Title: This Is How We Roll
Summary: After an attempt on Takaba's life, Sudoh finds himself somewhat on the run to avoid Asami's clutches. Taking temporary solace at a diner miles away from Tokyo, the emotionally wrecked man has a few moments to himself to ponder on life and perhaps realize that he doesn't need Asami's acknowledgement to be happy.
Author's Note: I see a ton of stories where Sudoh is portrayed as the bad guy, and I've got to admit, I think a couple of mind portray him like that as well. But hell, I feel sorry for the guy, he really just wants Asami to love him and he tries his best…so, I just had to write a positive one shot for him.
Warnings: Takaba was attacked. There is an angry Asami. Pitiful Sudoh. OC. Coarse/Offensive language.
Genre: Friendship, Romance, Hurt/Comfort, Angst
Pairings: TakabaxAsami SlightAsamixSudoh SudohxOC.
Sudoh's intention was never to injure Takaba Akihito. Injuring implied that Sudoh only sought to strike a warning as if to tell Takaba to "Back Off". No, Sudoh's intentions were much grimmer and leaned towards more of a fatal intention. Sudoh wanted to kill, Takaba Akihito. Every fiber in his being wanted that boy gone, dead, and wiped off of the face of the Earth. And that day, when everything seemed so right…he was so close. So close to having Takaba gone from his life, so close to having Asami.
But like all his cruel intended plans, this one, ended up firing back at him.
Sudoh made sure he only kept his plans between him and one other person, that other person being Sakezaki whom also aided him in ridding Takaba Akihito from his life. The plan was a success in the beginning, he had Takaba in his clutches, drugged and prepared to either be killed or sold off. The moment was perfect as he stared at the helpless boy that night, ready to end his problems for good.
However, he never expected Sakzaki to grow cold feet and run to Asami, informing the man of his plans. Not only did that slip up cause Sudoh his job, but almost his life. It was Kirishima Kei, who made way into the club room that night, easily taking out Sudoh's guards that stood watch outside the room. Thank God, his first objective was to check on Akihito, as Sudoh was somehow able to escape from a back door, but by no means was he free.
Asami had seen him, running towards the exit and didn't have to think before taking out his gun and aiming for Sudoh. Luckily, Sudoh was only grazed on the arm, but nevertheless, he was still a 'dead man'.
He had been able to make it out to the streets of Shinjuku and somehow he got in his car. He sped off after that, not daring to look back.
He had lost everything.
His fame.
His identity.
His power.
And now, the man he loved.
All to a troublesome pest, Takaba Akihito.
OoOoOoO
It was late at night when Sudoh's car had either broken down or run out of gas, stopping in front of a small restaurant. It still looked open, as the lights inside were on and people walked about, workers it looked like.
Sudoh sighed and stepped out of his car, taking in the strange air of the area. He hadn't ever been to this place, it was by a port, a fisher's port. It smelled of fish outside, which caused Sudoh to grimace. Hoping that the restaurant smelled much nicer, Sudoh made way in there. He wasn't sure if he'd eat or if he'd just stay there for a while until he figured out what to do.
He walked idly, an absentmindedly until his feet brought him through the doors and to this brightly lit establishment. It seemed rather odd inside, almost based on an American 50's restaurant. There were booths, and tables with red velvet seats. There was a bar that was unoccupied. On the checker style wall, sat pictures of American buildings, cars, people, etc. University logo's that Sudoh had never seen nor heard of. There was one that read "Texas State University", another read, "Texas A&M." and finally, the one that stood out the most was, "University of Notre Dame."
Sudoh stared as he took a seat in a booth feeling oddly out of place. He'd never seen a Japanese restaurant like this. There were napkin holders, salt and ketchup, etc., lined up on the tables. Sudoh looked around to see if anyone else was in there, but appeared that he was alone.
He suddenly heard noise in the kitchen behind the bar, arguing it seemed like. A loud male's voice with a strange accent, followed by two female voices.
