Fourth Avenue Café - Chapter 18
Title: Fourth Avenue Café
Pairings: Akame, slight Ryopi, T&T
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jin's a successful artist when a fight with his friends forces him to seek stress relief in a little café where he meets what he considers, the strangest people.
Chapter 1// Chapter 2// Chapter 3// Chapter 4// Chapter 5// Chapter 6// Chapter 7// Chapter 8// Chapter 9// Chapter 10// Chapter 11// Chapter 12// Chapter 13// Chapter 14// Chapter 15// Chapter 16// Chapter 17
Chapter 18:
After his friends left for the day, though they told him of their plans of taking turns sleeping over just incase he drove himself insane, he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.
He let his feet carry him off without thought. The sun was slowly setting in the distance when he found himself surrounded by the laughter of children. The singer blinked and looked around, it was the park he went to with Kame for their first date.
There was a soft creaking sound.
His eyes wandered over to the neglected swings. Making his way over, he stopped in front of the swing and stared. In the back of his head, he wondered whether or not he should get on it and go flying again.
But then he turned away with a silent frown, no, he couldn’t go flying.
Not yet.
Not while he was still falling.
-------------------------
Hey Kame…even if you had to leave…
You could’ve at least left me whole…
Because living without you is like living without a soul…
-------------------------
As the days went on, summer left and fall took its place. His friends had been living with him for nearly a week now, forcing food down his throat.
Shame flushed through him whenever he gave a small laugh or smile. He’d remind himself that he was mourning and retreat back to his sullen self.
One night, he heard Ryo talking on the phone, “you’re still working? …no, that’s fine, yea, he’s still…yea…the big gun? Tomorrow? What that’s? Oh…what? So does that mean I have to go too? Yea, I know I promised…but it’s a stupid interview…yea, I know! Fine… Sure, I mean, he’ll be fine…right? Yea, yea, Iloveyoutoo. I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.”
-------------------------
When the next day came about, Ryo had gone to work and there was a sudden knock on the door. With a frown on his face, he contemplated the idea of getting up to answer it. He decided against the idea.
But the knocking continued.
Throwing his blanket off, annoyance ran through him as he dragged his feet to the door.
And when he opened the door, something hit him in the face. Hard.
Falling backwards, he stared at the visitor who’d just punched him in the face.
It was Ueda.
-------------------------
Without any hesitation, the other stepped in, seething in anger, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Jin just continued sitting there, mouth agape, if he ever had any doubts about the other’s boxing skills, they were dashed at that very moment. “Say something!”
Frantically trying to obey the other’s order, he opened his mouth and let out unintelligibly, “W-what…”
“Why are you just sitting there!? You look like crap, Akanishi! I’d beat you up more if you didn’t look so damn pathetic! My god, you’re pitiful!”
So he sat there while the other yelled at him, until finally, the elder took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Jin shivered under the glare of the waiter’s burning eyes, “what do you think you’re doing, sitting around in self-pity like that?” The next question caused him to tense up, “what would Kame think if he saw you like this? You know…he’d probably laugh at how stupid you’re acting right now. Staying home from work and not eating? Yea…Kame wouldn’t let you off the hook-”
He closed his eyes tightly and yelled as loud as he could. “Shut up! Don’t talk to me about Kame! Kame…he’s…I…I can’t…” he found the tears that he thought had dried up resurfacing. And he couldn’t help but wonder…
Just how long had he been crying now?
Suddenly, he was grabbed by the collar and hauled up, tears of anger hung off the other’s lashes as he spoke dangerously quietly, “Kame’s gone. When are you going to get it through your thick skull, Akanishi? He’s gone.”
The impact of the words came crashing down on him, “don’t say that…I don’t want to hear it…Kame…he’s not…” His cheek was sore from the punch and hurt while he cried but somehow, that was the last thing on his mind.
He was set down roughly.
It wasn’t until he heard a soft sniffle that he looked up. Ueda stood there, fists clenched, unwanted tears on the brink of being shed, “you’re not the only person that lost Kame…I lost him too. I lost my best friend. So don’t sit around and act like your world came crashing to an end…”
There was a soft thud in front of him. He looked down.
