Up in Smoke: A Heisei Kumi fanfic (23/36)
Author: ryosukekoibito
Pairing: Hikato, Chiitaro, Ariyama
Rating: R/NC-17
Warnings: Graphic Violence, Minor Character Death, Strong Language, Explicit Sex, Major Character Death
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 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22
Keito was woken up to Takaki bursting into the room he shared with Yuto, the older man only in a pair of ratty sweatpants, his hair a mess from having obviously just gotten out of bed, his voice rough with sleep and panic as he said
“Chii?!” Keito blinked, trying to focus, and he sat up in bed, watching as Takaki searched the room, finally able to ask as Takaki peered into their closet.
“What’s happening?”
“I can’t find Chii. I can’t-” Takaki cut himself off, the words turning into an anxious whine, and he turned, dashing out of the room and calling out for their smallest member again, Keito feeling a pit of his own anxiety curl into his stomach as he registered Takaki’s words. He quickly pulled himself out of bed, clambering down the ladder of his bunk to find Yuto also getting up, the two of them sharing worried looks and following Takaki out into the hallway. They heard sharp words and raised voices coming from the Arioka’s bedroom, Takaki emerging from inside after a moment, cursing from inside trailing after him. Takaki let out a few curses of his own, Yuto catching the older man’s eye and asking
“Where have you looked for him?”
“The whole top floor.” Takaki declared, already pushing past them, feet pounding the stairs as he rushed down them. The ruckus Takaki was making quickly woke everyone, a nervous energy coursing through them all as they began tearing the house apart, voices tight with fear. Once Hikaru was woken up they really began to take proper action, groups of them splitting up to search the surrounding territory, everyone still in their pajamas, no one bothering to get fully dressed, some not even bothering with shoes before going out into the streets, the sun just starting to rise.
Keito was terrified, the mystery of it all making everything so much worse. Chinen was simply gone. No note, no signs of a struggle. Everything he owned was still there, and no one had heard anything. He couldn’t help but go to the worst conclusions, his mind racing. But everything he thought of didn’t quite make sense. It was just as the groups that had gone out to search the territory were returning-all empty handed-that Hikaru received a phone call, everyone falling still and silent to listen as he pulled his cell out of his pocket.
“Hello.” A short pause. “What’s this about Juri? I’m rather busy.” A longer pause. Hikaru’s brow furrowed, and his jaw clenched. “What do you mean missing?” Hikaru sighed, one hand coming up to run across his face. Keito felt his stomach drop. “No, he’s not here. We haven’t seen him.” He pursed his lips. “Yes I’m sure, you fucking idiot.” Hikaru sighed. “Put Yugo on the phone. He’s with you isn’t he?” There was a long pause before Hikaru spoke again. “It’s fine, it’s fine. He’s upset. Kouchi, when did Shintaro go missing?” Hikaru nodded as he listened. “Chinen too. Takaki noticed about an hour ago. Look, call me if you find anything. Honestly this might be better. They’re probably together. Yeah.” A pause. “Yeah. Bye.”
“Shintaro’s missing?” Inoo’s voice drew everyone’s attention, the older man standing halfway down the stairs, his hands gripping the railing. Keito hadn’t seen him out of bed in weeks, and he watched tentatively as Inoo went down another step, his legs trembling a little. Hikaru nodded, his face serious, eyes hard with frustration as he spoke.
“Shintaro wasn’t there for breakfast this morning. They’re not sure when he left.”
“Shit! Of course. Fuck.” The exclamation was loud, everyone turning to look at Yamada, the smaller man’s eyes wide with realization, and he declared
“Today is Ryutaro’s birthday. The sixth.” That declaration added a new grief to the rolling sickening fear and anxiety Keito had churning his stomach, and he leaned up against the closest wall, one hand coming up to cover his face a little, as Ryutaro’s busted up face flashed behind his eyelids. Ryutaro’s birthday. Fuck. Around him, his housemates cursed, everyone’s grief flashing sharply across their faces, silence engulfing them, almost suffocating, and in that silence Keito could feel his panic rising. It was Ryutaro’s birthday, and Shintaro and Chinen were missing. Those two things had to be connected, but what did it mean? Keito felt like it could only be bad. He was trembling, holding in tears, his fear so heavy in his chest he felt it crushing him. He couldn’t lose someone else. He couldn’t. He-
Hikaru’s voice cut through his spiraling thoughts, his tone serious but sure, and Keito latched onto it, the words an anchor.
