Sequence of Upsets: A Heisei Kumi Fanfic (13/23)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Keito/Shoon (Shoto?), with some side Ariyama and Chiitaro
Rating: R, for violence and dark themes
Genre: Slice of life/Angst
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: Keito has been in the Heisei Kumi for nearly 2 years now. He has a wonderful boyfriend, and he's become a strong fighter and an important member of the Kumi. Life has been good, but life as a Yakuza can never stay peaceful for long. This is a direct sequel to my first Heisei Kumi fic My New Family. This fic may be confusing if you haven't read that one, which you can find here. This fic takes place 8ish months after My New Family ends, so...yeah. I hope you like it!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Over the next day he got many comments from his housemates on his new hair color, but his recreational change was dwarfed a few days later when Chinen was declared well enough to be up and moving about. The news was delivered with the addition that there was to be a meeting in the kitchen that afternoon, and that it was very important that they all attend, as if they weren't already aware that they were obligated to be anywhere Chinen wanted and any time. So they all gathered in the kitchen. They were silent, and there was an underlying tension in the room. Everyone knew why they were there; it was an unspoken understanding among all of them that they were there to discuss Chinen and Ryutaro's relationship.
Keito was very anxious about the discussion. He hadn't seen or spoken with Chinen since their little leader had asked him their housemates’ opinion of his revealed relationship. At the time it had seemed to Keito that Chinen was planning, making decisions, and it made him uneasy. He obviously wasn't the only one; Hikaru was sitting in his place at the table, his hands folding, clenching and unclenching on the tabletop in front of him, causing the tendons in his arms to dance, his muscle rippling with his nervous energy. Yabu had a hand on his shoulder, and he stood behind Hikaru's chair, as if standing guard.
Chinen and Ryutaro were the last to arrive. They entered the kitchen hand in hand, and everyone's eyes caught on their interlocked fingers at once. Chinen was looking much better. His bandages had been reduced just to the shoulder he'd been shot in, his other cuts reduced to new scars. He walked completely on his own, and he took his seat at the head of the table, gesturing for everyone to sit. They did, Daiki and Yamada the slowest moving, still not quite up to their usual form. Chinen was quiet as they all took their seats, and Ryutaro didn't release the grip he had on his boyfriend's hand, his gaze sharp and protective as he looked around at them all. It was just a front, Keito knew. Ryu was scared.
"There's something I've been keeping from you all for a very long time now." Chinen's words were spoken with a strong even tone, but they felt rehearsed, and Keito could feel despair sinking in his stomach as Chinen spoke. "I've been in a relationship with Ryu for...quite a while. We we've been steady now for about a year and a half, but we first got together...when was it?" He turned to Ryu, who blushed a bit, but said
"The beginning of 2008." Chinen nodded.
"As your leader I understand that this was inappropriate, and the fact that it was kept hidden for so long has made it even worse on all of you, and for that I am truly sorry." He took a sweeping glance of all of them, and for a second Keito thought that that was it, and that he was done, but then Chinen dropped the bombshell. "But sorry is just words. All of this has made me realize that I am not suited to be your leader. A good leader would not conduct himself as I have. I am renouncing my position as your leader, and instead I was hoping..." He looked across the table, all the way down to the other end, and he said "I was hoping to give it to you, Hikaru."
"What?! Yuri, no!" Ryutaro was looking at Chinen with such alarm that Keito knew he hadn't been informed of Chinen's decision. Keito was stunned, his mind rejecting the information. Nothing could have prepared him for this. He watched in disbelief as Chinen stood from his chair, taking a few steps to a clear space on the tile before falling to his knees, bowing so that his forehead was touching the floor.
"Please, forgive me for my actions. For everything." He stayed there, in that position on the floor, and for a moment they all just looked down at him, not speaking. Then, Yabu said
"What do we all think about this?" His question was directed at the rest of them, and one by one they all nodded. Keito could barely believe it, yet he couldn't think of another person as well suited for the job of being their leader as Hikaru was, if that was what Chinen wanted. He looked over at Hikaru. His housemate obviously wasn't prepared for the whole ordeal; he seemed uncomfortable, and frantic. Finally, everyone had given their nods of consent but him, and Yabu said
"Hikaru?" He looked over at all of them, asking
"You really want me to be the Kumi-cho?" There were a few nods, and Inoo smiled a bit, saying
"I can't think of anyone better for the job." Hikaru took in a big breath, exhaling loudly, obviously trying to be calm and collected, trying to handle everything responsibly. He sat there in silence for a moment, thinking, and Keito was on edge, but finally, he too nodded.
