Sequence of Upsets: A Heisei Kumi Fanfic (22/23)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Keito/Shoon (Shoto?), with some side Ariyama and Chiitaro
Rating: R, for violence and dark themes
Warnings: Character Death
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 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21
Keito tucked Shoon back into bed, this time right in the center where he was less likely to fall, picking the pillow up from where he'd shoved it by the bedpost, and quietly he took Shoon's phone from his bedside table, exiting the room. Most of them were still asleep, so he sat down in the hall, his back against the wall, his feet propping his knees up, and for a while he cried a bit more. His decision meant he could no longer deny what was happening. He could no longer avoid Shoon's impending...passing. Or whatever. Fuck.
He looked through Shoon's contacts, finally finding what he was looking for-Shoon had his doctor's personal number. Keito held the phone up to his ear as it rang, taking big, gulping, shuddering breaths to get himself under control. The man picked up on the second ring.
"Yamashita-san?" He sounded weary but concerned. Keito swallowed some phlegm, and he spoke.
"Sorry, I'm not him. I'm his...I-I've been taking care of him."
"You're the lover?" The man asked. Keito was surprised; Shoon had told him about them?
"Yes sir. I'm Keito. Okamoto Keito."
"What's the problem, Okamoto-kun?" What was the problem? Where should he begin? He explained Shoon's condition, the doctor listening intently and asking questions. He explained that Shoon hadn't been taking his medications, and he described this most recent seizure. Once he was finished Keito begged
"Help, please." The doctor didn't respond immediately, and Keito heard him talking to someone else, voice coming through the receiver as if from a distance, and after a minute he must have put the phone back to his ear because his words suddenly sounded strong and clear.
"Okamoto-kun, Yamashita-san needs medical attention. I've got staff setting up a room for him here. Please bring him in immediately." Relief bloomed in his chest, small and subtle, and he nodded, before saying
"Thank you." The doctor sighed.
"I've been anticipating him having to come in soon. It wasn't that big of a surprise to receive your call. When do you think you can be here?"
"Um..."
"Just be here as soon as possible. I'll notify the front desk to have a nurse take him back immediately."
"Thank you sir." Keito said, and the man grunted a bit, hanging up. Keito closed the phone, looking up to see Yabu standing in the hallway. His older housemate had finally been declared better a few days ago, and he was relieved to be up and walking around.
"Who was that?" Yabu asked, pulling Keito to his feet. Keito slipped Shoon's phone into his pocket.
"The hospital." He paused. "I'm taking Shoon in." Yabu stared at him for a moment, taking in what Keito was saying.
"Okay. I'll call a cab." He looked defeated as he said those words, but he just pulled his own cell phone out of his sweatpants pocket and clapped Keito on the shoulder, taking off down the stairs, obviously going to inform Hikaru of Keito's decision. Keito meanwhile, returned to his bedroom, opening the door to find Shoon curled up in the sheets, still fast asleep, and he sat up next to him, legs pressed up against Shoon's warm back, and he nestled one hand into Shoon's hair, feeling the texture of it, just sitting there in silence, listening to the inhales and exhales of Shoon's breathing, and he already felt so drained, but the day had just begun.
He was finally dozing off when Yabu opened the door.
"The taxi is here." Keito nodded, unfurling himself from his position on the bed, and he ran a gentle hand along Shoon's back, hoping to rouse him from his sleep. The action however, garnered no response. He put a hand on Shoon's shoulder.
"Shoon." He shook it gently. "Shoon!" Still nothing. He shook harder, fear welling up in his chest-but then Shoon groaned, his eyes fluttering open, and Keito let out a sigh of relief. Keito sat back on the bed, waiting for Shoon to get his bearings, and he watched as the smaller man pieced his situation together, rolling slowly and deliberately onto his back, trying to sit up, to push his body up with his arms, but either due to difficulty controlling his body, or due to his muscle deterioration, he couldn't lift himself. He looked over at Keito, confused and scared.
"What...?" He didn't need to finish his sentence.
"There's a taxi waiting downstairs. We're going to the hospital." Keito told him, gently pulling Shoon up so that he was sitting. Shoon frowned, but he didn't protest. Keito got to his feet, scooping Shoon up in his arms. It used to be difficult to carry him, he had been so dense, all sinew and hard muscle, and his added weight would make Keito even clumsier than he naturally was before holding him in his arms. Now however, he had lost so much muscle that Keito could snatch Shoon from the bed as if he were made of twigs. He hitched one arm underneath the backs of his boyfriend's knees, the other wrapping around his shoulders, and he took a few strides, exiting their bedroom.