“This is good. If they’re both gone then they are most definitely together. Neither of them were fucking taken or some other stupid shit. They left. They left on purpose. And they have each other there to keep them safe and to keep them in check. It’s a lot harder to do something stupid when you’re not alone.” He paused, lips pursed, jaw clenched. “Granted, this is the fucking stupidest shit either of them have ever done, but they’re probably fine.” He looked around, meeting everyone’s eyes, the conviction in them heartening. “They’ll most likely be back tonight. So unless any of you have any epiphanies about where they could be, we’re not going to lose our heads. Not until tomorrow, at least.”
Keito nodded, most of them seeming ready to accept Hikaru’s words. All but Takaki. Takaki looked like he was going to be sick, and he shook his head, saying desperately
“Not good enough.” The whole room fell silent, everyone staring at Takaki in shock. Takaki looked up from where he’d been looking blankly at the wall, and he caught Hikaru’s eye, panic and regret carving themselves into his face, and he seemed to register what a huge mistake he’d just made, their leader treating him to a long hard glare. Keito’s heart was back up in his throat, and there was a moment of terrifying tension before Takaki’s gaze dropped, and his voice trembled as he said “I-I’m sorry. Forgive me.”
“I understand how you feel. I do. And if I thought that Chinen was in danger in any way I wouldn’t rest until we had him back with us. But I can’t have you running off and tearing up the town when there are no indications that Chinen is hurt. He chose to leave. Give him time to chose to come home.” Hikaru’s gaze was still stern, but his voice got more gentle the longer he spoke, and a tear rolled down Takaki’s cheek, but this time he nodded, swallowing harshly and turning away.
“I’m going to kill him.” Daiki growled, his hand curling into the hem of his husband’s shirt, arm wrapped around Yamada’s waist to press him against Daiki’s side. Yamada smiled a small comforting smile, tucking his nose into the crook of Daiki’s neck, and Daiki sighed, visibly relaxing as Yamada’s arms came up to wrap loosely around his waist. Keito felt exhausted already, the tension of the morning having sucked all energy out of him. The anxiety about Chinen not being there was still undercutting any relief he was feeling at Hikaru’s assurances that everything would probably be okay.
As soon as everyone started dispersing Keito went to Hikaru’s side, leaning over the back of Hikaru’s chair and wrapping his arms around Hikaru’s shoulders, burying his face in Hikaru’s hair. It was comforting, the familiar smell and feel of Hikaru’s body relaxing him, and Hikaru leaned into his embrace for a moment, before he murmured
“Keito, not here.” The rejection stung when Keito was feeling so scared, and he let his arms drop as he felt tears well up in his eyes. He took a deep breath, and when that one didn’t work he took a second, but instead of calming down he could just feel himself spiraling out of control, hot tears running down his cheeks. He bit at his lip, scrunching his face up to try and hide the tears, and he hadn’t realized that Hikaru had stood up until he was on his feet facing Keito, and there was a long moment where Hikaru just looked at him, Keito trying to pull himself together, embarrassed by his weakness, before Hikaru said “C’mon.”
Keito wiped at his eyes, murmuring apologies in a mantra as he followed Hikaru back into his office, Hikaru not speaking, just shutting the door behind them and opening his arms for Keito in an invitation for a hug. Keito grabbed Hikaru and pulled him in, trying to stop crying, to get his breathing under control, and he pressed his face into Hikaru’s shoulder, Hikaru’s arms warm around his waist, his voice soft and soothing in his ear. Luckily it didn’t take too long for him to pull himself together, and as soon as he was able he asked
“How are you doing?” He pulled back just enough to get a look at Hikaru’s face, surprised to find tear tracks running wet down his cheeks, and Hikaru took a deep breath, swallowing and contemplating something for a moment before he said
“Bad. I-I don’t know if I made the right decision.” He paused, his grip tightening on Keito, and Keito pressed himself back in close, chin hooked over Hikaru’s shoulder as Hikaru continued. “I don’t know if Chinen is really going to be okay, but I just need the rest of us to stay here. I need you all where I can see you. Where I know you’re safe. I’m so afraid of Chinen getting hurt, but-but I’m more afraid of sending everyone out, scattered away from me and losing more of you. First Ryutaro, and-and Yabu still hasn’t woken up, and-” His voice was rough in Keito’s ear, and when he spoke again it was as if something inside of him broke.
