The Broken Heart - Part 2
Author: 
emmachase
Requested by: No One
Title: The Broken Heart - Part 2
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Not really sure... happy... but angsty... ish?
Pairing: OkaJima
Summary:
When Keito discovers Yuto, who's been shut away all his life, what
happens when he helps him come to terms with his past?
Notes: This story is REALLY LONG..... IM SO SORRY..... T_T I just kept writing and thats what came out! T_T
“Where… am I…?” Yuto asked as he woke up, he felt himself laying against a mattress, but not one that seemed as if it belonged to a hospital…
“Where… is this..?” He repeated into the darkness, and this time when he tried to move, he winced again, grabbing his side. The slightest motion of his feet brought about a light ringing sound. He tried to reach for his foot, but couldn't quite make it. With a quick jerk of his leg, he tried to pull it out of whatever sling it was in, but instead caused a huge ringing sound, as if someone had attached bells to his feet.
Suddenly a light in the corner of the room flickered on as a lamp lit the room. Sitting in the corner was Keito, his eyes a bit drawn in and his expression tired.
“Where… am I?” Yuto repeated, and Keito walked over to the bed.
“You’re at my home… I figure… since I obviously cant leave you in the hospital, I have to take you somewhere where you can actually heal… Yuto… what did you do all that for?”
“Pain…. Suffering… “
“Are you in pain right now?”
“No… but that’s all I’ve known my whole life, and that's what I’m used to, it’s what I’m good for… but they never give me any pain… they make me sleep, they make me numb… It’s as if I’m floating along through my life, feeling nothing… but now… I’ve felt it… what I’ve been missing… If only… my body weren’t so weak… I could have had more….”
“Yuto! Don't you understand, the body has its limits, even yours!” Keito shouted.
“These… are not my limits…. I’ve been through much more than this… “
“Yuto… that’s not the point…. That’s not the point at all….. don't you see, there’s more to life than just pain, or healing. There’s so much more!”
“I’ve seen everything that life can throw at the body, this is all there is…. Broken legs, arms, ribs…. Cuts and surgical incisions, concussions and-“
“STOP! Just… stop.”
Keito sat quietly for a moment, trying his best to formulate his words.
“Yuto… please… don't do these things to yourself…”
“Why do you care? This is my life, the way I know it…”
“Because life as you know it is wrong! Because I know it’s wrong! Life isn’t about suffering, it isn’t about being in pain the whole time. It is what you make it, and you can do so much more than just lay in bed, paying for someone else’s mistakes.”
“You don't understand…”
“I may not understand what you’re trying to tell me life is, but in time, I want to make you understand what life really is…. And until then, you’re staying here, with me. And that’s final.” Keito said firmly, as Yuto closed his eyes.
More to life than this? What else is there? This boy, who is he to tell me that I’m wrong, but who am I to tell him that he’s wrong? What does he want from me? Why am I here?
Morning came, the light streaked through white opaque curtains and into the room, waking Yuto up. Looking around now he could see the entire room was a soft shade of jade green, soothing and relaxing. He could see the soft white carpet at the floor, accented by a light rug that sat lazily in the middle, and he could see the earthy brown chair that sat in the corner, empty now save for a magazine that lazily hung off the seat’s edge.
The door swung open now as a very gingerly balancing Keito walked in carrying a tray of bread and fruits.
“Eat.” He said, holding a nectarine slice to Yuto’s lips.
“Eat. You need to heal and part of that is having food so you have energy. So… Eat.”
Yuto obeyed, as he did with the next slice, and the slice after that. He ate the scrambled eggs, the two slices of bread and the small sausages that were given to him, and he drank the tall glass of orange juice as well as the bottle of water Keito insisted upon.
“Now… tell me…. what do you want to watch today?” Keito asked, holding up a few movies. Yuto shook his head, truth be told, he’d never seen any of them, it didn't matter really, it’d all be new to him….
After a few minutes of self-debate, Keito settled upon a comedy. He popped the disc into the player and sat next to Yuto on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he flickered through the menus.
Of the two boys in the room, only Keito watched the movie. Yuto was too tired to care what was going on, he felt drained as usual, and somewhere between the main character proposing and the would-be bride freaking out, he fell asleep, resting gently on Keito’s shoulder. It wasn't until the roar of applause at their eventual wedding that he jerked awake again, the sudden motion giving him a sharp jab in his still-healing ribs.
“Did you sleep well?” He asked, and Yuto nodded.
“Cmon, I think it’s time for some dinner, do you feel okay to walk?” Again, a nod.
Yuto took a step onto the solid ground for the first time that day, his knees almost buckled from the strain his body was under, but he insisted he was okay, walking gingerly out into the living room and finally to a seat at the kitchen table. With some difficulty he leaned forward onto the table and felt the cool glass against his skin.
“What’s good for dinner today?” Keito asked nobody in particular, pulling random ingredients from the pantry. At first, it was fried rice, but then that would be too rough for Yuto’s body. Next, it was omurice, but Keito didn't feel confident enough to make it correctly. Then, it was a night of pizza, but again, Keito deemed it too rough for a patient to be eating. Three options later, they, or rather Keito, settled on Nabe.
“I know it’s not exactly the most flavorful thing…. but it’s good for you.” Keito said as he put more vegetables into the boiling pot.
“I like to start with a small bowl of the soup first, it’ll warm you up” He explained, pulling a ladle full of the stock into a small bowl. Staring blankly, Yuto took the bowl into his hands and put it to his lips, at first it stung a little as the heat touched his lips, but as the hot liquid cooled he drank the whole bowl, feeling its warm contents coat his stomach, warming him from the inside out….suddenly he felt as if a cold heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he turned to look at Keito who nodded knowingly.
Half a head of Chinese cabbage, a few fish cakes, and an infinitely large amount of carrots later the pair leaned back sighing contently. They sat down now at the couch and Keito pulled out a small woven throw to serve as a blanket. He swaddled Yuto in it and smiled as he flicked on the TV. As the night went on, the air turned a bit chilly, and Yuto was grateful for the blanket, but at the same time he felt guilty looking at Keito who sitting in nothing but a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Without a word, he shyly moved over, pulling the blanket off him and threw it around Keito as well. He felt the coldness of the other boy’s skin and he pressed his warm hands against them and sighed. The older boy looked at him now, and smiled as he wrapped his arm around Yuto’s body and the two of them stared at the TV until they fell asleep.