He paused at the top of the stairs, looking down, and Shoon looked back up at him with those big doe eyes of his, and Keito could smell his shampoo, and something else that was uniquely Shoon, and it was comforting. And when Shoon tilted his head and blinked, Keito knew that his boyfriend was anxious, seeking comfort. He leaned in, kissing him gently as he held him to his chest, and once they broke away Keito steadily made his way down the stairs.
Once he had reached the bottom however, a voice called out
"Keito?" He turned. It was Yuto, his best friend looking down the stairs, confused and concerned. His words caused Yamada-still sleeping on the couch due to his pretend fight with Daiki-to stir. "What's going on?" There was no longer any point in hiding anything.
"I'm taking Shoon to the hospital." Yuto flitted down the stairs, frowning.
"What's the problem? I don't-"
"I'll explain. Go on ahead, Keito." Yabu offered, and Keito had never been more grateful toward anyone than he was in that moment. Yabu caught Yuto by the shoulder, and Keito maneuvered past the two of them, out the door, and into the waiting taxi. By this point Shoon was wide eyed, holding Keito's hand and looking out the window quietly, taking the world outside in as they rode, something almost childlike in the way he leaned up against Keito's side.
Once they reached the hospital, Shoon tried to exit the cab on his own, but his attempts were clumsy, and Keito rushed to grab him before he hurt himself, carrying him. Shoon frowned as they walked toward the entrance to the building.
"They're just giving me a check up, right? I don't want to stay here." Keito said nothing, just pulling Shoon's body a little closer to his chest and walking into the building.
It was quiet, only a few patients waiting in the front, and the lady behind the reception desk made eye contact with him before getting to her feet and calling out to someone behind her. He recognized her, he'd seen her when he'd come with Shoon for his regular checkups. She had always flirted with Shoon a bit; she was middle aged, and they had seemed to get along well. Now she looked a little upset. But the nurse she had been talking to nodded and Keito spotted a gurney out in the hallway, waiting. The doctor must have prepared the staff for Shoon's arrival.
A team of other nurses burst through the door, wheeling the gurney over, and Keito felt Shoon tense up in his arms. He too was tense, but he knew that for his boyfriend it was much worse. Shoon looked up at him, his eyes wide, confused and afraid, and Keito leaned in, pressing a chaste kiss to his lips.
"I love you." He muttered, as the medical staff pulled Shoon's body from his arms, quick and efficient. Shoon reached out for his hand, and Keito took it, intending to go back with them, not wanting to leave Shoon alone, but one of the ladies cut him off, separating him from the pack as they took Shoon back into the bowels of the building.
"I'm sorry sir, but if you are not family you cannot go past this point until further notice." Keito protested.
"He doesn't have any family! I'm his boyf-caretaker. I've been looking after him, he needs me." I need him. She apologized again, but she held her ground. Frustration welled up in his chest, and he-for the first time ever-wanted to hit something. Specifically a person. He wanted to be able to put blame on someone for this, to be able to defeat them, deliver justice, because this-Shoon so close to death and alone and him trapped here-was anything but. Hot tears ran down his cheeks, and he felt his whole body shaking, his hands clenched into fists, and he forced himself to take a few deep breaths, stepping away from the nurse, and he threw himself into a chair. He was stuck out there, waiting.
The room's other occupants were all staring when they thought he wasn't looking, but he couldn't bring himself to care if he had been making a scene. He sat in silence, frustrated and afraid and grieving, and he wasn't sure how much time had passed-ten minutes? An hour? When he felt Shoon's phone alert him of an incoming call in his pocket. It scared him at first, he was unused to carrying a phone, but he pulled it out, putting the device to his ear.
"Hello?" It was Yabu. Keito swallowed a ball of snot and fresh tears and he responded.
"Hi."
"What's going on? How is he?"
