Phosphorescent Lights: Chapter 8
Every secret has a price…
Title: Phosphorescent Lights
Summary: A photographer with no memories whose goal in life is to seek out what he has lost; a businessman who swore revenge for the death of his lover while desperately trying to escape his fixated reality. Two entirely different men with entirely different lives bound together by the threads of destiny. But little do the two know that they are bounded together by more than just simple destiny…
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairings: Akame (primary), Ryoda (secondary) mentions of Jinda, Pin, Ryopi, Kokame, Kamaki
Other Characters: Jin, Kame, Ueda, Yamashita, Ryo, Koki, slight appearances from Taguchi, Nakamaru, Shige, Ayase, Tegoshi
Content: Romance, drama, AU [Alternate Universe]
Author: Nerd-san
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Johnny Entertainment
…are they willing to pay it?
Phosphorescent Lights: Chapter 8
Ryo nervously sat at his desk, buying time by counting the colorless tiles on the floor. He needed some sort of distraction from having his mind refer itself back to a certain brown-haired fairy.
Questions like why Ueda had comforted him or what had he wanted in return to keep him from telling everyone ran hotly across his mind. He couldn’t even remember the last time his mind had been so wholly taken over by something before.
Truthfully, he could, but he had promised himself long ago that he would never dawdle on the subject again.
He waited out his nerves and finally when he heard the expected knock on the door, Ryo almost bolted from his seat to answer.
One of the security guards he had sent to go after Jin weeks ago had entered the room with an anticipated file in his hand. Ryo nodded at him and eagerly offered him a seat in the office, keen to hear the news.
“How’s Jin?” was the first thing he had mindlessly blurted, followed by a long, “did he find a place to stay? Is he healthy? He’s not causing too much trouble is he? Ah! He didn’t forget to pack anything did h-”
“General Manager Nishikido, Akanishi-san is just fine.” The man held up a hand to stop the ranting man. Ryo calmed down but the anxious twitch in his eyes was still visible. “It seems that he’s staying with another young man,” the man threw a file on the desk.
“Kamenashi Kazuya.”
Ryo’s world had abruptly come to a halt. He choked over his words but finally managed a weak, “did you say Kamenashi?” It couldn’t be.
“Yes, sir.”
Could it…? Ryo’s mind withdrew itself into overload at the possibilities of the name. It could have been as much as it might not have been, but still he said, “Have that looked into.”
The man shook his head as he crossed one thin leg over the other, folding his hands neatly yet profoundly on his lap. “We’ve already have.”
“And?” Ryo didn’t bother to hide the anxiety in his strained voice, hobbling over to the steady guard and placing a hand on the edge of the chair, leaning in close. “What did you find?” the eager, yet desolate curiosity was eating away at him.
“You might want to sit; this’ll be a while.”
Ryo sat.
Carefully, the man took out the file and began to read the data aloud. “Kamenashi Kazuya, age 23. Occupation, photographer. His relationship with Akanishi-san is currently unknown. They don’t seem to be too close, though. Distrusted friends, at most.”
Ryo nodded, encouraging the man to continue. “The two are presently staying at Kamenashi’s apartment - the number’s written right here if you’d like to hear it.” Ryo shook his head.
“Kamenashi’s single and has been living in Okinawa for quite a while now.”
“How many years?”
Taken aback by the rather sudden question, the security bluntly stared at the general manager. “Excuse me?”
Impatiently, Ryo let out a loud breath of air. “You heard me. How many years?”
Looking down at the papers, the man read the information given. “Eight years.”
Crookedly, it seemed to fit in with Ryo’s theory. “I see…” This could have been the breakthrough to all of his life’s goals. He should have felt giddy, but there was no emotion evident in his body asides a lulled, raw vacuum. “Continue.”
“It’s written here that his father and mother have both passed away, seemingly by a genetic illness. The hospitals aren’t mentioned in the information, though. It could easily be a lie. We’ll have to further investigate these facts before coming up with a definite conclusion-”
Ryo cut him off, “genetic illness?” He repeated.
“There’s no further information on that but it looks like the mother passed away before the father. There was a five year interval in between. Interestingly enough, it says here that they’ve both, to a point, worked here at A. Jewelry.”
Ryo said nothing, felt nothing. “Look up both of the parents. Bring me back the results as soon as possible.” For the most part, his suspicions were confirmed.
“Yes, sir.” The man bowed respectively and Ryo nodded in acknowledgement before he left the office to continue on with the identification search.