"So, he's going to post that shit on my page," The male voice yelled. "And then run away? Won't even fess up to it! Hell I'll fuck his little ass up if he tries that_" The offensive language had stopped abruptly as the owner of this loud voice made way out of the kitchen and into the center of the restaurant. His eyes opened wide when he saw Sudoh sitting in a booth staring curiously. "Oh shit…" He spoke moving his hair out of his face. "Hey! I'm sorry if you heard any of that. I'm just a little upset that's all. I didn't even know you were here…we usually don't get folks on weekdays."
Sudoh remained quiet as he stared up at the boy. He was quite young it looked like, probably a college student. He wore a red shirt, some khaki's and an apron over all of that. He had a spatula in his hand. As Sudoh looked at him, it was quite obvious that his boy was foreign, if his accent didn't give him away. His hair was red with loose curls. His skin was a light brown with red freckles going from one cheek, over the bridge of his nose and to the other cheek. His eyes were bright green. He looked quite handsome, even Sudoh had to admit that to himself. He had never seen someone with such a skin color.
"Hey…." The boy approached Sudoh. "Did I offend you or something?"
"No." Sudoh's response was quick as he averted his gaze from the boy's piercing green eyes. "You just startled me."
"Oh…" He placed his hands in his pocket. "It's all cool then?" Sudoh stared at him strangely, but nodded. He then sighed and leaned back in the chair. All the while, the boy kept on staring at him.
"Um…" He broke Sudoh's concentration. "Can I…can I get you something to drink?"
Sudoh turned to face him, still confused but realized that this was the boy's job. "I'll have a water."
"Alright….your water then." Sudoh watched as the boy vanished into the kitchen and then came back with an ice cold glass of water. He then placed it in front of Sudoh and watched him drink. Feeling somewhat violated, Sudoh looked at him.
"Excuse me," He snapped. "Is there something wrong?"
"Oh…" The boy gave an apologetic smile, causing Sudoh to feel guilty.
"I'm sorry…I didn't mean to be rude." Sudoh painfully replied. "It's just been a really long night."
"Well…I hope the water makes you feel a bit better." The boy sat down across from Sudoh. "It's rare that we get any customers on weekdays…especially this time of night."
"I just happened to stop here. Something went wrong with my car and_"
"I can take a look at it!" The boy intervened. "I'm a mechanic…kind of…I can fix cars and shit like that. My dad taught me." He looked at Sudoh. "You look familiar…you know, like those people that would be in Tokyo, those rich people wearing suits and stuff like that."
"Well, I did come from Shinjuku." Sudoh didn't feel like this boy was an enemy, so telling him where he was from didn't worry him. "I own or owned a club there." He gave a hopeless smile. "I'm pretty much broke now."
"That explains the suit." The boy grinned. "By the way, my name is Nicholas, Nick for short."
"You're not from here are you?"
Nicholas shook his head. "Nope I'm from America. I'm here with my friend over the summer, helping her out at her restaurant. Used to be her mom's but she passed it on to her, and now…we kind of remodeled it to fit it how we wanted it. Oh yeah, my other friend is here too."
"My name is Sudoh." Sudoh smiled. "Sudoh Shuu. You look very…foreign, don't take it badly. You have an attractive skin tone."
Nicholas smiled. "Ahh yeah! My dad is from the Dominican Republic, and my mom is from Ireland. It's a weird mix up I know. But thanks! You're pretty attractive too!"
"I know," Sudoh breathed. "I'm a model."
"Oh." Nicholas didn't hide his astonishment. "That's…um…wow. I feel a little insecure now." Sudoh actually found himself laughing, a genuine laugh. "I'm pretty sure you get that a lot."
Sudoh paused for a while, feeling a slight bit guilty. It was true, that he made many feel insecure about themselves, and he went out of his way to do so. Even that Takaba Akihito, as much as a pest as he was, didn't deserve Sudoh's spite in making him feel worthless.
Sudoh hadn't really cared about it at first, but in the presence of a 'friend', he saw how much it negatively affected someone.
"You don't have to feel insecure." Sudoh's tone was soft. "To be honest…models don't live the best lives."
"Is that so?" Nicholas crossed his arms.
