[Multichapter] Yell (Chapter 12/15)
Title: Yell
Authors: syunikiss1990& tsuchi8562
Beta: andreja1989 << as always thank you so much ♥
Pairing: Sakuraiba
Genre: AU, Drama, Angst
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: We own only the plot. Not even screw in Masaki's bike is ours...
A/N: Possible character's death, so if you don't like it, please treat this as a warning.
Comments are highly appreciated
*MASTERPOST*
"He is going alone, Ikuta-kun. I appreciate your concerning, but please, trust me. After all I am more experienced in this job." Masaki didn't want to sound this harsh, but he found out that there is no other way to make Toma listen to him. The younger officer nodded with a frown on his face and didn't say anything more. Sakurai sighed loudly and took his bag; the same that still had the towel inside and other proofs of their last night's lovemaking. Aiba's cheek started to burn slightly, which was a sign he was blushing.
"I will be back as soon as I can... I... See you later..." Was Sho really such good actor or was he really in pain? The door closed and two officers of Governed Suicides Bureau were left alone. For the longer while neither of them said a word and the silence was broken by Ikuta's questions.
"Why did you allow him to go alone? Aren't you afraid he will escape?"
"Ikuta-kun, people have contracts. You are aware of the insurance, right? Besides, all you can give to our clients is trust. Believe me, I spend a lot of time with that man and I know he is sure of his choice. He doesn't need a babysitter, just some peace." The older man rubbed his face and went to the bathroom. Suddenly he wanted to go out of the hotel, feeling the walls will crush him soon. Without hesitating he took his swim shorts, a clean towel and looked at his coworker. Masaki was torn between a need of being alone right now and a fear that Toma will do something stupid, like following Sakurai.
"Are you going somewhere Aiba-san?" Ikuta asked, surprised. The more experienced officer sighed loudly and looked at his kouhai with a bit annoyed face.
"Yeah, we're near the sea so I thought I would use some relaxation. We're going back to Tokyo today or tomorrow the latest and I want to swim. Are you going with me?"
"What if Sakurai-san..." Toma didn't even manage to end the sentence when the latter spit with anger audible in at least first few words.
"Will you stop being worried about him!? We are not babysitters but serious GSB officers, aren't we? He'll be fine and since he is not here, why don't we use this time to relax? So are you going with me or do you want to stare at the room's walls?" The older one waited for any reply close to the door, ready to leave. The latter was clearly hesitating, but in the end he decided to go with Aiba. Toma was surely well trained; he was so stiff and soaked with the Bureau's propaganda that Masaki had some suspicions he can become the head of the organization in the future. While they were walking to the beach Ikuta was babbling about work, ideals, rules and stuff he learned on the training, asking very basic questions. The taller man answered according to the books he had read million times already, feeding the freshly brainwashed newbie's confidence. At some point Aiba just got tired of the conversation and just ran in the sea, leaving all of his troubles on the shore. For the first time in days he stopped thinking about Sho, his contract, Higashiyama, his frauds and chaperone Toma. At this particular moment all that counted was his strength in piercing the waves. Masaki didn't know how long he was swimming, but he went out the water when his body was shivering both from the effort and cold. He coughed few times and sat on the wet sand next to Ikuta, wrapping himself in warm towel.
"You know that wasn't safe to go swim in there..." The younger one asked, staring at the slightly rough sea.
"Yeah. But I think I needed that. My way of releasing stress I have." Aiba whispered to himself, not caring if the other one heard him or not. "Why did you apply to this job, Ikuta-kun?" Suddenly Masaki wanted to know this, with no particular reason.
"Let's say I believe in the truth said by the Bureau. I heard many stories about the Gravediggers and wanted to become one. You followed your father's steps, right?" Toma looked at the older officer and smiled. "I still don't understand why did you lose your heart to this job..."
"How do you know I did?"
"It's clearly visible in your eyes. I may be young and a greenhorn but I know enough to see it. Besides, why else Higashiyama-sama would ask me to go with you? To make sure you are doing your job properly."
"Or he wanted you to learn how the real case looks like. Listen, boss knew very well how long this task can take. He shouldn't be so impatient. I believe he forgot our motto. Escort with distance, honor and respect, goodbye with dignity. I am doing my job properly, he is the one who is in a hurry God knows why."
"Be careful what you are saying and to whom. Higashiyama-sama is concerned about you, he doesn't want you to do any stupid things."
"Like what?" Aiba looked at the latter and suddenly an icicle pierced his heart. Ikuta was staring at him and he felt that he will see right through him any second. The taller man kept his poker face, trying to hide the fact he was shivering inside.
