You Found Me: a Heisei Kumi Fanfic (13/19)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Takachii, Chiitaro
Rating: R/NC-17
Warnings: Consensual sex between minors, Violence, Minor Character Death
Genre: Slice of life/Coming of age
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone. The end.
Summary: This is the story of how little Chinen Yuri grew from a young, homeless boy to the leader of a faction of a growing Yakuza group; and learned a lot about life, love, who he was, and what he wanted in the process.
A/N: So this is another instalation in my Heisei Kumi AU! You do not need to have read any of the other fics in that AU to read this one, as this one introduces the world through Chinen's eyes. If you're curious about it however, I have written 6 other fics for this AU, 3 multi-chaps, and 3 oneshots. You can find them at my Lj, their titles are: My new Family, A Kumi-cho's Duty, The Kumi-cho is...me?, Gaining Your Love, The Christmas Acquisition, and Sequence of Upsets. Please take a look if you'd like! ALSO, if you have read some of my other Kumi fics, and are wondering where this one fits in the timeline, this one takes place a couple of months after The Christmas Acquisition, starting in the spring of 2006, and going on from there!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12
Chinen sat up playing card games with the rest of the boys that night, them all trickling up to bed one by one, Takaki leaving when Hikaru and Yamada called it quits, leaving Chinen down with the others with a wave and a yawn.
Eventually it was only Chinen, Yuto, and Taiyo left playing, Chinen wasn't really focused on the game, his thoughts wandering between their conversation and speculation about what Ryutaro was doing; if he'd actually been reunited with his brother. Soon Taiyo too called it quits, Yuto having already fallen asleep there slumped onto the table, his hand of cards face up, smushed under his cheek. Taiyo gently scooped up his roommate in his long lanky arms, holding him tightly to his chest and murmuring a low good night to Chinen before ascending the stairs up to their shared bedroom. He tripped over the top step of the landing, Chinen heard his body thump against the wall as the older boy slumped against it to support himself, and he shook his head in embarrassment for him, getting up and beginning to clean up their card game, yawning. He too was ready for bed.
He was halfway up the stairs himself, when the front door swung open, Ryutaro slipping inside, his nose red from the cold. Chinen immediately tromped back down to the bottom floor, Ryu shutting the door as quietly as possible before catching Chinen's gaze with his own, Chinen feeling that now-familiar zap of electricity run through him, and he couldn't help but ask
"So...what happened? Did you find him?" Ryutaro broke out in a smile, and he nodded, rubbing his hands together to warm them from the chill the September night brought with it. Chinen felt himself smiling too, genuinely happy for the younger boy. "That's great! Tell me about it." Ryutaro blinked at him for a moment.
"I-yeah, okay. But here-" He gestured to the stairs, taking a step toward them. "-follow me; I've gotta do something in my room." Chinen nodded, and they climbed the steps single file, Ryu continuing on to say "We'll have to be quiet and try to not wake Yamada up. He freaks out when you wake him up by mistake." Chinen nodded. He'd heard about some of Yamada's weird quirks; the product of some kidnapping he'd been through before he'd come to their Kumi.
They breached the stairs and turned left, going to the room past Takaki and Chinen's, Ryu letting Chinen inside, and they tiptoed around, Chinen seating himself by one of the dressers. He settled in, watching the younger boy flit around the room, listening as Ryutaro talked while he dragged out a box and began stuffing clothing into it.
"They found Shintaro at a fast food joint across the river." Ryutaro told him. He elaborated, but as Chinen had never gotten the full story before, Ryutaro's words left some explanation to be desired, holes in Chinen's understanding that didn't go away as Ryu continued. "He'd been adopted by a new family, but I hadn't, and he'd eventually run away. He'd actually been making his way across the country, trying to go back to our old town. But he said when he'd heard that I'd left the orphanage he didn't know what to do. So he'd just been trying to stay away from the authorities." He sighed, stopping in cramming things into his box and leaning back on his heels. "He's an idiot." He muttered affectionately.
"I'm glad you found him; he's not starving or anything?" Chinen asked, but then they both froze as Yamada shifted in his bed, waiting with baited breath, but their housemate didn't wake up.
"No, he's fine. If there's one thing the kid knows how to do it's eat." Ryu assured him, throwing a few last things into the box. Chinen had to ask
"What's all of this?" He gestured to Ryu's box. "Are you giving him everything you posses?" Ryutaro snorted, dragging the box over to the doorway and Chinen helped him pick it up, the two of them carrying it out into the dark hallway. It was only once they were out of the room, the door shut soundly behind them that Ryutaro responded
"No." He paused, adjusting his grip on the box as they neared the stairs. "I'm leaving." Chinen froze. "I never planned to stay; I just wanted to find my brother. Now that I've found Shin I have no reason to be here." Ryutaro's words were very matter of fact. Chinen found himself suddenly extremely upset, his grip tightening on his end of the box, and he stood there at the top of the stairs, fighting back tears, his breathing ragged. Ryutaro moved to start down the stairs, but Chinen stayed put, his head tucked to hide his face, as an immense wave of despair washed over him.
