7 Prices of Greed Chapter 15a

[yukinonamida]

Title: 7 Prices of Greed (Chapter 15a/16)
Author: Yuki
Group: NEWS
Pairing: Kato Shigeaki x Nishikido Ryo, with bits of KoyaPi
Genre: AU, Supernatural, Action, Romance
Rating: PG-13
Summary: After an experimentation gone wrong, Tegoshi, Yamapi, Koyama and Massu were given different abilities - manipulation of electricity, freezing time, healing, and the generation of fire. Three years later, Shige was caught saved by the four, including another named Ryo. Shige takes an interest in Ryo, but what happens when he is told that because of a curse, Ryo is forbidden to feel human touch, and if he does, that person must pay the seven prices of greed? How do you love someone who you can’t touch…

A/N: Kind of a mix between X-Men, Heroes, and a love story~ :)

Previous:
( Chapter 1 )
( Chapter 2 )
( Chapter 3 )
( Chapter 4 )
( Chapter 5: Part 1 )
( Chapter 5: Part 2 )
( Chapter 6: Part 1 )
( Chapter 6: Part 2 )
( Chapter 7 )
( Chapter 8 )
( Chapter 9 )
( Chapter 10 )
( Chapter 11)
( Chapter 12 )
( Chapter 13a)
( Chapter 13b )
( Chapter 14 )  

Chapter 15a: Train Rides

How am I supposed to feel when you tell me that? I don’t want this. I’ve always wanted to build up my life together with you, not be an aid in the collapse of yours and mine both.

You ask what is going to happen now, but the truth is, I don’t know.

---

The chilling sounds of the raindrops seemed to be never ending.

“Tell me everything you know, Ryo,” Shige’s voice sounded suddenly. “Don’t try to protect me by keeping it inside anymore.”

He knew that telling Shige any more information would just make his decision easier.  However, they had also arrived at the point where he couldn’t continue to silently protect Shige any longer. It wasn’t fair.

“Before I say anything, promise me you won’t act on a whim.”

“I promise, just tell me.”

Ryo searched inside to find some source of strength. “When the curse is passed, a sort of “10 second” grey area will be enacted for both myself and the other person. Meaning, only touches that last for 10 seconds will count as a touch. It rules out accidents, basically. Since I sacrificed myself, I can’t lose the curse completely. However, it is like the other person and I will “share” the curse. From that day forward, I will begin to age normally, and the other person will as well. We would both have powers, and the prices still exist. The curse can still be passed.”

Shige thought about it for a few moments. “And you and I…”

“Will not be affected by the other’s touch,” Ryo finished.

Such words almost made up the decision for him. “Will you let me decide for myself?”

“It’s not like I’d be able to stop you once you made up your mind, would I?” Ryo sighed.

“Nor should you.”

Ryo stood up and walked past Shige towards the door. “Massu’s birthday is coming up next Wednesday. They all want you to come celebrate with us.”

Shige nodded. “Sure.”

“Will you do something for me?”

Shige arose awkwardly. “Of course.”

“Before we meet for his birthday, go and see everyone you love, do everything you usually do and plan on doing in the future. While you’re doing that, see how many things involve a touch for 10 seconds or more. Then avoid them. Trust me, you’ll understand once you do it.”

With a slam of the door, he was gone.

---

A picket white fence surrounded a small grey house with a toy truck sitting precariously on the sloped driveway. It had been a while since he had been home, but as always, once he saw the house in its usual state it gave off the feeling that he never left.

Upon entering the house, he was greeted by the familiar smells of baking and the slight scent of his mother’s perfume which always seemed to be present throughout the house. Once his mother saw him walk in, she threw her arms around him. “Shige!” she exclaimed. “What a pleasant surprise.”

8…9…10.

“I missed you guys, so I figured I’d stop by,” Shige pulled away and smiled as his little brother came running down the stairs.

“Nii-chan!” he yelled and jumped down from the first step. He was usually energetic and felt the need to make as much noise as possible.

Even though it was always nice to have a reunion after a few weeks or months, it was also difficult to face them when they knew nothing about what he was thinking of doing.

---

He sat on the light blue colored carpet in his brother’s bedroom and listened to stories about his school, the new games he learned to play, and the friends he had met.

When his brother was younger, he used to get sick a lot due to a problem since birth. There were times when his parents were too upset and too exhausted to handle it and Shige would step in to help out even though it usually meant giving up many hours of sleep.

He remembered sitting in that exact spot on the carpet on quiet nights holding his brother and reading him his favorite book as he tried to get his brother to sleep. When reading didn’t help, Shige would carry him on his back and pretend like he was a train and his brother was a conductor. He’d walk around the house and eventually, his brother would fall asleep.

He had always had a strong bond with his brother, and even though he was now 7, he still acted like a child whenever he was around Shige. And it didn’t help that Shige always babied him and could hardly resist when he wanted something.

So when the boy asked for a ride on his back, even though it hurt he agreed. He picked up his brother on his back and brought him around the bedroom as he was shown little knickknacks the boy had obtained since the last time they saw each other.

It was long past ten seconds, and all of a sudden such an easy decision wasn’t as clear cut as it seemed two nights ago.