How long has it been now? Three years? Ryo forced back the wretched sob that threatened to leak out; he hadn’t revisited the memory for too long now. The only person he had ever loved…gone.
It had been a reckless accident, too.
Both Jin and Ryo had sworn on his grave that rainy night - they would find out who had been behind it all.
And somehow, even though they had known the answer would have led back to the same thing, they had promised each other anyway.
It was the only reason they had stayed in the company. Selfishness. Selfishness for the one they had both loved so unconditionally. Ryo didn’t mind that they hadn’t loved him back; it was enough for him to merely stay by their side.
Jin had kissed them and they had kissed him back. They were in love. Ryo hadn’t planned on ruining that. He didn’t care if he had to throw his tarnished feelings aside. He didn’t even mind never telling anyone. He was content just watching their smiling face.
Instinctively, Ryo had swore to himself he wouldn’t cry. Not anymore. He had shed enough tears because of A. Jewelry.
And yet, unconsciously, he felt his hand reaching for his phone, carelessly dialing numbers that had been unfamiliar to him.
He listened intently to the dial tone. They hadn’t said a word of greeting, but Ryo knew that they were there. “Ueda?”
“Nishikido…what do you want?”
He couldn’t place a name to the feeling, but listening to the latter’s cautiously direct tone, Ryo felt somewhat…secure. Safe, even. Another feeling he had long underprivileged himself of. He let out a shaky breath, clasping the ends of the receiver.
“…nothing. Never mind, bye.” He muttered, ready to end the sudden call.
He hadn’t even known why his fingers had dialed his number, of all numbers. It was because he was the last person I called, Ryo assured himself. A mere fluke.
And yet, Ryo couldn’t bring himself to hang up.
“Wait!” Ueda barked, “you obviously didn’t call for no reason…what is it?”
His heart had almost skipped a beat. Almost. “…I…I just…” Ryo cursed himself. How could he, of all people, be at a loss for words?
Instead, he buried the matter, the thought, everything that came with it and bit his nervously chapped lips. “Hey Ueda, if you found something you’ve been looking for, for a long time, you’d be happy right?”
Ueda suspiciously raised his tone. “Why?” Was Ryo trying to make a fool out of him?
“Never mind…s-sorry. I’m hanging up.”
What had happened? Ueda felt his insides churn just a tad. Had he, Ueda Tatsuya, just done the impossible? He should have been celebrating. It was Nishikido who had ruined his life. Not entirely, but he had been a part of it.
It wasn’t really his fault to begin with, but Ueda felt the need to shoulder the blame on someone. He should have wanted Ryo sad. He should have wanted to hear the normally narcissistic voice, sad. And still…
“Yes. I’d be happy.” Ueda blurted without hesitation.
He didn’t want Ryo to hang up just yet. Because I won’t sleep properly if I knew he’d probably get me back. That was why, wasn’t it?
“Oh. Okay, that’s what I thought. You should be happy…” He hung up unreservedly, even after hearing Ueda’s awkwardly concerned yell.
He had found out what he had always been looking for. Ueda had said it himself - he should be happy.
And yet, Ryo couldn’t even begin to force a smile onto his face.
Kamenashi was going to be Jin’s third downfall.
◦●○◦
When Kame drowsily perched himself from sleep the next morning, he didn’t know why he had expected Jin to be there beside him. But he had. And looking at the empty sheets beside him, Kame couldn’t help but to frown.
It was an odd pattern that he had been getting used to. Every other day, Jin would have mysteriously vanished. And of course, Kame pretended not to give a damn.
Why would he? He didn’t like Jin. And Jin was just being an idiot when he said all the things he did. Kame knew better than to fall in love for a second time. But then he thought of Jin again. Really thought of him. His stupidity, his childish acts, and the way he could get away with anything.
Thinking of Jin’s partially-clothed leg unconsciously brushing against his side for the past few nights didn’t help ease Kame’s mind at the slightest.
Subconsciously, he clutched onto his burning chest. “Why’s my heat beating so fast?” Kame groaned even louder and forced himself out of bed; what was the point of sitting around in a daze now?
There was something about going to sleep with certain warmth and waking up without a trace of it that annoyed Kame to no end.
“Just admit you miss him,” The rational side of Kame’s mind mumbled to himself as he stood in front of his bathroom mirror, groggily plastering toothpaste onto his brush.
The stubborn part of his mentality refused to let the notion go. “Bur I dun missh him, I hashe him!” He growled with his toothbrush still dangling from his mouth. He hated Jin. Jin hated him. That was all there was to it.
