FIC FOR SUGIEX part 2
For: sugiex
From: yumemirunosekai
Title: Post Tenebras, Lux (Part 2)
Pairings/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Ueda Tatsuya (main), Taguchi Junnosuke, Tanaka Koki, Toda Erika (side)
Rating: NC 17+
Warnings: blood, violence, gore, angst, AU, sci-fi
Notes: My first attempt at an AU/sci-fi fic. This a KAT-TUN gen fic with a side of KameDa. The personality I chose for Kame is Shuuji's real personality (the one that surfaces when he's with Akira, all prickly and whatnot) I have to emphasise that I tried to make this fic as close to reality as possible, in favour of my recipient, so expect less fluff and more… well. Reality.
Summary: Post Tenebras, Lux. ‘From Darkness, Light.’ The Red Plague has wiped out almost half the world’s population. Kame is a typical high school student who wants the easy way out of things, choosing to live in his own little world and ignore reality. When the lockdown sequence begins, he is thrown into another world where humans are animals, and killing seems to become a second nature. This is not a story of adventure, but reality.
part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5
///
Erika doesn't leave Kame alone when they arrive at their destination. She latches herself onto him, and Kame hates it because he isn't planning on getting infected any time soon.
"Stop touching me,” he bites out, and shrugs Erika off for the fifth time that day.
"I already told you I'm not infected,” Erika says. Kame's expression does not change. He doesn’t care that she isn’t infected. He wouldn't care even if she was; he just wanted her to get lost and to stop touching him.
"Why do you want a travelling partner anyway?" Kame asks.
"I get lonely,” Erika replies simply. "And since you are practically going the same way as I am, I don't see any harm in tagging along."
"Oh yeah? Where're you heading?" Kame asks, not looking at the older girl.
Erika picks at the lint on her checkered sweater. "Oh, I dunno exactly,” she replies. "I just wanted to get out of Tokyo."
Kame stops to look at her. "How come you didn't get into the sanctuary?" he asks.
"You didn't either." she points out in a matter-of-fact tone. Kame winces and turns away. Erika doesn't speak; she just watches him tentatively as they continued walking down the deadly silent roads, occasionally passing one or two people all wrapped up in coats and masks.
"I just didn't get in,” Kame says. "I didn't want to go in."
Lies.
Utter lies. But Kame just isn’t planning to spilling out his whole life story to a stranger he just met. He just wants to avoid any unnecessary conversations.
"That's a shame," sighs Erika. "I would have if I were you." Her tone is still conversational, but Kame can hear the edge to it, like she is trying to hold back her annoyance at Kame's answer.
"You want to be trapped in a hole underground for god knows how long?" Kame asks. This time he is truly intrigued.
Erika doesn't answer immediately. Her impression is neutral, and she seems to be contemplating on how to answer the question posed without sounding rude. "it's better than being out here, isn't it?" she says, tone hard. 'I didn't choose to be left out. I begged them to let me go in. I fucking licked their shoes, Kamenashi."
Kame is taken aback slightly, but Erika doesn't stop there.
“It pisses me off, in all honesty." Erika says, and her voice dropping to a low growl. “Some people just can’t seem to see that they have it good. Just because they have a choice, they flaunt it. What about people who have none, huh? What about us?”
Erika’s tone rises to a startling pitch, and she sounds as if she is about to cry or scream. Kame wonders if he made a right choice by allowing her to hang around him. The silence that falls after this is thick. Kame isn’t sure if he should speak up or remain quiet.
“Sorry about that.”
And Kame is honestly surprised that Erika is the one to hurriedly apply a comforting salve to the strained atmosphere. She sounds sheepish. Ashamed almost. “I didn’t mean to explode at you like that,” she continues. “It wasn’t right of me.”
“It’s fine,” Kame responds, relieved that the girl is no longer throwing a fit. “Forget it.”
“No, I really shouldn’t have. It wasn’t really- Well, my parents aren’t -”
“I don’t care.” Kame interrupts swiftly. He doesn’t want to know, because truthfully, he really doesn’t care, but the last thing he needs now is for someone to bring up family.
Erika shuts up without another word. Kame isn’t sure if he offended her or hurt her. Again, a suffocating silence saturates the atmosphere between them.
The number of people wandering the close yet deserted streets decreases as they continue walking deeper into the city. Kame’s surgical mask is back up on his face once again, as he passes more people who stumble blindly along, their faces dotted in pockmarks and lesions.
Kame can only deduce that since the government triggered the lockdown sequence, the infected who are left out here to rot would eventually infect the healthy people who were locked out of the sanctuaries. Looking at his current situation in any way, Kame knows at the very back of his mind, that he’ll be dead before the lockdown is even called off.
Whatever’s left of Japan is about to become a cesspool of Red Plague carriers until they all die off one by one. What then? Kame shudders, and wills his mind to stop overthinking things. He steps out of the way of a middle aged man in a filthy suit, his face looks half eaten by maggots, and the lesions that speckle his hand and neck have already blossomed into rotting ulcers that stink to the high heavens.
Kame is surprised at how calm Erika is. She barely spares the man a glance, and continues on, eyes set and jaw tight. Kame can’t understand it at all. How can people not SEE this? At some point, the absurd paranoia that the infected will suddenly attack him - just because he’s healthy and they aren’t - bubbles so strongly within him that he has to grip tightly to his iPhone in his pocket. It’s stupid, but Kame rationalises that if someone suddenly decides to attack him, at least he can retaliate, perhaps by chucking his phone at their head. After all, it is a considerably heavy phone.
Erika suddenly stops walking, and Kame wonders why. Her eyes narrow, and she seems to be peering into the darkness ahead. Kame follows her line of vision, but he really can’t see anything that could pique one’s interest. “What are you-” he begins, but Erika hisses at him sharply to be quiet.
“Shit,” she finally says, and the panic in her eyes unnerves Kame. “Shit. We have to hide- Move!” she says, and Kame finds himself being hauled away from the pavement into an abandoned shop. Erika shoves Kame roughly into a dark corner just out of sight from the smashed glass window.
‘What the hell are you-”
“Shut up.”
Erika clamps her palm over Kame’s mouth, and he immediately stills. From where he stands, he can see out into the streets, and it isn’t long before he finally catches sight of what had made Erika force them into hiding.
Granted, it isn’t really anything that horrendous - just a group of people, males mostly, dressed like any other normal citizen. The only weird thing is that they do not look the slightest bit worried, sick, or afraid. Kame notes the lethal looking steel pipes and jagged bits of wood they brandish around like swords.
They speak in low voices, and Kame strains his ears to make out their conversation.
He can only hear two words that are enough to make him want nothing to do with the strange group.
“Kill them.”
Kame can only watch in silent repulsion and horror as the group of people begin striking down random people hobbling down the stretch of road. There are no loud cries, or pleas for help, because no one is given the time to do so. Kame tears his eyes away when he sees one of the men strike down an old woman curled up on her side against one of the buildings by the pavement.
He turns his head away and retches, but Erika shoves part of her sweater into his mouth, hissing at him to shut up. The bile burns his throat, and Kame can’t. He just can’t anymore. In these few hours, he has seen people being massacred, and now he’s watching people kill one another without batting an eyelid.
What kind of fucked up animals have they turned into?
The mushy sound of flesh being beaten in makes his stomach churn, and Kame squeezes his eyes shut, and plugs his fingers into his ears. It’s eons before Erika finally removes her sweater from Kame’s mouth, leaving behind bits of wool and lint, but the minute she relinquishes her hold on him, Kame shoves away, keels over, and empties whatever remnants he has left in his stomach onto the ground.
“You aren’t really good at this huh?” Erika says sympathetically, as she strokes Kame’s back in a motherly fashion. “There, there.”
Kame continues to dry retch after nothing else spills through his lips. Dragging a clammy hand across his dry lips, he manages a weak scoff. “Good at what? Watching people get their heads beaten in?”
Erika sighs. “You’re not from around the city parts are you?”
Kame shakes his head and pulls away from Erika with a quiet ‘get your hands off me’.
“Well, guys like them were around long before the lockdown was called into action. We just call them raiders. Basically they run around and murder the infected people for kicks. Before this they were less active, and laid low underground. Perhaps it’s because the government was taking in all the infected before they became too… rotten, to move,” explains Erika, rolling up her sleeves.
Murder for kicks? Kame laughs weakly. “That is really fucked up,” he whispers, before folding himself into a corner of the room. “Why? Why is this happening to me?” he whimpers softly. Kame really can’t take this. The plague he can put up with, and perhaps even the rotting infected people, but this? He didn’t sign up for this shit.
Erika frowns. “It’s not only you who’s a victim here,” Erika snaps. “Stop being selfish, Kamenashi.”
Kame doesn’t answer. He’s really just too tired, and all he wants to do right now is to find Taguchi. Slowly, he gets to his feet. “C’mon,” he says, stepping out of the dusty store through the broken window. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”
Erika doesn’t say much anymore. She just sighs and follows after Kame. They continue walking for what seems like hours, before Kame stops. The roads diverge here, where the main road lead onwards into the city while a left turn would bring him into the Kabukichō district. Kame stops, and Erika stares at him quizzically. “What is it?” she asks. Kame shrugs.
“I’m going here.” he says, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the dark left turning. “Where are you heading?”
Erika doesn’t answer that, but she stares at Kame with a horrified look. “Kabukichō? Seriously? You can’t go there, you fool!”
Kame frowns. “Why?”
“Because that’s where all the raiders hide out in! Going in there is suicide. I’m not doing it, bucko. I suggest we continue on, and perhaps we’ll hit another sanctuary way ahead.”
Kame shakes his head once again. “No. My friend is in there, and I’m going in. You go wherever you want to go.”
They look at each other form a long minute. And finally Erika shrugs and sighs. “It’s your funeral, Kamenashi.” she says. “Well, I wish you luck, and I hope you survive.” she thrusts out a hand which Kame accepts. They shake.
Kame swallows. “Same to you.”
And the two temporary companions part ways at that fork in the road.
///
The streets are horribly narrow and there’s debris everywhere, as Kame picks his way past the abandoned cars and bicycles by the roadside. He never expected Kabukichō to be this big. He isn’t sure if he’ll ever be able to find Taguchi in this maze.
Kame presses on, and he ends up completely lost and now close to panicking. This is bad. Very bad.
Okay, calm down. He breathes in, and exhales slowly.
There has to be a way to find Taguchi, but there is no way he can continue in this darkness, so Kame selects a random building and tries to open the door. It’s bolted shut.
Since this was perhaps the sturdiest looking building around, Kame tries to force open the bolt with a piece of metal he finds. But aside from scraping off the paint around it, he does nothing much.
