Up in Smoke: A Heisei Kumi fanfic (18/36)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Hikato, Chiitaro, Ariyama
Rating: R/NC-17
Warnings: Graphic Violence, Minor Character Death, Strong Language, Explicit Sex
Genre: Slice of life/Angst
Disclaimer: I do not own anyone.
Summary: After months of peace an attack leaves the Heisei Kumi reeling, and when an old enemy returns to the area reclaiming that peace starts to feel impossible.
A/N: The next installment in my Heisei Kumi AU, this one starts in the last days of December 2016 and continues on into 2017. If you'd like to read the other stories in this AU, please check out my masterlist. All Heisei Kumi fics have 平成組 next to their titles, to mark them as part of the AU!
Previous Chapters: 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17
By that evening the places on Hikaru’s skin that Keito had nipped and sucked and kissed during their time spent at the warehouse had bloomed into dark reddish marks, and to top things off he was walking rather gingerly. There was no doubt as to what had happened during their shooting practice, and even Yamada-who was usually the most reserved of their group when it came to discussing things like sex, or intimacy-would catch Keito’s eye with a knowing grin. It was a little embarrassing, and the pervasive knowing looks and whispers got to be so much that at dinner Hikaru set down his chopsticks and said to the table
“Will you quit with the staring? We fucked. I know, you know, everyone knows.” There was a pause, before Ryutaro asked, a shit eating grin on his face
“Was it good?” Keito nearly choked on his rice at the question, a blush rising up his cheeks instantly, and Chinen whacked the back of Ryutaro’s head in retribution for the question. Keito glanced at Hikaru, wide eyed, to find that he too was pink in the face.
“Our sex life is none of your business.” Hikaru declared. But then he met Keito’s eyes for a brief moment, a grin seeming to bloom on his face despite himself, and he murmured so that just Keito could hear him “So fucking good.”
That night, despite his earlier thoughts about trying to get in his own bed, Keito did sleep in Hikaru’s bed with him, but the next one he decided to try and tackle the ladder to his bunk. It was an endeavor that was met with enthusiastic exclamations and only slightly sarcastic teasing from Yuto, his friend getting to his feet and hopping over to watch as Keito traipsed up the rungs of his ladder, before successfully flopping onto the mattress, the impact sending a dull twinge of pain shooting through his still healing chest. It was nice being back in his own bed, nice lying awake in the darkness, chatting with Yuto for hours. He was up long after Yuto fell asleep however, the bed feeling empty without Hikaru next to him.
He came downstairs the following morning early. Yuto had woken him up, his friend having shuffled around their bedroom like a bull in a china shop, banging into furniture and jolting Keito awake. He'd promised to bring Yuto some breakfast, and he expected to be the first one down, surprised when he turned the corner and was met with Hikaru and Yabu sitting at the kitchen table, talking quietly, their faces serious. When Keito entered the room they stopped, looking up at him, and there was a level of concern in Hikaru’s eyes that made Keito stop, hesitant as he asked
“Did something happen?” Yabu sighed, and Hikaru glanced over at his right hand man, before nodding.
“I got a call from Kouchi this morning. Shintaro and his friends have been helping to watch over the underlings recently, considering the attacks. Four of the underling boys didn’t come home last night.” There was a nervous energy in the air, and the implications of missing boys struck a chord in Keito, and he pursed his lips, the dread that had just started subsiding a bit over the past few weeks rising back up in his chest. “Once everyone else is awake we’ll talk about it.” Hikaru sounded rather fierce, an underlying anger in him that whenever it manifested itself made Keito rather nervous.
He nodded, wanting to kiss his boyfriend, to draw some of that anger out of him and get some comfort from his lips, but Yabu was there, and so instead he went to the fridge, and got to work making Yuto breakfast. He was in the middle of frying some eggs when it occurred to him that Yuto would probably prefer to be at the family meeting Hikaru had insinuated was to happen, and so he abandoned his pan in favor of returning to the bedroom. Yuto was almost completely naked, working his bandaged leg through a hole in a fresh pair of underwear when Keito came in. There was some confusion, Keito helping Yuto get dressed while explaining why he didn’t have Yuto’s breakfast.
It took a while to get Yuto up to speed and clothed, and by the time they had tackled the staircase-in the end Keito just carried his friend down on his back-most of the other men had made their way to the kitchen. It was lively, everyone eating or cooking or both, lots of small conversations happening, and it wasn’t until they had all made it to their seats that Hikaru finally said
“I have a matter that needs to be talked about.” The change in the room was instantaneous. Everyone grew quiet and still, fear and concern washing over the group in a wave, all eyes on their leader. Hikaru pursed his lips, leaning forward in his chair and folding his hands on the table, before telling the rest of them what he and Yabu had told Keito earlier in the morning. That simmering rage was back, just under the surface as he spoke, and a shiver ran down Keito’s spine. While Keito and Yuto had been wrestling Yuto into a new pair of sweatpants upstairs, it appeared that Hikaru and Yabu and decided what response the kumi would have to these disappearances, because after Hikaru explained what had happened he said
“Yabu and I have decided that we have to take action. I want everyone that is able-so not you, Yuto-to pick a partner and go out looking for the missing boys today. The kids we’re looking for are Okamoto Kauan, Hanuida Amu, Takahashi Fu, and Kawaguchi Yu. I don’t care who takes what area of the territory or how you look. Everyone needs to be back before nightfall. If they haven’t turned up by then-” He paused, everyone thinking the same thing. “-we’ll raid the Wakaba, and get them back.” There were nods and sounds of confirmation and agreement, and Keito caught Yuto’s eye, his friend sulking a little.
