All We Are -- Chapter 7
Jun awoke later that evening to find himself on Sho’s bed. Groggily, he recalled what had happened earlier and realized that he had been so upset he had actually cried himself to sleep. Sho must have carried me here, Jun thought, because he didn’t remember the pain of walking to the bed. Jun’s ankle was almost fully healed, and his bullet wound had been fine several weeks ago, but it still hurt a little to put pressure on his leg.
Jun found Sho asleep on the couch, where Jun had been residing all this time. He looks so peaceful, Jun thought to himself, smiling at how his messy hair fell in his face. Before, Jun thought that having friends and loved ones made you weak. Those loved ones could be targets for enemies, or could bring you down with their own selfish desires. But now…now it was different. Jun felt stronger having Sho on his side. He felt more…complete. You said you wouldn’t abandon me again. Well, I will forever protect you.
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Sho could finally be happy. He never would have guessed Jun to become such an important person in his life, but here he was -- the most important person in Sho’s life. Even though the breakthrough had happened just earlier that day, Jun was making up for lost time, endlessly answering Sho’s questions and constantly asking his own. It made Sho smile to see such inquisitiveness from a man who was always so closed in.
Because of Jun’s injuries, he hadn’t been able to buy Jun new clothes that properly fit him, but he desperately needed new ones due to the tattered and dirty state of his old ones. He had been borrowing Sho’s, but Jun was a few inches taller and was built differently. Since Jun’s leg was mostly healed, they decided to head around the corner to a clothing store and then over to the grocer’s to buy supplies for dinner - Jun offered to cook as a thank you for the clothes (although he teased Sho it was because he didn’t want to die of food poisoning). It didn’t escape Sho’s notice that Jun still tended toward the dark colored clothes, and it didn’t escape Jun’s notice that Sho was staring a little too much as he tried on the clothes. Jun enjoyed the outing, as he hadn’t been outside for almost 2 months, forced to stay on the sofa by Aiba.
As they ate their meal, the pair talked, and Sho was very careful to avoid any conversation about family matters. Instead, they talked about the mundane - favorite colors, their favorite restaurants, and whether Son Goku was cooler than Vegeta.
But Sho felt like a hypocrite. Jun had been so open earlier, so forthright about his feelings and his past, and yet Sho still couldn’t bring himself to tell Jun about his own past. He felt so safe and content with Jun, and the past would just rip it all to shreds. He didn’t want to see Jun’s look of horror and disgust, but he knew it wasn’t fair to Jun. Jun should know the truth, even if it meant being despised and losing a friend. Even if he was hated, Sho supposed it was better than nothing from Jun. Sho felt like he'd been numb his whole life, and Jun was just so alive. He'd take love or hate from him -- he didn't care anymore, as long as he felt something. But no matter what, Sho knew the happiness he felt right now couldn’t last.
He was right.
It began when Jun’s cell phone rang. It almost never did, so it was always a shock when Sho heard the blaring ring tone. Jun looked to see who was calling, and his eyes narrowed as he hit ‘answer’.
“What?”
Silence.
“WHAT?! HOW!?” Jun shrieked, but stopped.
“Nino, I swear to God if you…” Jun’s voice was low and terrifying, but Jun was cut off by the person on the other end. His eyes quickly darted to Sho before asking, “When?” His eyes then glanced at the windows.
“Alright. Thanks.”
As soon as he hung up, Jun let out a string of swear words. “I have to go.” He immediately stood up and headed toward his few belongings, throwing everything into his pillowcase.
“Wait. What happened?” Jun was moving around so fast Sho’s head was starting to spin.
“A rival gang found out I’m staying here. They’re coming after me.”
“But how…?” Sho suddenly realized that their little trip to the store hadn’t gone unnoticed.
“Damn it!” Jun finally stopped rushing around, pausing to run his hand through his hair. “I never thought they’d be in this part of town. I’m so sorry, Sho.”
