[fic] The Things We Can't Control - Chapter 72 ~The Meeting With the Murderer~
Title: The Things We Can't Control
Author:
prettyorianna
Pairing: Akame. Others to be added later.
Rating: NC-17.
Genre: crime drama au
Beta by: my cat Gemma. and maeda_marika
Disclaimer: I don't own KAT-TUN, any of its members, any other JE people. I write this for fun and for other fans of these fine folks. But don't steal my plots, mmkay? I put a great deal of time into them except for when I'm randomly spastically spitting words onto a page. But I value those too...
Summary: Two criminals with vastly different styles meet by chance one day. They immediately clash but is that all they'll ever be? How much is fate and how much choice? And how will their meeting change the world around them?
Author's Note: Well, past!Kame's doing his best for the people he loves. Enjoy.
BANNER BY DESHISORABA!! THE MOST AWESOME BANNER EVER AND I WILL FIGHT ANYONE WHO DISAGREES!
Warning: This gets graphic often occasionally, containing at the very least foul language, character death, nefarious crimes, rape, etc etc.
The Master Posts:
On my journal - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_ Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the je_kamenashi Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the kattun_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the jin_fics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
Chapter 72 ~The Meeting With the Murderer~
Kame and Yurina went together to Ito-san’s grocery the next day. Yurina spent a good amount of time hunting through the phone book for self defense classes of all sorts and Ito-san was kind enough to let her make some calls from his phone. They slept on the couch and floor again and then the next day, Thursday, Yurina had Kame take her to the center where her first class was before he continued on to Ito’s.
While he was there, Kame asked for the next day off. He was restless that there was nothing he could do for Yurina until Saturday so he’d spent the last two days thinking his way through Akira and Aoi’s problem. It was true there was nothing he could do for Akira to wake him from his coma but he refused to accept there was nothing he could do about Aoi.
Well, the reason the other prisoners hurt Aoi is because they believed the twins pimped out underage boys, right? If he could find out who these other prisoners were, bribe the guards to let him talk to a few of them, maybe he could convince them that it just wasn’t true and ask them to stop? It… well, okay, it seemed like a stupid plan because it essentially relied on the understanding and compassion of murderers and whatnot but then again, he was a murderer too so he really had no right to judge them.
Aoi said that the guards knew what was going on. That meant he could probably get some names from them. For the right price, of course.
That money he’d taken from Abe’s was definitely going to come in handy.
There were three different self defense classes being offered at the center so Yurina spent half the day there. After that, she took the bus back by herself to join him at the grocery store which was huge. Just taking steps to learn better ways to protect herself and also the knowledge that Kame was, well, killing off the people that hurt her seemed to do wonders for her self-confidence which in turn was helping her recover.
But that night, she still took the couch and him the floor below.
The next morning, he walked with Yurina to the bus stop but she went the rest of the way on her own. He made sure she knew he wasn’t going to be at Ito’s shop so she should come home instead and he also made sure she wouldn’t freak out if he wasn’t back yet when she arrived though she respected his privacy enough to not demand to know where he was going, which he appreciated.
He didn’t think she would like what he was potentially going to do. Hell, he wasn’t going to like it. Hopefully it wouldn’t come to that, though.
After making sure Yurina got off okay, Kame went back to the apartment and grabbed as much money as he could carry without drawing attention to that fact. Then he went to the prison.
It took eight hundred dollars to one of the guards to earn him a sit-down with the prisoner in charge of the group harassing the twins, a rather tall man, thin but well-muscled with short black hair. The guard said the man’s name was Shibata Takeshi and that he was in jail for killing a man about four years ago.
Knowing that, and that he was really getting a private meeting, no glass wall dividing them and no guards standing nearby to help him if things went wrong…
But this was the only way.
The guard’s laughing, “Good luck,” only made him more uneasy.
“I don’t know you,” Shibata said, eying him warily from his seat at the table. “We usually only get to see our lawyers like this.”
“I admit it was expensive, but I had to talk to you, Shibata-san.”
The man shifted in his seat suddenly, causing Kame to flinch in surprise. Now Shibata was laughing as he said, “You’re afraid of me. Is it because there’s no guard and no camera?” His tone was mocking.
“I am afraid of you,” Kame admitted as he sank down into the chair on the opposite side of the table. “And, yes, no guards and no cameras makes it worse. But the main reason I’m afraid of you is because I know what you did.”
“Would it help if I told you I had a damn good reason for killing that man?” Shibata seemed amused now.
But Kame shook his head, “Oh, that’s not what bothers me. I don’t care about that.” And it was true. Kame knew better than anyone that sometimes there were reasons to kill, to fight to protect. Maybe that was the case here and maybe it wasn’t, but the fact that the man had killed someone for some reason in and of itself wasn’t enough of a reason to fear without knowing the circumstances of that killing. Hell, he’d killed more people than he was comfortable with and still had five more to go!
