers, letting his body slip slowly out of Keito’s grip.
“Yuto!” Keito screamed as he felt the boy slipping slowly out of his grasp, the scarf that was wrapped around his neck hung loosely now, jarred by his fight and as the wind blew… its soft length floated in front of his eyes and blinded him…. in that moment…. Yuto’s hand….. was gone.
“Yuto! Yuuto!” Keito shouted and screamed as he watched the boy fall to the ground. Although the building wasn’t incredibly tall…. Keito knew Yuto’s life was hanging by a thread… and he dashed down the building and ran out to the front where a crowd was already beginning to form. He ran to the huddled mass on the hard concrete and grabbed Yuto’s body, he felt the blood seep from somewhere on the boy’s head and the way his arm was bleeding, the many scraps on his back… a sea of red appeared, with Yuto at its center and he cried as he held the boy’s body in his arms.
“K-Keito..” Yuto’s voice was raspy as he fought for every last breath.
“Yuto!? Somebody call an ambulance! Please!” Keito looked at the bystanders who instantly whipped out their cellphones.
“It doesn’t hurt…I-It d-doesn’t hurt…. I c-can only f-feel the p-pain in m-my heart… for b-betraying you…”
“No…. Yuto… it’s okay…. Everything will be okay!” Keito was delirious by now…
“I’m… c-cold….wil-will you.. hold me again?” Yuto asked quietly as his voice began to fade. His head whirled around as he felt weak again and the pool of blood seeped further out, finally meeting the already red stained scarf around Keito’s neck that lay on the floor. Now the redness crept up the scarf dying it red….
Keito cried as he held Yuto in his arms.
“Don’t you dare die… Yuto. Or… or I….. I’ll really hate you….”
He watched as Yuto smiled weakly, now the color began to disappear from his face and his skin became paler.
“Even..i-if y-you d-did… I-I would s-still… l-l-love… you…” Yuto said as his stuttering became worse and he began to have trouble concentrating.
“Th-This..J-Jacket… smells like you…it-it’s like.. you’re hugging me…”
“Yuto just hold on okay!?”
“I couldn’t be happier… to-to…” Yuto gasped as he felt the air leave him again and he took heavy breaths
“Yuto don’t talk…. Just don’t talk…”
“I couldn’t….b-be happier… to die… in your arms….” Yuto smiled as his blood seeped from the corners of his mouth.
“You’re not dying! You’re not…. You cant be!” Keito cried.
“I-I’m… tired…and… sl-slee-sleepy…” Yuto’s eyes began to close and Keito screamed at him to keep them open.
“Don’t sleep Yuto! Don’t sleep! Stay awake with me! Haven’t you slept long enough!?” But it was too late…. Yuto’s body fell limp in his arms and Keito howled in pain as he wept into Yuto’s shoulder, a mix of his tears and Yuto’s crimson red blood now stained the scarf that was still seated around his neck….. and the night was silent….
Moments later, the paramedics came and confiscated Yuto’s body from Keito and he pleaded as they forbade him from entering because he “wasn’t family.” Keito watched helplessly as the ambulance drove off into the night and he was left alone with a blood red scarf and the last few words Yuto had spoken jumbling in his mind.
Still in denial…. He walked his way up the fire escape again, his mind in a daze. He didn't want to believe it…. He didn't want to know…. He just wanted everything… to be okay. Keito reached the top of the rooftop again and he stayed far away from the place where he let Yuto’s life slip through his hands… and he sat at the table, with the two boxes of sushi neatly and carefully arranged. Quietly he opened one of them and picked up a piece of sushi and put it in his mouth.
“I-It’s delicious.. Y-Yuto…. Do-Do you… taste it too?” He asked as he looked up to see no one sitting opposite him and he sniffled, as reality reared its ugly head and he knew…. Yuto might not come back…. Keito wept as he forgot all about the food now and just laid his head against the table and closed his eyes, letting his tears help the already rusted table. He pictured Yuto…. Dying in his arms and he winced in pain as he remembered the last few words….
“I couldn’t….b-be happier… to die… in your arms….”
Keito was alone again… the rooftop was silent only except for his cries of sadness and grief. It took him two hours…. But as his tears began to dry… exhaustion set in… and for once in his life…. He was grateful for it… at least for now… he wouldn’t have to think about it anymore…..
“Keito-kun? Keito-kun?” A voice called to him.
“Mnnh…”
“Keito-kun?” A hand rested on his shoulder and gave him a firm squeeze.
Hunh!?” Keito jumped slightly as he looked up to see Misaki standing beside him.
“Keito-kun..”
“M-Mi-Misaki…Misaki….I’m so sorry… I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” Keito cried as he felt the tears return again.
“Keito-kun… it’s okay….”
“No! No its not! Yuto…. Yuto…. It’s because I was too weak to protect him! It was because I was too weak to believe in him…. to listen to him! It’s all my fault!” Keito wailed.