This was the peaceful life that followed for the next few days, each day Keito would wake up, fix breakfast, and by the time he finished, Yuto would be waking up. He would help Yuto hobble his way to the table to have breakfast, and they’d sit together and talk until it was time for Keito to go to work. Yuto promised he’d try to do some stretches and exercises, but he was always too tired to manage anything and went to sleep instead. Slowly but surely, his injuries healed and Yuto felt his energy return.
Life was moving along now, Yuto had taken to reading some of the books that sat stale in the study but he wanted to go out more, if only Keito had the time to take him anywhere. But these days, immediately after work, Keito would appear, dinner in hand and the two of them would eat their dinner and fall asleep.
It wasn't until a notice came in the mail, a summons for Yuto to appear in court for his uncle’s hearing. Though he had ignored it, trying to forget, the day after, another notice came, this time from a lawyer representing his uncle, who had requested to see him.
“Are you really going to go?”
“No…” Yuto lied, he had wanted to meet his uncle at least once after all this. He had to know why all these things he knew of now, were kept hidden from him.
“Okay.” Keito sighed, setting down their dinner for the night, a bento from one of the restaurants that lined the path home. They had discovered somewhere around the middle of the month that Yuto had a liking for basashi, and Keito had made sure to order the bento at least once a week for him.
Eating it now, Yuto felt guilty about lying to him, but it was something he had to do.
Days passed and Yuto made his plans, he had managed to call a taxi to come pick him up, and save some money under the excuse that he was going to order pizza for lunch since Keito wasn't home.
The entire city flew by in a blur until the taxi stopped in front of a large steel gate, two guards standing at the front stopped the car and told them the taxi could go no further. A strict search of his pockets and an overly prying pat down later Yuto walked down the cold grey hallway that lead to the cells in the prison. Past the men that snarled at him, and the single steel door that seemed to be more steel than door, Yuto sat at a small stool that faced a glass wall. Just beyond it his uncle took the opposite seat.
“You’re here to get me out right?” The man said, but Yuto shook his head.
“I’m not.”
“You owe your life to me boy, don't forget that.”
“I don't… I don't owe anything to you…”
“I gave you a home, I gave you a living.”
“What kind of living was it? To make do the things I did. What kind of life did you give me, except one shut up in the room of that hospital?”
“What else would you have done if it wasn't for me? Your parents couldn’t handle you, and you had no one else who wanted you. So I took you in, like the good uncle I was. So what if I asked for something in return?”
“You never treated me like I was your nephew, you never did, you took me in as an investment!”
“That's cause that’s all you were good for! You couldn't pick up any skills to work for me, except to use your ability. No one knew what to do with you, but I saw a chance!”
“So you exploited me…. locked me up in that room.”
“To keep you safe….”
“Safe from what!?”
“To keep you away from all the dangers of the world…. Don't you see all the injuries you’ve taken, are from that horrible horrible place?”
“No…. all the injuries I’ve taken are from your hands….”
“Tch, stupid boy, this world is not as nice as you think it is.”
“Enough! Tell me, where is my mother?!”
“Why? She doesn't want to see you.”
“Tell me!”
“Hmph.”
“Enough Yuto, it’s enough.” Yuto jumped at the sudden voice, he turned around to see the steel door open, and Keito standing in the doorframe, his arm extended.
“Come, let’s go home…. There’s no point in being here anymore.”
Saddly, Yuto knew he was right…. And he stood quietly, and turned away, walking towards the door.
“YOU OWE ME BOY!” A last defiant scream came as the steel door slammed shut.
Yuto never took a single glace back, but nor did he glace at Keito. He was ashamed, ashamed that he had been caught, and ashamed that Keito had to see that side of his… family.
The two boys sat quietly in the car as the driver took them home. Yuto didn't dare to look at Keito, and Keito didn't know how to begin talking. After an excruciatingly long drive home, they arrived and just as they stepped out of the car, Keito grabbed Yuto’s wrist, pulling him in suddenly into a hug.
“It’s enough isn’t it Yuto? To be here?”
“I…”
“It’s enough for you to be here with me? Isnt it?”
“Keito….”
“Why did you go…..?”
“How did you know I’d be there?”
“It’s not hard to see what you’re thinking. So I went… but why did you go?”
“I had to know…”
“Know what?”
“Why… all those things happened to me”
“Oh Yuto…” Keito held on tighter.
“And I had to find my mother… so she could tell me why things ended up the way they did… I haven’t seen her in so many years….”
Keito fell quiet now, and he awkwardly put on a smile as he ushered Yuto into the house and the two boys had their dinner with Keito feeling as conflicted ever.
“Yuto….”
“h-hm?”
“There was… one thing on your uncle’s hospital’s expense list that we couldn't explain…”
“Expense list?”
“When the investigation was launched, since we were the largest hospital corporation, we were in charge of all the auditing, anything strange we found…. would be turned over. While there was a huge amount of money coming in… which…. I know why now… there was one expense that was out of the ordinary…”
“What was it?”
“A fee, for a mental hospital….”
“mental…hospital…?”
Keito set laid his hands on the table now, he knew exactly what was running through Yuto’s head, and he almost hated himself for telling him.
“I-“
“You want to go there…right?”
“Yes…”
“I’ll arrange it in the morning okay?”
Yuto nodded his agreement, and set down his own hands, and the two boys sat quietly now, the heavy burden weighing down on their shoulders. That night the TV never came on and the two boys went straight to bed. Quietly Yuto slipped into his pajamas Keito had bought him, and got into the bed. He turned his back to Keito now, for tonight he wanted to be alone with his guilt.
Here he’s given me so much but here I am trying to…. throw it all away…
In the middle of his thought, he felt Keito’s hand reach over to him, then followed a shifting in the bed and he felt the older boy behind him, holding him in a warm embrace.
“Keito…?”
“Hm..?”
“I don't… I just…. I have to know…”
“I know…”
“Im so happy do be here with you…but I have to know….”
“You don't have to explain…I understand.”
“I just…. want you to know that Im…. I don't want to throw away all that you’ve given me… it’s not that…”
“Yuto…. You should never feel guilty that you’re following what you want to do. If you want to know why it happened, then I support you… okay?”
“Okay…”
“Then for tonight… let’s just… forget about it and enjoy the quiet okay?”
“Okay.”