It was his old phone.
“I found it in Kame’s room, it’s yours, right? The next time I come here, if you’re still like this, I’m actually going to kill you. We all have to accept facts and move on, for Kame’s sake, you’re no exception. He wouldn’t forgive me if he saw you like this…” He muttered as he headed back for the door, “So shove some spirit back into that stupid corpse and start living again you retard.”
Jin merely watched as the door was slammed shut.
-------------------------
After a long moment, he finally picked up his phone and headed back to his room where the charger was. Ignoring the pain in his cheekbone, he sat down on the bed, still feeling dazed. When he turned on his phone, the cheery note popped up on the screen.
74 missed calls.
Click.
107 new messages.
Click.
67 new voicemails.
Click.
He didn’t bother looking through the missed calls or messages, knowing that most of them were from his worried friends or the company. Letting out a sigh, he clicked on the voicemail button and began listening to them.
“Hello? Jin? Call me back, it’s Pi.”
Beep.
“Oi Akanishi, pick up your stupid phone! I swear I’m going to kil-what? No, I’m not threatening my dear, beloved kouhai. What are you talking about Tsubasa, of course I treat all my underlings with love and care-”
“Hide-kun…”
“…you know what? I don’t tell you ‘I love you’ enough Tsubasa. You know I love you tons, right? Like actually, tons. Tsuba-chan…come on…please put down my wrestling mask, that’s my favorite-why are you looking at me like that? Argh! Fine! Akanishi, you know what? You’re adorable and all that, hugs and kisses, whatever-give it back!”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Damn it, if you weren’t so visually appealing…I’d…I probably wouldn’t be here right now…or something like that.”
“Hide-kun, maybe you should stop wasting Akanishi-kun’s phone’s memory…”
“Huh? Oh…”
Beep.
“Fat Jin! Pick up!”
Beep.
“Jin? It’s Pi again, did you lose your phone again? Or are you just ignoring me? Did I do something again!? Why am I never informed about these things!?”
Beep.
“Fat Jin, I swear, if you got a new phone without telling me again, I’m going to design some sort of collarbone touching machine and torture you with it…oh, Pi wants to know if you’re coming out to lunch with us tomorrow.”
Beep.
“Jiiiinnn! Pick up!”
Beep.
“Akanishi, just calling to remind you that you have an interview to go to on Tuesday.”
Beep.
“Jin? It’s your mother, you must be working, I’ll call you back later, bye.”
Beep.
“Jiiiin!!!”
Beep.
“Akanishi, you suck! You stupid fat…Jin. Shut up Pi! I can’t think of anything right now! Crap, this is still recording-”
Beep.
“Jin, I’m calling you…you’re about two seats left of me…you’re not reacting…okay, I’m going to assume you’ve lost your phone.”
Beep.
The messages continued going.
The singer set the phone onto speakers and put it on his nightstand, staring at the ceiling while the continued playing. He lay there, trying to concentrate on the elder’s words as the messages came and went.
“What would Kame think if he saw you like this?”
He frowned and thought about it, how would the other react if he saw him lying in his bed crying like a schoolgirl that’d just been dumped by her boyfriend?
Jin sat up at the thought of the waiter frowning at him.
I’m pathetic…
I need to try harder…
But…
He continued glaring at his feet until a soft voice came through on the speakers.
“…Jin?”
“Kame!?” Eyes widening, he looked around to find the source of the voice. When he realized it was his phone, he reached over to his night stand and grabbed the phone, cradling it carefully in his hands as he held it to his ear.
“…this better be the right number…you left your phone here a couple days ago, I never really got around to giving it back to you, actually, I don’t really plan on giving it back to you, if you miss any really important calls, that’s too bad. So yea…right now, I’m using Tat-chan’s phone to leave you a voicemail…”
The singer held his breath and he continued listening, not wanting to miss a word.