“I h-have to believe that Chii will be home soon. I have to. I c-couldn’t stand to lose him. To lose anyone, anyone else. And-and maybe that makes me a coward, or a bad leader, but I just c-can’t take the chance of losing any more of you.” Just how upset Hikaru was brought Keito’s barely reigned in emotions right back up, and a few hot tears ran down his own cheeks as he said
“Hey, it’ll be okay. Yabu’s going to wake up, and Chinen will come home, and we’ll get through this. We’ll kill Ichinojo and decimate the Wakaba, and-and-” Hikaru chuckled, Keito pulling away a little to see that the older man was smiling at him, affection gleaming in his wet eyes, and after a moment he pressed a quick, fierce kiss to Keito’s lips, and murmured
“You’re perfect, you know that?” Keito smiled a little at that, and he reached over, wiping Hikaru’s tears away with a delicate finger, Hikaru blinking furiously and taking a deep breath, before declaring “We can’t stay in here. I want to be there when that little piece of shit walks through our fucking door.” Keito nodded, and the two of them dried their eyes and placed a few more kisses on warm skin before going back out, to find the rest of the house all sitting around the kitchen table, Yuto dealing a pack of cards while Takaki and Daiki moved around each other at the stove, cooking breakfast. Hikaru and Keito both moved to take their seats, calling out to be dealt in.
It was nice, spending the morning with the seven of them all together. But despite the panic having been quelled by the realization of what had probably happened, they weren’t by any means relaxed. The whole house had a tension running through it, a sharp bite in the air that tasted of fear. Fear that something awful had happened; fear laced with dread and grief, and Keito felt as though a still tender wound had been split back open, ripped even wider than it had been before, and it was a physical pain in his chest, sharp and biting. And there was a small voice in the back of his mind that just wouldn’t leave, one that kept doubting Hikaru’s decision, one that feared that Chinen and Shintaro had run off to do something drastic. He felt sick.
Most of the day was spent lounging around in the kitchen or living room, every possible game they could play brought out-an unstated but obvious distraction, one Keito appreciated-and lots of money switched hands, Keito himself faring pretty good, while poor Inoo was left near bankrupt before he tapped out. As day turned to night that unacknowledged anxiety mounted, Keito feeling it buzzing around in his abdomen as the talking grew more and more sparse, and the sun sank behind the buildings. There was an unspoken ‘where the fuck is he’ that was near tangible hanging over all of them, and when dinner time came with no sign of Chinen they decided to just stack a bunch of sandwiches on a platter and eat in the living room, where there was a clear view of the front door.
Keito and Yamada made dinner, and when Keito came back into the living room he found Yuto, Hikaru, and Daiki involved in a new poker game, while Takaki and Inoo had curled up together on the couch, neither of them talking, Inoo just sitting still holding Takaki’s hand. It was sweet, and Keito just blinked at the back of their heads for a few moments, not sure what this display of affection meant, before he set his platter of sandwiches down and took his seat between Hikaru and Daiki on the couch. Chinen would be home any minute. He would. He would. And they would sit and wait for him.
Card games and sandwiches could only get them so far however, and as the hours dragged on it seemed to grow to be too much for Yamada, who got up and made for the staircase just after midnight, Keito catching a glimpse of tears running down his cheeks as he left. Daiki followed him, calling out to him in that sweet, soothing voice he seemed to have reserved just for Ryosuke. All conversation stopped when the Ariokas left, and it was then that Keito realized that Inoo had fallen asleep, his head tucked in the crook of Takaki’s neck, as Takaki cradled him in his arms. Takaki seemed a little less tense with Inoo there, half on top of him, and it was cute. Or, it would have been, if things weren’t such a mess.
There was a resigned dread settling in Keito’s stomach-a misery he’d already accepted creeping up his throat-and he gave up trying to act like he wasn’t feeling it. He stood and grabbed Yuto by the wrist, pulling his friend up from his seat on the floor and plopping him down in the space Daiki had left. Yuto let out a sharp whine, his movements slow and his face scrunched up in pain as he lifted his swollen, busted leg to rest it on their coffee table, and for a moment Keito feared he’d pushed too much. He should have asked how Yuto was doing, should have seen that he was hurting. But Yuto pressed himself against Keito’s side, and murmured a small thanks, and some of the extra anxiety fell away. Being between Yuto and Hikaru was comforting.
At around one o’clock Takaki muttered a resigned sounding
“Fuck this.” And he stood, the movement rousing Inoo just a little, Takaki picking the other man up bridal style and carrying him up the stairs. They all watched him go, none of them seeming able to speak, and Keito wondered if Takaki would be coming back, or if the tension had become too much for him too. He could feel the panic he’d been repressing all day creeping back up his throat, his fear filling his mind with gruesome images, images that he had no trouble bringing to life after the months of violence and death. He took a deep breath, pressing his thigh into Hikaru’s own, and he tried to clear his head.