Close to giving up, Kame plops his butt right outside the door and pulls out his cellphone. The battery is dying. Kame sighs. He has to find a way to do something to deal with this shit, or else-
Kame freezes. Something cold is pressed between his shoulder blades, and the frosty voice in his ear send chills up his spine.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
Kame is about to turn around and answer, but at his slightest movement, the person grabs him and flips him over, face down into the ground. Kame lands with a yelp, and has the breath completely knocked out of him.
He then feels someone straddling him and something sharp digging into his back. Kame catches a glimpse of the person before he is rendered immobile, and it’s a young man with short, spiky black hair.
“I’m going to count to 3, and if you don’t come up with a satisfactory reason to why you are here, I’m going to stab you in the spine, you feel me?”
Kame would have rolled his eyes at this, because what the hell kind of stupid question is that? But Kame has never felt this kind of fear before. Ever. So basically his brain is completely mush at the moment, and right now, all he can see is his life flashing before his eyes, as whoever it is on him counts down to his doom.
“One-”
…
“Two-”
…
“Thr-”
Phase 2: Asmodeus
"Wait!"
Kame feels his lungs explode in relief at the familiar voice. The black-haired man's knee is digging rather painfully into his back, and his crotch is also pushed very uncomfortably against the fabric of Kame's jeans.
"Wait a minute, Ueda! That's Kamenashi! He's the friend that I've been talking about!"
From his position on the dirt ground, Kame can only see Taguchi's shoes and the feet of two other people following behind him.
"What?" says the man, who is still pressing the blade of his army knife into Kame's back, but not breaking the skin. "You know this guy or something?"
"He's my friend,” repeats Taguchi. "C'mon, let him up."
There is slight hesitance, and Kame can feel the muscular body of the person behind him tense uncertainly for several seconds before the coldness of the blade is removed from his back, and whomever it is straddling him moves up and away. Kame struggles slightly, but manages to get to his feet, arms and back as sore as anything.
But before he can get his bearings right, a body is flung against his, and the remaining air in his lungs is squeezed out of him via a bone crushing hug. "T-Taguchi- You're choking me-"
"Oh my god, you're all right, Kame-chan! I was sososososo so worried!" Taguchi is still the same: eccentric and as usual, completely annoying to a certain degree. But right now, Kame could hardly care less.
"If he kills us and raids whatever rations we have left, I'm blaming you." Kame looks to his left and he can't help but glare at the spiky black-haired man who attacked him without as much as a warning. The man is scowling and this only ruins - what Kame has to admit despite himself - is perhaps a rather uniquely pretty face. Just as he finishes this thought Kame mentally gags, and wonders if all the 'you're gay, I'm not gay' talk with Erika really did alter his preferences.
"Geroff me,” says Kame, and shoves the smiley Taguchi off, but he can't deny that he's glad. Truly, fucking glad that Taguchi is okay. His eyes rove over Taguchi's tall frame, taking in the messy hair, slightly ripped clothes and smudged dirt on his arms, but there are no lesions or boils on his skin, which is still - to Kame's slight annoyance - fairer than his own. "Huh. You don't look infected. I guess that's a good sign."
Taguchi pouts. "You guess? Did you not miss me, Kame-chan? I'm hurt."
There is a sharp cackle and Kame looks over to see a man with a rather intimidating buzz-cut, and another less muscular one donning a rather hideous looking argyle sweater. "Oh, don't mind us," says Buzz Cut man, tone laced with sarcasm. "We're just chopped liver over here aren't we, Maru? Just ruining this beautiful reunion between two lost lovers."
A strangled choking noise follows this comment, and Kame scowls at the black-haired man who has his fist pressed to his mouth, body trembling in suppressed laughter, but eyes still dangerous and piercing.
"Stop it, Koki,” chides Argyle Sweater man, and he gestures at Taguchi and Kame. "I think we should go back in. There could be raiders hanging around."
The smile form Buzz Cut guy's face dissolves. "Are we taking him inside as well?" He gestures dismissively at Kame. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Oh, yeah,” says Taguchi, completely ignoring Buzz Cut guy's comment. "C'mon inside, Kame-chan. We are the only ones in here, so it's okay. None of us are infected, but we have to be careful not to simply let anyone in."
"What do you think, Ueda?" asks Buzz Cut guy. “He turns to the black-haired man, who is still frowning.
"Let him in,” he says, dusting his palms on his jeans. "Taguchi says it's his friend, anyway."
Argyle Sweater guy shoots the two men worried looks, and then turns his gaze on Kame, who is being half dragged into the building by Taguchi.
Buzz Cut guy looks like he wants to say more, but he eventually closes mouth into a tight line before following Taguchi into the building along with Argyle Sweater guy.
The black-haired man is the last to enter, and he locks and bolts the heavy wooden doors behind him. Kame can't help but notice that the room he just entered has a rather shifty aura to it. It doesn’t help that he’s practically in the bowels of Kabukicho, a place he never expected to ever find himself in.
"I know what you're thinking,” says a smooth voice, and Kame turns to see black-haired man looking at him with a knowing expression, a thin smile on his lips. "And, yes. This is a brothel. Or at least, it used to be."
“Ah,” says Kame, and he tries not to look stupid, because with the way this man is talking, it's as though the fact that he's currently IN A FUCKING BROTHEL is something that should make sense, given the circumstances. For some screwed up reason, Kame feels like a complete idiot in the man’s presence.
"You got a problem with it?" asks Buzz Cut guy, looking at Kame with an expression that one would shoot at a spoilt brat. "Beggars can't be choosers, you know. This is probably the only place that makes a good shelter. The doors are thick and it's well hidden. It’s a perfect place to hole up while we wait out the lockdown."
"It's actually Ueda-kun here who found it,” says Taguchi, smiling. "It was the only place in Shinjuku empty and liveable. He took us all in when we collapsed at the front steps. He’s like a saviour."
"Shut up,” snaps the black-haired man, whom Kame assumed must be Ueda. "Don't exaggerate. You didn't 'collapse', and I didn't 'take you in'. You guys practically barged in without consent."
"But you must really like our company,” says Buzz Cut man, snickering. "Or else you would have kicked us out of here long time ago. I’m sure you could take us all on and leave without a scratch."
This statement makes Kame look at Ueda again, but this time in a more awed light.
"I didn't know you needed to state the obvious,” Ueda says, all lazy smirks and sarcastic drawls, and this earns an indignant 'Hey! Don't flatter yourself, asshole!' from Buzz Cut man and an exasperated 'Please, you guys, shut up for once.' from Argyle Sweater guy.
"Fun group aren't we?" says Taguchi, grinning at Kame. "It kinda makes you wonder how things can be so horrible outside these walls, huh?”
There he goes again. Taguchi's tendency to sprout out wise-man words at random times really makes Kame wonder if he really is an obnoxious idiot or just pretending to be one. Nevertheless, he doesn't deny the fact that being behind safe walls again really does feel nice. Somewhat similar to returning to oblivious bliss and not caring that the world is practically in shreds outside.
///
The brothel isn't that bad, Kame thinks. If you don't include the kinky S & M crap strewn around the place, it actually looks like a normal bar, with plush seats and dim lighting. Buzz Cut guy immediately throws himself down onto a couch, arms crossed behind his head. "Ahhh~ I love these seats,” he sighs, and begins to rub his cheek into the fabric. "So smooth~"
"You forget that this is a brothel,” deadpans Ueda. "I wouldn't be putting my face on any surfaces where people can easily fuck on."
This makes Buzz Cut guy yelp and shoot to his feet, making choking noises while wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "You're evil, Ueda!" he whines. "Now I'll never be able to bring myself to sit on the chairs. EVER! And they're so soft…"
Ueda shrugs and hoists himself up onto the bar, smooth muscles gleaming and shifting below tanned skin under the dim light (Kame is surprised there is electricity running here). "So, what can pretty boy here do?" says Ueda, gesturing vaguely at Kame, who stands frozen. He barely hears anything else after the words 'pretty boy'. Kame has to turn away because his face is burning, both in shame and embarrassment.
Taguchi looks confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, of what use is he?" Ueda snaps, rolling his eyes; as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can't expect me to take him in if he just sits around and does nothing? I'd chuck him right back out."
"That's not fair, Ueda,” says Argyle Sweater guy, frowning. "You're supposed to do this because its the right thing to do, not because of someone's worth."
"You're kidding." Ueda spits. "Of course he has to pitch in as well. This isn't a free hotel, dammit, and rations are low. I'm not gonna take in someone who whines and cowers and does absolutely nothin-"
"I'll do whatever you want me to,” says Kame suddenly, and everyone looks at him.
He's actually partially hurt and partially pissed at this asshole sitting in front of him, because with the way Ueda has been speaking, it’s as though he were trash by the roadside, and Kame is anything but that. He tries his best not to scowl, and puts on the best expressionless face he can muster.
Ueda's eyes narrow, and he looks at Kame in a way that resembles how one would scrutinise a particularly revolting specimen under a microscope.
"Alright. That's good then,” Ueda says, a mocking smirk on his lips. "I suppose you're like Maru here who can't defend himself to save his life -" There is a loud 'Hey!' from Argyle Sweater guy, "- and you don't look capable of handing firearms either."
Kame freezes. Firearms? Something is seriously wrong with Ueda, because where does firearms come into the situation at hand?
"So I guess you can tag along with Koki here when he goes ration-hunting." finishes Ueda, nodding at Buzz Cut guy.
Buzz Cut guy immediately scowls. "I'm not babysitting this brat,” he says. "You know how I feel about the rich assholes. We're already providing him with shelter. I'm not taking him on a tour as well."
"Well, I'm not gonna be the one keeping an eye on him,” Ueda says, tone hard. "And I'm not trusting him with Taguchi."
"I can take him around,” says Argyle Sweater guy, but he is cut off immediately by Ueda.
"No. Stop covering for him. I don't care, you do it Koki."
"Isn't that great, Kame-chan!” cheers Taguchi. "You're with us now!"
Kame has to suppress the sarcastic 'Yeah, sure,’ that almost spills from his lips. Taguchi's naivety surpasses the danger zone completely, because if anything, Kame knows he definitely isn't one of them. The way Ueda and Koki watch his every move with suspicion radiating off their beings is enough even for the average idiot to detect, but apparently Taguchi is just too blinkered in a way to notice.
"So it's settled then,” says Ueda. "Koki will babysit you. And if you try anything funny, you'll lose a hand."
Ueda pats the butterfly knife in his pocket for emphasis.
"Ueda, stop being mean to Kame-chan!" says Taguchi, annoyed. "He's one of the good guys!"
