[ShouxHiroto] RUMWOLF [Track 21: Infiltration]
TITLE: RUMWOLF
CHAPTER: 21
RATING: R (Overall Story)
GENRE: AU; Romance (BL), Drama&Comedy, Action/Adventure, slight Supernatural/Paranormal
PAIRINGS: ShouxHiroto, previous/mentions of Hirotox??, implied/hinted ToraxSaga
BAND: Alice Nine
SIDE BANDS: the GazettE, Danger Gang, SuG, Dir en Grey
CAMEOS: N/A (Ch. 21)
SUMMARY: Four years ago, there was an accident affecting two entirely different worlds of two individuals. This accident led Ogata Hiroto to grow into a jaded young adult who becomes entangled in the dark, cold world of a nightlife he never expected to lead in order to fulfill his personal ambitions. One fateful day, on a morning walk with his pet Pomeranian, Mogu, he meets a young man who calls himself Shou. Will Hiroto's four years of hard work and effort to reach his goal be thrown away to waste or will it finally be rewarded through this meeting?
WARNINGS: Intimate actions between men, sexual references, language, violence, racing, mentions of heavy chain-smoking and alcohol abuse...err, I don't think that's the end.
PREVIOUS CHAPTERS: Prologue // 01 // 02 // 03 // 04 // 05 // 06 // 07 // 08 // 09 // 10 // 11 // 12 // 13 // 14 // 15 // Interlude // 16 // 17 // 18 // 19 // 20
Track 21: Infiltration
Hiroto sat down at his mother's side, across from his grandfather, while his friends waited outside the door for him to return to his own hospital room. His grandfather was a thin old man who had nearly been transformed into a skeleton that was only held together by pale, ghost-like skin with hair as white as snow. His clothes hung from his shoulders, seemingly swallowing him in fabric, and his hollow brown eyes that were filled with never-ending wisdom stared at his grandson as if he was observing a ghost. Hiroto didn't blame him. The last he ever saw and heard of Hiroto must have been around two to three years ago. It was because of Aki's and Hiroto's coincidental meetings that he had reason to believe that Hiroto was still alive and that Hiroto wasn't missing. Now he was right in front of him.
"I heard you were in an accident not too long ago from your older brother," his grandfather stated. "What happened?"
"It was a car accident," Hiroto answered as calmly as he could to prevent the nervousness from bleeding into his voice. He wasn't technically lying since it was the truth. He had crashed in a car. It was just that the accident took place in the middle of some sort of race on the mountainside, but it wasn't like he could tell his grandfather that casually without being reprimanded. He really wanted to avoid any lecture at this moment. "It was raining that day, and I couldn't see where I was going very well."
His elder sighed, obviously troubled by his grandson's words, but that was also a sign that he didn't have the strength to speak -- much less scold his grandchild. Hiroto was relieved that he hadn't told his grandfather the whole story then. His grandfather would have been fueled by wrath if he had. "You ought to be more cautious, Hiro-chan," he chided. "Are you still recovering from that accident?"
Hiroto shook his head and reminded himself not to purse his lips. The restraint caused his lips to twitch, and he hoped that his grandfather hadn't noticed. "Actually," he said, "I accidentally hit my head and got knocked out today. My landlord found me and called an ambulance."
The old man gave him a questioning glance before sighing. "You are certainly your mother's child -- clumsy beyond belief," he told Hiroto with a light smile on his thin lips. "I'd suggest that you come back to your family home, but you've already been living on your own for several years now and you're still alive. I think that's a sign that you're doing well by yourself."
Hiroto smiled softly, politely hearing out his grandfather's words, before striking up his own question. "How come nobody ever told me that my dad has been dead?" Hiroto inquired level-headedly. The inquiry caught his grandfather by surprise as astonishment flashed in his eyes and flooded through his features. As he expected, his grandfather asked him how he knew, and Hiroto merely answered his question with, "Research. I've been looking for my father for the past four years. I wanted him and my mother to meet again. As always, I've been such an idealistic child."
"Hiro-chan..." his grandfather murmured. "That's exactly why we couldn't tell you. When you looked up at us with glittering, sparkling eyes shining with bright hope and asked us what your father was like, we couldn't possibly tell you the truth about your father's death. We didn't want to break you."