If it weren’t for Jin, he would still have his camera, his plane ticket out of this place, and - most importantly - his sanity.
Simply put - Jin made Kame feel things he didn’t want to. It felt as if his heart was no longer his; thoughts couldn’t even begin to express what couldn’t be stopped. Somehow, it was inevitable and Kame knew it.
Had love always been this fast?
It couldn’t be, Kame reasoned, gruffly taking his place on his couch, breakfast in hand. Love couldn’t be this fast; with Maki it had been a very slow process; something that took years to build. “Years to build,” he sighed, taking in a spoonful of his cereal, “yet seconds to shatter.”
He had known Maki for a total of three years. How long was it that he had known Jin? Kame began to absentmindedly count off the days on his fingers, oblivious to the door’s grating opening. “Three…five…nine…twelve.” Kame grunted hopelessly.
Twelve days.
He had known Jin for a total of twelve days.
Twelve days were far too short for anyone to fall in love; Kame threw his worn-out head back against the couch pillow - thinking of love tired him. Thinking of Jin gave him a migraine. Thinking of loving Jin was just the absolute worse combination.
“Wait-” Kame gasped, nearly chocking on his food, furiously tapping against his back to let the air back into his lungs. “S-Since when do I call him Jin?”
“Someone call?”
Shock, relief, desire, hatred, anger, more relief yet even more anger all bubbled within Kame and soon, the man had lost track of the countless emotions. “A-A…” his mouth fell dry and Kame hated himself for it.
He must have looked like a lost animal, gaping with his mouth ajar and eyes wide. Kame was sure he had split what was left of his food now, but he couldn’t even bring himself to do anything about it.
It was Jin’s fault for always appearing so suddenly. It was Jin’s fault for looking so adorably dorky, standing at the door with a large white bag in his hand. Kame gripped the side of the chair, glaring up at the innocent man. It was always Jin’s fault.
“Hey Kame,” Jin carefully set aside the bag as he made way towards the shell-shocked man. “You okay?” He held out a pale, sweaty hand that Kame had easily batted away. Jin frowned at the man’s usual reluctance. “Do I disgust you that much?” He asked, lightly hurt.
“N-No it’s just that…” Kame looked away, shamefaced. Was he the only one feeling these awkwardly raw emotions? He took a peek at the oblivious Jin who shrugged his shoulders and began off towards the white bag.
Of course, Kame told himself despondently, straightening his posture and getting up to ready himself for work. Of course I’m the only one.
“Are you ready?” Jin called back, white bag in hand as well as that incredibly large grin that somehow outbalanced his visage.
Kame had no time for Jin’s stupid games. “Ready for what?” He muttered to himself as he walked up to the Jin who was still by the door, completely ignoring the man’s presence as he bent down to grab his shoes. “Work?”
“Wrong!” Judging by the overly enthusiastic voice that replied, Kame was certain that Jin was simply waiting for him to make some sort of lame guess as to what he had been going on about. “Come on, stop being such a workaholic.” Jin complained, letting go of the bag to try and pry the shoes off Kame.
“I’m not skipping work, Akanishi.” Kame forcefully took back his shoes. “Speaking of which - are you still unemployed?” The bitter question came out a lot frostier than Kame thought it would have, but he took no notice.
Jin ignored it wholeheartedly, grinned wildly, and blocked Kame’s exit with his larger body. “If you kiss me, I’ll give you something good.” He teased playfully.
Damn it Kazuya don’t get all flustered now! “G-Get the hell out of my way.” Too late; the red was already making its way to his cheeks.
Had Jin noticed this? Did Jin notice the way he made Kame feel like an idiot? Did he enjoy doing this to him? Kame felt more malice towards the man than ever before.
“Geez, to think you’d be a homophobe.” Jin shrugged poorly, still refusing to move.
“I-I’m not.” Kame defended himself. How could he be? He kept the next few curse words to himself.
“Then tell me.” Jin steadied his position, dawning closer to the indisposed Kame. “Why are you avoiding me?” Jin saw how quickly Kame had turned his head and shunned further eye contact. Jin frowned deeply; he couldn’t even remember doing anything to anger the man recently.
“Since the moment I stepped in, you’ve as rarely as spared me a passing glance. Did I do something?”
Yes, Kame thought spitefully, yes; you made my heart beat to the point it might as well just explode to save me from this anguish.
“No, you didn’t.”
Jin remained unconvinced. “Then why-”
“I’ll tell you when you get employed.”