Amusement bled into intrigue and Shibata asked, “If my being a killer doesn’t scare you, what the hell are you so afraid of?”
“I know you hurt Akira and Aoi. You and your friends. You put Akira in a coma and you raped Aoi, more than once. That’s why I’m afraid of you. But it’s also why I’m here.”
That got the man’s full attention and he was no longer smiling. “You are one of their victims?”
“Absolutely not!” Kame said fiercely. “I’m here to convince you to leave them alone and to get the others to as well.”
Comprehension filled Shibata’s eyes. “They sent you here? Damn, that’s low… those…”
“No, they didn’t send me, Shibata-san. In fact, I’d really appreciate you not mentioning we talked. They wouldn’t be happy about this.” Looking at the man across the table from him, Kame wondered if there was even the faintest bit of hope he might listen.
Shibata looked confused. “If you’re not a victim and they didn’t send you, then…” and his eyebrows furrowed, “Why…?”
“You told Aoi you wanted them to feel like those boys, right? To hurt them like they hurt those boys. I understand what’s happening here correctly?” Kame asked uncertainly. God, why had he ever thought this was a good idea? This man wasn’t going to listen to him!
Nodding, Shibata said, “That’s a pretty fair judgment, I’d say.”
“If it’s truly your goal, then please, stop. You’re holding other peoples’ sins against the two of them and it’s not right. It’s not fair. It’s not righteous justice and you’re not avenging the hurts those boys have suffered.”
“They pled guilty. I’m sorry but you just don’t know your friends as well as you thought.” Shibata shook his head.
“Look, when I was fifteen, I ran away from my pimp. I lived on the street for part of a year and then when my pimp figured out where I was, I had to flee yet again. I had nowhere to go and I didn’t know anyone else but them, and I barely knew them. But I was desperate and I thought… well, I had nothing to lose. I showed up on their door and I begged them to take me in.”
“Your point being…?” But even though his tone was aloof, the man was leaning in like he was very interested.
“Look, I know that before I moved in with them, they paid for prostitutes and some of them were underage. I know this because I was one of them. But I had so many customers, more than I can count. They feel they should be punished for that, though I must admit they were far kinder than… but that’s not the point. The point is, when I showed up on their doorstep, I knew I’d have to do anything they wanted because I literally had no place else to go. But they didn’t touch me then and haven’t ever since. I was fifteen then and I’m eighteen now and in all that time, they didn’t touch me. They didn’t even ask to. They treated me with respect and we became like a family. They’re like my older brothers, which I admit is a bit strange to think of considering how we met, but it worked for us. In that entire time, they never once brought home a boy for sex. Not even one.
“They gave me a job at their club as a waiter.” When Shibata gave an incredulous snort, Kame continued with, “Yes, a waiter. Just a waiter. Okay, yeah, I know what went on upstairs but I barely saw it and they made absolutely sure all of their members knew I was off-limits. I worked there almost every day and I can also say they never brought any boys there, either. In fact, those boys that testified about working there had never even set foot in the building.”
Here Shibata interrupted him. “Then how did they know what it looked like inside?” The look he was giving Kame was doubtful, like he thought Kame was lying to him. “I read the newspaper.”
“I’m getting to that part,” Kame sighed. This was not going very well. “Look, they helped me deal with some of the horrors in my past and they taught me to stand up for myself and take charge of my destiny. That I have real value and that I was more than just some whore good only for sex. They became like older brothers, really. Even now, they worry more about me than themselves though I tell them I’m fine.”
“I thought you were getting to the part about the inside of the club.” The man looked impatient but also insanely interested in the story.
“I am!” Kame sighed again. “Everything was great until a few months before my seventeenth birthday. There was this newer member and I was bringing his order and he…” This was the hard part. Kame took a deep breath, calling on his courage once more to face his pain. “He tried to force himself on me. They saved me. They threw him out and Akira told him if he ever showed his face again, they’d kill him. Well, I don’t think he used those words exactly but I was kind of freaking out so I didn’t really pay much attention at the time.
“I can’t prove this part, but I think my pimp found that man. I know the story found its way out onto the street and I know my pimp still wants me back and, well, I saw the trial. Someone was selling those boys, though it wasn’t the twins. I’d bet my life it was my former pimp. But as I said, I can’t prove that. What I do know is that on my seventeenth birthday the man that tried to rape me showed up again with a whole bunch of cops. He apparently told them the twins were selling me in the club and that I had attacked him when he turned me down. Akira and Aoi let themselves be taken so that I could get away, because they knew my pimp would find me again if the cops took me.” Kame shook his head. “I got away from the cops but not that man…” he murmured bitterly. But he couldn’t dwell on that now.