“This is my last message…”
-------------------------
“I guess I'm going to start off like a letter, okay? Even though I’m doing this orally, I mean…I can’t really write, it’d probably end up all over the page if I tried…anyways, let’s start before Tat-chan gets back from his coffee break.
“Dear Jin,
“If you’re listening to this…if things are going as I’m suspecting they will, then I’m not around anymore. I’m guessing someone was looking through the room and found your phone under the pillow and gave it back to you…it was probably Tat-chan, right?”
He stared at his phone, “how did-?”
“Well it’s obvious, isn’t it? No one’s really strong enough to go through a dead friend’s room except Tat-chan. My family wouldn’t want to go into that room, Taguchi, Nakamaru and Koki probably wouldn’t be able to stand it…and I doubt you’d ever want to step into that hospital again. You haven’t, have you?”
The singer shook his head.
“I didn’t think so. By the way, I lied. I told Tat-chan about the phone, didn’t really want to take the risk of this not getting back into your hands. Don’t worry, I left something for Tat-chan too, except it’s not on this phone obviously, since this is for you and you alone…” A sigh, “Hey Jin, don’t you think your life would’ve been just that much easier if you never met me again?”
He felt strange, it felt like he was talking to Kame again, “You idiot, don’t say stupid things like that…”
“But it’s the truth isn’t it? If we didn’t meet again, you wouldn’t have to skip work and all that…you wouldn’t have to cry so much…but I’m selfish, I’m glad we did meet…are you? Or are you regretting it now?”
He stared at his phone, “What are you talking about? How can I regret having met you again!? It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”
“Hey Jin, did you break your promise to me?”
Jin plopped backwards onto his bed, arm over his watery eyes, “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”
“You did, didn’t you? That’s just like you…I was being stupid when I made you promise me that. It’s only normal to cry, so I guess I forgive you. But still…I really don’t think you should be crying buckets of tears, soon you’ll cry so much you’ll make a river and the ocean will overflow and the world will drown or something. How long are you going to be crying, Jin? You’re an adult now.”
“But-”
“And don’t try to give stupid excuses. I don’t know how much longer I have to live, or even how much longer I’ll be able to use this arm so stop moping around. If I’m not crying buckets, you shouldn’t be either. I’m going to assume you’ve been sulking around for at least a week now…you need to get a hold of yourself. Has Tat-chan come around yet? Well he must’ve if you’re listening to this, don’t take it too personally…I hope he didn’t break any bones or anything though…”
Just my pride…
A soft laugh, “other than your pride of course. Are you crying again?”
The singer sniffled and shook his head again, “No…”
“Liar.” A shuddery breath, “Damn…Jin…it hurts…it hurts a lot…but it’ll be over soon, right? There’s no point in me giving up now…Crap, I’m tired…ne Jin…I’m sorry.”
He refused to remove his arm from his eyes even though his tears had soaked through his sleeve, “idiot…what are you saying sorry for?”
“I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much pain…I can’t find it in me to selflessly tell you to move on…not yet. And when you do move on…I’m probably going to cry…”
“Kame…”
“But still, I’m not going to tell you things like ‘I love you’, not now, since it’ll make it that much harder for you…When I’m gone, it’ll probably take a long time, but you’re going to have to promise me that you’ll pick yourself up and fly again. And that there’ll be no more tears for my sake, promise?”
Jin pursed his lips tightly.
“Promise me, Jin.”
“Okay…”
“Say it.”
“I promise…”
“…hey Jin…if it hurts too much, just forget about me alright?”
He shook his head stubbornly, “how am I supposed to do that!?”
“I’m just saying…hey Jin, look out the window.” The singer did as he was told, “I have no idea what the weather’s like, but that’s your world, your future you’re looking at. You’re still alive, Jin, you still have a life to live so stop acting like this. You’re not actually moping around because of me, are you? …don’t you think it’s time you forgave yourself, Jin? Please don’t tell me you’re blaming yourself for my death.”
“But I couldn’t save you…”
“…that’s just like you. You know, no one blames you, especially me. I don’t know why it was me, but I’ve accepted it, so why can’t you? I’ve already forgiven you for anything and everything…you’ve already saved me once, I think that’s more than anyone’s done for me already. So…please, love yourself again.”