"I don't know, you tell me..." Toma's eyes were piercing Masaki and he wanted to say something, anything, that will make the other one bug off but he couldn't utter a word. Fortunately his phone started to ring. The older officer looked at the display with a small green sign "public phone" were shining and he already knew who is calling him. He took a deep breath and picked up, smiling gently so the person on the other side won't worry.
"Hello? Ah, yes... I will be right there, thank you." Aiba hung up and started to put on his clothes without any word. When Ikuta was sure the latter won't say anything about the call he just had, he stood up and shook the sand off of his jeans.
"Who was that?"
"It's personal matter, not related with work. With all due respect, I don't have to explain everything to you, do I?" The taller man didn't even pretend that he is calm. All stress, frustration and pressure tried to knock him down this second, but Masaki tried to push it away with all the strength he still had. After mumbling some goodbye and making sure Ikuta will call him when Sakurai comes back to the hotel Aiba practically dashed off the beach heading to the centre of the city. He lied to his coworker; he was running for a meeting with his beloved Sho like a madman. For a little while he thought his heart will pop out of his chest but when he finally saw the latter, he just hugged him tight, not caring about anything or anybody around.
"Hey... Are you okay?" The older man chuckled and embraced the other man, but Masaki could hear the slight worry in his voice. The officer just shook his head and stayed silent, closing his eyes and cuddling with the ex-journalist. Sakurai let him be for a while and then gently pushed him away, just to be able to look at his face. "Where's our chaperone?"
"No, stop... Don't talk about him. We have an hour before we'll have to go back to the hotel if we want to catch the train. I want to spend it with you, not thinking about anything but us. Please..."
"Okay, ok-..." Sho couldn’t finish his sentence having his lips pressed to Aiba's. Masaki felt that the kiss is somewhat desperate but he couldn't help it. Maybe he was tired of being strong? In next few second Aiba took a deep breath and smiled; there was no time for worrying or thinking too much. There was no time for anything at all...
Before they noticed, both men found themselves near their hotel. The officer stopped and sighed loudly.
"You better go there first, it will look weird of we go back together. And pretend to be crushed, I think he is suspecting something and..." Masaki bit his lower lip, seeing the latter's face.
"I don't need to pretend, Masaki..." Sakurai whispered and shuffled inside the building. Aiba's heart ached and he had to hold himself from crying. He can't allow himself for any weakness, not until this will end. Vibration of his phone he had in the back pocket of his jeans brought him back to the reality. The officer picked up and heard Toma's quiet voice telling him their client has returned and that there is something weird about him. Masaki thanked his coworker and said he will be back in the hotel within next twenty minutes. Aiba found a low wall suitable for sitting on next to the small pond and rested there, wanting to clear his mind from any thought. He was aware that he will have to focus on finding any evidence of Higashiyama's fraud as soon as he gets back to Tokyo so right now he would use some rest. After a while he shuffled to their room, trying to hide the fact he was really tired both from Sho and Ikuta.
Masaki didn't remember anything from their trip back to Tokyo except the heavy atmosphere. The officer slept through most of the time, waking up only to change the position for more comfortable. He didn't even say a word until they parted on the train station and Toma finally left. For a longer while Sakurai and Aiba were standing in silence, not daring to look in each other's eyes. Finally Masaki took a deep breath and came closer to the latter, trying to make his tone less formal and cold, failing miserably.
"Sho, I have to tell you something. Something I didn't tell you before. Remember when you asked me about the possibility to break the contract? There is something called insurance... A thing that will make sure that the one who signs the contract won't step back. Usually it's something really cruel... I need you to check what it is. Maybe it can be handled? My family is rich, so if it has to do anything with money, it can be done..." The officer sighed. He felt guilty for not saying it to the latter before but he didn't want to worry him even more.
"Insurance?" Sakurai asked, frowning. "You never said anything about it..."
"I am sorry, I didn't want to make it even tougher than it already is. Let's just hope it can be handled, okay?" Aiba smiled weakly and moved few steps closer to the man he loved.
"You think I can find a way out? I mean, you are more experienced and..."
"It doesn't matter... I need to find the last evidence that Higashiyama is stealing Bureau's money and make the fuss about it overshadows your case... So we can escape somewhere far away..." The tiredness hit Masaki with double strength right now. The world started to spin and he had difficulties with focusing on the latter's voice.
"Are you okay?!" Sakurai closed the distance between them in few steps, making sure the officer won't hurt himself. Aiba just nodded and rested his head on ex-journalist's shoulder.