"Okay." Hikaru looked over to where Chinen was still bowing, kneeling on the floor.
"We forgive you." He looked around at everyone's faces as he said that, and there must have been some slight discontent, because he added
"But, you and Ryutaro aren't allowed to eat with us at the table for the next month. You'll eat separately, one in the living room and one on the stairs, okay?" Ryutaro nodded silently, and Chinen looked up at Hikaru. The older man stood, offering Chinen a hand up, and Chinen graciously took it, once on his feet he said
"Thank you." His words were shaky, and then to Keito's surprise he began to cry, tears running down his cheeks silently. Ryutaro stood from his place at the table, taking Chinen's face and cupping it in both of his hands, and then in front of everyone he leaned in, kissing him. The kiss lasted for a long time, and once it broke Ryu pulled Chinen to his chest, and he muttered
"God, I'm so sorry. I'm so, so sorry. I love you so much you crazy..." The serious tone was broken by Inoo saying in a jokingly over exaggerated way
"Well, that's gonna take some getting used to." They erupted into laughter, relieved that the whole ordeal was pretty much over. The only person that didn't was Ryutaro. His face was blank, and while he kept an arm around his little boyfriend, he didn't seem happy or content. Hikaru looked over at Yabu.
"You know, as Kumi-cho I'm going to need a second in command." He said. Yabu broke out in a grin. "Think you're up for it, Yabuchii?" Keito felt himself smiling, as Yabu nodded.
"Fuck yeah I am." The tall, thin boy threw his arms around Hikaru's neck, and Keito felt relief wash over him. Everything was going to be different. Everything. But it was going to be okay.
That night for dinner there was one last dilemma to be solved, and they all stood around, staring at the seats, all of them that is, except for Ryu and Chinen. They took their spots in isolation without complaint. Keito looked around at the chairs, not liking the silence. Where were they supposed to sit? Hikaru just glanced awkwardly at the seat all the way down at the other end of the table, where Chinen used to sit, not actually sitting down in it. It was Daiki who said
"Kumi-cho! Go get in the fucking Kumi-cho's chair." Hikaru plopped down obediently at the head of the table.
"Yabu gets the other end seat then, right?" Yuto asked. Hikaru nodded, and so Yabu took the spot that Hikaru used to sit at, but everyone else just stood there around the table, at a loss.
"The rest of you, just sit wherever you want tonight, and that'll be the new seating arrangement." Hikaru announced. Without further ado Inoo slid into a seat next to Yabu, Daiki, Yamada and Yuto following suit so that their whole side of the table was taken up. Keito took the seat across from Yuto, next to Hikaru, and Takaki sat down on his other side, leaving space between them for Chinen and Ryutaro once they were allowed back to the table. Hikaru smiled. "Great! Let's eat." To Keito's surprise Shoon didn't show up at all that day, and he resolved to call his boyfriend the next morning-Shoon had to be told about everything that had happened.
Any thoughts he had about calling Shoon the next morning dissipated as soon as he went downstairs for breakfast. He and Yuto were the first ones awake, and together they went downstairs, Yuto telling him all about some dream he'd had where Inoo turned into a bug when they turned the corner and entered the kitchen to see a white cloth folded rather sloppily on the table.
"What's that?" Yuto walked over to the cloth, curious, but Keito stopped, wary, recalling stories his father had told him when he was a child. Old yakuza tales. Yuto pulled gently at one of the corners. "Keito, it's bloody." He looked over to where Keito was still standing a few feet away, and he gestured for him to come closer. "See?" Tentatively Keito took a step forward, peering over at the cloth. Sure enough, deeper in the folds it was stained with blood. He felt a knot of foreboding clench tightly in his stomach, but he couldn't bring himself to stop Yuto as his friend carefully unfolded the fabric. Suddenly, Yuto jumped back, as if bitten, and he cursed loudly.