Yuto closed his eyes and he fell into the warmth that surrounded him. Unknown to him though, Keito never slept a wink that night. No matter how hard he tried, or how many hours he closed his eyes, Keito couldn't fall asleep. Instead he settled for looking at Yuto’s peacefully sleeping face, and he worried instead about all the terrible things that could happen tomorrow. He wanted so much to protect him, and at one point he almost thought of calling the whole thing off…. But he knew Yuto would never forgive him for that…
“I just want… to protect you…” He said softly, and Yuto groaned softly as if he understood.
Even if it was just for tonight, Keito wanted to hold him and never let him go, he wanted to keep Yuto safe here, for as long as he could. Over the past few weeks, he had come to…. love… the boy… the cute way he perks up whenever he plays with the small dogs that are on their neighborhood stroll, the cute way he tries so hard to read books only to forget half of them when trying to talk about them during dinner, even the small way he frowns and pouts when he tries to cook something and it all ends up the same way, a charred black mess. He didn't want any of that to change… and he was so scared that he if let Yuto go tomorrow….
“What is heard… can never be unheard….” He said again as he lay his head just behind Yuto’s head, and he felt the warm comfort of the other boy’s body.
---
Daylight came and in the morning he made Yuto some pancakes, drenched with syrup and a few choice strawberries he cut up. He knew the younger boy was trying to be brave, and put up a smiling front, but… in a way he appreciated it. The minute breakfast was over the boys changed into their day clothes. Yuto had made sure to pick out the long sleeved green shirt with the white collar and a pair of jeans, the same outfit that Keito had told him he loved.
“You didn't have to dress up for me you know…” Keito said wryly, trying to lighten the mood.
“I didn't…” Yuto lied as he grabbed Keito’s bag and handed it to him as the two left the house.
“Now remember, we’re not going to stay for too long a while, there’s supposed to be a huge thunderstorm and lots of rain coming today so I don't want to stay out too long..” Keito said,
“I know I know…”
A short 15 minute ride later, the car pulled up to a gated pure white building, parking in one of the corner spots, Keito held Yuto’s hand as the two of them walked to front office.
“Name?” The nurse asked nonchalantly, clearly more interested in the form in her hand than in the two boys standing in front of her.
“My name is Okamoto Keito, I had spoken to you on the phone earlier this morning?”
“O-Oh! Mr Okamoto! I-I didn't kno-“ She perked up
“I-It’s okay… but… is she ready to be seen?”
“Yes… please… this way…” The nurse gestured towards a hallway. They reached a large metal door one that the nurse had to open with a special keycard, and after a few more steps another door came, one where she had to nod to the security guard before a loud buzzing sound came and the door opened. It was… almost too sterile in the hallway that followed, room after room of pure white doors and walls, room after room of people, pacing back and forth. After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, they stopped and came to a door that read “Nakajima”. The nurse produced another keycard, this one blue instead of the red one she had used earlier. Swiping it against a panel, a light turned green and the door opened. Inside sat a little woman, huddled on her bed, her eyes closed as she seemed to rock herself back and forth on the small mattress. As they approached, the woman looked at them and shirked away.
“Y-YOU! T-THOSE EYES… THOSE EYES! DON'T LOOK AT ME!” She yelled, huddling even farther into the corner.
“Yuto…”
“I-It’s okay Keito… can I… be alone with her…?”
“Bu-“
“Please…Keito..” Yuto said softly, not turning to face him. He didn't want him to see the tears that were about to overflow.
“Is…that okay?” Keito asked the nurse, who nodded
“She hasn’t been hostile, just… quiet… and occasionally loud, but not hostile…”
“Yuto… if you need anything…”
“I wont.” The reply came quickly.
As the door shut Yuto heard the nurse asking Keito to come and fill out the forms for their visit.
“Mom…”
“GET AWAY FROM ME. THOSE EYES…. “
“Mom.. please…”
“ITS THOSE EYES! THOSE SAME EYES THAT LOOKED AT ME LIKE THAT…”
“What… what… happened?”
“Those eyes…. They stared at me…. like I had… like I had hurt him…”
“Hurt… who?”
“Him… the blood…. The way he looked at me… and I looked down… and there was… nothing… nothing… I had stabbed him… I must have… but then… he looked at me… those eyes… those brown eyes that were almost crying…. Those eyes….”
Yuto’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered what she was talking about, babbles kept coming out, but Yuto paid them no attention…. He knew what they were about…
“Those eyes…. My beautiful baby boy…. He’s not normal… he’s not normal… he’s… he’s… dead… he’s dead… he has to be dead… “
“No… Mom… I’m alive… he’s alive….” Yuto pleaded with the hysterical woman.
“NO~! He cant be! HE was stabbed! He was stabbed by me! Yes…. Yes… that has to be it…. The blood… my wound…. I imagined it all… it was him… it was him that I hurt.. my boy.. my boy…”
Yuto stood up now, his face a mess of tears, his mother could never acknowledge him….
“I hate him… those eyes…. The way he looked at me… like I had done it to him on purpose… yes… I hate him…”
Yuto heard her utter, and while he knew she didn't mean it, those words pierced him. Quietly he walked to the door, they had left it open just a crack for him. He closed it behind him, hearing the click of the door and the small beep as the lock engaged. His legs gave out as he collapsed against the door, and his buried his face in his knees, sobbing uncontrollably…..
---
“That's all Mr. Okamoto, thank you for coming!” The nurse pipped as Keito initialed the last of the thirty-something forms. When they walked towards the room again, Keito peered through the small window in the door and panicked as he saw the room held only one person.
“W-Where is he!?”
The nurse called out to the guard who said the boy had left a few minutes ago.
“I thought… he was going outside to meet you….” The guard said as both he and the nurse went through the screens to see if they could catch a glimpse of Yuto.
“He’s gone!” The nurse said, but Keito was already out the door. He went outside to find the car still in its place, but the gate already shut.
“Yuto!” He shouted as loudly as he could, but there came no response.
“Yuto!” He shouted again as he ran to the gate, but there was no one in sight.
Getting quickly into the car he drove out and began to follow the paths, making choices between left or right and hoping by chance he’d find Yuto.
Three hours of searching yielded nothing, he went back to the hospital to see if Yuto had gone there, but there was nothing, he went back to the Okamoto Hospital to see if he had gone there… but there was nothing. He even called home and asked one of the maids if Yuto had been there, but there was…. nothing.