And that was that.
Jin knew that Kame was stubborn - hell, he was a stubborn as he was - so he didn’t further pursue the topic. Instead, he motioned to the bag again. “I’ve got something good in here~”He began to giggle uncontrollably and in response, Kame only rolled his eyes.
“Good for you.” He sighed uneventfully, making another grab for his shoes and the door. “I’m off-”
He’s leaving. Jin’s brain processed the information slowly. He’s leaving…
“Wait…” At a loss of anything better to do, Jin fiercely grabbed Kame’s hand, yanking the thin man back and gently shoving his body weight against his own.
Their bodies were touching now, close contact - contact that neither the two had been used to for too long now. Jin’s skin shivered with a crawling yearning, but he quickly dispended the feeling. They stood like that for a minute or two or perhaps it’d been over ten minute; neither gave much care or notice.
Am I falling in love? Jin blinked back the thought as he felt Kame’s fleshy, warm skin against his own. Had the man always been this small? This delicate? He could feel Kame stiffening in his embrace. I don’t know…
“A-A-Akanishi…”Kame cursed himself. Repeatedly. Jin was a temporary aspect in his life. He shouldn’t have been getting as attached to him as he was. Temporary, Kame reminded himself. Temporary. Because it was true.
“Just wait.” “Now we can do this the easy way or the hard way.” “Are you going to sit down and see what I have to show you - or am I going to have to force you to sit-”
Kame groaned. “Look, Bakanishi, I have work-”
“Hard way it is.”
Jin slipped his hands around Kame’s waist, lightly lifting up the hesitant man - much to Kame’s evident embarrassment. “H-Hey put me down!” Brushing against his own now, Kame noticed just how soft Jin’s skin really was. But this was no time to compare skin textures. “Put me down, damn it!” He growled, but Jin simply rubbed his back to ease his discomfort.
“Are you going to cooperate?” He asked, walking towards the couch with the struggling Kame.
“No!”
“Then you leave me no choice.”
Jin placed Kame down on the couch; it was a rather gentle notion too. Kame was unrefined and surprised at just how gentle this man could be. But just as he was about to sit up, Kame noticed Jin making a motion to sit atop him. Kame panicked. There was no telling how much longer the bulge in his pants would remain unnoticeable.
So Kame did the only thing he could.
Panic.
“O-Okay I’ll listen. J-Just get off…” He began to shove the man away from himself, but Jin easily complied with the pushes, much to Kame’s quiet disappointment.
“Okay good,” Jin grinned and quickly snatched the bag off of the floor, beaming back at Kame with his naturally radiant smile. “Now, are you going to sit still or would you like me to sit on you again?”
Yes. “No.”
Jin grinned victoriously as Kame sat. “You’ve always been hounding me to get a job.” He pointed out readily, and Kame only shrugged; it was true. There was no room for lazy, unemployed slobs at his house. “I don’t need one, you know. Wait-”
Jin raised a hand to silence Kame’s oncoming rant. “I know, I know, I owe you a shitload of money, but seriously when I say I can get it for you as soon as my account’s working again - I’m not lying.”
Kame fidgeted uncomfortably on the couch but nonetheless continued to listen. “Anyways, the reason I’m asking you here is not to weasel my way out of the debt, if that’s what you’re thinking - which it probably is.”
Blushing, Kame turned his stare towards the carpet. That had been precisely what he had been thinking.
“You’re a photographer. I didn’t know that when we first met. And I lost your camera; that’s probably the absolute worst thing a person could do.” Jin coughed, trying to hide the embarrassment in his normally gregarious voice. “So, like I said, I’ve hardly ever worked a serious day in my life but…”
“Ta da~!” He chuckled as he passed Kame the bag. “Open it!” He cheered and Kame hesitantly took the colorless carrier from Jin’s hands. “Open it!”
Suspicious, Kame peeked inside the container. “Akanishi…what?” He sighed but complied with orders nonetheless. His eyes widened as he unearthed the object inside. Surprise, shock, relief, guilt, reluctance…Kame couldn’t remember which came first.
“O…Oh my god.” He felt the corner of his eyes prickling with hot tears. “H-How on earth?”
“I finally worked a serious day in my life.” Jin said simply. “I hope its okay…I mean, I’m no photographer, I’m not even close to artistic, I’m always making you angry, I never say the right things and only seem to get on your bad side-”
“It’s perfect.” Kame took out the new camera and held it against the light to examine it carefully. This must have cost a healthy amount more than his other one, but Jin didn’t say anything else. He only grinned in his usually aloof manner, watching Kame’s reaction circumspectly.