Kame takes in Ueda's face and wants to punch him. That spiky black-haired asshole with his too-tight jeans and ripped tank top really made his blood boil. But it seems like Ueda is some sort of leader here, so he can't really complain if he wants to stay, can he?
Ueda uncrosses his long legs again, and Kame notes that the latter's crotch is pressed rather obscenely against the tight fabric of his jeans. He blushes and looks away.
"Ahem?" says Taguchi, suddenly looking rather annoyed. "Aren't you guys forgetting something?"
Buzz Cut guy and Argyle Sweater guy looks at him with quizzical looks. "What?"
Taguchi rolls his eyes. "C'mon, it's common courtesy to introduce oneself when meeting new people!" he says, using a pseudo-wise tone that sounds altogether too wrong, especially for Taguchi.
"Oh yeah, I forgot! So terribly sorry!" says Buzz Cut guy, the insincerity in his tone is appalling. "But wait a minute," he feigns a surprised tone, voice high-pitched and ridiculously annoying. "In case you forgot, this is a fucking apocalypse, and under these circumstances, you dimwit, introductions kinda slide to the bottom of the priority hierarchy." he finishes his sentence with a look that practically screams 'are you an idiot?'.
"Huh? But you guys did introduce yourselves to me when I first joined, right?" Taguchi says, his eyes wide and head tilted to a side, looking as though he had some kind of stroke.
"We didn't exactly,” says Argyle Sweater guy before Buzz Cut guy can cut in. "You just picked it up after a few conversations. Introductions were never really necessary."
At least this guy seems polite, thinks Kame.
Taguchi groans. "You guys suck. Fine then, I'll do it! Kame-chan, Buzz Cut over there is Tanaka Koki-kun, Ugly Sweater over there is Nakamaru Yuchi [Maru: HEY!] and the asshole over there is Ueda-kun."
Kame raises a brow. "Huh."
He looks over at Ueda, whose face, as Koki said before, is completely marred by the ugly scowl that seems to etch permanent wrinkles between his eyes.
"So, does 'the asshole Ueda-kun' have a last name?" Kame asks, and he wonders why he does. Perhaps it's because he finds it really weird that only Ueda is introduced differently. Kame feels like an idiot after this, because it makes him sound like some stalkerish busybody.
"What about it?" snaps Ueda, his perfectly shaped brows slanting inwards further. "It's not like you'll ever be calling me by it."
"Shut up, Uepi [Ueda: STOP CALLING ME THAT.] Your ugly words just ruin that cute face of yours." Koki drawls.
"Ueda didn't tell us his last name,” explains Taguchi. "So we just know him as Ueda."
"We're guessing that it's a super girly name,” sniggers Koki, and a shot glass flies though the air over Kame's head at Koki, but the latter catches it easily. "Like Hiromi or Aoi or something like that."
"You can call him Uepi though!" says Taguchi, and another shot glass sails through the air, this time hitting it's target point blank.
"Ow~ Why'd you do that?"
The atmosphere is light, and Kame feels the weight of his worries and anxieties slip off him like butter off a warm knife. But Kame knows that something is up. Kame can tell, because the occasional glances and the barely noticeable contemptuous looks Koki shoots at him is enough for him to get the message:
I don't want you here.
///
"Can you keep up?"
Kame is close to cussing, because Koki is undoubtedly taking a ridiculously harsh route, directing him over piles of rubble and through winding mazes of alleyways.
Koki is perhaps someone Kame believed would be one of the 'mean guys'. The fact that he seemed to easily shift between moods didn't reassure Kame the slightest; with the way he would joke and smile before having a sudden 180 degree shift and becoming all nasty and sarcastic. His attitude toward Kame back in the brothel is solid proof of it.
"Are pretty boy's legs tired?" coos Koki, obvious sarcasm adorning his words, and a strangely contemptuous expression on his face.
"What the fuck's your problem?" Kame snaps, because he isn't going to put up with this any longer. He isn't some plaything people can push around. He stops walking, because Koki is definitely screwing with him.
The latter stops abruptly and turns an agitated expression towards Kame, who is hot and flustered, sweat sliding down his thin face in rivulets.
"What are you doing really?" Kame asks, crossing his arms. "If you hate me, then why don't you just throw me out? I noticed that you aren't really that hyped about me just barging in. But whatever it is you're doing now is childish and annoying."
Koki's eyes narrow. "Yeah. You're right,” he spits, and Kame flinches. He hadn't realised how scary Koki can look when worked up. "I want to throw you out. I really do.
Kame is slightly taken aback at Koki's honesty. "What have I ever done to you?" Kame asks, his volume rising. "Why the hell do you hate me so much?"
"I hate elites." Koki says, as though the two words answered all Kame's questions.
"Excuse me?"
"You people get all the priorities, huh?" Koki continues, face red with anger. "What about us? The normal people? Are we supposed to bow down to you too? To serve you?"
Kame raises a brow, because what the hell is Koki getting at? What did he mean by 'elites'?
"What nonsense are you sprouting?" he asks, brows furrowing.
"You people are fucked up, y'know?" Koki continues, clearly on a roll and isn't going to stop anytime soon. "I could be in one of those sanctuaries by now. I could have gotten in. But no, I was kicked out just because some asshole VIP rolls up in some flashy limo and shit. So yeah, I hate you people. I don't know why you aren't in a sanctuary, but I don't care. All I want is to leave you out here to fucking rot."
Kame blinks. "So you're saying, you hate me just because you think I'm an elite?" Kame is speechless, because Koki is perhaps more of an idiot than he initially thought. "What makes you think I'm one of them?"
"What? Trying to deny it now, are you?" spits Koki, hands clenched into tights fists by his sides.
Kame sighs. "I'm not one of the elites, you idiot."
Koki's jaw sags a little, but he doesn't back down so easily. "I'm not an idiot, you liar."
"I'm really not an elite."
"And you expect me to buy that? You should really learn to lie better."
"I'm eighteen, you asshole,” Kame spits, annoyance quickly turning to anger. "I go to the same school as Taguchi; I live in a normal apartment, and my dad's a boring office worker-" Kame stops there.
That's right.
His dad.
Kame swallows and his bottom lip trembles slightly. He had completely and utterly forgot. It's funny how easily it is to forget when you are fighting for your survival. He'll never be able to see his dad until the lockdown ends, and by then, who knows what could've happened. Maybe he'll be infected by then, and die before lockdown is up. Maybe lockdown will never be called off.
The uncertainties just pile on and on, and Kame hates it all, the uncertainty, the hostility, the plague, the deaths... Everything.
He's just a normal high school kid. He isn't supposed to have to deal with this shit.
"Why are you crying?" Koki asks, and there is a tinge of surprise mixed into the harsh tone.
Kame blinks, and the burning sensation of tears sting his eyes. He hurriedly turns around, his back facing Koki. “Nothing," he croaks, and winces at how weak he sounds. Koki is sure to laugh at him now. "Whatever it is, I'm not an elite. If you don't believe me, then fuck you."
The silence that falls is heavy. Koki doesn't say anything more, and Kame is a little puzzled. He'd expected Koki to laugh at him, or say something along the lines of 'you expect me to believe that crap?', but Koki doesn't say anything. Kame swallows his sobs, because he is a man, goddammit, and he isn't going to show weakness in front of a stranger.
"Did something happen?" Koki asks, suddenly, and this time, it's sincere. There is no trace of malice or mockery in his tone. "I mean, Taguchi said you were his friend, but he never mentioned that well, you were-"
"If it's Taguchi, he probably just told you guys that I and my dad were getting into the sanctuaries and I got left out or something right? I get it."
"No. He said your dad had some kinda VIP pass or something."
"So you assumed that I was one of the elites,” Kame concludes, his tone impassive. That's understandable." Kame's back is still facing Koki. "It's nothing really. He just got a couple of the better passes: Level Two ones, because of his doctor friend at the research hospital. It's supposed to guarantee access, unlike the Level One passes, but-"
“Oh," says Koki, and his voice seemed to have been diminished into a small squeak that makes Kame turn around.”I was under the impression you had the Elite’s Pass or something."
Kame's face is one of annoyance and disbelief. "So, you just assumed everything and decided without any proof other than Taguchi's words, that I am an elite? You do know the guy's too air-headed to comprehend simple details, don't you?"
Koki suddenly looks terribly sheepish. "I can't believe it. Oh my god I feel like an idiot."
"I'm glad you realised that,” Kame says blithely. "But whatever it is, I'm gonna throttle Taguchi when I get back.”
///
"Huh? When did I ever say Kame-chan was an elite?" asks Taguchi, his expression one of puzzlement.
Kame and Koki had just successfully returned from a nearby convenience store. It had been mostly ransacked by people, leaving behind several cans and dried preserved food. Koki dumps his armful of dented canned goods and several dusty packets of preserved fruits onto the bar, and rounds on the taller man.
"You made me look like an idiot in front of him!" Koki hisses, his face red.
Taguchi just gives the flustered man a lopsided smile and shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno what you're talking about. All I said was that Kame and his dad got some VIP passes-"
"They weren't VIP passes, you nincompoop." says Kame, exasperated. "Only the elites get them. We just got the Level Two ones. Your dad was the one who gave it to us in the first place. I wanted to thank you for it, but I didn't get the chance. Now, I'm not so sure whether I want to or not."
Taguchi makes an 'oh I see' expression and waves the matter with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "Never mind, never mind," he chortles. "At least Koki is getting along with you now!"
Koki hurries to apologise again, but Kame stops him. "It's fine."
"Kame sure is a nice guy, huh?" says Taguchi, his smile stretching wider. "Ah, that reminds me, where is your dad?"
Kame wondered when Taguchi would shoot the long awaited question. "He's in the sanctuary. The one in Ueno Park." Kame bites his lip and hopes that Taguchi will drop this topic quickly. He really doesn't want to talk about it.
Ueda whistles lowly at this. "That's the only sanctuary with the highest number of elites. Apparently I hear rumours that it exceeded it's capacity fairly quickly."
Taguchi's smile fades immediately. "So, you were locked out?" he watches Kame's face worriedly, which is now pale and pinched. "I'm really sorry, Kame."
"It's nothing. At least I'm not infected,” Kame says.
"By the way, why aren't you guys in sanctuaries? I mean, were all of you locked out? I know why Koki didn't get in, but what about the rest of you? Especially Taguchi." Kame glances at the tall boy. "Isn't your dad one of the assistant scientists in Inaba hospital?"
Taguchi absently picks at the hem of his T- shirt, and his tone is casual, as though they were discussing the weather. "Oh, that." he begins, slightly reluctant. "I didn't want to go."