"So you thought it would be better to mislead me for 21 years?" Hiroto retorted before stopping short. He hadn't meant to sound bitter, malicious, but the venom had slipped into his voice and into his statement purely by instinct.
"Hiro-chan, I'm terribly sorry. I didn't think this would happen," his grandfather apologized.
"How long were you going to keep this secret?" Hiroto pushed forward yet another question.
The elderly man sucked in a sharp breath before answering in his exhale, "We were going to tell you after you had graduated because you might have forgotten all about your father by then, but you disappeared right after you got your high school diploma. Aki has met you every now and then, but you never give him enough time to tell you the truth."
Hiroto pursed his lips together. It was true. He had always slipped out of his mother's hospital room before Aki could start a conversation. However, the fact that they wanted to keep his father's death a secret for at least seventeen years was still unexcusable. The blonde shook his head, dismissing any bitter thoughts about his family before telling his grandfather that he was going to leave. He silently shut the door to his mother's room behind him.
Tora was the first to speak, "What are you going to do now?"
"I'm going to find Shou," Hiroto answered curtly. "Get me the discharge forms. I'm leaving this place. I can't be in the same building as my mother without feeling guilty."
"Why is that?" Saga asked him curiously. "Did something happen? Actually, let me rephrase that: what happened? I asked you earlier, too, but you -- being the stubborn asshole -- didn't answer."
"Sagacchi!" Nao exclaimed in a scornful manner.
"It's okay, Nao-san. Saga has a point. I'll explain on the way out," Hiroto promised before storming back to his room and searching for his clothes. Fortunately, they weren't stained with his blood. He immediately changed into them and then hurried back out.
"You know you got about six or twelve stitches, right?" Tora commented. "I think you should rest a little since they also had your other stitches from the car accident removed at the same time since your wound from that time healed. The doctor says you can leave tomorrow, and you have to return in a week to get those new stitches removed."
"Why leave tomorrow when I can leave today?" Hiroto retorted, throwing Tora a slight glare. Upon seeing his dark haired friend raising an eyebrow, Hiroto's eyes softened in an apologetic manner. Hiroto remembered how Tora was always the older brother he never had back in high school since Aki was still too busy to relax with Hiroto. "Sorry, I shouldn't take out my frustration on you. It's just that a lot of things happened yesterday. I promise I'll explain everything if you just back me up."
Saga and Tora exchanged smirks as Nao blinked innocently. "Okay," Nao answered, confused.
On the other hand, Saga added, "That's what friends are for."
Tora snorted. "We're only good for backing you up then."
Hiroto smiled at the three of them before thanking them shortly, leaving the trio bewildered a few steps behind the blonde. After all, they hadn't heard a genuine, kind thank you from Hiroto in such a long time. When his friends finally caught up with him, Hiroto was already arguing with the nurse at the reception desk. Tora hurriedly scrambled over to the blonde, pulling him away before he strangled the nurse to hand over the discharge forms, while Saga smoothed things over with the nurse flirtatiously. Nao stood in the background -- mystified by the scene in front of him -- and wondered just how could he get along with such people.
&&
Kazumasa idly flipped through the pages of a brand new mystery novel the head butler had purchased for him. Dull brown eyes flickered back and forth between pages, taking in every word automatically. He sighed as he pushed his black rimmed glasses up the bridge of his nose. He had already figured out who was the culprit halfway through the novel. What was the point of reading any further? Kazumasa sighed to himself. Nevertheless, he had to kill time somehow, and -- who knows? -- he might be wrong about the novel's conclusion -- although he highly doubted that possibility.
After marking his place in the book and setting it aside, he laid sprawled on his bed -- dressed casually in only a black and white patterned yutaka. His chest was exposed as were his legs when he turned onto his side. His darkened eyes stared at his blank wall as he thought about Hiroto once more. The blonde was constantly and consistently on his mind. He never failed to appear more than once and sometimes -- Kazumasa cursed his perverse mind -- in a not-so-innocent position, which caused more than enough trouble for the young heir.
All of the things he and Hiroto have done, all of the things he and Hiroto would have done, and all of the things he and Hiroto could have done floated through his mind. Although bitter the thoughts may be, every time he thought about Hiroto, his spirit seemed to regenerate. The will and desire to break out of this prison that was supposedly his home would strengthen, but then -- after a while -- he realized that he was powerless. It would take months -- maybe even years -- before his father would allow him to see the sky again.
Hiroto, what was he doing now?