After that everyone started splitting up into duos, Keito walking with Yuto over to the living room, sitting down with him on one of the couches.
“I want to go.” Yuto grumbled, frowning, and Keito nodded, understanding. It sucked being unable to participate in fights. It made one feel useless and powerless. But there was simply no way that Yuto would be helpful with the condition he was in.
“But someone needs to stay here with Inoo. If he woke up and the house was empty he’d be so afraid. He’s going to need someone to help him when he does wake up. That’s an important job.” At Keito’s words Yuto glanced over at him, still pouting a little, but he nodded, picking up his busted leg and setting it out on the coffee table.
“You’re right. I know you are.” He paused, leaning into Keito’s side a little, a small smile on his lips. “Thanks Keito.” It was then that Keito felt a hand on his shoulder, and he leaned back, tilting his head up to find Hikaru standing behind them, the Kumi-cho looking down at him as he asked
“Want to be my partner?” Keito was mildly surprised by the offer, and he couldn’t help but ask
“What about Yabu?” Hikaru blinked down at him for a moment, before he said
“Yabu is partnering with Takaki. Takaki was trying to get out of looking, he said he doesn’t want to leave Inoo alone. I told him Yuto would be here with him, but he was still protesting. Yabu managed to convince him that they should be partners for this.” Hikaru sighed, glancing over to where the two older men were standing, talking quietly, concern on his face. “I don’t know what his fucking deal is, but he needs to get over it. We have shit to do.” Hikaru turned back to Keito, some of the anger that had been present in his voice all morning draining away as he said “So how about it, Keito?”
Keito nodded, and it wasn’t long before they were out, headed southeast through their territory. As they looked Hikaru was mostly silent, only speaking in relation to their task, his voice hard and serious, and Keito could feel Hikaru’s anxiety about the lost boys in the sharp way his words rolled off of his tongue, and it put him on edge. He kept telling himself that the boys would be fine, that they would come home, but the more he told himself that the less he believed it, and as the hour grew later the more distressed Keito became.
When the sun hit the horizon line they made for home, Keito feeling himself getting more and more worked up the closer they got to the building. A few blocks away he stopped walking, his feet coming to a halt as he reached out and grabbed Hikaru by the arm. Hikaru froze, turning to look at him, and as soon as he met Keito’s gaze he frowned, stepping in close. Keito pressed himself into Hikaru’s chest, wrapping his arms around him and burying his face in Hikaru’s neck, breathing him in. Hikaru’s arms settled around his waist, his cheek pressed to Keito’s ear, and they were still for a moment, before Hikaru spoke.
“We have to go home. We need to know if any of the others found the underlings.” Keito nodded, lifting his face out of Hikaru’s neck, but he didn’t let go, instead saying
“I just need you for a minute.” He leaned in and Hikaru kissed him, his tongue pulling Keito in, hands tightening their grip on Keito’s waist, strong and sure, and it was everything Keito wanted, his anxiety forced back into submission by the time the kiss broke.
“After we raid the Wakaba and get those boys back, want to...you know...spend a day in bed?” Hikaru asked, his chest heaving a little, their noses just a hair apart. “We can lock ourselves in my room. You can take all the time you want, and we’ll have all of my toys, not like last time.”
“Yeah.” Keito nodded, the words reassuring him. It was more than just an offer of sex. It was an unspoken promise that everything was going to be okay. That they both would come home safe. Hikaru nodded back, and Keito leaned in, placing a kiss on his cheek before pulling away. Hikaru treated him to the first proper smile Keito had seen all day, and he nodded, before sighing and looking down the street toward their home, one small word falling from his lips.
“Good.”
No one found the underling boys. A somber call to Shintaro confirmed that the missing kids hadn’t found their way home on their own either, and as soon as that information was presented they all started getting changed into their suits and pulling out their weapons, an urgency to their movements. It was time to act quickly, before it was too late. Keito wondered briefly what would happen if they didn’t find the missing boys when they attacked the Wakaba, but he didn’t dwell on it for long. They needed to get through this fight first, then they could deal with whatever came after.