"Are you an idiot?" Koki asks. "Why wouldn't you?"
Taguchi merely smile weakly. "I just didn't want to. I mean, I don't want to be locked in a hole without knowing when I'll be let out. Dad's inside the sanctuary in Shinjuku, working in the underground labs. He doesn't know I didn't go in."
Kame shakes his head. "You really are an idiot, Taguchi."
"The Shinjuku sanctuary filled up really fast,” Taguchi continues. "I was supposed to get to the Tokyo shelter at Ueno Park, and I really didn't want to. I think it was after I left the station and bumped into Ueda-kun that you called me."
It is that moment, Nakamaru, who had been silent all this while decides to speak up, and his voice is rather shaky when he does so. "Sorry, but I just feel like I have to say it. Kamenashi-kun was it? I think I know why the Ueno Park sanctuary filled up so quickly."
Kame just stares. "What?"
"I'm actually one of the doctors working on the cure for the Red Plague. A month before the lockdown was initiated, we held a board meeting with the military and the lead researchers." Nakamaru swallows slowly before continuing. "We needed to ensure that the search for a cure could still be conducted during lockdown, so… Well, the blueprints for all sanctuaries around Japan were revised, and the one in Ueno Park, which initially had the capacity to hold at least three quarters of Japan's population was chosen as the research base."
"Wait a frickin' second here, Maru,” says Koki. "Are you telling me that-"
“Yes," Nakamaru sighs, twisting the fabric of his argyle sweater nervously. "There are thousands of levels under the dome - which is the only part of the sanctuary above ground. Beneath it is floors and floors of rooms and living space, but because roughly a third of the underground spare was converted into research labs and equipment storage…"
"So about a third of the people that were supposed to get in were denied access. Kame being one of them,” finishes Taguchi, looking terribly grim.
“I didn't know you were an elite, Maru,” says Ueda. He ignores Koki's loud,’What the fuck?' and just stares at Nakamaru, his expression impassive. "I have nothing against elites, but I'm just curious. Why aren't you inside the sanctuary? You should have an Elite’s pass, being one of the white-coats working for the government dogs."
Nakamaru waits awhile, slowly trying to construct his thoughts. "I opposed it,” he says, and the sudden eruption of fury in Koki's face dissipates, quickly being replaced by confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, they weren't planning on telling the public about this!" says Nakamaru, his voice rising. "Everyone in that conference room, they knew. They knew there would be people, thousands of people who wouldn't get a place in the sanctuary. And they did nothing. The plan was to carry out all procedures as normal, and just… act normal. But how could I act normal? What is normal?” Nakamaru sighs heavily and when he speaks again, there is remorse in his voice.
“It's bad enough the the Level One passes do not guarantee a place in the sanctuary, but now Level Two passes as well? 'For the greater good,’ they said,” Nakamaru scoffs. "They were animals. Selfish animals. I couldn't work with them anymore. So I just quit."
The silence is stifling, and Kame has to breathe deeply just so that he can get enough breath to process this information. It's all the government. Everything is just so fucked up that he really can't distinguish right from wrong now.
“Thre isn’t right or wrong here,” says Ueda lazily, breaking the silence, and he stretches out on the bar, his skin gleaming like milky caramel under the dim lighting. "One can argue that yeah, it's wrong to be the one to decide who gets to live and who dies; and that it's a sin to sacrifice thousands of innocent lives just because you believe it's for the 'greater good'."
Ueda shifts his head to the side, and coincidentally, Kame is sitting directly in his line of vision. He stares straight into Kame's eyes, holding him in frozen surprise.
Ueda's eyes are like voids, Kame thinks. Like an expanse of endless whirlpools that draw him into those, intoxicating, dark chocolate depths. It's Ueda that breaks eye contact first, and Kame finds that he'd been holding his breath. He shudders, and his hairs stand on end. Ueda is someone he really shouldn't mess with.
"But on the other hand," continues Ueda. "What if the sacrifice of those lives result the discovery of a cure for the plague? Some people can argue that the sacrifice of several hundred lives is nothing compared to being able to save billions of others. If a cure is synthesised, wouldn't it all be worthwhile? One can argue that those people died for a reason, that their deaths were just collateral damage, or something that had to happen in order to save mankind. There really isn't a one track answer to this."
Koki chuckles softly when Ueda finishes. "You're really scary sometimes, Ueda,” he sighs, and turns back to Nakamaru. "Did you get kicked out or something?"
Nakamaru shakes his head. "I gave my pass to a random family. I just couldn't do it. I mean, it just feels wrong."
Kame almost laughs, because Nakamaru is too nice for his own good. Would he have given up that golden chance of survival if he was placed in Nakamaru's shoes?
Most probably not.
"Are you seriously blaming yourself?" says Ueda, and the expression on his face is that of incredulity and disbelief.
"Shut up, Uepi,” says Taguchi, waving Ueda away. His eyes had suddenly become all sparkly and the admiration that blooms behind those irises makes Kame cringe. "You're a heartless bastard. You wouldn't understand Nakamaru." he continues, and Kame thinks that his best friend is a millimetre away from swooning right into Nakamaru's lap.
Ueda merely scoffs, but did not seem to take offence at the comment. “Whatever," he mutters. "As long as this doesn't make smiley over here sparkle any more than he already is."
Koki is silent, and his expression is one of contemplation and confusion. Kame supposes he might take awhile before Koki can come to terms with his 'elite-hating' problem, ergo Nakamaru may just have to claw his way back into Koki's circle again.
"Why keep this a secret?" Kame asks. "Why didn't you just tell us?"
Nakamaru laughs bitterly at this. "For what? To boast? To brag? It didn't seem important until this moment." He looks directly into Kame's eyes. "I'm really sorry Kamenashi-kun. About your dad."
“S'okay," says Kame, because he just can't bring himself to dislike Nakamaru. "It's actually a good thing. That way, at least I know he's safe. And stop calling me Kamenashi. Sounds old,” he adds.
"Well, would you like it more if we called you Kame-chan~ like your boyfriend here?" says Ueda, completely ruining the serious atmosphere.
Kame chucks the first thing within his reach, which is a pair of fluffy handcuffs from a pile of ropes and chains lying on the seat next to him, at Ueda. The latter catches it easily.
"Y'know, people might mistake that for a some kinda invitation,” says Ueda, and from being prickly, his tone rapidly shifts to playful, and Kame feels his face burn in embarrassment. "I honestly didn't pin you for being the kinky type."
"Burn in hell, asshole,” Kame bites out, and turns so that his back is stubbornly facing Ueda, refusing to look at him again.
"You're disgusting, Ueda,” chortles Koki. "It's hard for me to picture what you were before all this shit happened."
"Well, the feeling's mutual,” says Ueda, sitting up on the bar (which apparently seemed to be his favourite place) He eyes Koki critically. "You looked like a freaking hobo when I first met you."
"I was NOT!" squawks Koki, looking scandalised. "Screw you, but I was a music student, okay? I like rapping, so I thought like, 'hey, why the fuck not?' and started doing gigs and stuff. I was in the middle of one REALLY important gig when the stupid lockdown siren completely ruined everything."
"You? A music student?" Ueda snorts, and the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he doubles over in controlled laughter. "I was not expecting that. I guessed you were at most, a broke drunkard with the way you guzzled down the alcohol when you first came in here."
"I was depressed. Deal with it,” Koki grumbles.
"At least you're sober now,” sighs Nakamaru.”I wasn't going to spend one more freaking night having you retch all over the floor."
" I WAS DEPRESSED,” yelps Koki indignantly. "What did you expect me to do? Besides, what's your problem anyway? It's not like you cleaned it up."
Nakamaru gives Koki a look. "You think that ass over there would even think of cleaning up after you?" says Nakamaru, jabbing a thumb at Ueda's direction. "Of course it was me! I'm not going to live in a place that is unsanitary over unsanitary! The least we can do is keep it liveable!"
The stifling atmosphere had dissipated. Kame is impressed. Not at Koki, no - but at Ueda. The latter had so effortless managed to make Koki unconsciously reveal a part of himself, and in the process, has completely removed the awkward silence that saturated the air following Nakamaru's confession.
If Ueda wanted to wheedle out information, important information from any one of them, it would be an easy feat. The sheer fact that no one has realised the deliberateness of Ueda's well-structured conversations and statements (all aimed to evoke some sort of reaction from them) is proof enough that his ability to manipulate people is of a god-like level.
"Okay, then what about you, Ueda?" snaps Koki, trying to regain a shred of his already crumbling image. "What were you before all this? An artist? A hairdresser? (Ueda bristles at this) A paperboy?"
"As if,” he laughs, and this time, it's strained, but only Kame notices this. Ueda's shoulders sag a little, and he avoids looking them in the eye.
"So? What?" prompts Koki, impatient. "Don't tell me… Were you jobless?” he exclaims.
"Of course not,” says Ueda, and the sarcastic tone is back in full force. Kame is surprised just how quickly Ueda's shields are back up, the brief moment of vulnerability gone is seconds. "I serve people." he says, crossing his arms, "And I was pretty good at it."
Koki snorts. "So? You were like what, a waiter?"
"Wait!" interrupts Taguchi, hurriedly joining the conversation. "A host! You worked in a host club!"
"No, I didn’t," says Ueda, rubbing his temples. "Just drop this shit already alright?"
"Maybe he really is a waiter,” says Koki, the smug smile never leaving his face. "Or maybe even a bartender!"
It's Kame who hears it first. The muffled scraping noise.
"Wait, everyone shut up a second, alright?" Kame hisses, and his eyes dart to the main entrance. He didn't expect everyone to listen to him, and so the immediate silence surprises him a little.
Kame turns back to Ueda. "Do you hear that?" he whispers.
Ueda does.
"Get up. Quickly,” he commands. "I dunno what the hell it is out there, but I'll lay out the rules for you."
Although it seemed as though he was talking to everyone, his eyes were only fixed on Kame. "I don't give a fuck if it's people or whatever, infected or not, we get rid of them. If they refuse to leave, kill them. Kapeesh?”
No one seemed to be questioning Ueda. Not even Taguchi. The man had practically told them to murder someone, and everyone seemed okay with it. "Wait- what?” is the best answer Kame can blurt out.
Taguchi pats his shoulder. "It's okay. Ueda never really means it literally. We just chase them away.'
But judging by the glint in Ueda's eyes, Kame really isn't too sure who to trust.