"I am just sleepy, that's it. I will be fine as soon as I get some sleep in my own bed."
"Can you do that in my bed?" Sho whispered and the taller man felt the embrace tightens around him. "I don't want to be alone tonight..."
"Me neither, Sho..." Masaki smiled and was really grateful that he will spend the night with the man he loved the most. Even if he was too tired to even thing about anything more than just sleeping.
***
"Read the contract carefully and find us a loophole okay? But if you can't you will have to look at the insurance and hope it's something that can be handled." Masaki said again, leaning over the bed to give Sho a short kiss before getting up and putting on his coat. Sho sighed and rubbed his eyes, sitting up and looking at the taller man.
"Are you sure you don't want breakfast first?" He said worried, not liking the way Aiba's cheeks were slowly falling in his face and the black circles underneath his eyes. But the officer shook his head.
"No time. Don't worry, we will have plenty of time and breakfasts soon, just a little bit more." It sounded more like the taller man was convincing himself than that he was trying to convince Sho. But even in their short time of being together the older man knew Masaki was stubborn enough to ignore his pleads and it was better to let him go as he would go otherwise anyway. So he slowly nodded and got up.
"Take care okay? I'll see you later but not too late. Promise me." The officer sighed and rubbed his eyes.
"Sho I can't..." Sakurai quickly crossed the distance between them and kissed the taller man.
"No, you have to promise me this. Otherwise I won't let you go." To mark his words he trapped Aiba between his arms. Even though the officer sighed, a small smile appeared on his lips.
"Okay I promise. But now I really have to go." The taller man freed himself from Sho's embrace and quickly left, leaving the ex-journalist alone with his thoughts. They had only so little time to figure out something this big, he hoped that in the end it wouldn't be for nothing. But he couldn't think about that now, Masaki had given him something to do so he would better do it as soon as possible.
"But first coffee." He mumbled to himself, getting to the kitchen and watching the dark liquid slowly drip through the machine. At the same time he tried to remember where he had left the contract. When he signed it he didn't think he would ever need it again, he only remembered carelessly throwing it somewhere. He hoped he didn't throw it away accidently but after a quick search through his apartment and two cups of coffee he suddenly remembered throwing it in a drawer at what used to be his working desk. After lighting up a cigarette he sat down at his desk, staring at the papers in front of him and taking a deep breath before pulling it closer and starting to read. The first few pages had nothing interesting, or at least not interesting enough to find himself a loophole in. By the time he got to the last two pages he slowly got desperate, hoping at least something would come up soon or everything would be for nothing. When he got to the part called Insurance he realized this was what Aiba had been talking about before. Knowing by now he couldn't find any other loophole he hoped the insurance wouldn't be as cruel as Masaki warned it could be. But instead he found something that was a huge shock for him.
144: In case the client refuses to do what he has signed for, the GSB holds every right to demand a refund for all the cost that may have been made on the clients account. Apart from this the GSB can perform the scenario, known as the insurance, which is written down underneath point 144a and is different for each client.
144a: In case the client refuses to take the potion, the officer in charge is allowed to take another live instead. In this specific case, the live that has to be taken is the following: Sakurai Hiroki
Sho froze, reading point 144a over and over again until the trembling of his hands made it impossible to read any of it. This wasn't good, this was not what he was supposed to find. Now even more he realized how stupid he had been not reading the contract in the first place before signing it. But he hadn't expected to fall in love with Aiba either, he had been so sure he wanted to die. Now he brought the life of his nephew in danger by his selfish actions.
Suddenly his eyes widened and with much force he stood up, making his chair fall backward. What if the Bureau already started to take action when they sent in Ikura? What if it was just a distraction to already take Hiroki? The fear almost chocked him, paralyzing him for a few seconds before the adrenaline rush came. Without much thought he dashed out of his apartment, running through the streets to the house of his sister. He had to check if his nephew was still alive. He had to be sure that his actions hadn't caused even more pain. When he finally arrived he was out of breath and sweat was rolling down his whole body but it wasn't a time to think about appearance. With a trembling hand he reached for the doorbell, the harsh ring piecing through him and the seconds he had to wait feeling like hours. His sister opened the door, her eyes widening when she saw him.
"Sho? What are you doing here? What's wrong?" Sakurai didn't have time to explain, he pushed his sister aside maybe a bit too rough to get in the house. He was only able to breathe again when he saw his nephew look up from the picture he was drawing at the table, confusion written all over his face.
