Hubris - Chapter 12/? [The Gazette - Reita/Ruki; Reita/Aoi (one-sided); to be revealed]
Title: Hubris
Author: shir0ukun
Rating: NC17
Genre: Violence | AU | Smut | Action | Romance | Slight Fluff | Angst | Slight Humour
Chapter: Chapter 12/?
Warnings: Generally Violence | Violent Reita | MxM sex | Heavy plot
Band[s]: The GazettE
Pairing[s]: Reita/Ruki | Reita/Aoi - onesided (To be revealed)
Synopsis: Reita Suzuki is the boss of Japan’s strongest Mafia organisation, the Hayato. His cruel and cold-blooded personality is challenged when he gets involved in a car accident, and ends up housing a guy who has completely lost his existing memory.
Comments: An OC appears in this chapter. Enjoy. :D
Previous Chapters:
[Chapter 11]
[Chapter 10]
[Chapter 9]
[Chapter 8]
[Chapter 7]
[Chapter 6]
[Chapter 5]
[Chapter 4]
[Chapter 3]
[Chapter 2]
[Chapter 1]
[Prologue]
Fuck.
He hadn’t been expecting this. Reita-sama. It had been months since he last heard himself being addressed this way. He’d always recognize the voice through the receiver- so cold, distant, and unemotional. It was invulnerable; Akira could never manage to catch the slightest trace of emotion. And that was what made it so frightening.
“It’s been a long time.” From the corner of his eyes Akira noticed Ruki glancing at him from the living room.
“Yes, it has been.” Akira found the perfect description for the voice. Lifeless.
“So what does he want now?”
“Abunai-sama wishes to inform you of an upcoming party at the mansion, and he sincerely hopes you would be present.”
“… I’ll be there.”
“Thank you, I will convey your message to Abunai-sama.”
Akira hung up and sank into his bed, rubbing his eyes in exhaustion.
“Who was it?”
Akira hadn’t notice Ruki’s presence in the room, and the latter proceeded to sit on the bed, an arm length away from Akira. Ruki’d thought it was Aoi, but he eliminated his assumption when he noticed the look on Akira’s face. In the weeks he’d spent with Akira, Ruki had only seen emotions of worry or fluster, but never this. He couldn’t quite make out what exactly was it, but he sure as hell knows it doesn’t bode well.
“Who?”
“You were on the phone with someone,” Ruki studied Akira’s troubled face carefully; “It was someone different, wasn’t it? Someone you didn’t like.”
“… You can tell?”
“Not really, I just guessed it. I’ve never seen that look on your face before.”
Akira blinked, attempting to remove any traces of vulnerable emotions.
“You could say that.”
“A mafia member?”
“No,” Akira got off the bed and adjusted his top, “Go get yourself ready, Ruki. We’ve got serious business to do.”
“… And this… is what you meant by serious business…?” Ruki stared into the mirror at the blonde behind him. Akira was seated at a tall stool in Dior, finger tapping on his chin as he studied the suite Ruki was wearing. Ruki had found himself in the expensive store before he had any clue regarding the “serious business” Akira was referring to. And now that he found out, he had the urge to skin Akira alive.
“Yes.”
“Buying me clothes?” Ruki fidgeted uncomfortably as the sales girl smoothed out any wrinkles on his shoulder.
“Have I not told you?”
“Like, duh. And I’m not in the mood to be shoppin’ now, Akira.”
“Well, that’s just sad. ‘Cos you’ve got to have a suite by tomorrow.
“Huh?”
“We’re attending a gathering tomorrow.” Or a party like he said, thought Akira.
“And what’s with the we?”
“I’m takin’ you with me.”
Before Ruki could reply, Akira shook his head and the salesgirl led the former into the dressing room, tossing him another suit. Ruki groaned, but proceeded with changing into the new design anyway. Akira looked around at the expensive furnishings as moments passed, and his attention was once more diverted to the blonde heading grumpily out of the changing room.
“Why the hell are you takin’ me along? It’s not like I know your friends.” Ruki stared at his weird reflection in the mirror as the sales girl returned to adjusting his suit once more. Akira took a few moments to take in the look before he nodded, and the salesgirl smiled in satisfaction.