He changed into his suit quickly, taking his Sig Sauer and loading a fresh clip into it before tucking it into the waistband of his pants and stuffing his knife in his pocket, a buzzing anxiety in his chest. All he could think about were the four missing boys, and what could have happened to them. The possibilities made him feel sick. He wasn’t the only one; Yuto looked scared and miserable as he wished them all farewell, promising to keep watch over Inoo with a twisted grimace on his face, like he knew it was for nothing. There was no real plan, everything was rushed, everyone feeling the urgency. They just had to get the underling kids back.
They all stuck together as they headed out into the night, but they were silent, everyone tense, fearing the worst. There was a nervous energy in the air, and it only heightened as they caught sight of the Wakaba base, everyone dispersing, as if getting away from each other would help ease the feeling that was crackling through the air like electricity. Keito watched them all go, instead sticking close to Hikaru’s side. The two of them could watch each other’s backs. They were both going to make it out okay. They were going to be fine.
They stayed quiet, running through the night toward the Wakaba building silently, and they were met with no resistance until they burst inside, the bang of the door against the concrete wall alerting the enemy of their arrival. Keito could feel the routine of it settling in as he turned a corner and caught sight of the first Wakaba underling, a familiarity settling into his skin as he swung his fist, hitting the guy right in his jaw, sending his head cracking backward into the wall. Keito kicked him a few times just to make sure the guy was down, before stepping over him to follow after Hikaru, grabbing his knife from his pocket as he walked, flicking it open with a twist of his thumb.
The two of them worked pretty well together, Keito able to keep one eye on their backs while Hikaru took the lead. It was almost unsettling just how familiar some parts of the Wakaba building were to him now, but that thought didn’t keep his focus, barely registering before a knife was swung at his face, and he had to pull away so as to not get cut. The guy wielding the knife swung it wildly, frenzied, and Keito backed up before kicking out, the knife catching on the rubber of his sole, hitting it dully and sending it flying to the floor. Hikaru took the opening to swing his own blade down the Wakaba guy’s face dragging it in a long line across the guy’s cheek, a yelp of pain falling from his lips as Hikaru and Keito turned away.
They pushed deeper and deeper into the Wakaba base, and the further in they got the more enemies they ran into. Keito could feel Hikaru getting more frenzied next to him with every empty room they peered into, and every Wakaba bastard’s face they smashed in. They were on a mission, and they weren’t slowing down, weren’t stopping to really be careful and make sure the guys they knocked down stayed down before moving on. The missing underlings came first, and after that they could focus on doing some real damage. Hikaru, for his part, seemed to have some idea of where he was going, leading Keito further and further into the thick of the Wakaba base, through twisting hallways and dank rooms, into a portion of the building Keito had never reached before.
It was only then that off in the distance Keito heard the sound of a gun going off and he froze, fear dumping into his stomach like a bucket of ice. He took a punch to his gut as a result, the impact doubling him over and knocking the wind out of him for a moment, Hikaru turning around and kicking out, catching the man that had punched Keito in the chin with his boot, blood spraying from the man’s mouth upon impact. Keito tried to refocus but he couldn’t, a new anxiety about the gunshot chilling him, and when there were more he glanced back the way they’d come, opening his mouth to suggest that maybe they should go back-they hadn’t run into any of their housemates yet-when Hikaru said
“C’mon Keito. It’s right up there.” He pointed to a door at the end of the hallway they were in, and Keito blinked in confusion, straightening up and asking
“What?” Hikaru put his knife away, pulling his guns out instead, the action making Keito take in a shaky breath. Hikaru looked terrifying, a fury in his eyes as he said
“That’s where I found Ryu when they’d captured him. It’s the only place left; the underlings have to be there.” Hikaru didn’t even stop to see if Keito was behind him, running down the hall. Keito nodded, taking a deep breath and following in Hikaru’s footsteps, barging through the door with him, his knife ready, the weight of his gun heavy at the small of his back. He froze as soon as he stepped through the door, Hikaru cursing in his ear, as more sounds of muffled gunshots reached their ears from off in the distance.
The room was small, with one other door at the far side that was open, and in the center there were the four guys they had been looking for. It was four young men, barely adults, lined up, their bodies beaten and bruised, lips split and eyes swollen, trails of blood running from their nostrils and down their chins from where they’d been punched, cuts littering their pale skin. All of them were tied up in an eerie resemblance to the Wakaba underlings Yuto and Hikaru had tortured, with gaping gashes carved deep across their throats, eyes and mouths open wide in silent terror, blood running down their still chests. They were still dripping blood, pools of it growing under their chairs. Keito could barely process the figures, the obvious signs of torture on the four young guys’ bodies making it hard to look at them.
He turned to Hikaru, reaching out on instinct, because he needed to touch him, needed Hikaru to make some of the awful nauseating grief and fear in his chest settle, or to take some of Hikaru’s pain perhaps; when a red hot pain ripped across his ribs with an ear splitting bang, and he looked up to find himself staring across the room down the barrel of a gun.
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