"I...I don't know. They won't let me back with him." Yabu cursed in response, his voice sharp and angry. There was a pause, the two of them mutually frustrated and scared, before Yabu said
"Hikaru just told everyone. Even Ryutaro came down for the meeting." He paused. "Some of them want to go to the hospital..." Keito didn't know what to say. He didn't know how he was supposed to respond so he just didn't. "Hikaru and I were thinking we'd let you two have a bit of time before all nine of us show up. We all want to be there, but...we don't want to overwhelm him. Besides, some of them...they didn't handle it well." Daiki or Yuto probably. Or was it some of the others? Keito numbly thought. There were words coming out of his mouth, and he hadn't been aware he'd been thinking about Yabu's proposition until he was already responding.
"I'll see what the doctors say, and if they let me I'll talk to him and call you back with what Shoon wants as soon as I can."
"Okay." Yabu sounded exhausted, and he didn't waste his breath on a goodbye before hanging up the phone. Keito stared at the little electronic device for a moment, taking in its black plastic, boxy form before shoving it back in his pocket. He thought back over their conversation. So everyone knew now; no more hiding and keeping secrets. He didn't think he would've had the energy to do it anymore anyway. He was stuck in a state of suspense, waiting to hear from the hospital staff, his own body feeling heavy, but himself unable to relax.
He was broken out of his stressed, hyper aware state when he heard footsteps approaching, coming closer than any of the other katagi had dared, and he looked up to see a doctor walking his way. It was a man old enough to be his father, wire glasses resting on a rather rounded nose, his hair just beginning to show gray. He was tall, over 180 cm, and when he reached Keito he said
"Are you Okamoto-kun?" His voice was familiar-this must be the man Keito had spoken to on the phone-and Keito leapt from the chair, a nervous energy running through him.
"Yes." At Keito's confirmation he nodded, motioning for Keito to join him. They walked side by side, he led Keito through the two double doors into the depths of the hospital, and from there it was all clean white hallways and fluorescent lights, and as they walked the doctor spoke.
"We've done a physical examination, and we've got Yamashita-san on fluids and painkillers. He was reluctant to cooperate until he was assured that you would be allowed to stay with him. At this point in his progression there is not much else we can do."
"At this point in his progression, sir?" Keito couldn't help but ask, dreading hearing the prediction, but also afraid not to. The older man sighed.
"Yamashita-san's current state is not good." He was avoiding the question.
"How long does he...have?" Keito felt sick, nausea washing over him, dread pulling on his organs, and he stopped walking, facing the doctor. The medical man looked very solemn, as if world weary, and it was after a long pause that he said
"Perhaps a week." He sighed. "But it could be as close as the next forty-eight hours." Keito immediately mentally rejected that diagnosis, a fresh wave of tears running down his cheeks despite himself. He didn't even truly listen to the man's words. He had to be lying, and if he was lying then Keito didn't want to listen to him speak. He just wanted to see Shoon. His feelings must have been perceived by the doctor because he led Keito to Shoon's room, leaving him standing by the door. Tentatively Keito peeked his head in. It was a private room, to his surprise. Shoon looked much like he had at home; the only difference was that now he was in a hospital gown, an IV in his arm and a medical bracelet on his left wrist. His bed was surrounded by machines, one monitor steadily measuring his heart rate, the little green line spiking and falling in an even pattern.
Keito wiped his tears and approached the bed, and as he did, Shoon opened his eyes, his head resting on his pillow, and he feebly reached out for Keito. Keito crouched by his bed, offering Shoon his hand, and Shoon took it, squeezing it gently, and within moments he was once again asleep. He laid extremely still, his hair lying neatly around his face, his hand still gripping Keito's as he slept. The steady beep of the heart monitor was reassuring, and Keito took deep breaths, trying to make sense of what he was feeling and failing. He stayed crouched there until his knees ached and his whole body was stiff. He only moved when he felt a hand on his shoulder.
It was Chinen, the petite man had a hospital chair hooked over one arm, and he nudged Keito with it, forcing him into the plastic seat. Keito looked up at his former leader from where he sat, and he squeezed Shoon's hand a little bit tighter, listening to the beep beep beep of the heart monitor.
"Thank you." He said, bowing a bit, and Chinen just blinked at him before peering over his shoulder, and Keito followed his gaze to see Ryutaro, still looking beaten, his bruises having bloomed and spread as they healed, the result a patchwork of violets and greens and yellows, and Keito was surprised to see him there. Ryutaro was not well, still confined to his bed at home. But Chinen took his younger boyfriend by the hand, and they joined Keito by Shoon's bedside, not really speaking, just sitting there and watching as his chest rose and fell with every breath.
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