“It’s perfect…just…perfect.” Unable to contain himself any longer, Kame threw himself onto the surprised Jin as the two stumbled backwards against the plush carpet. Amusingly, Jin didn’t mind Kame’s body on to of his own and only laughed, hugging Kame back.
“Thank you, Jin.” Kame buried his face into Jin’s chest, incoherently mumbling words Jin had to strain his ears to hear. “Thank…you.”
“I like the sound of that…”
“What?” Kame slowly propped himself off of Jin, but the latter refused to fully let the man get away, still holding onto a part of Kame’s shirt. “Me thanking you?” It seemed to fall into place as Kame realized his current predicament.
“Don’t get too used to it.” He coughed, trying to hide his flustered self as he continued to unsuccessfully try to get away from the lying-down Jin.
“No, not that. Well, that too but…” Jin halfheartedly sat up, still enjoying the sensation of having Kame lightly pressed against his open legs. “You never call me by my first name.” Kame shrugged away the comment as well as Jin’s hold.
It’s going to get awkward now, Kame inwardly groaned but luckily for him, Jin probably hadn’t felt the same embarrassment as he had because he had no difficulties dispelling the discomfited atmosphere and shouting,
“Look at the inscription!”
“Huh?”
“Ins-crip-tion-”
“I know what that is, stupid, I was ju…” He, very carefully, turned the camera to its side as he stood up. He felt his hands giving away under him. He looked down at the man who was still on his back.
“Akanishi?” He questioned again, pressing the camera against the light above head. He felt his eyes begin to water.
I’ll take you to Tokyo someday, until then let’s fill our lives with new memories
◦●○◦
It had been the middle of the night, if Jin could read the wall-clock in Kame’s room correctly. Through his blurred vision and Kame’s brown hair nuzzled against his face, Jin couldn’t be so sure but evidently he heard his cell phone going off.
Sleepy, he got up and lazed his way across the room, reluctant of leaving Kame alone to curl into the small ball he did once Jin left. Jin grinned at the sight as he made his way through the room and out the door; on his way passing the camera he had bought Kame earlier in the day.
Unhurriedly, he fished for his cell phone from the pocket of the discarded jeans he had first come in. “Hello?” He asked while half cut-off by the yawn that lengthened his sentence.
“J…Akanishi, it’s me.”
Jin’s eyes snapped open in shock. “N-Nishikido?! What the hell do you want?!” A. Jewelry. Why was it that you could never truly get away from that place? “Leave me alone!” Jin yelped in alarm, willing to drop the phone yet not willing enough to completely hang up on Ryo.
Ryo’s voice sounded strained - tired. “No Jin - wait!” He coughed out, and somehow Jin found himself obligated to comply. He didn’t know why, exactly, but it was probably because a part of him had still been used to the time he and Ryo hadn’t completely hated each other.
Jin heard Kame unconsciously stirring in his sleep. Jin bit his eager lips, giving anything to just hang up and return to Kame. But years of knowing Ryo wouldn’t permit Jin’s wish. He sighed. “Look if you’re calling because of business let me tell you now that I don’t want to hear it.”
“Jin…Akanishi…you’re staying with a man by the name of Kamenashi, right?”
Jin felt his heart sinking remorsefully. “How did you…oh god!” It had already begun.
One could never truly escape a hell one’s been accustom to for their entire lives. At some point in their lives; it becomes a part of them.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing Nishikido?! Don’t get him involved!” Jin raised his voice more than he had initially intended to; he heard Kame groaning in his sleep. “I’m not letting you get him involved - not in this fucked up company.”
“Kamenashi’s dangerous! Stay away from him damn it!” Ryo stumbled across his words. “I know you don’t believe me, won’t believe me no matter what I say but…” There was an elongated pause. “Let me make a request; not as Nishikido Ryo, general manager, but as Nishikido Ryo - Jin’s old friend.”
“I didn’t do anything to harm him, if that’s what you’re thinking. The search has stayed solely between me and my most trusted staff. The final data was gathered today. But what we found…”
“I couldn’t give a rat’s ass about what you found! Kame and I are…” Just what were they?
“Kame and I are friends.” Jin settled on, at last. “I could care less about his past - hell; you’re saying this like mine’s any better.” He chuckled bitterly at the memories.
That was enough. “Good bye, Nishikido.”
“AKANISHI!”
◦●○◦
Ugh, finally something interesting T_T