"Hey-what the fuck's up with you?" Ryutaro seemed caught off guard by Chinen's sudden stillness, and when Chinen looked up at the younger boy he could have sworn he saw concern on his face. Chinen just shook his head, motioning for Ryu to go down the stairs, and as they maneuvered down as quietly as they could. All he could focus on was the younger boy's face, the mop of dark hair and the curve of his cheeks and those eyes that had kept him riveted since their introduction, and the fact that he was leaving. It was only once they reached the bottom that he spoke, as Ryutaro took the box into his arms completely, Chinen letting go.
"Don't go." He says, the words out before he can even consider them, and it’s not like him to be this emotional, but he can't-won't-stop himself. When he wants something he goes after it, even if he doesn't understand why. Ryutaro raised his eyebrows in surprise at that statement. "I know he's your brother, but you belong here! I mean...I want you to stay." Ryutaro sighed again, pulling the box just a bit tighter to his chest, not backing down. "We-we're friends or something aren't we?" Chinen finds himself saying. And though they'd never acknowledged that they were anything really, it was how he felt. They were great friends. He liked Ryutaro, held more affection for him than anyone he'd ever met, and it was crushing him right now, that previously ignored affection so heavy in his chest he felt he would double over with the weight of it. Ryutaro frowned, looking troubled.
"Chii...I've got to go. I am going." He adjusted his grip, pulling the front door open, not looking back as he left. Chinen felt a physical pain in his chest as the younger boy walked out the door, as if something inside of him was breaking, and he slumped to the floor, curling in on himself. He didn't understand why it hurt so much, why he felt all of these miserable feelings inside of him; all he knew was that his sense of abandonment had never been stronger. He rarely ever cried; it was something he prided himself on-his ability it to keep himself together-but he was crying now, the tears streaming down his cheeks thick and fast, and he must have made some noise because Shoon's door opened, and he silently came out, gently scooping Chinen up in his arms.
"I-I don't know." Chinen told him, the older boy's big knowing eyes blinking down calmly at him, and the leader nodded, saying gently
"Do you want to go to bed?" Chinen nodded into his shoulder.
"My bed." The phrase came out rough with his tears, but Shoon nodded, taking him up to his room, and soon he was being tucked into bed. All of the movement woke Takaki, the older teen blinking up at them confusedly in the darkness.
"Chinen's not feeling well." Shoon murmured, and Takaki immediately wrapped a warm, comforting arm around him, pulling Chinen to him.
"Nightmare?" He asked, his voice still husky from sleep. Chinen just nodded; it was easier than explaining. Takaki let him snuggle up close. "It's going to be alright." He declared, placing a kiss on Chinen's forehead. "I'm here." Exhausted, distressed, and drained, those words were the last thing he heard before Chinen fell into the welcome escape that was sleep.
He woke late the next morning, Takaki already semi dressed and ready for breakfast when he finally opened his eyes. The older man kissed him, hugging him and wishing him a good morning with a smile. Chinen tried to smile back, still somehow utterly miserable, hollow and empty inside, and he let Takaki lead the way to the kitchen for breakfast, he himself dragging his feet, not feeling hungry. Still too hurt to want to eat. The emotional roller coaster he'd been through seemingly wasn't finished however, because when he got downstairs he heard a familiar voice say snarkily
"We'll if you weren't as big as the fucking Tokyo Tower then-" Chinen rounded the corner in time to see Daiki whacking Ryutaro over the head with an empty plastic cup in violent retaliation for his teasing of Taiyo, glaring harshly as Ryu sputtered out curses. Chinen felt an immense relief, and he sank weakly into his chair, his eyes glued to Ryu's face. Ryutaro glanced over at him, one eyebrow cocked, and he said
"What?"
"You're here." Chinen didn't understand. Why was he here? Ryu nodded, focusing on his breakfast plate.
"Yeah....we are friends-or whatever." It's then that Chinen stands up and tackles him, wrapping his arms tightly around the younger boy, a smile on his face, and although Ryutaro protests, he can hear the happiness in his tone, and he doesn't let go. After that he rarely does. If they had been close before, they were nearly inseparable now. Ryu lets Chinen do anything he wants, and while he would grumble about it, He’d also occasionally let slip a small smile. Chinen likes to get Ryutaro alone, the younger boy much more relaxed when it was just the two of them, more gentle and innocent, and willing to play along with Chinen’s games and questions, and even smile. On the rare occasions when Ryutaro smiles Chinen feels as if he’d just won a fight, completely empowered and wholly important. He feels like he’s worth something.
His feelings are obviously not one sided. Chinen is fully convinced of Ryutaro placing value in him when they leave the house one day, wandering deeply into the thicket of abandoned buildings, the younger boy tugging him along, cursing his slowness, excitement lighting his eyes. Chinen didn’t understand what all of the fuss was about until he started seeing people-young boys with hard expressions, mostly-in some of these buildings, and he put the clues together. Ryutaro had told him that Shintaro had still joined the Kumi and was staying in the underling housing. This must be it. He was being taken to meet Ryu’s precious brother.