“Young master Keito?” One of the nurses at the front desk asked.
“A-Ah.. H-Have you seen a boy here…. Tall, black hair, brown eyes, skinny…?”
“No… I haven’t, I’m sorry.”
“Where could he have gone… he doesn't know anywhere in the outside except these two places….”
“42-year old male, sustained rib fractures and minor injuries at the crash site…” One of the paramedics rushing in reported, as a doctor came to the gurney. They cut off the mans shirt to inspect the bones, but found nothing.
“W-What… is this?” The doctor asked, confused,
“I-I don't know… I inspected the injuries myself at the crash site, there were definitely broken ribs…”
“This man is perfectly fine… just… unconscious… Sir? Sir can you wake up?”
Keito stood up now, making his way through the scrambling nurses.
“A-a… a boy… there was a boy….” The man gasped
“A boy?” Keito jumped in.
“W-Where was he?”
“B-Bri-“ The man tried to talk but he was too hoarse
“Where did this man come from?”
“Bus accident caused on the Tatara bridge, at least seven cars and multiple injured.” The medic reported and before he could finish, Keito bolted out the door.
The accident site was a mess, cars everywhere and a single large, flipped-over bus sat in the middle. Keito ran past the guards, and into the fray, he ran to the first man he found who had blood, but no cuts.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted, but over the roar of the firemen still putting out the flaming bus, there was no reply. He ran over to the next woman, who had her leg bleeding, but again, with no wound. There was a man with a cut cheek, one with a dislocated shoulder, another with injuries to his hand. There was a woman with a broken wrist, a fractured collarbone, and one with a crushed ankle. All the medical triage tags were there, but none of the injuries were… He ran deeper now, past the bus and saw the cars the large vehicle had shoved forward, and there he saw him…
“Yuto!” He shouted, but the boy didn't hear him.
A poor pitiful looking boy, dressed in tattered green and a pair of sooty jeans was hobbling along the pathway, using the bridge supports as a sort of rail to help him move.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted as he ran towards him, he had to take the long way around a group of three cars and he arrived in time to see Yuto taking on the injuries of a man who lay unconscious in his car. He heard the screams that came out of Yuto’s mouth and he cringed as he saw a bloody cut appear in the small of the boy’s back.
“Yuto stop!” Keito ran in front of him, and was horrified. His face was a mess of blood, a cut seeping with blood across his forehead, his cheek was cut in so many places, and he could see the blood against his green shirt as Yuto clutched his limp arm.
“K-Keito…” Yuto stumbled. Forward.
“Yuto… why? WHY?”
“S-She… she hates me… she doesn't want anything to do with me… my own mother hates me….how can anyone else love me… if she doesn't?”
“Yuto no, she doesn't know what she’s saying… she doesn't know…”
“K-Keito…” Yuto’s words were shaky now as he nearly tumbled over and Keito caught him.
“I love you, I love you Yuto, isn’t that enough? I love you. I love you… I love you…” Keito repeated over and over again.
“K-K-Keito..” Yuto’s body quivered as he drew each breath.
“Yuto, give me half the injuries, give them to me.” Keito demanded, he held the boy’s slender, but blood drenched hand. They were so cold now, almost… like ice.
“Ke-Ke…Kei-“ Yuto could barely talk now, the color was flooding away from his face.
“GIVE THEM TO ME!” Keito screamed desperately, but all Yuto did was smile softly and shake his head.
“Yuto please… please… please…. Let me share in your pain… let me… share…”
"P-Pain... is all... I...h-have... ev-ev-ever...known..i-it's not... for you... to know.."
As he spoke, he could see the life in Yuto’s eyes flickering and he screamed as he held the boy in his arms and ran towards the paramedics, shouting for someone to help him. He felt the blood from Yuto’s body flowing down to his hands and he screamed louder, but no one could hear him.
“SOMEBODY PLEASE!?!” He shouted as he ran past the still-burning bus. In that moment, a loud BANG came and Keito froze. He felt a heavy pain in his chest, as his knees collapsed and he fell forward, dropping the boy in his arms. Clutching his chest, Keito took his hand away and looked at them to see fresh blood, red and glistening. His own blood….
“Help…” He said feebly, but no one could hear him over the roaring fire. He could feel something sticking in his back and he screamed as he pulled it out, with what little strength he had. A large shard of glass shrapnel had been shot through him by the explosion… Breathing became harder and harder as his entire body fell weak instantly and he fell forward onto the cold pavement. Breathing was near impossible now. He knew enough to know that the glass had pierced his heart, and blood wasn't being pumped to his body…. He was going to die…very soon…
He looked at Yuto now, who lay just in front of him, and his eyes widened when he noticed the slender boy was crawling towards him slowly. Keito was too weak to scream or shout at him, and too weak to shake his head. He knew what Yuto was about to do, and he cried helplessly silent tears when he felt Yuto’s hand touch his own and the younger boy looked him in the eye.
“I… I… I L-Love… You… Too…” Yuto said between breaths and As he spoke, the intense weight that Keito felt disappeared and he screamed as the hole in his chest appeared on Yuto’s body.
His body fully restored, Keito held Yuto in his arms as the last bits of life flickered in the boy’s eyes. He screamed louder for someone to help, but no one came.
“Yuto… Yuto! No! No! You cant die! You cant Die!” Keito buried himself in the boy’s shoulder and cried. The gathering rain clouds finally let loose their tears as the waters fell down to earth and streaked the blood away from Yuto’s face.
“Yuto! Wake up! Wake up! You hear me!? YOU CANT DIE!” Keito said the last part more desperately. The rain had washed away all the blood from Yuto’s face, his skin was so pale, and his lips were no longer lively and red, they had almost no color to them anymore. Yuto’s body was cold now, his face almost angelically pure white.
“Yuto… please… don't… die…” Keito sobbed, burying his face in the younger boy’s shoulder. And as he did he heard the last few beats of the heart before it was followed by silence. And in that moment….
Yuto was gone….
---
Wow… this story was…… reaaaaaaally long… IM SO SORRY…… but I just kept writing and this is what came out….
Once again, please let me know what you think, good or bad I can take it! Comments are greatly appreciated, but please don't feel obligated if you don't want to!
~Emmie.
emmachase
Requested by: No One
Title: The Broken Heart - Part 2
Rating: PG-13
Genre: Not really sure... happy... but angsty... ish?