<- part 1 II -> part 3
From: yumemirunosekai
Title: Post Tenebras, Lux (Part 2)
Pairings/Characters: Kamenashi Kazuya/Ueda Tatsuya (main), Taguchi Junnosuke, Tanaka Koki, Toda Erika (side)
Rating: NC 17+
Warnings: blood, violence, gore, angst, AU, sci-fi
Notes: My first attempt at an AU/sci-fi fic. This a KAT-TUN gen fic with a side of KameDa. The personality I chose for Kame is Shuuji's real personality (the one that surfaces when he's with Akira, all prickly and whatnot) I have to emphasise that I tried to make this fic as close to reality as possible, in favour of my recipient, so expect less fluff and more… well. Reality.
Summary: Post Tenebras, Lux. ‘From Darkness, Light.’ The Red Plague has wiped out almost half the world’s population. Kame is a typical high school student who wants the easy way out of things, choosing to live in his own little world and ignore reality. When the lockdown sequence begins, he is thrown into another world where humans are animals, and killing seems to become a second nature. This is not a story of adventure, but reality.
part 1 || part 2 || part 3 || part 4 || part 5
///
Erika doesn't leave Kame alone when they arrive at their destination. She latches herself onto him, and Kame hates it because he isn't planning on getting infected any time soon.
"Stop touching me,” he bites out, and shrugs Erika off for the fifth time that day.
"I already told you I'm not infected,” Erika says. Kame's expression does not change. He doesn’t care that she isn’t infected. He wouldn't care even if she was; he just wanted her to get lost and to stop touching him.
"Why do you want a travelling partner anyway?" Kame asks.
"I get lonely,” Erika replies simply. "And since you are practically going the same way as I am, I don't see any harm in tagging along."
"Oh yeah? Where're you heading?" Kame asks, not looking at the older girl.
Erika picks at the lint on her checkered sweater. "Oh, I dunno exactly,” she replies. "I just wanted to get out of Tokyo."
Kame stops to look at her. "How come you didn't get into the sanctuary?" he asks.
"You didn't either." she points out in a matter-of-fact tone. Kame winces and turns away. Erika doesn't speak; she just watches him tentatively as they continued walking down the deadly silent roads, occasionally passing one or two people all wrapped up in coats and masks.
"I just didn't get in,” Kame says. "I didn't want to go in."
Lies.
Utter lies. But Kame just isn’t planning to spilling out his whole life story to a stranger he just met. He just wants to avoid any unnecessary conversations.
"That's a shame," sighs Erika. "I would have if I were you." Her tone is still conversational, but Kame can hear the edge to it, like she is trying to hold back her annoyance at Kame's answer.
"You want to be trapped in a hole underground for god knows how long?" Kame asks. This time he is truly intrigued.
Erika doesn't answer immediately. Her impression is neutral, and she seems to be contemplating on how to answer the question posed without sounding rude. "it's better than being out here, isn't it?" she says, tone hard. 'I didn't choose to be left out. I begged them to let me go in. I fucking licked their shoes, Kamenashi."
Kame is taken aback slightly, but Erika doesn't stop there.
“It pisses me off, in all honesty." Erika says, and her voice dropping to a low growl. “Some people just can’t seem to see that they have it good. Just because they have a choice, they flaunt it. What about people who have none, huh? What about us?”
Erika’s tone rises to a startling pitch, and she sounds as if she is about to cry or scream. Kame wonders if he made a right choice by allowing her to hang around him. The silence that falls after this is thick. Kame isn’t sure if he should speak up or remain quiet.
“Sorry about that.”
And Kame is honestly surprised that Erika is the one to hurriedly apply a comforting salve to the strained atmosphere. She sounds sheepish. Ashamed almost. “I didn’t mean to explode at you like that,” she continues. “It wasn’t right of me.”
“It’s fine,” Kame responds, relieved that the girl is no longer throwing a fit. “Forget it.”
“No, I really shouldn’t have. It wasn’t really- Well, my parents aren’t -”
“I don’t care.” Kame interrupts swiftly. He doesn’t want to know, because truthfully, he really doesn’t care, but the last thing he needs now is for someone to bring up family.
Erika shuts up without another word. Kame isn’t sure if he offended her or hurt her. Again, a suffocating silence saturates the atmosphere between them.
The number of people wandering the close yet deserted streets decreases as they continue walking deeper into the city. Kame’s surgical mask is back up on his face once again, as he passes more people who stumble blindly along, their faces dotted in pockmarks and lesions.
Kame can only deduce that since the government triggered the lockdown sequence, the infected who are left out here to rot would eventually infect the healthy people who were locked out of the sanctuaries. Looking at his current situation in any way, Kame knows at the very back of his mind, that he’ll be dead before the lockdown is even called off.
Whatever’s left of Japan is about to become a cesspool of Red Plague carriers until they all die off one by one. What then? Kame shudders, and wills his mind to stop overthinking things. He steps out of the way of a middle aged man in a filthy suit, his face looks half eaten by maggots, and the lesions that speckle his hand and neck have already blossomed into rotting ulcers that stink to the high heavens.
Kame is surprised at how calm Erika is. She barely spares the man a glance, and continues on, eyes set and jaw tight. Kame can’t understand it at all. How can people not SEE this? At some point, the absurd paranoia that the infected will suddenly attack him - just because he’s healthy and they aren’t - bubbles so strongly within him that he has to grip tightly to his iPhone in his pocket. It’s stupid, but Kame rationalises that if someone suddenly decides to attack him, at least he can retaliate, perhaps by chucking his phone at their head. After all, it is a considerably heavy phone.
Erika suddenly stops walking, and Kame wonders why. Her eyes narrow, and she seems to be peering into the darkness ahead. Kame follows her line of vision, but he really can’t see anything that could pique one’s interest. “What are you-” he begins, but Erika hisses at him sharply to be quiet.
“Shit,” she finally says, and the panic in her eyes unnerves Kame. “Shit. We have to hide- Move!” she says, and Kame finds himself being hauled away from the pavement into an abandoned shop. Erika shoves Kame roughly into a dark corner just out of sight from the smashed glass window.
‘What the hell are you-”
“Shut up.”
Erika clamps her palm over Kame’s mouth, and he immediately stills. From where he stands, he can see out into the streets, and it isn’t long before he finally catches sight of what had made Erika force them into hiding.
Granted, it isn’t really anything that horrendous - just a group of people, males mostly, dressed like any other normal citizen. The only weird thing is that they do not look the slightest bit worried, sick, or afraid. Kame notes the lethal looking steel pipes and jagged bits of wood they brandish around like swords.
They speak in low voices, and Kame strains his ears to make out their conversation.
He can only hear two words that are enough to make him want nothing to do with the strange group.
“Kill them.”
Kame can only watch in silent repulsion and horror as the group of people begin striking down random people hobbling down the stretch of road. There are no loud cries, or pleas for help, because no one is given the time to do so. Kame tears his eyes away when he sees one of the men strike down an old woman curled up on her side against one of the buildings by the pavement.
He turns his head away and retches, but Erika shoves part of her sweater into his mouth, hissing at him to shut up. The bile burns his throat, and Kame can’t. He just can’t anymore. In these few hours, he has seen people being massacred, and now he’s watching people kill one another without batting an eyelid.
What kind of fucked up animals have they turned into?
The mushy sound of flesh being beaten in makes his stomach churn, and Kame squeezes his eyes shut, and plugs his fingers into his ears. It’s eons before Erika finally removes her sweater from Kame’s mouth, leaving behind bits of wool and lint, but the minute she relinquishes her hold on him, Kame shoves away, keels over, and empties whatever remnants he has left in his stomach onto the ground.
“You aren’t really good at this huh?” Erika says sympathetically, as she strokes Kame’s back in a motherly fashion. “There, there.”
Kame continues to dry retch after nothing else spills through his lips. Dragging a clammy hand across his dry lips, he manages a weak scoff. “Good at what? Watching people get their heads beaten in?”
Erika sighs. “You’re not from around the city parts are you?”
Kame shakes his head and pulls away from Erika with a quiet ‘get your hands off me’.
“Well, guys like them were around long before the lockdown was called into action. We just call them raiders. Basically they run around and murder the infected people for kicks. Before this they were less active, and laid low underground. Perhaps it’s because the government was taking in all the infected before they became too… rotten, to move,” explains Erika, rolling up her sleeves.
Murder for kicks? Kame laughs weakly. “That is really fucked up,” he whispers, before folding himself into a corner of the room. “Why? Why is this happening to me?” he whimpers softly. Kame really can’t take this. The plague he can put up with, and perhaps even the rotting infected people, but this? He didn’t sign up for this shit.
Erika frowns. “It’s not only you who’s a victim here,” Erika snaps. “Stop being selfish, Kamenashi.”
Kame doesn’t answer. He’s really just too tired, and all he wants to do right now is to find Taguchi. Slowly, he gets to his feet. “C’mon,” he says, stepping out of the dusty store through the broken window. “We’ve wasted enough time already.”
Erika doesn’t say much anymore. She just sighs and follows after Kame. They continue walking for what seems like hours, before Kame stops. The roads diverge here, where the main road lead onwards into the city while a left turn would bring him into the Kabukichō district. Kame stops, and Erika stares at him quizzically. “What is it?” she asks. Kame shrugs.
“I’m going here.” he says, jabbing a thumb in the direction of the dark left turning. “Where are you heading?”
Erika doesn’t answer that, but she stares at Kame with a horrified look. “Kabukichō? Seriously? You can’t go there, you fool!”
Kame frowns. “Why?”
“Because that’s where all the raiders hide out in! Going in there is suicide. I’m not doing it, bucko. I suggest we continue on, and perhaps we’ll hit another sanctuary way ahead.”
Kame shakes his head once again. “No. My friend is in there, and I’m going in. You go wherever you want to go.”
They look at each other form a long minute. And finally Erika shrugs and sighs. “It’s your funeral, Kamenashi.” she says. “Well, I wish you luck, and I hope you survive.” she thrusts out a hand which Kame accepts. They shake.
Kame swallows. “Same to you.”
And the two temporary companions part ways at that fork in the road.
///
The streets are horribly narrow and there’s debris everywhere, as Kame picks his way past the abandoned cars and bicycles by the roadside. He never expected Kabukichō to be this big. He isn’t sure if he’ll ever be able to find Taguchi in this maze.
Kame presses on, and he ends up completely lost and now close to panicking. This is bad. Very bad.
Okay, calm down. He breathes in, and exhales slowly.
There has to be a way to find Taguchi, but there is no way he can continue in this darkness, so Kame selects a random building and tries to open the door. It’s bolted shut.
Since this was perhaps the sturdiest looking building around, Kame tries to force open the bolt with a piece of metal he finds. But aside from scraping off the paint around it, he does nothing much.