“Don’t worry about it.” Sho got up, rooted a couple bags out from a nearby closet, and began to fill one with food and other necessities, tossing the other to Jun.
Jun stared at him, bewildered. “What are you doing?”
“I’m coming with you.”
“No. No, you’re not.”
“I don’t think you get much choice, honestly.”
Jun glared at Sho. “They’re only after me, Sho. You are NOT coming. There’s no need to put yourself in that kind of danger.”
“Well, what’s to stop them from coming after me once you leave? If they know you were staying with me, maybe they’ll take me hostage to get to you.”
Sho could see that hit a chord with Jun, but it was clear he was still going to be stubborn. “Look, I’m coming with you, okay? You’ll need help with your leg, since it still isn’t completely healed. And who knows - you may need me to save your life again.”
Jun smiled at that, and it made Sho grin back. But it was short lived, as Jun peeked out the window, frowning at what he saw. “Someone’s watching. We’ll need to try a back exit.”
“I’m ready. Let’s go. I can show you the way. Take that umbrella, to use as a cane if you need it.”
Jun came to stand close to Sho, invading his personal space. “Are you really sure about this?”
Sho made sure Jun was staring into his eyes before he spoke. “I said I wouldn't abandon you again, and I meant it. I’m going with you.”
Jun was expressionless. “Suit yourself.” But Sho could tell Jun was a little pleased, despite the obvious anxiety. “Let’s go.”
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“Where are we going?”
“To the dock.”
Jun wasn’t sure why Nino had told him to go to the dock. Nino hated water and boats and anything to do with the ocean. But there was so little time to worry about Nino at the moment. The pair rushed to the dock, weaving through alleys and hiding in the shadows. They skidded around one last corner, and spotted Nino waiting near a boat. The pain in Jun’s leg was intense. Just a little farther.
As they neared the man, Jun could see Nino giving him a questioning look, and realized he had grabbed Sho’s wrist at some point in their escape. He immediately let go, but Nino didn’t mention it.
“Were you followed?”
“I don’t think so. Someone was watching the front, so we went out the back.”
“Good. We’re going to get on this boat.”
“But you hate boats.”
“Maybe I like them now. What do you know? You’ve been MIA for more than a month.” Nino snarled.
“I know. I’m sorry. I was hurt, and I had to heal.”
Nino’s eyes went to Sho.
“Pretty boy again, huh? ‘A guy you held up’ my ass.”
Sho stood near Jun almost shyly, but squared his shoulders and introduced himself formally. “I’m Sho. Sho Sakurai.”
Nino smirked. “I’m Nino. That’s all you need to know.”
Jun was readying a cutting retort, but just then the sound of bullets resounded, filling the air around them. Instantly, Nino and Jun scrambled for the boat, Jun pulling Sho along with him. The boat pulled away from the dock as the three men lay flat, trying to calm down their fear, as the sound of bullets retreated.
Jun was the first to get up again once the boat was safely far enough away from the shore. A quick glance told him both Sho and Nino were unhurt, and he wondered aloud, “Who’s driving this thing?”
Nino sat up, grinning. “Captain, of course. You’ll meet him later. Right now, let’s get you guys settled in. We’ll be moving all through the night, now that someone obviously spotted us.”
Nino gave Jun a meaningful glance, which he knew meant “We need to talk.” Nino knew something, something he wasn’t willing to say in front of Sho.
Jun turned to Sho, and realized that he was pale and sweating. “Are you okay?”
No response.
“Sho?” Jun waved his hands in front of Sho’s eyes.
“Ah. Sorry.” Sho snapped back to life, and kept his eyes to the deck of the boat, swallowing hard.
He could see Nino giving Sho a hard but questioning look. Jun took Sho’s face in his hands, making Sho look at Jun. “Everything’s okay. You’re fine.” After a moment, Jun muttered sourly, “I told you not to come.”
“I’m fine. Really. I just… froze. I don’t know why. I’m sorry. It won’t happen again.”