“They’re not friends. Will you please help him choose a tie to go with? Thanks.” The girl, seemingly in her early-twenties, nodded shyly before sending Akira a flirtatious smile. While the action went unnoticed with the mafia boss, Ruki resisted the urge to roll his eyes.
“You haven’t answered my question.” Ruki shook his head in disgust when the sales girl held up a dotted tie.
“I’m not about to leave you at home and wait for the same tragedy to happen again.”
“… You think it’s gona happen again?” Ruki shook his head at a striped tie before shuddering to himself at the memories of the previous attack.
“Why not? News spread fast, Ruki, they’ll take you the moment you’re out of my sight, I’m not jokin’.” It was Akira’s turn to frown in disgust at a flower-decorated tie. The designs were getting from bad to worse.
“I didn’t think you were joking…”
“They’re fucking animals. I believe you’ve had first-hand experiences.”
Ruki nodded, and he couldn’t help but wonder about Akira himself. Was he a carnivorous animal as well? Or what’s more important, was he still cold-blooded?
“So I guess there’s no other choice than to go with you?”
“That’s the only option as far as I’ve known,” Akira finally nodded when the salesgirl flashed an elegantly-black tie, “We’ll take that.”
The salesgirl placed the tie on the counter before leading Ruki to a secluded section. Dozens of polished shoes were lined against the shoe racks, each bearing a different design.
“Now, the shoes.” Akira rubbed his hands together as he spun on his stool to face Ruki.
“We’re buying shoes as well?”
“Like, duh. Who attends a gathering wearing sneakers?”
“Everybody does, don’t they?”
“Okay, that applies to normal gatherings.”
“Aren’t we attending one?”
“We are, but we’re attending a special one.” A very special one indeed.
“… I have a really bad feeling about it… I don’t even know proper dining etiquettes.”
“Don’t worry about it. All you’ll have to do tomorrow’s to stay by me, keep vigilant, and hold a cup of punch in your hand.”
“Well, sounds easy enough.”
“Great to hear that, and be sure to keep in mind the first two points,” Akira sat straight up as he squinted at the design of the shoe Ruki was testing out, “Nope, let’s keep it to somethin’ simpler; I want it to match the suit.”
The salesgirl nodded before removing the pair of shoes and retrieving another pair from the racks. Jenny, was her name, Ruki read from the name tag. She didn’t seem Caucasian, and he assumed she was a mix.
“Speakin’ of which, how much does this suit cost?” Ruki turned his head around to read the tag hanging from the collar, struggling miserably like a puppy chasing after its own tail.
“You don’t have to know, just leave everything to me.” Ruki lifted his eyebrows, before shaking his head to himself.
“I didn’t know you earned that much.”
“Me? Pfft. I don’t earn that much, Ruki, I earn too much. Get your facts right.”
Akira was back to his cocky self, and Ruki rolled his eyes. The blonde wondered what he had been before he had lost his memories. Could he be a millionaire, earning thousands by the hour? Or maybe he had been living in the streets- that would explain his brute strength.
“… Arrogant prick…”
“Shut up.”
“So what’s this secret party I’m about to attend?” Ruki cracked a grin.
“It’s not a party you idiot, it’s a gathering, a formal gathering. And why the hell are you so excited?”
“Aren’t we supposed to be excited?”
“Well, not in this case. Don’t fuckin’ be excited, you hear me?”
“… Fine…” Ruki tried on a pair of dark-brown coloured shoes, and before he could nod, Akira shook his head in disapproval, “Hey this is nice.”
“No, I told you we want somethin’ simple.”
“Then I’ll just freakin’ attend the party with my bloody slacks, how’d ya like that?”
“For the last time, it’s not a party, it’s a gathering. And no, slacks’ll stand out too much. They’re too outstanding among a sea of formal dresses and suits.”
“… You’re asking me to attend a p- fine, a gathering without standing out… that makes no sense.”
“You could use some thinkin’, retard. You’ll be an easier target if you wear distinct or outstanding clothes.”
“… Oh… That sucks…”
Ruki tried on a pair of black, polished shoes, and Akira nodded in approval. Ruki pouted- he’d never attended a formal gathering in his memory, and he had the feeling that the dullness of it all would bore him out.