Hopefully, he wasn't in the hospital anymore. If he was still in the hospital, Kazumasa wished he'd recover first and then discharge. (Knowing Hiroto's stubbornness though, Kazumasa doubted he'd rest in a hospital for long.) If he was at home, then Kazumasa hoped that Hiroto will get over him and continue with his life. If he couldn't move on, then Kazumasa just wanted Hiroto to avoid the sex, the smoke, and the alcohol. Kazumasa wanted Hiroto to become and stay healthy. He himself knew that, now, escape was a lost cause. With the way things have been arranged, there was no way out of the main house.
He still couldn't help but hope to meet Hiroto again.
Kazumasa's heart sunk to his stomach as he thought back to the first few days when he met Hiroto. Everyone thought Hiroto wanted Kazumasa for his body, for sex, for thrills, for experimenting with men, and so on so forth. Everyone thought that Kazumasa was simply a male prostitute. He wondered just how many times had Hiroto fallen in love? How many times had Hiroto's heart been crushed? How many times had Hiroto broken others' hearts?
A dark emotion reminiscent of guilt and bitter jealousy filled his stomach. If only life was that easy, he thought bitterly. If only he could have been born in another family, if only he was picked up by Hiroto as the gigolo everyone had assumed he was, if only he could fuck Hiroto whenever, wherever, and however he wanted, then he wouldn't be in this situation. It didn't matter if Hiroto thought lowly of him then. It didn't matter if Hiroto didn't love him then. It didn't matter if his heart was crushed then. If only life was that easy, he could still be by Hiroto's side whenever Hiroto needed him. Angry tears stung his eyes as his jaw clenched together.
He wanted to be with Hiroto, but the only way that was possible was if Hiroto was to come.
Kazumasa buried his face into his pillow. No, Hiroto couldn't come; rather, Hiroto shouldn't come. It was dangerous to break Kazumasa out of the main house, and Kazumasa couldn't bear to see Hiroto being tossed around again.
Instead, he wanted to hold Hiroto, embrace him and cradle him, as if he was the universe's precious gem in his hands. He wanted to touch Hiroto again. He wanted to kiss Hiroto again. He wanted to be able to love Hiroto and to make love to Hiroto. He wanted to be able to stay by his side and see all of his changing expressions. He wanted Hiroto to know that he truly loved him with all of his heart.
A single hand grasped the charm of the necklace around his neck and squeezed it tightly.
"God, I hope you're okay, Hiroto."
&&
"Ehhh?!"
Nao's sudden outburst was enough to express how everyone on the empty floor of The Royal Kitchen felt. They were all at a loss for words, and Hiroto wasn't sure if he could sooth things over in attempt to evoke another -- much calmer -- response. The blonde glanced about him carefully: Waka and Rei were shell-shocked, Uruha and Aoi had attempted to suppress their surprise but failed, Tora and Saga were equally astounded, Reita and Hiko were speechless as their jaws were simply hanging in midair, Chiyu and Yuji were stunned and stiff, and Nao and Kai wore the same expression of astonishment. Nobody budged an inch from their spot.
"I'm asking for your help, please," Hiroto begged. "I need to talk to him, but I can't get in contact with him. His cell phone number has been cancelled. I think something's happened to him, something really bad, but I don't know what. I think I'll have an idea of what to do after I talk to him. Please, please help me this time around. I've helped the team win so many races, and I've helped the restaurant's profit by buying more than I can even consume. If that isn't enough, tell me what I need to do."
"Beat Kyo," Uruha answered immediately and curtly. "I'm not willing to risk the lives of my teammates playing around with a big name family, but if you beat Kyo, then I will assist you in any way I can."
Hiroto frowned. Evidently, Kyo hadn't told Uruha about how he didn't want to race Hiroto but the Phantom Rider.
Aoi smirked. "What's with that test? Why are you so eager to obtain the number one racing spot, Uruha? It's only the underground world that would know -- not the whole fucking universe -- so what's the point?" The honey haired racer sneered back at the raven haired manager. They were so different, and yet Hiroto could sense the silent similarities screaming at him. The both of them were persistent, prideful, and equally carefree. "Who do you have to prove yourself to? Just help the poor fellow out. I, for one, am offering my services."
"Only because you already have funds that will soften your fall if you guys fail," Uruha snapped. "Some of us don't have that kind of easy life."