Pairing: OkaJima
Summary:
When Keito discovers Yuto, who's been shut away all his life, what
happens when he helps him come to terms with his past?
Notes: This story is REALLY LONG..... IM SO SORRY..... T_T I just kept writing and thats what came out! T_T
“Where… am I…?” Yuto asked as he woke up, he felt himself laying against a mattress, but not one that seemed as if it belonged to a hospital…
“Where… is this..?” He repeated into the darkness, and this time when he tried to move, he winced again, grabbing his side. The slightest motion of his feet brought about a light ringing sound. He tried to reach for his foot, but couldn't quite make it. With a quick jerk of his leg, he tried to pull it out of whatever sling it was in, but instead caused a huge ringing sound, as if someone had attached bells to his feet.
Suddenly a light in the corner of the room flickered on as a lamp lit the room. Sitting in the corner was Keito, his eyes a bit drawn in and his expression tired.
“Where… am I?” Yuto repeated, and Keito walked over to the bed.
“You’re at my home… I figure… since I obviously cant leave you in the hospital, I have to take you somewhere where you can actually heal… Yuto… what did you do all that for?”
“Pain…. Suffering… “
“Are you in pain right now?”
“No… but that’s all I’ve known my whole life, and that's what I’m used to, it’s what I’m good for… but they never give me any pain… they make me sleep, they make me numb… It’s as if I’m floating along through my life, feeling nothing… but now… I’ve felt it… what I’ve been missing… If only… my body weren’t so weak… I could have had more….”
“Yuto! Don't you understand, the body has its limits, even yours!” Keito shouted.
“These… are not my limits…. I’ve been through much more than this… “
“Yuto… that’s not the point…. That’s not the point at all….. don't you see, there’s more to life than just pain, or healing. There’s so much more!”
“I’ve seen everything that life can throw at the body, this is all there is…. Broken legs, arms, ribs…. Cuts and surgical incisions, concussions and-“
“STOP! Just… stop.”
Keito sat quietly for a moment, trying his best to formulate his words.
“Yuto… please… don't do these things to yourself…”
“Why do you care? This is my life, the way I know it…”
“Because life as you know it is wrong! Because I know it’s wrong! Life isn’t about suffering, it isn’t about being in pain the whole time. It is what you make it, and you can do so much more than just lay in bed, paying for someone else’s mistakes.”
“You don't understand…”
“I may not understand what you’re trying to tell me life is, but in time, I want to make you understand what life really is…. And until then, you’re staying here, with me. And that’s final.” Keito said firmly, as Yuto closed his eyes.
More to life than this? What else is there? This boy, who is he to tell me that I’m wrong, but who am I to tell him that he’s wrong? What does he want from me? Why am I here?
Morning came, the light streaked through white opaque curtains and into the room, waking Yuto up. Looking around now he could see the entire room was a soft shade of jade green, soothing and relaxing. He could see the soft white carpet at the floor, accented by a light rug that sat lazily in the middle, and he could see the earthy brown chair that sat in the corner, empty now save for a magazine that lazily hung off the seat’s edge.
The door swung open now as a very gingerly balancing Keito walked in carrying a tray of bread and fruits.
“Eat.” He said, holding a nectarine slice to Yuto’s lips.
“Eat. You need to heal and part of that is having food so you have energy. So… Eat.”
Yuto obeyed, as he did with the next slice, and the slice after that. He ate the scrambled eggs, the two slices of bread and the small sausages that were given to him, and he drank the tall glass of orange juice as well as the bottle of water Keito insisted upon.
“Now… tell me…. what do you want to watch today?” Keito asked, holding up a few movies. Yuto shook his head, truth be told, he’d never seen any of them, it didn't matter really, it’d all be new to him….
After a few minutes of self-debate, Keito settled upon a comedy. He popped the disc into the player and sat next to Yuto on the bed, leaning against the headboard as he flickered through the menus.
Of the two boys in the room, only Keito watched the movie. Yuto was too tired to care what was going on, he felt drained as usual, and somewhere between the main character proposing and the would-be bride freaking out, he fell asleep, resting gently on Keito’s shoulder. It wasn't until the roar of applause at their eventual wedding that he jerked awake again, the sudden motion giving him a sharp jab in his still-healing ribs.
“Did you sleep well?” He asked, and Yuto nodded.
“Cmon, I think it’s time for some dinner, do you feel okay to walk?” Again, a nod.
Yuto took a step onto the solid ground for the first time that day, his knees almost buckled from the strain his body was under, but he insisted he was okay, walking gingerly out into the living room and finally to a seat at the kitchen table. With some difficulty he leaned forward onto the table and felt the cool glass against his skin.
“What’s good for dinner today?” Keito asked nobody in particular, pulling random ingredients from the pantry. At first, it was fried rice, but then that would be too rough for Yuto’s body. Next, it was omurice, but Keito didn't feel confident enough to make it correctly. Then, it was a night of pizza, but again, Keito deemed it too rough for a patient to be eating. Three options later, they, or rather Keito, settled on Nabe.
“I know it’s not exactly the most flavorful thing…. but it’s good for you.” Keito said as he put more vegetables into the boiling pot.
“I like to start with a small bowl of the soup first, it’ll warm you up” He explained, pulling a ladle full of the stock into a small bowl. Staring blankly, Yuto took the bowl into his hands and put it to his lips, at first it stung a little as the heat touched his lips, but as the hot liquid cooled he drank the whole bowl, feeling its warm contents coat his stomach, warming him from the inside out….suddenly he felt as if a cold heavy weight had been lifted off his shoulders and he turned to look at Keito who nodded knowingly.
Half a head of Chinese cabbage, a few fish cakes, and an infinitely large amount of carrots later the pair leaned back sighing contently. They sat down now at the couch and Keito pulled out a small woven throw to serve as a blanket. He swaddled Yuto in it and smiled as he flicked on the TV. As the night went on, the air turned a bit chilly, and Yuto was grateful for the blanket, but at the same time he felt guilty looking at Keito who sitting in nothing but a pair of shorts and t-shirt. Without a word, he shyly moved over, pulling the blanket off him and threw it around Keito as well. He felt the coldness of the other boy’s skin and he pressed his warm hands against them and sighed. The older boy looked at him now, and smiled as he wrapped his arm around Yuto’s body and the two of them stared at the TV until they fell asleep.
This was the peaceful life that followed for the next few days, each day Keito would wake up, fix breakfast, and by the time he finished, Yuto would be waking up. He would help Yuto hobble his way to the table to have breakfast, and they’d sit together and talk until it was time for Keito to go to work. Yuto promised he’d try to do some stretches and exercises, but he was always too tired to manage anything and went to sleep instead. Slowly but surely, his injuries healed and Yuto felt his energy return.
Life was moving along now, Yuto had taken to reading some of the books that sat stale in the study but he wanted to go out more, if only Keito had the time to take him anywhere. But these days, immediately after work, Keito would appear, dinner in hand and the two of them would eat their dinner and fall asleep.
It wasn't until a notice came in the mail, a summons for Yuto to appear in court for his uncle’s hearing. Though he had ignored it, trying to forget, the day after, another notice came, this time from a lawyer representing his uncle, who had requested to see him.
“Are you really going to go?”
“No…” Yuto lied, he had wanted to meet his uncle at least once after all this. He had to know why all these things he knew of now, were kept hidden from him.
“Okay.” Keito sighed, setting down their dinner for the night, a bento from one of the restaurants that lined the path home. They had discovered somewhere around the middle of the month that Yuto had a liking for basashi, and Keito had made sure to order the bento at least once a week for him.
Eating it now, Yuto felt guilty about lying to him, but it was something he had to do.
Days passed and Yuto made his plans, he had managed to call a taxi to come pick him up, and save some money under the excuse that he was going to order pizza for lunch since Keito wasn't home.
The entire city flew by in a blur until the taxi stopped in front of a large steel gate, two guards standing at the front stopped the car and told them the taxi could go no further. A strict search of his pockets and an overly prying pat down later Yuto walked down the cold grey hallway that lead to the cells in the prison. Past the men that snarled at him, and the single steel door that seemed to be more steel than door, Yuto sat at a small stool that faced a glass wall. Just beyond it his uncle took the opposite seat.
“You’re here to get me out right?” The man said, but Yuto shook his head.
“I’m not.”
“You owe your life to me boy, don't forget that.”
“I don't… I don't owe anything to you…”
“I gave you a home, I gave you a living.”
“What kind of living was it? To make do the things I did. What kind of life did you give me, except one shut up in the room of that hospital?”
“What else would you have done if it wasn't for me? Your parents couldn’t handle you, and you had no one else who wanted you. So I took you in, like the good uncle I was. So what if I asked for something in return?”
“You never treated me like I was your nephew, you never did, you took me in as an investment!”
“That's cause that’s all you were good for! You couldn't pick up any skills to work for me, except to use your ability. No one knew what to do with you, but I saw a chance!”
“So you exploited me…. locked me up in that room.”
“To keep you safe….”
“Safe from what!?”
“To keep you away from all the dangers of the world…. Don't you see all the injuries you’ve taken, are from that horrible horrible place?”
“No…. all the injuries I’ve taken are from your hands….”
“Tch, stupid boy, this world is not as nice as you think it is.”
“Enough! Tell me, where is my mother?!”
“Why? She doesn't want to see you.”
“Tell me!”
“Hmph.”
“Enough Yuto, it’s enough.” Yuto jumped at the sudden voice, he turned around to see the steel door open, and Keito standing in the doorframe, his arm extended.
“Come, let’s go home…. There’s no point in being here anymore.”
Saddly, Yuto knew he was right…. And he stood quietly, and turned away, walking towards the door.
“YOU OWE ME BOY!” A last defiant scream came as the steel door slammed shut.
Yuto never took a single glace back, but nor did he glace at Keito. He was ashamed, ashamed that he had been caught, and ashamed that Keito had to see that side of his… family.
The two boys sat quietly in the car as the driver took them home. Yuto didn't dare to look at Keito, and Keito didn't know how to begin talking. After an excruciatingly long drive home, they arrived and just as they stepped out of the car, Keito grabbed Yuto’s wrist, pulling him in suddenly into a hug.
“It’s enough isn’t it Yuto? To be here?”
“I…”
“It’s enough for you to be here with me? Isnt it?”
“Keito….”
“Why did you go…..?”
“How did you know I’d be there?”
“It’s not hard to see what you’re thinking. So I went… but why did you go?”
“I had to know…”
“Know what?”
“Why… all those things happened to me”
“Oh Yuto…” Keito held on tighter.
“And I had to find my mother… so she could tell me why things ended up the way they did… I haven’t seen her in so many years….”
Keito fell quiet now, and he awkwardly put on a smile as he ushered Yuto into the house and the two boys had their dinner with Keito feeling as conflicted ever.
“Yuto….”
“h-hm?”
“There was… one thing on your uncle’s hospital’s expense list that we couldn't explain…”
“Expense list?”
“When the investigation was launched, since we were the largest hospital corporation, we were in charge of all the auditing, anything strange we found…. would be turned over. While there was a huge amount of money coming in… which…. I know why now… there was one expense that was out of the ordinary…”
“What was it?”
“A fee, for a mental hospital….”
“mental…hospital…?”
Keito set laid his hands on the table now, he knew exactly what was running through Yuto’s head, and he almost hated himself for telling him.
“I-“
“You want to go there…right?”
“Yes…”
“I’ll arrange it in the morning okay?”
Yuto nodded his agreement, and set down his own hands, and the two boys sat quietly now, the heavy burden weighing down on their shoulders. That night the TV never came on and the two boys went straight to bed. Quietly Yuto slipped into his pajamas Keito had bought him, and got into the bed. He turned his back to Keito now, for tonight he wanted to be alone with his guilt.
Here he’s given me so much but here I am trying to…. throw it all away…
In the middle of his thought, he felt Keito’s hand reach over to him, then followed a shifting in the bed and he felt the older boy behind him, holding him in a warm embrace.
“Keito…?”
“Hm..?”
“I don't… I just…. I have to know…”
“I know…”
“Im so happy do be here with you…but I have to know….”
“You don't have to explain…I understand.”
“I just…. want you to know that Im…. I don't want to throw away all that you’ve given me… it’s not that…”
“Yuto…. You should never feel guilty that you’re following what you want to do. If you want to know why it happened, then I support you… okay?”
“Okay…”
“Then for tonight… let’s just… forget about it and enjoy the quiet okay?”
“Okay.”