“Okamoto-kun…. It’s okay….. Yuto has been taken to the hospital… and after a few dire moments in surgery… they doctors have pulled him out of danger…. They say it's a miracle to have survived a fall like that…” Misaki said as he patted Keito’s back.
“Y-Yuto. Yuto’s alive!?” Keito asked and he cried even harder as Misaki nodded.
“I’ve come to take you to the hospital….if you’d like to go.. that is….” Keito nodded anxiously as he did his best to clean himself up, wiping away the tears and stifle his shuddering voice. He pulled the scarf around his neck and washed away the trail of redness it had left against his neck.
“I’ll have it cleaned for you….” Misaki said as he took the scarf and folded it neatly.
With a long 15 minute drive… Keito found himself standing before the tallest hospital building he had ever seen, Misaki led him in and told the receptionist to allow him access from now on. Quietly Misaki pulled Keito into an elevator and swiped a card of some sort before pressing the top most button.
“Here…. This key card will give you access to Yuto’s room…. Without it you cannot reach the floor he’s on… don’t lose it… is that clear?” Misaki asked as he handed the card to Keito who nodded.
When the elevator dinged the two stepped out and Keito looked around as the whole floor seemed to be Yuto’s room… He gasped as he saw the pristinely white bed that Yuto lay upon and rushed to its side.
“Oh Yuto…” He whispered as he saw the bandages around Yuto’s head, the wrappings around his body and the cast around his arm and legs.
“It’s a miracle…” Keito turned to see a doctor dressed in white coming up behind him.
“He’s….. very special….. “ Keito nodded.
“This…. little one…. Must have had something he really wanted to see again….” The older doctor smiled as he clipped the board onto Yuto’s bed and walked away, leaving the two boys alone.
“Yuto…” Keito sighed a sigh of relief as he gently laid himself on the bed, giving Yuto a small hug, not daring to add any weight. He just so gently pressed his head against an unbandaged part of Yuto’s chest and he heard the soft beating of his heart, coupled with Yuto’s, they were in sync…. Keito chuckled slightly as he felt such relief wash over him.
“K-Keito…”
“Yuto? You shouldn’t be awake! Just rest…. Just rest….” Keito stood up again.
“Keito…I-I was wrong…”
“A-about what?”
“Just now… I re-realized…I was w-wrong…”
“what are you talking about…. You’re always right…. You’re always…. Right…”
“No… when I said… the I couldn’t be happier… to… t-to die… in your arms….”
“Yuto…..”
“I re-realized…. I wa-was wrong… I could be happier….W-What I co-couldn’t be happier to do… is wake up…. In your arms…….” Yuto smiled weakly again as Keito’s emotions go the best of him again and he sobbed quietly within himself.
“J-Just rest now… Yuto…” Keito’s voice trembled as he spoke.
“W-Will… y-you be there…? When I wake up?”
“I promise you…. You’ll wake up in my arms again…” Keito smiled as he used his finger to wipe away the tears on the corners of his eyes. And this answer seemed satisfactory to Yuto who nodded and closed his eyes, and within seconds….. was out like a light….
“Yuto! My son!” Keito heard a man’s voice barreling into the room and he watched as the entire Nakajima family burst out of the elevator and rush to the bedside.
“H-How could this happen?” Yuto’s mother asked as she looked pitifully at her son.
“M-MISAKI! Where are you!? Come out at once!” Yuto’s father barked and in an instant Keito saw the all too-familiar man appear
“How could you let this happen! Who did this!” a flurry of questions came out of the angry father’s mouth and none of them answerable.
“Yuto-kun disappeared from the hall…. When..”
“When Takeo kidnapped him…” Keito finished.
“Who are you!” The man barked again.
“This…. is Okamoto Keito… the boy…. Yuto has been….. seeing….” Misaki struggled to put it in a proper manner.
“You!?”
“Yuto…. Was taken from the party…. By Takeo…. He was drunk…. And pulled Yuto into bed.. and wanted to…..” Keito looked at the man, hoping he would get his meaning.
“W-What!?” The man shouted angrily again, this time only to have his wife try to calm him down.
“D-Don’t worry! Nothing happened…. Fortunately…. I-I got there… in time.” Keito said quickly, trying to ease Yuto’s father’s still flickering anger.
“That….that stupid BRAT….. wanted to… do that…… to my……my…. Son….. oh Yuto…” The man slammed his fist into the wall.
“I’ll make him… AND his father pay…..”
“Dear…..right now…. Is not the time.. for angry talk…. We should just be happy…. That Yuto is okay….” Ms Nakajima said as she brought her husband to sit on one of the small chairs near the bed.
“Yuto Nii-Chan……” Little Raiya sniffled as he walked up to the bed and put his hands on the soft mattress. Keito took pity on the little boy…. And walked over to his side…
“Yuto Nii-Chan…. Wake up…. And play with me…” He shook the bed slightly, but received no response.