"If we fail, the Kohara family will come after my ass, too. Their president is a relentless man," Aoi retorted -- also casting a warning out in the open -- with a sharp glare directed to Uruha. "Don't just assume that I'll get out of this mess or that I don't know what I'm getting myself into. Even if I wanted to be, I'm not an idiot."
Before Uruha could argue with the manager, Reita blurted, "Calm down, Uruha," with obvious frustration plastered onto his face. "You get so worked up every time you're around Aoi. This task calls for cooperation, and we can't have arguments every time we meet for a plan. Anyways, I've already decided to support Hiroto, and you know that I wouldn't do anything that I'm not confident in. I'm also a leader of RUMWOLF, and you know pretty damn well that we can't sit tight when one of the pack is in trouble."
Hiko nodded in agreement. "You have me to support you as well, Hiroto, and Chiyu and Yuji have already agreed to participate in any way they can."
Hiroto beamed at his teammates with an overwhelming amount of gratitude, causing them to gawk in even more astonishment. He turned to his friends at The Royal Kitchen. While Tora, Saga, Nao, and Aoi have already accepted to help him, he needed approval or disapproval from Waka, Rei, and Kai. The chocolate haired chef already grinned at him and said that he would help if he was needed. Waka agreed right off the bat. As much as she didn't like Shou -- all that much -- she didn't like how he was simply taken away after her surrender even more. Rei sighed and shook her head, saying that she was useless, but she would help out wherever possible.
The heads of the mission were appointed to be Uruha, Reita, and Aoi, the only three with applied leadership skills in reality. As soon as the leader roles were assigned, Reita claimed that he had heard a rumor about the Kohara household not too long ago while he was at The Q. Word from Ruki -- who heard from a "gentleman in a black suit" -- said that one of the Kohara family butlers was fired -- as was a maid -- for having a love affair within professional settings. Aoi had also validated the statement, saying that he overheard a rumor similar to that when he had gone to a dinner party. Thus, Saga and Tora were to apply for a position as a butler while Rei and Waka were to apply for a position as a maid.
"This way would be quicker," Uruha explained, "than having to break into the house in the middle of the night or having to disguise ourselves as inspectors of some sort."
Aoi glanced at Waka's multicolored hair. "You'll have to dye that, of course, Waka-chan," he commented, "to some shade of brown or black. I don't think they'd accept blonde maids as tempting as it may sound to others." Upon noticing Waka's distraught eyes, he added, "Only temporarily," as if it would calm the panic in her eyes.
"After you successfully infiltrate the house, you'll have to work your way to Shou's room," Reita continued the debriefing. "After you locate him, you'll have to exchange messages between Shou and us for a while. Once you're on the boss' good side or after a couple of days have passed, we can see if a break out is possible -- depending on the conditions of security and such."
"Also, since two of my talented employees will be missing to be Kohara servants -- and Shou has already disappeared, so that would be three -- I will need Hiroto to stand by on kitchen and waiting duties until further notice," Aoi added with a smirk. "I can't have business slow down from lack of manpower."
At the command, Hiroto was momentarily silenced. "Wait, what?" he blurted out in the midst of confusion. Good God, when was the last time he had worked a proper job? "Are you sure about that?" he pressed even further.
Aoi dismissed Hiroto's skeptism with a flick of his wrist. "You're willing to go against a wealthy family, but you're afraid of waiting tables?" the raven haired manager retorted.
Hiroto protested infuriously, "I am not--"
"Good. Saga will fetch you a uniform then," Aoi cut off the blonde's outburst curtly before returning to his office and breaking apart the meeting.
&&
A/N: I'm almost off school for summer~ Thank goodness! I only have to go through finals now. Then my band has a little performance on the sixth, and the chords of my bass have been cutting through my flesh whenever I try to practice. They say you get used to this feeling, but the only thing I'm feeling is a loss of feeling in my forefinger when I fret... Is that supposed to happen? Nevertheless, I had quite a productive day today. I skipped class to help a friend's club I had no interest in joining. I just felt really bad for them since they were being overwhelmed with customers... Now I'm thinking, "That was actually sort of fun," when you cut out the obnoxious people who stopped by the booth. Plus, I updated!
Anyways, now that the third arc is set in motion, things from the beginning will begin to resolve. This might be the most eventful arc. I can't really say much without giving anything away though. Comment?
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