Jin frowned, “I don’t know-”
“Of course you can! Don’t be stupid. You’ve already worried everyone to death, sorry, bad choice of word, but still, stop being so selfish. …you’ll be fine. You’re stronger than this, Jin.”
“No I’m not…”
“…and even if we fall, we have the strength to stand back up. Certainly, for every tear shed, there’ll be a smile waiting…Believe in yourself.”
He froze at the words from his song.
“Hey Jin…thanks for keeping me company. I’m going to really miss you, you know. But where I’m going…you really can’t follow, so I’ll just wait for you up ahead, alright? Don’t worry so much! Go have some fun! And don’t you dare feel any guilt or anything because of me or I won’t be able to go on knowing that I made you all depressed and stuff”
“…”
“…I’m going to miss you…and even after I’m gone…”
“Kame…”
“It’s okay to feel happy again Jin…”
“…don't say things like that…”
“We’ll see each other again, so don’t cry.”
He clung to the phone desperately, willing the message to continue, “Don’t go, Kame…”
“…even if we separate, that time…”
Blinking through the tears, he muttered with the other, “That place…”
This bond won’t disappear.
“…I’ll be seeing you.
Yours forever,
Kamenashi Kazuya.”
A moment later, Jin found himself burying his face in his pillow as he cried. Then there was a sigh so soft, he almost missed it.
“…P.S…I know it’s selfish of me but…I’d be really happy if you remembered me just once in awhile…”
Beep.
-------------------------
When the two returned to his apartment, they found him asleep in his bed with his phone in his hand.
They didn’t comment on the dried streaks of tears or the bruise on his cheek.
-------------------------
The next day, Jin announced his hiatus.
He was going to America.
-------------------------
A/N: Here's the next chapter! Only one or two left. Usually there wouldn't be that much crying in fics...but I can't imagine how else he'd react. Yea... Enjoy!
Pairings: Akame, slight Ryopi, T&T
Rating: PG-13
Summary: Jin's a successful artist when a fight with his friends forces him to seek stress relief in a little café where he meets what he considers, the strangest people.
Chapter 1// Chapter 2// Chapter 3// Chapter 4// Chapter 5// Chapter 6// Chapter 7// Chapter 8// Chapter 9// Chapter 10// Chapter 11// Chapter 12// Chapter 13// Chapter 14// Chapter 15// Chapter 16// Chapter 17
Chapter 18:
After his friends left for the day, though they told him of their plans of taking turns sleeping over just incase he drove himself insane, he grabbed his jacket and walked out the door.
He let his feet carry him off without thought. The sun was slowly setting in the distance when he found himself surrounded by the laughter of children. The singer blinked and looked around, it was the park he went to with Kame for their first date.
There was a soft creaking sound.
His eyes wandered over to the neglected swings. Making his way over, he stopped in front of the swing and stared. In the back of his head, he wondered whether or not he should get on it and go flying again.
But then he turned away with a silent frown, no, he couldn’t go flying.
Not yet.
Not while he was still falling.
-------------------------
Hey Kame…even if you had to leave…
You could’ve at least left me whole…
Because living without you is like living without a soul…
-------------------------
As the days went on, summer left and fall took its place. His friends had been living with him for nearly a week now, forcing food down his throat.
Shame flushed through him whenever he gave a small laugh or smile. He’d remind himself that he was mourning and retreat back to his sullen self.
One night, he heard Ryo talking on the phone, “you’re still working? …no, that’s fine, yea, he’s still…yea…the big gun? Tomorrow? What that’s? Oh…what? So does that mean I have to go too? Yea, I know I promised…but it’s a stupid interview…yea, I know! Fine… Sure, I mean, he’ll be fine…right? Yea, yea, Iloveyoutoo. I’ll see you tomorrow, goodnight.”
-------------------------
When the next day came about, Ryo had gone to work and there was a sudden knock on the door. With a frown on his face, he contemplated the idea of getting up to answer it. He decided against the idea.
But the knocking continued.