They entered a rather decrepit looking building, Chinen pleased to find that the outside was much more run down than the inside. They climbed the stairs, and it wasn't long before Chinen found himself face to face with a boy Ryutaro proudly introduced as his brother. The fact that they were related was undeniable. Shintaro resembled his brother very closely, and it was even more obvious that they were siblings once the younger boy opened his mouth.
"How old are you, Shintaro-kun?" Chinen found himself asking. The boy gave him a suspicious look, Ryu swatting him on the back of the head, and grumbling that he was a brat before he answered.
"Nine."
"Woah, you're so tall Shintaro-kun!" Chinen's flattery was met with a knowing look from Ryu, but Shin smiled, his chest puffing out just a bit in pride.
"Nii-chan doesn't think so, but we both know he's just jealous." Shintaro smirked, his devilish expression one Chinen had seen Ryutaro wear whenever he teased one of their housemates.
"Hey! You brat-" Ryutaro tackled his brother, the younger boy letting out a yelp as they slumped onto a small bed, muttered curses falling from both boys lips as the wrestled. Chinen would have been nervous, but they were both smiling, the scuffling leaving them both out of breath but unharmed. They hung out with Shin until the sun began to set, the little boy practically kicking his brother out of the house when a group of other kids all showed up; obviously other Kumi underlings, they swarmed Shin, all talking and laughing, and Chinen realized that they all seemed pretty happy. He voiced this opinion to Ryutaro as they walked home, the autumn chill in the air causing him to stick close to the younger boy's side. Ryu nodded in agreement.
"Yeah, Shin's much happier with them than I was, but he's always been better at getting along with people than me. I don't know what it is about that little brat that people like, but..." He shrugged, before changing topics. "Thanks for being so nice to him. I think he likes you. I wanted you two to get along."
"Oh?" Chinen raised his eyebrows in surprise. Ryutaro hadn't said anything about it beforehand, never asking him to be nice to the kid. He'd just wanted Shintaro to like him. Because he was Ryu's brother.
"Yeah." Ryutaro was blushing, his cheeks tinting pink as he talked. "I mean...you two are the most important people in my life, so I want you to get along. And you're the reason I stayed in the house, and not with him. I was hoping that when he met you he might understand. I don't want him to think I don't love him or something equally as stupid." Chinen felt overwhelmed by Ryutaro's words, and it was all he could do to simply say
"I feel the same...I think." He reached out on instinct, taking Ryutaro’s hand in his, gripping it tightly. The younger boy blinked at him in surprise, but he didn’t pull away, letting Chinen lead him back home, their clasped hands bridging the space between them as they walked. They didn’t let go until they got home, Takaki sweeping Chinen up in his arms, breaking their grasp. Chinen laughed, enjoying Takaki’s affection, the older teen asking him where the fuck he’d been.
Takaki had obviously missed him, not letting go of Chinen for the rest of the night, and Chinen was surprised to note the older boy sending cold glances Ryutaro’s direction whenever the younger boy tried to engage them in conversation. Chinen humored Takaki though. He had been spending a lot of time with Ryutaro. So he gave Takaki everything that evening, and he was content that night, curled up in Takaki’s arms in their shared bed, sweaty bodies sticking together under the blankets, Takaki’s lips pressing gentle kisses to the top of his head. Takaki always made Chinen feel smart, made him feel safe and content. Takaki was easy to understand, and he had become a steady presence in Chinen’s life that Chinen appreciated. He was a wonderful friend. He was Chinen’s first-and it was something Chinen treasured. Takaki had taught Chinen how to be a friend. He had taught him to trust people, to care about others, and he had taught him that not everyone simply tolerated him and used him as a means to an end. Chinen felt loved when he was with Takaki. It was always easy to sleep when he was in the same bed as Takaki.
The next day Chinen came down the stairs earlier than usual to see Taiyo curled up on the couch with Hikaru, Yabu, and Yuto, the four boys all pouring over a large thick leather bound book. He wandered over, still blinking sleep out of his eyes, and he peered down at the object of their interest, surprised to find his own face staring back at him. It was a photo album, and Chinen didn’t remember the pictures being taken, but that thought quickly fled his mind, he too joining in looking at the book’s contents, squeezing in on the couch between Hikaru and Taiyo, enjoying the photographs. When they reached the last page with anything on it, Taiyo frowned.
“There’s not a family picture.” He stated blankly. Yuto blinked up at him in surprise at the phrasing.
“Nope. We don’t really take those.” The thirteen year old said.
“We should.” Taiyo declared. “I’m going to ask the Kumi-cho.” He set the book down on the coffee table, pulling himself up to his full stature, and was obviously just about to go in search of their leader when the front door burst open, Daiki and Inoo falling into the living room, the both of them covered in blood, a large white box clutched in Inoo’s hands. Chinen felt a curse slip from his lips, his heart jumping to his throat in shock.
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