Close to giving up, Kame plops his butt right outside the door and pulls out his cellphone. The battery is dying. Kame sighs. He has to find a way to do something to deal with this shit, or else-
Kame freezes. Something cold is pressed between his shoulder blades, and the frosty voice in his ear send chills up his spine.
“Who are you, and what do you want?”
Kame is about to turn around and answer, but at his slightest movement, the person grabs him and flips him over, face down into the ground. Kame lands with a yelp, and has the breath completely knocked out of him.
He then feels someone straddling him and something sharp digging into his back. Kame catches a glimpse of the person before he is rendered immobile, and it’s a young man with short, spiky black hair.
“I’m going to count to 3, and if you don’t come up with a satisfactory reason to why you are here, I’m going to stab you in the spine, you feel me?”
Kame would have rolled his eyes at this, because what the hell kind of stupid question is that? But Kame has never felt this kind of fear before. Ever. So basically his brain is completely mush at the moment, and right now, all he can see is his life flashing before his eyes, as whoever it is on him counts down to his doom.
“One-”
…
“Two-”
…
“Thr-”
Phase 2: Asmodeus
"Wait!"
Kame feels his lungs explode in relief at the familiar voice. The black-haired man's knee is digging rather painfully into his back, and his crotch is also pushed very uncomfortably against the fabric of Kame's jeans.
"Wait a minute, Ueda! That's Kamenashi! He's the friend that I've been talking about!"
From his position on the dirt ground, Kame can only see Taguchi's shoes and the feet of two other people following behind him.
"What?" says the man, who is still pressing the blade of his army knife into Kame's back, but not breaking the skin. "You know this guy or something?"
"He's my friend,” repeats Taguchi. "C'mon, let him up."
There is slight hesitance, and Kame can feel the muscular body of the person behind him tense uncertainly for several seconds before the coldness of the blade is removed from his back, and whomever it is straddling him moves up and away. Kame struggles slightly, but manages to get to his feet, arms and back as sore as anything.
But before he can get his bearings right, a body is flung against his, and the remaining air in his lungs is squeezed out of him via a bone crushing hug. "T-Taguchi- You're choking me-"
"Oh my god, you're all right, Kame-chan! I was sososososo so worried!" Taguchi is still the same: eccentric and as usual, completely annoying to a certain degree. But right now, Kame could hardly care less.
"If he kills us and raids whatever rations we have left, I'm blaming you." Kame looks to his left and he can't help but glare at the spiky black-haired man who attacked him without as much as a warning. The man is scowling and this only ruins - what Kame has to admit despite himself - is perhaps a rather uniquely pretty face. Just as he finishes this thought Kame mentally gags, and wonders if all the 'you're gay, I'm not gay' talk with Erika really did alter his preferences.
"Geroff me,” says Kame, and shoves the smiley Taguchi off, but he can't deny that he's glad. Truly, fucking glad that Taguchi is okay. His eyes rove over Taguchi's tall frame, taking in the messy hair, slightly ripped clothes and smudged dirt on his arms, but there are no lesions or boils on his skin, which is still - to Kame's slight annoyance - fairer than his own. "Huh. You don't look infected. I guess that's a good sign."
Taguchi pouts. "You guess? Did you not miss me, Kame-chan? I'm hurt."
There is a sharp cackle and Kame looks over to see a man with a rather intimidating buzz-cut, and another less muscular one donning a rather hideous looking argyle sweater. "Oh, don't mind us," says Buzz Cut man, tone laced with sarcasm. "We're just chopped liver over here aren't we, Maru? Just ruining this beautiful reunion between two lost lovers."
A strangled choking noise follows this comment, and Kame scowls at the black-haired man who has his fist pressed to his mouth, body trembling in suppressed laughter, but eyes still dangerous and piercing.
"Stop it, Koki,” chides Argyle Sweater man, and he gestures at Taguchi and Kame. "I think we should go back in. There could be raiders hanging around."
The smile form Buzz Cut guy's face dissolves. "Are we taking him inside as well?" He gestures dismissively at Kame. "I'm not sure that's a good idea."
"Oh, yeah,” says Taguchi, completely ignoring Buzz Cut guy's comment. "C'mon inside, Kame-chan. We are the only ones in here, so it's okay. None of us are infected, but we have to be careful not to simply let anyone in."
"What do you think, Ueda?" asks Buzz Cut guy. “He turns to the black-haired man, who is still frowning.
"Let him in,” he says, dusting his palms on his jeans. "Taguchi says it's his friend, anyway."
Argyle Sweater guy shoots the two men worried looks, and then turns his gaze on Kame, who is being half dragged into the building by Taguchi.
Buzz Cut guy looks like he wants to say more, but he eventually closes mouth into a tight line before following Taguchi into the building along with Argyle Sweater guy.
The black-haired man is the last to enter, and he locks and bolts the heavy wooden doors behind him. Kame can't help but notice that the room he just entered has a rather shifty aura to it. It doesn’t help that he’s practically in the bowels of Kabukicho, a place he never expected to ever find himself in.
"I know what you're thinking,” says a smooth voice, and Kame turns to see black-haired man looking at him with a knowing expression, a thin smile on his lips. "And, yes. This is a brothel. Or at least, it used to be."
“Ah,” says Kame, and he tries not to look stupid, because with the way this man is talking, it's as though the fact that he's currently IN A FUCKING BROTHEL is something that should make sense, given the circumstances. For some screwed up reason, Kame feels like a complete idiot in the man’s presence.
"You got a problem with it?" asks Buzz Cut guy, looking at Kame with an expression that one would shoot at a spoilt brat. "Beggars can't be choosers, you know. This is probably the only place that makes a good shelter. The doors are thick and it's well hidden. It’s a perfect place to hole up while we wait out the lockdown."
"It's actually Ueda-kun here who found it,” says Taguchi, smiling. "It was the only place in Shinjuku empty and liveable. He took us all in when we collapsed at the front steps. He’s like a saviour."
"Shut up,” snaps the black-haired man, whom Kame assumed must be Ueda. "Don't exaggerate. You didn't 'collapse', and I didn't 'take you in'. You guys practically barged in without consent."
"But you must really like our company,” says Buzz Cut man, snickering. "Or else you would have kicked us out of here long time ago. I’m sure you could take us all on and leave without a scratch."
This statement makes Kame look at Ueda again, but this time in a more awed light.
"I didn't know you needed to state the obvious,” Ueda says, all lazy smirks and sarcastic drawls, and this earns an indignant 'Hey! Don't flatter yourself, asshole!' from Buzz Cut man and an exasperated 'Please, you guys, shut up for once.' from Argyle Sweater guy.
"Fun group aren't we?" says Taguchi, grinning at Kame. "It kinda makes you wonder how things can be so horrible outside these walls, huh?”
There he goes again. Taguchi's tendency to sprout out wise-man words at random times really makes Kame wonder if he really is an obnoxious idiot or just pretending to be one. Nevertheless, he doesn't deny the fact that being behind safe walls again really does feel nice. Somewhat similar to returning to oblivious bliss and not caring that the world is practically in shreds outside.
///
The brothel isn't that bad, Kame thinks. If you don't include the kinky S & M crap strewn around the place, it actually looks like a normal bar, with plush seats and dim lighting. Buzz Cut guy immediately throws himself down onto a couch, arms crossed behind his head. "Ahhh~ I love these seats,” he sighs, and begins to rub his cheek into the fabric. "So smooth~"
"You forget that this is a brothel,” deadpans Ueda. "I wouldn't be putting my face on any surfaces where people can easily fuck on."
This makes Buzz Cut guy yelp and shoot to his feet, making choking noises while wiping his face with the sleeve of his shirt. "You're evil, Ueda!" he whines. "Now I'll never be able to bring myself to sit on the chairs. EVER! And they're so soft…"
Ueda shrugs and hoists himself up onto the bar, smooth muscles gleaming and shifting below tanned skin under the dim light (Kame is surprised there is electricity running here). "So, what can pretty boy here do?" says Ueda, gesturing vaguely at Kame, who stands frozen. He barely hears anything else after the words 'pretty boy'. Kame has to turn away because his face is burning, both in shame and embarrassment.
Taguchi looks confused. "What do you mean?"
"I mean, of what use is he?" Ueda snaps, rolling his eyes; as though it were the most obvious thing in the world. "You can't expect me to take him in if he just sits around and does nothing? I'd chuck him right back out."
"That's not fair, Ueda,” says Argyle Sweater guy, frowning. "You're supposed to do this because its the right thing to do, not because of someone's worth."
"You're kidding." Ueda spits. "Of course he has to pitch in as well. This isn't a free hotel, dammit, and rations are low. I'm not gonna take in someone who whines and cowers and does absolutely nothin-"
"I'll do whatever you want me to,” says Kame suddenly, and everyone looks at him.
He's actually partially hurt and partially pissed at this asshole sitting in front of him, because with the way Ueda has been speaking, it’s as though he were trash by the roadside, and Kame is anything but that. He tries his best not to scowl, and puts on the best expressionless face he can muster.
Ueda's eyes narrow, and he looks at Kame in a way that resembles how one would scrutinise a particularly revolting specimen under a microscope.
"Alright. That's good then,” Ueda says, a mocking smirk on his lips. "I suppose you're like Maru here who can't defend himself to save his life -" There is a loud 'Hey!' from Argyle Sweater guy, "- and you don't look capable of handing firearms either."
Kame freezes. Firearms? Something is seriously wrong with Ueda, because where does firearms come into the situation at hand?
"So I guess you can tag along with Koki here when he goes ration-hunting." finishes Ueda, nodding at Buzz Cut guy.
Buzz Cut guy immediately scowls. "I'm not babysitting this brat,” he says. "You know how I feel about the rich assholes. We're already providing him with shelter. I'm not taking him on a tour as well."
"Well, I'm not gonna be the one keeping an eye on him,” Ueda says, tone hard. "And I'm not trusting him with Taguchi."
"I can take him around,” says Argyle Sweater guy, but he is cut off immediately by Ueda.
"No. Stop covering for him. I don't care, you do it Koki."
"Isn't that great, Kame-chan!” cheers Taguchi. "You're with us now!"
Kame has to suppress the sarcastic 'Yeah, sure,’ that almost spills from his lips. Taguchi's naivety surpasses the danger zone completely, because if anything, Kame knows he definitely isn't one of them. The way Ueda and Koki watch his every move with suspicion radiating off their beings is enough even for the average idiot to detect, but apparently Taguchi is just too blinkered in a way to notice.
"So it's settled then,” says Ueda. "Koki will babysit you. And if you try anything funny, you'll lose a hand."
Ueda pats the butterfly knife in his pocket for emphasis.