Throwing his blanket off, annoyance ran through him as he dragged his feet to the door.
And when he opened the door, something hit him in the face. Hard.
Falling backwards, he stared at the visitor who’d just punched him in the face.
It was Ueda.
-------------------------
Without any hesitation, the other stepped in, seething in anger, “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” Jin just continued sitting there, mouth agape, if he ever had any doubts about the other’s boxing skills, they were dashed at that very moment. “Say something!”
Frantically trying to obey the other’s order, he opened his mouth and let out unintelligibly, “W-what…”
“Why are you just sitting there!? You look like crap, Akanishi! I’d beat you up more if you didn’t look so damn pathetic! My god, you’re pitiful!”
So he sat there while the other yelled at him, until finally, the elder took a deep breath to calm himself down.
Jin shivered under the glare of the waiter’s burning eyes, “what do you think you’re doing, sitting around in self-pity like that?” The next question caused him to tense up, “what would Kame think if he saw you like this? You know…he’d probably laugh at how stupid you’re acting right now. Staying home from work and not eating? Yea…Kame wouldn’t let you off the hook-”
He closed his eyes tightly and yelled as loud as he could. “Shut up! Don’t talk to me about Kame! Kame…he’s…I…I can’t…” he found the tears that he thought had dried up resurfacing. And he couldn’t help but wonder…
Just how long had he been crying now?
Suddenly, he was grabbed by the collar and hauled up, tears of anger hung off the other’s lashes as he spoke dangerously quietly, “Kame’s gone. When are you going to get it through your thick skull, Akanishi? He’s gone.”
The impact of the words came crashing down on him, “don’t say that…I don’t want to hear it…Kame…he’s not…” His cheek was sore from the punch and hurt while he cried but somehow, that was the last thing on his mind.
He was set down roughly.
It wasn’t until he heard a soft sniffle that he looked up. Ueda stood there, fists clenched, unwanted tears on the brink of being shed, “you’re not the only person that lost Kame…I lost him too. I lost my best friend. So don’t sit around and act like your world came crashing to an end…”
There was a soft thud in front of him. He looked down.
It was his old phone.
“I found it in Kame’s room, it’s yours, right? The next time I come here, if you’re still like this, I’m actually going to kill you. We all have to accept facts and move on, for Kame’s sake, you’re no exception. He wouldn’t forgive me if he saw you like this…” He muttered as he headed back for the door, “So shove some spirit back into that stupid corpse and start living again you retard.”
Jin merely watched as the door was slammed shut.
-------------------------
After a long moment, he finally picked up his phone and headed back to his room where the charger was. Ignoring the pain in his cheekbone, he sat down on the bed, still feeling dazed. When he turned on his phone, the cheery note popped up on the screen.
74 missed calls.
Click.
107 new messages.
Click.
67 new voicemails.
Click.
He didn’t bother looking through the missed calls or messages, knowing that most of them were from his worried friends or the company. Letting out a sigh, he clicked on the voicemail button and began listening to them.
“Hello? Jin? Call me back, it’s Pi.”
Beep.
“Oi Akanishi, pick up your stupid phone! I swear I’m going to kil-what? No, I’m not threatening my dear, beloved kouhai. What are you talking about Tsubasa, of course I treat all my underlings with love and care-”
“Hide-kun…”
“…you know what? I don’t tell you ‘I love you’ enough Tsubasa. You know I love you tons, right? Like actually, tons. Tsuba-chan…come on…please put down my wrestling mask, that’s my favorite-why are you looking at me like that? Argh! Fine! Akanishi, you know what? You’re adorable and all that, hugs and kisses, whatever-give it back!”
“What if I don’t want to?”
“Damn it, if you weren’t so visually appealing…I’d…I probably wouldn’t be here right now…or something like that.”
“Hide-kun, maybe you should stop wasting Akanishi-kun’s phone’s memory…”
“Huh? Oh…”
Beep.
“Fat Jin! Pick up!”
Beep.
“Jin? It’s Pi again, did you lose your phone again? Or are you just ignoring me? Did I do something again!? Why am I never informed about these things!?”