“I won this one at a fair at school,” he said and held up an action figure that had been out of his reach before the new-found height.

Shige commented on how cool it was and after a while, he let his brother down and couldn’t forget the smile that adorned his face.

---

The questionable sounds of his friends’ voices blared through the speakers at a karaoke room as they sang along to songs that Shige knew he’d never hear the same way again.

“Why do we take you two out here again?” Tako walked into the room a bit late and took the seat right next to Shige.

They sang together and drank together. Shige always drank less thank the others and more times than not, he was the one responsible for getting them home safely. His friends were crazy, but he didn’t know what he’d do without them. After all, they were a part of him that couldn’t be ignored.

--

As they sat side by side on the crowded train, Shige once again realized how different his life would be. The shoulders that were pressed against his would no longer be able to. He wouldn’t be able to be in small spaces that required being in contact with other people for a short period of time.

Even though it hurt to think about, what pained him even more was the fact that for the past few years, Ryo had been denied these things as well, but to a higher degree.

On paper, it sounds horrible. “Oh, how sad,” people might say. But when you are actually about to live it yourself, all of a sudden such half-hearted words have even less significance. Words don’t change anything.

---

“Ne, Shige,” Tako said once they reached his door. “Can’t we go back to the way we used to be? I won’t kiss you or things like that, but I just want things to go back to normal.”

Shige stared at his friend and truly didn’t have the heart to tell him what might happen to him.

“I know you probably hate me for saying those things about Nishikido-san, but I…I’m sorry. I only said those things because I didn’t want you to get hurt.”

“I know. I want things to go back to normal as well,” Shige said and followed him into his house.

Tako sat on his couch and pulled Shige down with him. “If that’s true, then we can do this again, right?”

Tako laid his head on Shige’s lap like they had done so many times in the past. It wasn’t the first time nor did it really mean anything, but either way, he found himself saying “Tako, I can’t-“

A few moments passed and he felt wetness on his jeans from his friend’s tears.

“Shige,” he said shakily. “I know you love someone else, I know that. But if I can’t have you, just let me have this. I will try harder to accept your relationship but please-don’t push me away.”

I can’t be doing this. I can’t promise him something like that. I just…can’t.

He waited until his friend fell asleep which, as always, didn’t take too long, and then left the house.

With the cool air brushing softly against his skin, everything seemed to hit him at once.

It wasn’t only a question of how he felt; he would also be disappointing people who were close to him. Would they look at him with different eyes as well?

He made it only a few blocks before it all became too much. He turned into an alley and leaned against a building that was closed for the night as the tears began to fall.

---

“Isn’t there something you want for your birthday?” Yamapi asked.

Massu popped another gyoza into his mouth and pretended to think. Before long, the room erupted in laughter at his face when he smiled and pointed to the plate.

“What an idiot,” Ryo joked.

“Okay!” Yamapi responded in an excitement that seemed to spawn out of nowhere. “That is what you’ll get then!”

Ryo was about to say something but he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket.

“Hello?”

The others watched as the worry became evident in his facial expression. “Where are you? I can barely hear you,”

Ryo glanced at the others and stood up from the table.

“Hold on a second,” Ryo said into the phone before disappearing to somewhere in the backyard away from the others.

“I hope everything’s okay,” Koyama said as he looked out the window.

“It’s inevitable that one of them will become upset once in a while,” Tegoshi began. “It’ll probably be okay soon.”

“That’s right. Let’s not think negatively,” Yamapi forced a smile. “Is there anything else you want for your birthday?”

Massu smiled faintly. “Aoi-chan.”

Aoi is the name of the girl Massu had dated for two years before she broke up with him when he told her that he was a mutant.

With bright smiles and cute mannerisms, it might have seemed like he was happy most of the time. Underneath it all, however, he never truly got over it and never let go of the ring he had bought to propose to her.

---

Ryo leaned against a tree with a racing heart.

“Shige, tell me what’s wrong.”

His voice was shaky and hard to understand with the sobs that cut in. “I don’t know what to do.”

“You did what I asked you to, didn’t you?” Ryo asked, though it was more of a statement than a question.

“I finally realized why you told me to do that - it was easy before and I wanted to accept it the night you told me everything but now it’s like I can’t make the decision based solely on the fact that I want to be with you.”

Obtaining that understanding had been Ryo’s intention, but he never wanted it to hurt Shige to this extent.

“It’s not easy, I know.”

“It’s like I think to myself ‘I can’t do this’ but then I think of how things would be with you and then I can barely stop myself from going over there.”

“You have to figure out which way would allow you to be happy. Either way, there’s pain. It just depends on which kind of pain you’ll be able to bear without sacrificing what you truly want for yourself.”

The sobbing had stopped and Shige remained silent for a while.

“It’s not all about my happiness Ryo. It’s about yours as well.”

Ryo didn’t respond and Shige seemed to have brought himself together on the other end.

“Isn’t it?”

“Think about the rest of your life, Shige. That’s all I can say.”

“I know.”

“I’ll see you in a few days. Don’t cry anymore.”

End of 15a.

15b: