Hubris - Chapter 3/? [The Gazette - Reita/Ruki; Reita/Aoi (one-sided); to be revealed]
Title: Hubris
Author: pelting_rain
Rating: NC17
Genre: Violence | AU | Smut | Action | Romance | Slight Fluff | Angst | Slight Humour
Chapter: Chapter 3/?
Warnings: Generally Violence | Perverted/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: This chapter might be a bit dry, but the little actions all build up to something exciting and shocking. (= So bear with me, my dears! And sorry for the late update, I fell sick today. :x It sucks, but hopefully I'll be able to write out 4 by tomorrow. :D
Previous Chapters:
[Chapter 2]
[Chapter 1]
[Prologue]
Ruki stirred uncomfortably in his sleep. He was lying face down on the bed, and a certain annoying pressure was exerting itself on his back. No, wait- there was one across his legs as well. Ruki groaned and shifted to his side, summoning all his strength to crack an eye open. Sleep was still evident in his eye, making his vision blurry. Rubbing the sleep away, Ruki’s vision returned and he stared at the presence in front of him.
The blonde had no clothes on, and he was laid sprawled across the bed. Apparently one of his arms and legs landed on Ruki in the middle of the night, and Ruki took a couple of moments to register who he was.
“Oh, daayuum! Get the hell off me!” Ruki shouted almost instantly and shoved Akira off the bed.
The blonde fell onto the floor with a loud thud, and sat up in a frantic.
“Whut?!” Akira looked desperately around for any signs of a fire or earthquake, but heaved a sigh of relief when he realized it was just the annoying brat. “Oh, you. How are you feeling?”
“How am I feeling? How do you think I’ll feel when a guy without his shirt on sneaks up to my bed in the middle of the night and wakes up having his limbs all over me?”
Akira cleared his throat, and raised his index finger to emphasize his point.
“First off, this is my bed. Secondly, what’s the big deal about sleeping without shirt on? It’s much cooler this way. And thirdly, honestly kid, it’s your loss I haven’t done anything to you, yet.” Akira licked his lips upon finishing his statement, and Ruki felt a shiver down his spine. It was going to be misery living in this house.
“H-how the hell did I end up here anyway?” The last thing Ruki could ever register was him baking with Kai in the kitchen, and the next thing he knew, he was on the bed with this asshole lying right next to him.
“You had a major headache. A flashback, I’d say.”
“Flashback…?” And that was when it struck Ruki.
“Does it feel better now?” There was a smile on his lips as they pulled away. The water was still running on his scalded hand, but the kiss he received seemed to have cured it all.
“Yeah, baby.”
“Shit…”
“So, did the memories return?” Akira was hopeful.
“A part of it…” Ruki tried to grasp hold of his memories once more, and he gave a gasp at his discovery.
“Well? What do you remember?”
“I... there was running water, and… I… I had a lover…” Ruki shook his head, in hope that the movement would drive away his headache.
“Do you know what he looks like? Maybe we can start searching, or something.” Akira trailed off at the sight of a troubled Ruki, and put an end to the conversation. “Your brain would appreciate it if you stop thinking, so do a favor to yourself.”
Akira got up and rubbing the dust off his boxers, proceeded into the bathroom.
“Oh yeah, Ruki.” Akira called out from the bathroom entrance, “Go wash up. We’ll be touring the district within these few days.”
“Find anything familiar here?” Akira asked, keeping his focus on the road at the same time. They were driving through the busy streets of Fukuoka, Akira’s idea of helping Ruki retrieve any memories.
Ruki scowled and shook his head. He didn’t like being confined in a car together with someone like Akira.
“I don’t even know why we’re doing this”
“Be-cuz, we need your memories to come back to you so you can get the fuck out of my house.”
Ruki rolled his eyes.
“If you want me to get the fuck out of your house so badly, why don’t you just kick me out already?” Ruki muttered under his breath.
Akira stumbled into his house and dropped sprawled across his couch in exhaustion. They had spent the entire day touring the streets of Fukuoka, from busy streets and office districts to dirty alleyways and the city. It was all futile- Ruki couldn’t remember shit. Did he not live in Fukuoka? That was a possibility, but Akira didn’t allow himself to dwell deeper into any of those thoughts.
Akira heaved a sigh as he got up from the couch, only to realize Ruki was staring at him.
“What?”
“Do you wear that all the time?” Ruki pointed at the noseband around Akira’s features, before earning a scowl from the addressed blonde.
“No, I take it off in the shower- the material’s thick, so it takes a long time for it to dry.”
“You wear it to sleep?”
“No, it constricts breathing too much.”
“Why the hell do you wear that anyway?” Akira felt a vein burst, and his hands went up, landing a blow on the coffee table. The loud sound of fist connecting with glass startled Ruki, eliciting a harsh jerk from him.
“What? Now you become some curious little asshole?”
Ruki shook his head mildly, making a mental note not to ask such questions again.
Akira slapped his forehead at his gesture, remembering how Kai wanted him to treat Ruki nicely. After all, that brat had lost his memories. No one would feel good about that.
“I’m sorry.” Akira mustered all his strength to force the apology out, and while Ruki was surprised, Akira was drop-dead shocked himself.
He had never apologized in his entire mafia life- not after his parents perished, and not after he changed. The old Akira he knew was gone- at least, he made sure it disappeared- and he always stuck to the same principal. It was either to prey, or to be preyed on.
To survive in this cold, harsh world, one needs to know every possible skill of survival, and eventually, the reality. Living in a world of imagination only allows the enemy to take advantage of this fact, and you’ll be outed in no time. To stay alive, you have to eliminate your opponent, before he strikes. And to achieve this fact, you’ve got to become stronger, more powerful. And with such theories, he knew it was Mr Good Guy no more.
Many years ago, Reita: Age 14. Timeline: After the Suzuki’s deaths and burning of the manor.
“I want in.”
A chuckle rang aloud in his ears, and the laugh dripped with thick mockery.
“You? You’re just a kid.” The man in front of him laughed out, and his eyes were painted green with greed and envy. Akira assumed they were all the same- mafias. They live to kill, and to witness the misery of their victims. Granted, it was cruel, but it made them stronger- and that was what Akira needed. “What can you do?”
“The age doesn’t matter, as long as we kill, no?”
The huge guy seemed to be taken aback by Akira’s determined statement, but nodded his head in understanding. It was true, what Akira had said. As long as you have the strength and the ability to kill, the headquarters don’t give a shit if you were paralyzed.
“Fine. Well then, welcome to the Hayato, Suzuki.”
They were walking down the familiar streets of Fukuoka once more, with Akira walking in front and Ruki tagging behind. The taller blonde kicked a rock in front of him, sending it rolling over the cement path. The weather was warm despite the evening wind, and Akira was starting to get exhausted.
It was the second time they were doing this- touring the district of Fukuoka the entire day and to no avail. Ruki just couldn’t seem to remember anything, and the only part of the memory he recovered was with someone. A lover? Reita caught a glimpse of Ruki from the corner of his eye. The shorter blonde’s attention was on the ground in front of him, and his brows were furrowed together- as if deep in thought.
Akira’s hand came up to toy with his noseband, a habit he had adopted whenever he felt bored, or rather amused. This time, however, it was neither. It came to him as a shock when he realized it was worry. Akira’s eyes ran over Ruki’s body, and his face itself. The shorter blonde had a nice figure, and Akira’s clothes were almost a size bigger than his. His figure seemed to glow under the setting sun, and Reita realized he had never seen Ruki in such a light before.
“What are you staring at?” Ruki noticed the pair of eyes scanning him across, and it sent a shiver down his spine. He didn’t like people studying him- especially not someone like Akira.
“Nothing.” The taller blonde shrugged nonchalantly, before directing his attention elsewhere.
As if out of the blue, Akira felt a chill abruptly. He felt his hair standing from root to tip, and goose bumps rose. It was a weird sensation.
“C’mon, let’s go home.” Akira turned on his heels to head to his car, but he stopped in his tracks when he realized Ruki wasn’t moving.
“You go ahead, I want to stay out a bit.” Ruki was puzzled by Akira’s sudden want to return home, but asked nothing. He wanted to stay out for some fresh air, instead of being locked up inside that apartment all day long.
“Wait,” Ruki turned to continue walking, but he jerked when he felt a hand around his wrist “You don’t know the way home.”
Ruki raised his eyebrows as he stared at how Akira was holding him back with his hand, but rolled his eyes in irritation.
“Yes I do, I might have lost my past memories but no way in hell am I diagnosed with Short-Term-Memory.” Ruki pointed at his temple to emphasize his point “Now stop being so clingy and let go of me already.”
Akira retracted his hands quickly when he realized he was holding Ruki rather tightly, but there was no time for hesitation.
“Wait, I’ll come with you.”
Ruki frowned at the sudden act of kindness, but shrugged away his doubts and continued walking, with Akira tagging behind this time. The path eventually led them to a secluded park, and not a soul was in sight.
Ruki sat himself down on the bench, sighing in contentment as he relaxed into the wooden furniture. He liked the peace, the scenery, and especially the air. Every time he inhaled, it felt as if he was a step closer to recollecting his memories of the past. His mind gradually wandered to the fact that he had a lover.
Think, Ruki, think. He mentally slapped himself when he realized he was using the nickname given to him by Akira, but he didn’t dwell in the fact for long. You have a lover, how does he look like? What other things do you do together? Are the both of you still in a relationship? Is he searching for you?
Akira shot glances around the park suspiciously. He wasn’t unfamiliar to the sensation he had felt earlier on- it was the feeling of being watched closely. It had occurred to him many times in the past, and his intuition had never once been wrong. He knew someone was stalking them now, and he was certain he- or she- bears no well intention.
The fact that there was no one around was bad news- the park was secluded, and there would be no one to call the police if anything goes wrong. That is, if Akira would lose control of the situation. He had not the least idea of the numbers of his opponents, but it was better to be safe than sorry.
Akira deduced there were about five to ten of them, at the most. The weaker opponents always came in larger numbers, but the stronger ones were fast and accurate, and it would take less than a few moments for their targets to be shot from afar. He knew his enemies this time were weaker, since snipers would have shot him the moment he stepped out of his house.
The only strategy that can be used now is to lure the prey into their territory, where they have the upper control. Akira knew he was in the tiger’s den now, and his opponents would strike anytime they want. Akira made small, unnoticeable movements to spread his legs wide so that he could launch anytime, and his hands went around to feel for his gun that was hung on his belt.
The bullets were loaded, and his stance was alert and ready to strike. He let his gaze travel to Ruki, but it didn’t take more than a second before six bullets were sent flying past him. Three landed on the bench, and three landed on the ground. Akira shoved a shocked Ruki to the ground, and kicked the wooden bench off balance. He made sure Ruki was entirely covered by the furniture, before withdrawing his gun.
Six men dressed in black jumped out from their ambush and headed straight for Akira, guns firing throughout. The bullets missed time and again, and Akira almost smirked to himself at how weak the shots were. The taller blonde fired twice, both bullets landing on his target’s forehead. There wasn’t enough time for him to aim and shoot the other four killers, and he could only summon his combat skills for the moment.
He delivered punches to the stomach and kicks to the abdomen, and the fact that he was outnumbered was never a problem. The killers were taken out in a few moments, leaving Akira the only standing- but breathless- person on the field. Akira was certain they weren’t from the mafias- Mafioso’s were a hell lot of stronger, and they usually knew better than to offend another player in the game. He assumed they were just amateurish gangsters, and he scoffed at the pathetic sight of his killers.
He seemed to jerk back to reality when he remembered the small blonde behind the bench. Akira took long strides over to the bench, revealing a dazed blonde. Akira sighed at how the situation turned out to be- he never wanted Ruki to know he was one of the mafia, or a leader at that. It was one way to conceal Akira’s identity, and to protect Ruki at the same time.
“Hey.” Akira gave a light tap on Ruki’s shoulder, but when he received no response, Reita heaved a sigh. Ruki was clearly shaken at the fight that had just occurred, and any other human beings would have fainted from the sight of blood and actual violence. Akira lifted Ruki up and off the ground- they needed to leave this place- especially when danger was still lurking in the tiger’s den.
“W-what just happened?” Ruki asked unsurely when Akira dropped him on his bed. Ruki seemed to have returned to the reality after the shocking incident, and Akira kneeled on the ground before the shorter blonde. In one way or another, Akira felt guilty for bringing upon to Ruki, and for revealing his identity to the latter. It was his carelessness that had caused the entire incident to happen. If he had been more vigilant, he could have taken his opponents out sooner and in discretion.
“Look, I think you need to know this.” Akira inhaled deeply, preparing himself for the confession. “I’m in the mafia.”
“Uh… okay…” Ruki looked surprised, but he didn’t let the emotion be projected so clearly.
“And what had happened just now was just another fight- they’re kind of common in our days.”
There was a pause as Ruki tried to digest the given information.
“So… you mean there’ll be more fights in the future?”
“Y-yeah, I guess.”
“Woah.”
“I know.”
“What does it feel like to be in the mafia?”
“You ask how it feels like?” Akira scoffed as he headed towards the bathroom. “It’s complete hell.”