Beep.
“Fat Jin, I swear, if you got a new phone without telling me again, I’m going to design some sort of collarbone touching machine and torture you with it…oh, Pi wants to know if you’re coming out to lunch with us tomorrow.”
Beep.
“Jiiiinnn! Pick up!”
Beep.
“Akanishi, just calling to remind you that you have an interview to go to on Tuesday.”
Beep.
“Jin? It’s your mother, you must be working, I’ll call you back later, bye.”
Beep.
“Jiiiin!!!”
Beep.
“Akanishi, you suck! You stupid fat…Jin. Shut up Pi! I can’t think of anything right now! Crap, this is still recording-”
Beep.
“Jin, I’m calling you…you’re about two seats left of me…you’re not reacting…okay, I’m going to assume you’ve lost your phone.”
Beep.
The messages continued going.
The singer set the phone onto speakers and put it on his nightstand, staring at the ceiling while the continued playing. He lay there, trying to concentrate on the elder’s words as the messages came and went.
“What would Kame think if he saw you like this?”
He frowned and thought about it, how would the other react if he saw him lying in his bed crying like a schoolgirl that’d just been dumped by her boyfriend?
Jin sat up at the thought of the waiter frowning at him.
I’m pathetic…
I need to try harder…
But…
He continued glaring at his feet until a soft voice came through on the speakers.
“…Jin?”
“Kame!?” Eyes widening, he looked around to find the source of the voice. When he realized it was his phone, he reached over to his night stand and grabbed the phone, cradling it carefully in his hands as he held it to his ear.
“…this better be the right number…you left your phone here a couple days ago, I never really got around to giving it back to you, actually, I don’t really plan on giving it back to you, if you miss any really important calls, that’s too bad. So yea…right now, I’m using Tat-chan’s phone to leave you a voicemail…”
The singer held his breath and he continued listening, not wanting to miss a word.
“This is my last message…”
-------------------------
“I guess I'm going to start off like a letter, okay? Even though I’m doing this orally, I mean…I can’t really write, it’d probably end up all over the page if I tried…anyways, let’s start before Tat-chan gets back from his coffee break.
“Dear Jin,
“If you’re listening to this…if things are going as I’m suspecting they will, then I’m not around anymore. I’m guessing someone was looking through the room and found your phone under the pillow and gave it back to you…it was probably Tat-chan, right?”
He stared at his phone, “how did-?”
“Well it’s obvious, isn’t it? No one’s really strong enough to go through a dead friend’s room except Tat-chan. My family wouldn’t want to go into that room, Taguchi, Nakamaru and Koki probably wouldn’t be able to stand it…and I doubt you’d ever want to step into that hospital again. You haven’t, have you?”
The singer shook his head.
“I didn’t think so. By the way, I lied. I told Tat-chan about the phone, didn’t really want to take the risk of this not getting back into your hands. Don’t worry, I left something for Tat-chan too, except it’s not on this phone obviously, since this is for you and you alone…” A sigh, “Hey Jin, don’t you think your life would’ve been just that much easier if you never met me again?”
He felt strange, it felt like he was talking to Kame again, “You idiot, don’t say stupid things like that…”
“But it’s the truth isn’t it? If we didn’t meet again, you wouldn’t have to skip work and all that…you wouldn’t have to cry so much…but I’m selfish, I’m glad we did meet…are you? Or are you regretting it now?”
He stared at his phone, “What are you talking about? How can I regret having met you again!? It’s the best thing that’s ever happened to me…”
“Hey Jin, did you break your promise to me?”
Jin plopped backwards onto his bed, arm over his watery eyes, “I’m sorry…I didn’t mean to…”
“You did, didn’t you? That’s just like you…I was being stupid when I made you promise me that. It’s only normal to cry, so I guess I forgive you. But still…I really don’t think you should be crying buckets of tears, soon you’ll cry so much you’ll make a river and the ocean will overflow and the world will drown or something. How long are you going to be crying, Jin? You’re an adult now.”