Yuto closed his eyes and he fell into the warmth that surrounded him. Unknown to him though, Keito never slept a wink that night. No matter how hard he tried, or how many hours he closed his eyes, Keito couldn't fall asleep. Instead he settled for looking at Yuto’s peacefully sleeping face, and he worried instead about all the terrible things that could happen tomorrow. He wanted so much to protect him, and at one point he almost thought of calling the whole thing off…. But he knew Yuto would never forgive him for that…
“I just want… to protect you…” He said softly, and Yuto groaned softly as if he understood.
Even if it was just for tonight, Keito wanted to hold him and never let him go, he wanted to keep Yuto safe here, for as long as he could. Over the past few weeks, he had come to…. love… the boy… the cute way he perks up whenever he plays with the small dogs that are on their neighborhood stroll, the cute way he tries so hard to read books only to forget half of them when trying to talk about them during dinner, even the small way he frowns and pouts when he tries to cook something and it all ends up the same way, a charred black mess. He didn't want any of that to change… and he was so scared that he if let Yuto go tomorrow….
“What is heard… can never be unheard….” He said again as he lay his head just behind Yuto’s head, and he felt the warm comfort of the other boy’s body.
---
Daylight came and in the morning he made Yuto some pancakes, drenched with syrup and a few choice strawberries he cut up. He knew the younger boy was trying to be brave, and put up a smiling front, but… in a way he appreciated it. The minute breakfast was over the boys changed into their day clothes. Yuto had made sure to pick out the long sleeved green shirt with the white collar and a pair of jeans, the same outfit that Keito had told him he loved.
“You didn't have to dress up for me you know…” Keito said wryly, trying to lighten the mood.
“I didn't…” Yuto lied as he grabbed Keito’s bag and handed it to him as the two left the house.
“Now remember, we’re not going to stay for too long a while, there’s supposed to be a huge thunderstorm and lots of rain coming today so I don't want to stay out too long..” Keito said,
“I know I know…”
A short 15 minute ride later, the car pulled up to a gated pure white building, parking in one of the corner spots, Keito held Yuto’s hand as the two of them walked to front office.
“Name?” The nurse asked nonchalantly, clearly more interested in the form in her hand than in the two boys standing in front of her.
“My name is Okamoto Keito, I had spoken to you on the phone earlier this morning?”
“O-Oh! Mr Okamoto! I-I didn't kno-“ She perked up
“I-It’s okay… but… is she ready to be seen?”
“Yes… please… this way…” The nurse gestured towards a hallway. They reached a large metal door one that the nurse had to open with a special keycard, and after a few more steps another door came, one where she had to nod to the security guard before a loud buzzing sound came and the door opened. It was… almost too sterile in the hallway that followed, room after room of pure white doors and walls, room after room of people, pacing back and forth. After walking for what seemed to be an eternity, they stopped and came to a door that read “Nakajima”. The nurse produced another keycard, this one blue instead of the red one she had used earlier. Swiping it against a panel, a light turned green and the door opened. Inside sat a little woman, huddled on her bed, her eyes closed as she seemed to rock herself back and forth on the small mattress. As they approached, the woman looked at them and shirked away.
“Y-YOU! T-THOSE EYES… THOSE EYES! DON'T LOOK AT ME!” She yelled, huddling even farther into the corner.
“Yuto…”
“I-It’s okay Keito… can I… be alone with her…?”
“Bu-“
“Please…Keito..” Yuto said softly, not turning to face him. He didn't want him to see the tears that were about to overflow.
“Is…that okay?” Keito asked the nurse, who nodded
“She hasn’t been hostile, just… quiet… and occasionally loud, but not hostile…”
“Yuto… if you need anything…”
“I wont.” The reply came quickly.
As the door shut Yuto heard the nurse asking Keito to come and fill out the forms for their visit.
“Mom…”
“GET AWAY FROM ME. THOSE EYES…. “
“Mom.. please…”
“ITS THOSE EYES! THOSE SAME EYES THAT LOOKED AT ME LIKE THAT…”
“What… what… happened?”
“Those eyes…. They stared at me…. like I had… like I had hurt him…”
“Hurt… who?”
“Him… the blood…. The way he looked at me… and I looked down… and there was… nothing… nothing… I had stabbed him… I must have… but then… he looked at me… those eyes… those brown eyes that were almost crying…. Those eyes….”
Yuto’s heart skipped a beat as he remembered what she was talking about, babbles kept coming out, but Yuto paid them no attention…. He knew what they were about…
“Those eyes…. My beautiful baby boy…. He’s not normal… he’s not normal… he’s… he’s… dead… he’s dead… he has to be dead… “
“No… Mom… I’m alive… he’s alive….” Yuto pleaded with the hysterical woman.
“NO~! He cant be! HE was stabbed! He was stabbed by me! Yes…. Yes… that has to be it…. The blood… my wound…. I imagined it all… it was him… it was him that I hurt.. my boy.. my boy…”
Yuto stood up now, his face a mess of tears, his mother could never acknowledge him….
“I hate him… those eyes…. The way he looked at me… like I had done it to him on purpose… yes… I hate him…”
Yuto heard her utter, and while he knew she didn't mean it, those words pierced him. Quietly he walked to the door, they had left it open just a crack for him. He closed it behind him, hearing the click of the door and the small beep as the lock engaged. His legs gave out as he collapsed against the door, and his buried his face in his knees, sobbing uncontrollably…..
---
“That's all Mr. Okamoto, thank you for coming!” The nurse pipped as Keito initialed the last of the thirty-something forms. When they walked towards the room again, Keito peered through the small window in the door and panicked as he saw the room held only one person.
“W-Where is he!?”
The nurse called out to the guard who said the boy had left a few minutes ago.
“I thought… he was going outside to meet you….” The guard said as both he and the nurse went through the screens to see if they could catch a glimpse of Yuto.
“He’s gone!” The nurse said, but Keito was already out the door. He went outside to find the car still in its place, but the gate already shut.
“Yuto!” He shouted as loudly as he could, but there came no response.
“Yuto!” He shouted again as he ran to the gate, but there was no one in sight.
Getting quickly into the car he drove out and began to follow the paths, making choices between left or right and hoping by chance he’d find Yuto.
Three hours of searching yielded nothing, he went back to the hospital to see if Yuto had gone there, but there was nothing, he went back to the Okamoto Hospital to see if he had gone there… but there was nothing. He even called home and asked one of the maids if Yuto had been there, but there was…. nothing.