"Sho!" His sister yelled in his ear, a tight grip on his arm making him turn around. "What do you think you are doing?! Are you drunk?" Her eyes widened when she saw Sho's face, tears slowly falling down his cheeks.
"I had to be sure." He mumbled. "I had to be sure he is alive. I'm sorry for barging in like this." He wanted to leave but his sister stopped him.
"What is going on Sho? You had to be sure who is alive? Hiroki?" The look in her eyes changed. "Don't tell me you did something to bring him in danger!" She hissed, pushing him back in the hallway and closing the door between them and the boy.
"Take care of him Mai. Please. Keep a close eye on him for the coming few days, until you get news of me." Sho softly begged. This time his sisters' eyes filled with rage.
"What the hell are you talking about?! I swear if something happens to him because of you I will kill you, even though you are my brother." Sakurai slowly shook his head.
"You don't have to. I'm sorry Mai." He hugged his sister even though she still tried to push him away. "I love you, take care of your son. Goodbye."
"Wait, Sho!" Mai yelled but before she could stop him Sho already ran out of the door. Even though his mind was completely messed up he still didn't miss the man sitting in a parked car looking his way. In the fading daylight Sho could still see a small glimmer on the man's coat, making him curse and run away. But a few blocks away from his sister's house he stopped, looking around to see if he was followed. The car was nowhere to be seen, making ice-cold claws grip around his heart. His fear was confirmed when he went back to the house, seeing the car still in the same place and the eyes of the man inside still on the house. They were watching his nephew.
"Fuck!" He yelled from the top of his lungs, not caring if anyone heard him. He had to go back home, he had to check the contract again even though it was useless. He knew very well there was only one way to protect his nephew and his sister and that would mean hurting the man he loved the most. The claws that had his heart now started to rip it apart completely, the pain of it making him fall on his knees and unable to move. It felt like he couldn't get any air, no matter how much he breathed. He had to go back home, he had to see Masaki. His body seemed to know as it got on his feet and magically got him back home without him feeling like he was controlling anything.
"Where they hell were you?!" Masaki yelled, storming out of the apartment building before Sho could even get his keys out. Confused to see the younger man already Sho stared at him for a few seconds before throwing himself in the taller man's arms. He could feel the tension of the younger man's anger change into worry.
"What's wrong?" Aiba asked, tightening the embrace. "Please Sho, what happened?" He asked when Sakurai didn't say anything. The older man let out a breathy sigh.
"The contract..." He softly said, trying to stop his voice from trembling. "Inside it... The insurance. Masaki, I can't break the contract. I... We... There is nothing we can do." He couldn't stop the tears that started to run down his face. He didn't want to either, hoping that in some way it would relieve the pain he felt even the slightest bit. But relief didn't come, it only started to hurt more when he felt the younger man tremble as well.
"What is the insurance?" Masaki asked, tears hearable in his voice which made Sho's heart break even more.
"My nephew." He whispered. "I can't risk letting them take my sister’s son away from her. I can't let her go through the same I have been through." Aiba hugged him even tighter, tight enough to become painful but Sakurai didn't stop him.
"I'm so sorry..." He whispered between his sobs. "I should have read the contract before I signed. I should have stopped you from falling for me. I should have ended it when I could. I'm so sorry."
"No. There must be something we can do. I won't give up." Masaki said strongly but Sho shook his head.
"Masaki... There is a GSB officer watching my sister's house already." He said. Aiba roughly grabbed the older man by his shoulder to look him in his eyes.
"What?!" He hissed. "How do you know?"
"I panicked and went to my sister's house to check if Hiroki is still alive. When I stepped outside I saw someone inside a parked car, watching me coming out of the house. He had the GSB sign on his jacket. First I thought he was watching and following me, but he didn't. He kept his eyes on the house, even after I left." He heard the younger man curse softly.
"Ikuta must have told them something. I need to talk to him before he does even more stupid things." Masaki wanted to get out of Sho's embrace but the older man didn't let him go.
"It's too late. You said it yourself, time is running out and we don't have anything left to buy us time. I want you to stay here tonight. Our last night..."
"Don't say that." Masaki said strongly but Sho shook his head.
"There is no more time left Masaki. I don't want to waste it being apart from you." He whispered, shutting the other man up by kissing his desperately. He wanted to pour all the love he had for the younger man inside the kiss, making it insatiable and leaving him without air. The moment he pulled away and his gaze wandered through the street he realized that they wouldn't even get a last night together as his eyes met a familiar pair across the street. The only thing he wondered was how much Ikuta had seen but he knew that whatever it was, it was too much.