Something was bothering Jun about the situation, but Nino butted in. “If you two are done being all touchy-feely, your beds are this way.”
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“Here we are.”
Sho stared in the small space, noticing that the two beds barely fit, leaving little room to move around.
Sho noticed Jun giving Nino the evil eye as Nino said cheerfully, “You guys get to bunk together! Isn’t that great!”
“And where are you sleeping?” Jun asked.
“With Oh-chan. Put your bags down, and we’ll go meet him.”
Jun was looking at Nino with amazement now. Sho wasn’t sure why, but decided to ask him later.
“Captain” turned out to be a sleepy looking man that Nino clearly adored. He seemed kind, even if he was a little out of it. But Sho suspected there was more to this man than what appeared. After all, he was the one whose quick thinking steered them clear of the bullets and was currently hiding them. Jun still had the look of amazement - or was it disbelief? Nino called the man Oh-chan, but his actual named was Satoshi Ohno, and he was a fisherman.
“How the hell did you meet this guy, Nino?”
“Just because you have no friends doesn’t mean I am friendless too, you know.”
“That’s not what I mean and you know it!”
“Aww, look at Jun all concerned. You’d never know it, behind such an ice princess demeanor.”
The two glared at each other, and Sho guessed that Nino was secretly hurt that Jun hadn’t called more often.
“Nino always came to me to hide when he needed to.” Ohno quietly spoke, trying to ease the tension.
Nino made a face at Ohno, but didn’t oppose the statement. “Since I always get so seasick, and everyone knows it’s my weakness, I figured it was the best place to hide. I found Oh-chan by accident, but he’s always been able to conceal me for as long as needed.”
Sho was hit with the sense that this must be a huge thing for Nino to be doing; to be sharing his hideout with them must mean a lot. Sho wondered if maybe things were more terrible than Jun made them out to be, if this snarky man was willing to share such an important person and place.
Nino suddenly turned a wicked look at Sho. “So, are you Matsumoto’s new pet?” He sauntered up close to Sho, giving him a crooked grin. “I think I’m going to like you, Sho-chan.” He leaned in to whisper, “Will you be my pet too?” His smile reminded Sho of the Cheshire Cat, and it gave Sho goose bumps. But Nino wasn’t in Sho’s face for long, as Jun pulled Nino away with a snarl by the back of his shirt.
“Don’t play your games with him, Nino.”
Nino’s grin never faded. He made a gesture that suggested defeat, but his expression said otherwise. Sho wasn’t quite sure what to make of it. Was this tiny man really a threat?
As darkness fell, Jun and Sho headed back to their cabin area to get some much needed sleep. Sho knew Jun’s leg must be hurting after using it so much, and kept shooting him worried glances. But Jun never said a word about it.
“Why are they after you, Jun?”
Jun just shrugged. “Who knows. It’s a rival gang, and I’ve been gone for a while. Maybe they’re just bored. Maybe they’ve been told to kill me. It could be for a million reasons, or it could be for no reason at all. All I know is I owe Nino a lot.”
Sho didn’t ask any more, knowing that Jun had a lot on his mind at the moment. It had been quite a revealing day. Sho had a lot on his mind as well - not the least of which was the fact that he still hadn’t been completely honest with Jun. Now he was involving Nino and Ohno, too, by association. Will they all hate me when I tell them? Sho wondered miserably. What were you supposed to do when you swore not to abandon someone, and yet they were better off without you?
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Back in Tokyo, in the back room of a sleazy bar, Jin Akanishi gasped in surprise. He couldn’t believe what was before his eyes. He checked and double checked - he wasn’t wrong. He was going to get a huge reward from Johnny for this information, and he laughed wildly.
I’m the luckiest bastard in this town, he thought to himself arrogantly. This …this changes everything!
A/N: So for some reason, LJ let me finally put chapter 5 into one post. I don't know why it wouldn't allow it the first 5 times I tried...but now it works. (>_<)# So I reposted it. Just FYI.