“Young master Keito?” One of the nurses at the front desk asked.
“A-Ah.. H-Have you seen a boy here…. Tall, black hair, brown eyes, skinny…?”
“No… I haven’t, I’m sorry.”
“Where could he have gone… he doesn't know anywhere in the outside except these two places….”
“42-year old male, sustained rib fractures and minor injuries at the crash site…” One of the paramedics rushing in reported, as a doctor came to the gurney. They cut off the mans shirt to inspect the bones, but found nothing.
“W-What… is this?” The doctor asked, confused,
“I-I don't know… I inspected the injuries myself at the crash site, there were definitely broken ribs…”
“This man is perfectly fine… just… unconscious… Sir? Sir can you wake up?”
Keito stood up now, making his way through the scrambling nurses.
“A-a… a boy… there was a boy….” The man gasped
“A boy?” Keito jumped in.
“W-Where was he?”
“B-Bri-“ The man tried to talk but he was too hoarse
“Where did this man come from?”
“Bus accident caused on the Tatara bridge, at least seven cars and multiple injured.” The medic reported and before he could finish, Keito bolted out the door.
The accident site was a mess, cars everywhere and a single large, flipped-over bus sat in the middle. Keito ran past the guards, and into the fray, he ran to the first man he found who had blood, but no cuts.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted, but over the roar of the firemen still putting out the flaming bus, there was no reply. He ran over to the next woman, who had her leg bleeding, but again, with no wound. There was a man with a cut cheek, one with a dislocated shoulder, another with injuries to his hand. There was a woman with a broken wrist, a fractured collarbone, and one with a crushed ankle. All the medical triage tags were there, but none of the injuries were… He ran deeper now, past the bus and saw the cars the large vehicle had shoved forward, and there he saw him…
“Yuto!” He shouted, but the boy didn't hear him.
A poor pitiful looking boy, dressed in tattered green and a pair of sooty jeans was hobbling along the pathway, using the bridge supports as a sort of rail to help him move.
“Yuto!” Keito shouted as he ran towards him, he had to take the long way around a group of three cars and he arrived in time to see Yuto taking on the injuries of a man who lay unconscious in his car. He heard the screams that came out of Yuto’s mouth and he cringed as he saw a bloody cut appear in the small of the boy’s back.
“Yuto stop!” Keito ran in front of him, and was horrified. His face was a mess of blood, a cut seeping with blood across his forehead, his cheek was cut in so many places, and he could see the blood against his green shirt as Yuto clutched his limp arm.
“K-Keito…” Yuto stumbled. Forward.
“Yuto… why? WHY?”
“S-She… she hates me… she doesn't want anything to do with me… my own mother hates me….how can anyone else love me… if she doesn't?”
“Yuto no, she doesn't know what she’s saying… she doesn't know…”
“K-Keito…” Yuto’s words were shaky now as he nearly tumbled over and Keito caught him.
“I love you, I love you Yuto, isn’t that enough? I love you. I love you… I love you…” Keito repeated over and over again.
“K-K-Keito..” Yuto’s body quivered as he drew each breath.
“Yuto, give me half the injuries, give them to me.” Keito demanded, he held the boy’s slender, but blood drenched hand. They were so cold now, almost… like ice.
“Ke-Ke…Kei-“ Yuto could barely talk now, the color was flooding away from his face.
“GIVE THEM TO ME!” Keito screamed desperately, but all Yuto did was smile softly and shake his head.
“Yuto please… please… please…. Let me share in your pain… let me… share…”
"P-Pain... is all... I...h-have... ev-ev-ever...known..i-it's not... for you... to know.."
As he spoke, he could see the life in Yuto’s eyes flickering and he screamed as he held the boy in his arms and ran towards the paramedics, shouting for someone to help him. He felt the blood from Yuto’s body flowing down to his hands and he screamed louder, but no one could hear him.
“SOMEBODY PLEASE!?!” He shouted as he ran past the still-burning bus. In that moment, a loud BANG came and Keito froze. He felt a heavy pain in his chest, as his knees collapsed and he fell forward, dropping the boy in his arms. Clutching his chest, Keito took his hand away and looked at them to see fresh blood, red and glistening. His own blood….
“Help…” He said feebly, but no one could hear him over the roaring fire. He could feel something sticking in his back and he screamed as he pulled it out, with what little strength he had. A large shard of glass shrapnel had been shot through him by the explosion… Breathing became harder and harder as his entire body fell weak instantly and he fell forward onto the cold pavement. Breathing was near impossible now. He knew enough to know that the glass had pierced his heart, and blood wasn't being pumped to his body…. He was going to die…very soon…
He looked at Yuto now, who lay just in front of him, and his eyes widened when he noticed the slender boy was crawling towards him slowly. Keito was too weak to scream or shout at him, and too weak to shake his head. He knew what Yuto was about to do, and he cried helplessly silent tears when he felt Yuto’s hand touch his own and the younger boy looked him in the eye.
“I… I… I L-Love… You… Too…” Yuto said between breaths and As he spoke, the intense weight that Keito felt disappeared and he screamed as the hole in his chest appeared on Yuto’s body.
His body fully restored, Keito held Yuto in his arms as the last bits of life flickered in the boy’s eyes. He screamed louder for someone to help, but no one came.
“Yuto… Yuto! No! No! You cant die! You cant Die!” Keito buried himself in the boy’s shoulder and cried. The gathering rain clouds finally let loose their tears as the waters fell down to earth and streaked the blood away from Yuto’s face.
“Yuto! Wake up! Wake up! You hear me!? YOU CANT DIE!” Keito said the last part more desperately. The rain had washed away all the blood from Yuto’s face, his skin was so pale, and his lips were no longer lively and red, they had almost no color to them anymore. Yuto’s body was cold now, his face almost angelically pure white.
“Yuto… please… don't… die…” Keito sobbed, burying his face in the younger boy’s shoulder. And as he did he heard the last few beats of the heart before it was followed by silence. And in that moment….
Yuto was gone….
---
Wow… this story was…… reaaaaaaally long… IM SO SORRY…… but I just kept writing and this is what came out….
Once again, please let me know what you think, good or bad I can take it! Comments are greatly appreciated, but please don't feel obligated if you don't want to!
~Emmie.