"Ueda, stop being mean to Kame-chan!" says Taguchi, annoyed. "He's one of the good guys!"
Kame takes in Ueda's face and wants to punch him. That spiky black-haired asshole with his too-tight jeans and ripped tank top really made his blood boil. But it seems like Ueda is some sort of leader here, so he can't really complain if he wants to stay, can he?
Ueda uncrosses his long legs again, and Kame notes that the latter's crotch is pressed rather obscenely against the tight fabric of his jeans. He blushes and looks away.
"Ahem?" says Taguchi, suddenly looking rather annoyed. "Aren't you guys forgetting something?"
Buzz Cut guy and Argyle Sweater guy looks at him with quizzical looks. "What?"
Taguchi rolls his eyes. "C'mon, it's common courtesy to introduce oneself when meeting new people!" he says, using a pseudo-wise tone that sounds altogether too wrong, especially for Taguchi.
"Oh yeah, I forgot! So terribly sorry!" says Buzz Cut guy, the insincerity in his tone is appalling. "But wait a minute," he feigns a surprised tone, voice high-pitched and ridiculously annoying. "In case you forgot, this is a fucking apocalypse, and under these circumstances, you dimwit, introductions kinda slide to the bottom of the priority hierarchy." he finishes his sentence with a look that practically screams 'are you an idiot?'.
"Huh? But you guys did introduce yourselves to me when I first joined, right?" Taguchi says, his eyes wide and head tilted to a side, looking as though he had some kind of stroke.
"We didn't exactly,” says Argyle Sweater guy before Buzz Cut guy can cut in. "You just picked it up after a few conversations. Introductions were never really necessary."
At least this guy seems polite, thinks Kame.
Taguchi groans. "You guys suck. Fine then, I'll do it! Kame-chan, Buzz Cut over there is Tanaka Koki-kun, Ugly Sweater over there is Nakamaru Yuchi [Maru: HEY!] and the asshole over there is Ueda-kun."
Kame raises a brow. "Huh."
He looks over at Ueda, whose face, as Koki said before, is completely marred by the ugly scowl that seems to etch permanent wrinkles between his eyes.
"So, does 'the asshole Ueda-kun' have a last name?" Kame asks, and he wonders why he does. Perhaps it's because he finds it really weird that only Ueda is introduced differently. Kame feels like an idiot after this, because it makes him sound like some stalkerish busybody.
"What about it?" snaps Ueda, his perfectly shaped brows slanting inwards further. "It's not like you'll ever be calling me by it."
"Shut up, Uepi [Ueda: STOP CALLING ME THAT.] Your ugly words just ruin that cute face of yours." Koki drawls.
"Ueda didn't tell us his last name,” explains Taguchi. "So we just know him as Ueda."
"We're guessing that it's a super girly name,” sniggers Koki, and a shot glass flies though the air over Kame's head at Koki, but the latter catches it easily. "Like Hiromi or Aoi or something like that."
"You can call him Uepi though!" says Taguchi, and another shot glass sails through the air, this time hitting it's target point blank.
"Ow~ Why'd you do that?"
The atmosphere is light, and Kame feels the weight of his worries and anxieties slip off him like butter off a warm knife. But Kame knows that something is up. Kame can tell, because the occasional glances and the barely noticeable contemptuous looks Koki shoots at him is enough for him to get the message:
I don't want you here.
///
"Can you keep up?"
Kame is close to cussing, because Koki is undoubtedly taking a ridiculously harsh route, directing him over piles of rubble and through winding mazes of alleyways.
Koki is perhaps someone Kame believed would be one of the 'mean guys'. The fact that he seemed to easily shift between moods didn't reassure Kame the slightest; with the way he would joke and smile before having a sudden 180 degree shift and becoming all nasty and sarcastic. His attitude toward Kame back in the brothel is solid proof of it.
"Are pretty boy's legs tired?" coos Koki, obvious sarcasm adorning his words, and a strangely contemptuous expression on his face.
"What the fuck's your problem?" Kame snaps, because he isn't going to put up with this any longer. He isn't some plaything people can push around. He stops walking, because Koki is definitely screwing with him.
The latter stops abruptly and turns an agitated expression towards Kame, who is hot and flustered, sweat sliding down his thin face in rivulets.
"What are you doing really?" Kame asks, crossing his arms. "If you hate me, then why don't you just throw me out? I noticed that you aren't really that hyped about me just barging in. But whatever it is you're doing now is childish and annoying."
Koki's eyes narrow. "Yeah. You're right,” he spits, and Kame flinches. He hadn't realised how scary Koki can look when worked up. "I want to throw you out. I really do.
Kame is slightly taken aback at Koki's honesty. "What have I ever done to you?" Kame asks, his volume rising. "Why the hell do you hate me so much?"
"I hate elites." Koki says, as though the two words answered all Kame's questions.
"Excuse me?"
"You people get all the priorities, huh?" Koki continues, face red with anger. "What about us? The normal people? Are we supposed to bow down to you too? To serve you?"
Kame raises a brow, because what the hell is Koki getting at? What did he mean by 'elites'?
"What nonsense are you sprouting?" he asks, brows furrowing.
"You people are fucked up, y'know?" Koki continues, clearly on a roll and isn't going to stop anytime soon. "I could be in one of those sanctuaries by now. I could have gotten in. But no, I was kicked out just because some asshole VIP rolls up in some flashy limo and shit. So yeah, I hate you people. I don't know why you aren't in a sanctuary, but I don't care. All I want is to leave you out here to fucking rot."
Kame blinks. "So you're saying, you hate me just because you think I'm an elite?" Kame is speechless, because Koki is perhaps more of an idiot than he initially thought. "What makes you think I'm one of them?"
"What? Trying to deny it now, are you?" spits Koki, hands clenched into tights fists by his sides.
Kame sighs. "I'm not one of the elites, you idiot."
Koki's jaw sags a little, but he doesn't back down so easily. "I'm not an idiot, you liar."
"I'm really not an elite."
"And you expect me to buy that? You should really learn to lie better."
"I'm eighteen, you asshole,” Kame spits, annoyance quickly turning to anger. "I go to the same school as Taguchi; I live in a normal apartment, and my dad's a boring office worker-" Kame stops there.
That's right.
His dad.
Kame swallows and his bottom lip trembles slightly. He had completely and utterly forgot. It's funny how easily it is to forget when you are fighting for your survival. He'll never be able to see his dad until the lockdown ends, and by then, who knows what could've happened. Maybe he'll be infected by then, and die before lockdown is up. Maybe lockdown will never be called off.
The uncertainties just pile on and on, and Kame hates it all, the uncertainty, the hostility, the plague, the deaths... Everything.
He's just a normal high school kid. He isn't supposed to have to deal with this shit.
"Why are you crying?" Koki asks, and there is a tinge of surprise mixed into the harsh tone.
Kame blinks, and the burning sensation of tears sting his eyes. He hurriedly turns around, his back facing Koki. “Nothing," he croaks, and winces at how weak he sounds. Koki is sure to laugh at him now. "Whatever it is, I'm not an elite. If you don't believe me, then fuck you."
The silence that falls is heavy. Koki doesn't say anything more, and Kame is a little puzzled. He'd expected Koki to laugh at him, or say something along the lines of 'you expect me to believe that crap?', but Koki doesn't say anything. Kame swallows his sobs, because he is a man, goddammit, and he isn't going to show weakness in front of a stranger.
"Did something happen?" Koki asks, suddenly, and this time, it's sincere. There is no trace of malice or mockery in his tone. "I mean, Taguchi said you were his friend, but he never mentioned that well, you were-"
"If it's Taguchi, he probably just told you guys that I and my dad were getting into the sanctuaries and I got left out or something right? I get it."
"No. He said your dad had some kinda VIP pass or something."
"So you assumed that I was one of the elites,” Kame concludes, his tone impassive. That's understandable." Kame's back is still facing Koki. "It's nothing really. He just got a couple of the better passes: Level Two ones, because of his doctor friend at the research hospital. It's supposed to guarantee access, unlike the Level One passes, but-"
“Oh," says Koki, and his voice seemed to have been diminished into a small squeak that makes Kame turn around.”I was under the impression you had the Elite’s Pass or something."
Kame's face is one of annoyance and disbelief. "So, you just assumed everything and decided without any proof other than Taguchi's words, that I am an elite? You do know the guy's too air-headed to comprehend simple details, don't you?"
Koki suddenly looks terribly sheepish. "I can't believe it. Oh my god I feel like an idiot."
"I'm glad you realised that,” Kame says blithely. "But whatever it is, I'm gonna throttle Taguchi when I get back.”
///
"Huh? When did I ever say Kame-chan was an elite?" asks Taguchi, his expression one of puzzlement.
Kame and Koki had just successfully returned from a nearby convenience store. It had been mostly ransacked by people, leaving behind several cans and dried preserved food. Koki dumps his armful of dented canned goods and several dusty packets of preserved fruits onto the bar, and rounds on the taller man.
"You made me look like an idiot in front of him!" Koki hisses, his face red.
Taguchi just gives the flustered man a lopsided smile and shrugs his shoulders. "I dunno what you're talking about. All I said was that Kame and his dad got some VIP passes-"
"They weren't VIP passes, you nincompoop." says Kame, exasperated. "Only the elites get them. We just got the Level Two ones. Your dad was the one who gave it to us in the first place. I wanted to thank you for it, but I didn't get the chance. Now, I'm not so sure whether I want to or not."
Taguchi makes an 'oh I see' expression and waves the matter with a dismissive flick of his wrist. "Never mind, never mind," he chortles. "At least Koki is getting along with you now!"
Koki hurries to apologise again, but Kame stops him. "It's fine."
"Kame sure is a nice guy, huh?" says Taguchi, his smile stretching wider. "Ah, that reminds me, where is your dad?"
Kame wondered when Taguchi would shoot the long awaited question. "He's in the sanctuary. The one in Ueno Park." Kame bites his lip and hopes that Taguchi will drop this topic quickly. He really doesn't want to talk about it.
Ueda whistles lowly at this. "That's the only sanctuary with the highest number of elites. Apparently I hear rumours that it exceeded it's capacity fairly quickly."
Taguchi's smile fades immediately. "So, you were locked out?" he watches Kame's face worriedly, which is now pale and pinched. "I'm really sorry, Kame."
"It's nothing. At least I'm not infected,” Kame says.
"By the way, why aren't you guys in sanctuaries? I mean, were all of you locked out? I know why Koki didn't get in, but what about the rest of you? Especially Taguchi." Kame glances at the tall boy. "Isn't your dad one of the assistant scientists in Inaba hospital?"