“Raiya-Chan….” Keito said in his best cheerful voice
“Who are you?” The little boy asked.
“My name is Keito…”
“Keito Nii-Chan?”
“Y-Yes….. Yuto is just resting a little okay? He’s very tired… and just needs to sleep here for a few days… so I’m here to play with you too… is that okay?” Keito asked as he smiled brightly. He saw a bit of the same playfulness in Raiya that he saw in Yuto… and that fact seemed to comfort him….
“Un… it’s okay.. I’ll let Yuto Nii-Chan rest… will you color with me?” Raiya asked as he pulled out a small coloring book and a few crayons, one more worn down than the rest. Keito picked it up and gazed at it.
“That’s Yuto Nii-Chan’s favorite color…. I like to make him a lot of things with that crayon…. Maybe… he’ll feel better if I color him something with it?” Raiya asked curiously and Keito smiled as he nodded and handed the crayon to him. He looked up to see Ms Nakajima smiling at him and she nodded slightly to which he smiled back and shyly turned to see what Raiya was coloring in with broad strokes.
While Raiya colored away at the designs in his book, Keito was grilled by Yuto’s parents, but found support in Misaki by his side.
“I see….so that’s how it is……” Yuto’s father sighed as he folded his arms.
“Dear….”
“I’ll have a talk with that boy… and his father first thing tomorrow morning… to you…. Okamoto-kun was it? Thank you very much… for saving my son…”
“N-Not at all! In…. many ways….. he’s the one who saved me….” Keito said as he looked at Yuto resting peacefully in the bed.
“Would you….. like to continue…. Seeing our son?” Ms. Nakajima asked.
“I…..”
“We would….. appreciate it….if someone like you… were around to protect him…..” Yuto’s father added.
“I w-would…”
“Good….. Yuto can be quite a handful… he’s spent his life sheltered… a rather lonely boy….. but lately…. It seems his good mood wasn't in part to the party…. But because of you…..” The man said as he strolled to the window.
“M-Me?”
“Yes…. And I…. want my son to be happy….. will you give my Yuto happiness?” The man asked as he stopped his stroll in front of Keito.
“I want to give him so much more than that..” Keito said, determination he didn't know he had voiced itself and Yuto’s parents nodded.
“Come Raiya… it’s time to go home…”
“But I want to stay here with Yuto Nii-Chan!”
“Yuto has Keito to take care of him…”
“Mmm…. Demo…” Raiya twiddled his thumbs
“Raiya-chan… I promise I’ll take good care of Yuto okay?” Keito asked as he knelt down beside the boy, after a few moments of thought…. Raiya nodded and scurried to his parents and the three of them disappeared.
When the floor was quiet again Keito made his way to the bed and gently hugged Yuto again.
“mnnh… how embarrassing…” Yuto said slowly.
“You’re awake again…… didn't I tell you to go to sleep…..” Keito pouted playfully.
“Mnnh… gomen… gomen… but how… embarrassing… you’ve met my parents already…..” Yuto cracked a soft smile and Keito giggled.
“Be embarrassed later…. Just sleep now…. Okay?”
“I can’t sleep… nothing….. to think about….”
“Do you need something to think about?”
Yuto nodded
“It helps me to… dream….” Yuto said softly.
“Then…. How about this….”
“What?”
“I love you…. Yuto Nakajima… I love you… and I want you to wake up in my arms… forever…. And I want you to stay there…. Forever…. I… love…. You.” Keito said as he leaned in and kissed Yuto again. He felt his entire body electrify and tingle as he kissed Yuto tenderly and he smiled peacefully as they parted and Yuto nodded.
“I love you too…. Keito Okamoto…..and I hope with… you wont ever feel lonely again with me by your side….”
“Then go to sleep…. So you can keep me company and love me more when you wake up..” Keito chuckled playfully as he pulled the covers over Yuto.
“Will I…?” Yuto stopped as Keito laid a finger of his mouth.
“Yes…. I’ll be here when you wake up…. I’ve promised you that before…. And I also promise you that you’ll wake up in my arms…. And I promise you.. I’ll always keep you safe within them…. And I hope you’ll stay here… in these arms of mine…. Forever….” Keito smiled as he gave Yuto another light hug.
“….. in your arms…… forever….” Yuto mumbled as he felt tiredness visit him once again and this time he drifted off to a deep sleep as he dreamt of the love that Keito had promised him…..
“forever….”
(>'_')><('_'<) (>'_')><('_'<) (>'_')><('_'<) (>'_')><('_'<) (>'_')><('_'<) (>'_')><('_'<)
Hua! So…. this story is my attempt to write an artistic story…. Please let me know how badly I failed…….. T_T. Sorry this chapter is so long too!
Once again, Comments are <3
~Emmie