“We’ll take that. And I’ll buy two of everything we chose, one of the suits a size larger than the other. Thanks.”
“Two of everything?!”
“Yeah. If you’re the only one wearing that suit you’ll still be differentiated from others; so I’ll be wearing the same suit you do.”
“My god… do I have to wear that noseband of yours as well?” Ruki had never mentioned the strip of cloth tied across Akira’s features, and as time passed he’d grown accustomed to it. Akira’s hand came up to touch his noseband absent-mindedly, before staring back thoughtfully.
“Maybe you should…”
“Jesus! This is insane, Akira…”
“Nevermind, forget that. You should be fine as long as you stick with me.”
Ruki shook his head before making his way to the dressing room, removing the expensive suit. When he finally got a look at the price tag, his eyes bulged as he counted the number of zero’s on the tag. Akira got off the stool and proceeded to the counter. He paid with his cash card as the salesgirl carefully wrapped the purchases up.
Akira tapped his fingers on the glass-covered counter impatiently as Ruki exited the waiting room. The tall blonde whipped out his car keys and led the way out to his car. Ruki was made to carry the purchases and he spotted another flirtatious glance from the salesgirl towards Akira.
Throwing the bags behind and getting into the front seat, Ruki stretched his legs and twisted his sore body. He’d been made to put on tens of suits just because of a single fucking party. Or gathering. Whatever.
“Akira…?”
Akira fastened his seat belt and turned on the engine.
“What?”
“Who was the person on the phone? And what kind of gathering are we attending? I don’t know shit about anything.”
“You don’t have to know.” Akira’s hands tightened on the steering wheel as he drove onto the main road.
“I want to know.”
Akira paused, before giving out a sigh. Just the thought of it tensed him up, not to mention talking about it.
“The government.”
“Huh?”
“You wanted to know who I was speaking to on the phone. It was the government.”
“Government like… Mr Holy President?”
“Yeah, I mean no! It was one of the administrative from the government. They wanted me to attend a gathering.”
“So you’ll get to see Mr President?”
“No… look, you shouldn’t ask so much.”
Ruki crossed his arms and gave Akira a glance that said if you don’t fucking tell me I’ll tear your hair off. Akira raised his eyebrows before groaning in defeat.
“We don’t refer to the President when we mention the government. Technically speaking, the President has no connections with- or any power over- us, Mafias.”
“So you’re saying…”
“Abunai Todou. Head of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. He’s the one behind everything and anything.”
“So you’re trying to say Mr President’s a puppet?”
“Not really, but close. The President makes decision according to what Abunai has to say, not because he wants to, but because of fear.”
“Fear, huh?”
Akira cracked a grin Ruki haven’t seen for ages. The same sensation emerged as Ruki’s blood curled.
“Coincidentally we are two of the same kind…” Akira didn’t have to elaborate, “And that’s what makes him dangerous.”
Ruki swallowed thickly.
“So what’s he like… that Abunai guy.”
“He’s ruthless, unemotional, and unpredictable. He’s feared throughout internal politics as well as the underground.”
“The underground?”
“Yup. Mafias, gangsters, yakuzas, whichever you could think of. He’s well known, and he was the one who’d approached us for collaboration.”
“Collaboration?” Ruki was getting more confused by the second.
“You didn’t know? The Hayato has fought its way up to the most powerful organization in the underground world, and Abunai decided that we would be a threat to not only the Government, but to him as well. So he thought of the only way to keep us leashed- an alliance.”
“Oh… so that explains why you’re in alliance with the Government.”
“Yup. It’s been almost two years since the collaboration, and in a way, we’re keeping each other alive. Abunai dismisses all orders for the elimination of the Hayato, while we dissolve the threats that stand in his way.”
“… So what’s this gathering we’re attending again?”
Akira chuckled dryly.
“It’s a gathering where Abunai’s alliances- mostly villainous- come together, a party in disguise. They discuss the developments of ongoing plans, but this time, I can tell it’s different than usual.”
“What do you mean different…?”
Akira took his eyes of the wheel and placed his stony stare on Ruki.
“… Abunai’s gettin’ impatient.”