Continuing, Kame said, “He had to have told those boys what the club looked like. That’s the only thing that makes sense. Aside from never seeing them there or hearing anyone else say they had, aside from the fact I’d never even heard of them until the trial, that club had this energy to it that can’t be separated from any description of it and their testimony completely missed that fact. They’ve never seen the inside of that club, I know it!”
Shibata looked more and more unsure as Kame told his story, but he didn’t seem quite ready to believe him. “They pled guilty, though. Why would they do that?”
“To stop me from testifying on their behalf.”
“What?” came Shibata’s shocked reply.
“After they were arrested, I came here to see them. Akira told me it was dangerous, that my pimp would find me. He said he wouldn’t see me if I came back. But I couldn’t stay away from the trial. I knew they were innocent of the charges and I just had to… I wore a coat with a hood and I hid at the back, in case my pimp showed up, but I had to come. But they were losing and I just couldn’t help myself. I approached them. Oh, the lawyers threw a fit. They were very disrespectful to Akira and Aoi and I just couldn’t let that pass. The twins were the first truly decent people I’d met in my entire life. I chewed the lawyers out, told them what I told you though not the whole story - just that the twins never brought boys home or to the club in the entire time I lived with them and worked for them - and when they heard that, they wanted to put me on the stand. I was ready. I was willing. I was… well, the twins told me not to but I wasn’t going to let that stop me. I owe them so much… but when I insisted I’d testify whether they agreed or not, they told me that if I insisted, then they’d change their plea to guilty to stop me. They knew my pimp would find me if I did. They said… even if I did testify, everyone already believed they were guilty. They’d lose anyway. They wanted it to be over and…
“Well, like I said, they think they deserve to be punished, for sleeping with the prostitutes, me included. And maybe you think so, too, but don’t you think you’ve punished them enough for that? Are you going to punish everyone who ever slept with an underage prostitute? Because Pearl Street would be one long blood bath if you did, I think. And they stopped. They wanted to become better people. They say it’s because of meeting me but I don’t know if that’s true or not…”
“Please,” Kame begged. “Stop punishing them. I… I don’t care what it takes. I have money. I can pay, as much as you want though if it’s too high a number it might not be in one lump sum. Or… I know how to make men feel good… if you want that sort of payment. I don’t… well, I haven’t had to sell myself since the day the twins took me in but… I haven’t forgotten how. I will literally give you anything I have or ever could have if you would stop hurting them. Please! They’re the best people I’ve ever met. I’d give my life for them except then who would protect their sister while they’re in here? Please, just tell me what you want, what it would take to make you stop!” Oh, great. He was crying. Way to look weak in front of the rather strong-looking criminal in the room with no guards or cameras. “It’s my fault they’re in here. If I’d just let that man have me the first time he… I mean, I know Akira said they’d rather be in here for the rest of their lives than for me to have let him rape me but how am I supposed to accept that? Especially with what you are putting them through?”
“Someone should suffer for those boys, but not them. P-Please…”
Shibata’s expression seemed almost pained to Kame’s eyes. “You… really believe in them, don’t you?”
“They believed in me first.” He sniffled, trying to wipe the tears away despite the fact they were still falling. “Just tell me what it will take. Please.”
“I…” and now Shibata looked torn. “I think you should go.”
“Wait, no! Please! I’m begging you!” Without thinking, Kame grabbed Shibata’s hand with both of his own and he looked the man face to face. “Please! Anything you want! Anything!”
But Shibata couldn’t meet his eyes. He just repeated, “Go,” and pulled his hand away.
There was nothing more he could do, was there? Defeated, Kame said, “Alright. I… thank you for your time. Don’t let them know I talked to you, please. They worry about me so much.”
Kame knocked on the door, completely miserable. How could he ever have thought this was a good idea? He should have known the man wouldn’t believe him. Or maybe he did and he just didn’t care. Did it really matter which? It was a stupid idea.
The guards took the prisoner away. One of them escorted Kame back out but this great numbness had spread through him. He was barely aware of boarding the bus back but he made his way home.
He got there after Yurina. But apparently she could tell he didn’t want to talk about it, so she didn’t say anything. Instead, they just went about the rest of the afternoon in an edgy silence.
Should he tell her about where he went and what he tried to do? Or, since he’d failed miserably, would it be best to just not tell her?
He had no idea…
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The story continues:
Chapter 73 ~After~
A/N: Poor Kame. He tried so hard. He told a complete stranger so many personal things, offered money, even offered to sleep with the guy. No such luck...