"Shit!" Keito caught sight of the thing that the fabric had been concealing, and he felt a wave of disgust and nausea wash over him. It was a finger. The top joint of a little finger was lying there in the white cloth, blood from the severed joint having seeped into the fibers. Yuto looked down at the body part in contempt, and a shiver rolled down his spine.
"A fucking finger." He muttered, obviously still not quite believing it. Keito however, began to panic, as a new question came to mind.
"Yuto...who's finger is it?" Yuto looked over at him wide eyed.
"Fuck!" He sent a glance back down at the severed digit, before declaring "We need Hikaru." They tromped back up the stairs, bursting into Hikaru's bedroom. Their new leader was fast asleep, his sheets half thrown off of him on the bed. Yuto shook him roughly.
"Hikaru! Hika, get up!" Hikaru woke with a jolt, his eyes snapping open, and he took one look at their faces and pulled himself to a sitting position, flicking his knife open.
"What is it?! We're not being attacked?!" He looked at them as if they were idiots for just standing there, when there was a supposed enemy in their home. Keito shook his head.
"No, no." Hikaru let out a breath of relief, his bare chest heaving, and he put his pocketknife away. Keito shared a glance with Yuto. "Hikaru...there's a finger downstairs." Hikaru stared up at him from where he was sitting, all wrapped up in his sheets.
"What?"
"There's a finger...on the kitchen table." Hikaru rubbed his eyes with his hands in a weary sort of way.
"Shit. Are you serious?" Keito and Yuto both nodded meekly, and he got to his feet, heading straight down the stairs to the kitchen, where the finger was still sitting in the bloody fabric. Hikaru scooped the whole thing up in the palm of his hand, silently looking down at it for a moment, before muttering
"Fuck." He folded the cloth up around the joint and set it back down on the table, leaning forward and resting his palms on the tabletop.
"Yuto, can you wake everyone up for me please? Keito, tell me exactly what happened." Hikaru looked like he didn't actually want to know, like he already was dreading the story, but Keito told him, and as he did they could hear movement coming from the second floor as Yuto roused the rest of them. Keito was just finishing up his story as Daiki and Yamada came down the stairs. As they gathered they all stood around the kitchen, leaning against the edge of the counter or flopped half awake in a chair. They all seemed confused, but they waited for someone to explain. Yabu and Yuto were the last to arrive, and Hikaru did a quick head count.
"Where're Chinen and Ryutaro?" Inoo stood from his spot at the table.
"They're probably in Chinen's room. I'll get them." He went back into the Kumi-cho's quarters, returning after a minute with a bleary eyed Chinen.
"Ryutaro?" Hikaru asked.
"He wasn't there." Inoo announced. The thin young man stopped, stooping to pick something off of the coffee table, and he handed it to Hikaru. It was a blank white envelope. Hikaru took it, holding it in one hand.
"Has anyone seen Ryu?" They all shook their heads.
"He wasn't in our room when Yuto woke me up." Yabu informed them. Keito felt a sinking dread manifest in his gut.
"What's going on, Kumi-cho?" Yamada's eyes were wide with confusion and concern, his hand gripped tightly in Daiki's, and they all turned to Hikaru for an explanation.
"Yuto and Keito found this this morning." Hikaru pushed the bundle of fabric out into the center of the table. "There's a finger inside. Someone committed yubizume." There was a dead silence, as everyone registered what he was saying. What he wasn't saying.
"Shit." Inoo muttered. Chinen stood up, dashing up the stairs, and the all followed him to the room Yabu shared with Ryutaro.
"RYU!" He searched frantically, and they all stood in the doorway and watched as he pulled all of the dresser drawers open, ripping the sheets off of the bed, desperate, but Ryutaro-and his belongings-were missing. They all turned to look at Hika, and he ripped the envelope open, pulling a page out. There, written in sickeningly familiar handwriting were the words I'm sorry. Hikaru stared down at the page for a moment before announcing
"He's gone."
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