Takaki did return, but he didn’t join the cuddling group Keito had formed on the couch, instead taking up his old spot and sitting alone. With Inoo gone he seemed even more tense, his face pale, and for a few moments Keito tried to come up with something to say, but the words just wouldn’t come, silence seeping in. Yuto making everyone coffee at around two in the morning to help them all stay awake, Keito drinking his slowly, wanting to make it last. Hoping that Chinen would be back before the cup was empty. But then three o’clock came, and then four, and then five, and with each passing hour the nauseating fear grew stronger.
Keito was trembling, emotions running high. Part of it was the coffee he knew, and part of it was exhaustion, but most of it was just fear. Yuto looked like he was feeling the same as him, eyes wide with sadness, lips trembling, that pout he always got when he was trying not to cry prominent. Keito offered him his hand and Yuto took it, clinging to him tightly and sniffling a little. Hikaru glanced over at them, notably tense, and Keito leaned into him, their shoulders pressed together, and he tucked his face down for a moment, inhaling and feeling Hikaru’s scent wash over him, calming him a little. A tear rolled down Yuto’s cheek. Takaki looked like he was either going to collapse or kill something, and the futility of it all was almost overwhelming.
But then just as the first rays of sunlight lit up the sky the front door opened and Chinen walked in. He was so small standing there, dressed in jeans and a long sleeved shirt, a jacket Keito had never seen before slung over his shoulders, obviously much too big for him. There were audible curses from everyone, Keito himself just collapsing into the couch, relief hitting him so hard he felt he wouldn’t be able to stand. Tears rolled down his cheeks, and he watched as Takaki threw himself off of the couch, clinging to Chinen and scooping him up in his arms. There was a choked sob, the words ‘Thank god’ barely audible as they fell from Takaki’s lips, and Chinen let Takaki hug him, not speaking or making a move to pull away.
It was only once Takaki finally set him back down that Chinen said
“Hey.” Yuto pulled himself away from Keito’s side, taking his turn to hug Chinen, and when Chinen turned to Keito next, and opened his arms out for a hug Keito found himself melting into the younger man’s embrace, so overcome with relief that Chinen wasn’t hurt that he could barely believe that this was happening. That Chinen was really okay. It was during their hug that Hikaru got to his feet, crossing the room to stand behind Keito, and once Keito and Chinen broke apart he asked their former leader quietly
“Are you okay?” Chinen blinked up at Hikaru, seeming to realize in that moment that he might be in trouble for his little disappearing act. He nodded, Hikaru asking “And Shintaro?”
“He’s fine. Home now.” The last of the tension drained from Hikaru’s body, and he suddenly looked just as exhausted as Keito felt.
“Good.” He reached out, putting a hand on Chinen’s shoulder, looking the younger man in the eye, his voice gentle “We couldn’t stand it if something happened to you.” That set Yuto off again, hot tears running down his cheeks, and Chinen swallowed thickly, nodding again. Hikaru opened his arms wide, offering a hug of his own, and Chinen threw himself into them, Hikaru holding him tight, a fat tear rolling down his cheek. It was only once Chinen had pulled away that Hikaru spoke again, wiping at his eyes and regaining his composure as he said
“Everyone needs to go to bed. After we’ve all gotten some rest I want you to come by my office. We need to talk Chinen.” Chinen just nodded. They all turned to go their separate ways, Hikaru freezing and turning back around to say “Let the others know you’re back. They’ll be relieved.”
“Okay.” Chinen said quietly, before turning to lead the way upstairs. Keito stayed for a moment, offering Hikaru his hand, Hikaru grabbing it and tugging, pulling Keito in and wrapping his other hand around the nape of his neck as he pressed his lips to Keito’s, the kiss fierce and breathtaking, Keito able to taste Hikaru’s relief, and he squeezed Hikaru’s hand tight, able to feel himself still trembling. When the kiss broke Keito sighed, the exhaustion coming back full force, and he was surprised to find that when he looked up Hikaru was blushing, looking fully embarrassed, and he glanced over his shoulder to see Yuto standing there waiting for him, his roommate treating them to a huge, shit eating grin.
“Good night.” Hikaru said, his tone professional, and Keito nodded, Yuto’s smile just growing even wider, and as soon as Keito got close he wrapped an arm around Keito’s shoulders, leaning on him heavily as they made their way up the stairs, a few delirious giggles falling from Yuto’s lips, and he said lowly
“Did you see the look on the Kumi-cho’s face?” Yuto could barely contain himself, and maybe it was the relief, or maybe it was the exhaustion, or maybe it was just Yuto’s infectious laugh, but Keito found himself bursting into giggles, almost manic, the two of them a mess as they made their way down the hall, hanging onto each other and laughing. He helped Yuto into bed, and then threw himself into his own, and in an instant he was fast asleep.
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