“But-”
“And don’t try to give stupid excuses. I don’t know how much longer I have to live, or even how much longer I’ll be able to use this arm so stop moping around. If I’m not crying buckets, you shouldn’t be either. I’m going to assume you’ve been sulking around for at least a week now…you need to get a hold of yourself. Has Tat-chan come around yet? Well he must’ve if you’re listening to this, don’t take it too personally…I hope he didn’t break any bones or anything though…”
Just my pride…
A soft laugh, “other than your pride of course. Are you crying again?”
The singer sniffled and shook his head again, “No…”
“Liar.” A shuddery breath, “Damn…Jin…it hurts…it hurts a lot…but it’ll be over soon, right? There’s no point in me giving up now…Crap, I’m tired…ne Jin…I’m sorry.”
He refused to remove his arm from his eyes even though his tears had soaked through his sleeve, “idiot…what are you saying sorry for?”
“I’m sorry I’ve caused you so much pain…I can’t find it in me to selflessly tell you to move on…not yet. And when you do move on…I’m probably going to cry…”
“Kame…”
“But still, I’m not going to tell you things like ‘I love you’, not now, since it’ll make it that much harder for you…When I’m gone, it’ll probably take a long time, but you’re going to have to promise me that you’ll pick yourself up and fly again. And that there’ll be no more tears for my sake, promise?”
Jin pursed his lips tightly.
“Promise me, Jin.”
“Okay…”
“Say it.”
“I promise…”
“…hey Jin…if it hurts too much, just forget about me alright?”
He shook his head stubbornly, “how am I supposed to do that!?”
“I’m just saying…hey Jin, look out the window.” The singer did as he was told, “I have no idea what the weather’s like, but that’s your world, your future you’re looking at. You’re still alive, Jin, you still have a life to live so stop acting like this. You’re not actually moping around because of me, are you? …don’t you think it’s time you forgave yourself, Jin? Please don’t tell me you’re blaming yourself for my death.”
“But I couldn’t save you…”
“…that’s just like you. You know, no one blames you, especially me. I don’t know why it was me, but I’ve accepted it, so why can’t you? I’ve already forgiven you for anything and everything…you’ve already saved me once, I think that’s more than anyone’s done for me already. So…please, love yourself again.”
Jin frowned, “I don’t know-”
“Of course you can! Don’t be stupid. You’ve already worried everyone to death, sorry, bad choice of word, but still, stop being so selfish. …you’ll be fine. You’re stronger than this, Jin.”
“No I’m not…”
“…and even if we fall, we have the strength to stand back up. Certainly, for every tear shed, there’ll be a smile waiting…Believe in yourself.”
He froze at the words from his song.
“Hey Jin…thanks for keeping me company. I’m going to really miss you, you know. But where I’m going…you really can’t follow, so I’ll just wait for you up ahead, alright? Don’t worry so much! Go have some fun! And don’t you dare feel any guilt or anything because of me or I won’t be able to go on knowing that I made you all depressed and stuff”
“…”
“…I’m going to miss you…and even after I’m gone…”
“Kame…”
“It’s okay to feel happy again Jin…”
“…don't say things like that…”
“We’ll see each other again, so don’t cry.”
He clung to the phone desperately, willing the message to continue, “Don’t go, Kame…”
“…even if we separate, that time…”
Blinking through the tears, he muttered with the other, “That place…”
This bond won’t disappear.
“…I’ll be seeing you.
Yours forever,
Kamenashi Kazuya.”
A moment later, Jin found himself burying his face in his pillow as he cried. Then there was a sigh so soft, he almost missed it.
“…P.S…I know it’s selfish of me but…I’d be really happy if you remembered me just once in awhile…”
Beep.
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When the two returned to his apartment, they found him asleep in his bed with his phone in his hand.
They didn’t comment on the dried streaks of tears or the bruise on his cheek.
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The next day, Jin announced his hiatus.
He was going to America.
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A/N: Here's the next chapter! Only one or two left. Usually there wouldn't be that much crying in fics...but I can't imagine how else he'd react. Yea... Enjoy!