Taguchi absently picks at the hem of his T- shirt, and his tone is casual, as though they were discussing the weather. "Oh, that." he begins, slightly reluctant. "I didn't want to go."
"Are you an idiot?" Koki asks. "Why wouldn't you?"
Taguchi merely smile weakly. "I just didn't want to. I mean, I don't want to be locked in a hole without knowing when I'll be let out. Dad's inside the sanctuary in Shinjuku, working in the underground labs. He doesn't know I didn't go in."
Kame shakes his head. "You really are an idiot, Taguchi."
"The Shinjuku sanctuary filled up really fast,” Taguchi continues. "I was supposed to get to the Tokyo shelter at Ueno Park, and I really didn't want to. I think it was after I left the station and bumped into Ueda-kun that you called me."
It is that moment, Nakamaru, who had been silent all this while decides to speak up, and his voice is rather shaky when he does so. "Sorry, but I just feel like I have to say it. Kamenashi-kun was it? I think I know why the Ueno Park sanctuary filled up so quickly."
Kame just stares. "What?"
"I'm actually one of the doctors working on the cure for the Red Plague. A month before the lockdown was initiated, we held a board meeting with the military and the lead researchers." Nakamaru swallows slowly before continuing. "We needed to ensure that the search for a cure could still be conducted during lockdown, so… Well, the blueprints for all sanctuaries around Japan were revised, and the one in Ueno Park, which initially had the capacity to hold at least three quarters of Japan's population was chosen as the research base."
"Wait a frickin' second here, Maru,” says Koki. "Are you telling me that-"
“Yes," Nakamaru sighs, twisting the fabric of his argyle sweater nervously. "There are thousands of levels under the dome - which is the only part of the sanctuary above ground. Beneath it is floors and floors of rooms and living space, but because roughly a third of the underground spare was converted into research labs and equipment storage…"
"So about a third of the people that were supposed to get in were denied access. Kame being one of them,” finishes Taguchi, looking terribly grim.
“I didn't know you were an elite, Maru,” says Ueda. He ignores Koki's loud,’What the fuck?' and just stares at Nakamaru, his expression impassive. "I have nothing against elites, but I'm just curious. Why aren't you inside the sanctuary? You should have an Elite’s pass, being one of the white-coats working for the government dogs."
Nakamaru waits awhile, slowly trying to construct his thoughts. "I opposed it,” he says, and the sudden eruption of fury in Koki's face dissipates, quickly being replaced by confusion.
"What do you mean by that?"
"I mean, they weren't planning on telling the public about this!" says Nakamaru, his voice rising. "Everyone in that conference room, they knew. They knew there would be people, thousands of people who wouldn't get a place in the sanctuary. And they did nothing. The plan was to carry out all procedures as normal, and just… act normal. But how could I act normal? What is normal?” Nakamaru sighs heavily and when he speaks again, there is remorse in his voice.
“It's bad enough the the Level One passes do not guarantee a place in the sanctuary, but now Level Two passes as well? 'For the greater good,’ they said,” Nakamaru scoffs. "They were animals. Selfish animals. I couldn't work with them anymore. So I just quit."
The silence is stifling, and Kame has to breathe deeply just so that he can get enough breath to process this information. It's all the government. Everything is just so fucked up that he really can't distinguish right from wrong now.
“Thre isn’t right or wrong here,” says Ueda lazily, breaking the silence, and he stretches out on the bar, his skin gleaming like milky caramel under the dim lighting. "One can argue that yeah, it's wrong to be the one to decide who gets to live and who dies; and that it's a sin to sacrifice thousands of innocent lives just because you believe it's for the 'greater good'."
Ueda shifts his head to the side, and coincidentally, Kame is sitting directly in his line of vision. He stares straight into Kame's eyes, holding him in frozen surprise.
Ueda's eyes are like voids, Kame thinks. Like an expanse of endless whirlpools that draw him into those, intoxicating, dark chocolate depths. It's Ueda that breaks eye contact first, and Kame finds that he'd been holding his breath. He shudders, and his hairs stand on end. Ueda is someone he really shouldn't mess with.
"But on the other hand," continues Ueda. "What if the sacrifice of those lives result the discovery of a cure for the plague? Some people can argue that the sacrifice of several hundred lives is nothing compared to being able to save billions of others. If a cure is synthesised, wouldn't it all be worthwhile? One can argue that those people died for a reason, that their deaths were just collateral damage, or something that had to happen in order to save mankind. There really isn't a one track answer to this."
Koki chuckles softly when Ueda finishes. "You're really scary sometimes, Ueda,” he sighs, and turns back to Nakamaru. "Did you get kicked out or something?"
Nakamaru shakes his head. "I gave my pass to a random family. I just couldn't do it. I mean, it just feels wrong."
Kame almost laughs, because Nakamaru is too nice for his own good. Would he have given up that golden chance of survival if he was placed in Nakamaru's shoes?
Most probably not.
"Are you seriously blaming yourself?" says Ueda, and the expression on his face is that of incredulity and disbelief.
"Shut up, Uepi,” says Taguchi, waving Ueda away. His eyes had suddenly become all sparkly and the admiration that blooms behind those irises makes Kame cringe. "You're a heartless bastard. You wouldn't understand Nakamaru." he continues, and Kame thinks that his best friend is a millimetre away from swooning right into Nakamaru's lap.
Ueda merely scoffs, but did not seem to take offence at the comment. “Whatever," he mutters. "As long as this doesn't make smiley over here sparkle any more than he already is."
Koki is silent, and his expression is one of contemplation and confusion. Kame supposes he might take awhile before Koki can come to terms with his 'elite-hating' problem, ergo Nakamaru may just have to claw his way back into Koki's circle again.
"Why keep this a secret?" Kame asks. "Why didn't you just tell us?"
Nakamaru laughs bitterly at this. "For what? To boast? To brag? It didn't seem important until this moment." He looks directly into Kame's eyes. "I'm really sorry Kamenashi-kun. About your dad."
“S'okay," says Kame, because he just can't bring himself to dislike Nakamaru. "It's actually a good thing. That way, at least I know he's safe. And stop calling me Kamenashi. Sounds old,” he adds.
"Well, would you like it more if we called you Kame-chan~ like your boyfriend here?" says Ueda, completely ruining the serious atmosphere.
Kame chucks the first thing within his reach, which is a pair of fluffy handcuffs from a pile of ropes and chains lying on the seat next to him, at Ueda. The latter catches it easily.
"Y'know, people might mistake that for a some kinda invitation,” says Ueda, and from being prickly, his tone rapidly shifts to playful, and Kame feels his face burn in embarrassment. "I honestly didn't pin you for being the kinky type."
"Burn in hell, asshole,” Kame bites out, and turns so that his back is stubbornly facing Ueda, refusing to look at him again.
"You're disgusting, Ueda,” chortles Koki. "It's hard for me to picture what you were before all this shit happened."
"Well, the feeling's mutual,” says Ueda, sitting up on the bar (which apparently seemed to be his favourite place) He eyes Koki critically. "You looked like a freaking hobo when I first met you."
"I was NOT!" squawks Koki, looking scandalised. "Screw you, but I was a music student, okay? I like rapping, so I thought like, 'hey, why the fuck not?' and started doing gigs and stuff. I was in the middle of one REALLY important gig when the stupid lockdown siren completely ruined everything."
"You? A music student?" Ueda snorts, and the corners of his eyes crinkle up as he doubles over in controlled laughter. "I was not expecting that. I guessed you were at most, a broke drunkard with the way you guzzled down the alcohol when you first came in here."
"I was depressed. Deal with it,” Koki grumbles.
"At least you're sober now,” sighs Nakamaru.”I wasn't going to spend one more freaking night having you retch all over the floor."
" I WAS DEPRESSED,” yelps Koki indignantly. "What did you expect me to do? Besides, what's your problem anyway? It's not like you cleaned it up."
Nakamaru gives Koki a look. "You think that ass over there would even think of cleaning up after you?" says Nakamaru, jabbing a thumb at Ueda's direction. "Of course it was me! I'm not going to live in a place that is unsanitary over unsanitary! The least we can do is keep it liveable!"
The stifling atmosphere had dissipated. Kame is impressed. Not at Koki, no - but at Ueda. The latter had so effortless managed to make Koki unconsciously reveal a part of himself, and in the process, has completely removed the awkward silence that saturated the air following Nakamaru's confession.
If Ueda wanted to wheedle out information, important information from any one of them, it would be an easy feat. The sheer fact that no one has realised the deliberateness of Ueda's well-structured conversations and statements (all aimed to evoke some sort of reaction from them) is proof enough that his ability to manipulate people is of a god-like level.
"Okay, then what about you, Ueda?" snaps Koki, trying to regain a shred of his already crumbling image. "What were you before all this? An artist? A hairdresser? (Ueda bristles at this) A paperboy?"
"As if,” he laughs, and this time, it's strained, but only Kame notices this. Ueda's shoulders sag a little, and he avoids looking them in the eye.
"So? What?" prompts Koki, impatient. "Don't tell me… Were you jobless?” he exclaims.
"Of course not,” says Ueda, and the sarcastic tone is back in full force. Kame is surprised just how quickly Ueda's shields are back up, the brief moment of vulnerability gone is seconds. "I serve people." he says, crossing his arms, "And I was pretty good at it."
Koki snorts. "So? You were like what, a waiter?"
"Wait!" interrupts Taguchi, hurriedly joining the conversation. "A host! You worked in a host club!"
"No, I didn’t," says Ueda, rubbing his temples. "Just drop this shit already alright?"
"Maybe he really is a waiter,” says Koki, the smug smile never leaving his face. "Or maybe even a bartender!"
It's Kame who hears it first. The muffled scraping noise.
"Wait, everyone shut up a second, alright?" Kame hisses, and his eyes dart to the main entrance. He didn't expect everyone to listen to him, and so the immediate silence surprises him a little.
Kame turns back to Ueda. "Do you hear that?" he whispers.
Ueda does.
"Get up. Quickly,” he commands. "I dunno what the hell it is out there, but I'll lay out the rules for you."
Although it seemed as though he was talking to everyone, his eyes were only fixed on Kame. "I don't give a fuck if it's people or whatever, infected or not, we get rid of them. If they refuse to leave, kill them. Kapeesh?”
No one seemed to be questioning Ueda. Not even Taguchi. The man had practically told them to murder someone, and everyone seemed okay with it. "Wait- what?” is the best answer Kame can blurt out.
Taguchi pats his shoulder. "It's okay. Ueda never really means it literally. We just chase them away.'
But judging by the glint in Ueda's eyes, Kame really isn't too sure who to trust.
<- part 1 II -> part 3