Sudoh shrugged. "On the outside, there's fame, money and status but on the inside…" He sighed. "You can't even trust your friends…you don't even have any friends. It's just 'business partners', companies, etc." He smiled at Nicholas. "You're lucky….just being here."
"Well that depends on what you mean by lucky. See, you mentioned fame and wealth. Fame is overrated, but wealth would be nice. College tuition isn't a joke nowadays…" He sighed. "But….what can I say. It would just be nice to have a couple of thousands of dollars…But anyway, Mr. Sudoh, would you like anything to eat?"
Sudoh blinked. "I suppose…" He looked at Nicholas. "What do you have?"
Nicholas began to speak, and while he did, two young girls appeared from the kitchen, both wearing the same thing he was. One had long black hair, tied in a bun, she was obviously Japanese. Her face was youthful with a look of confusion. Next to her was the other girl with long flowing black hair and a light brown colored face. Her eyes were bright blue and also filled with confusion.
"Rutherford!" The one with a bun yelled. "What are you doing sitting here, talking with the customers?"
"Evangeline!" Nicholas or Rutherford shouted back.
"Rutherford?" Sudoh sounded oddly confused.
"That's his real name." The other girl with the long hair took Sudoh's cup from the table. "Nicholas is his middle name, but when you call him Rutherford, he starts complaining like a little whiny bitch_"
"Hey." Rutherford stood angrily. "I watched my mouth in front of the customer, you might as well watch yours, Eden."
Sudoh stared in confusion as the other girl turned around and headed back to the kitchen with her cup. "Whatever you say…"
Rutherford watched her as she went to the kitchen and sneered. Straightening himself up, he turned to face Sudoh. "What do you want? Pretty sure you aren't used to burgers."
"Actually, I'm not." Sudoh stated in amusement. "I've never had one in my life." And he hadn't. In order to obtain the body he needed to stay fit as a model, he'd either starve himself, eat very little or eat a great amount of food only to vomit afterwards to obtain his figure. The way Rutherford said burger sounded somewhat tempting, and since he wasn't really a 'model', anymore, he wanted to try it.
"Alright then, I'll be right back." Rutherford winked, vanished into the kitchen, leaving Sudoh with the other girl, Evangeline he remembered was her name. Her eyes widened as she stared at Sudoh.
"I know you!" She beamed, quickly rushing over to him and sitting down right next to him. "You're a model aren't you, from Shinjuku!"
Sudoh made way to speak, but Evangeline hugged on his arm. "My mother used to send me your magazines when I was in America! I always used to buy your products…I mean…well, um…for my boyfriend that is! They were super expensive but it was worth it! I buy your magazines also…I mean when I can afford the subscription!"
Sudoh was unsurprised, as he had commonly gotten this reaction from his fans. But it was something about this girl that moved his heart. Perhaps it was her overly bubbly personality, or the way she was so comfortable with him. Usually, Sudoh would've pushed someone like this away from him, annoyed with their outbursts, but he liked this girl. "What is your name?" He asked.
"Oh…um…you may have heard it earlier. My name is Evangeline! I know it sounds strange right…but, my…my…mom is Japanese but my dad is American! So he named me!" She giggled. "I'm so sorry for being like this…it's just…it's just…I never expected to see you here…"
"It's fine." Sudoh spoke.
"I should…probably get off of you now…" She released her grip, and strangely, Sudoh felt rather sad when she did. It was rare for him to be so close to someone, not for money or pleasure, just out of pure friendship.
"I don't mind." He admitted, a smile making way to his face.
"Oh…okay!" Evangeling clutched onto him again. "To be honest, I thought you'd be really snobby and rude since you're all rich and stuff. Funny thing is that's how people like us think in regards to people like you!"
Sudoh frowned. "Sorry for that then…I hope I'm not that rude."
"Oh you're not!" She waved her hand. "You're really really friendly! But…I'm just a little curious as to why you'd be in a fisher's village. This is about three hours away from Shinjuku…"
Sudoh felt his heart skip a few beats as memories of Asami and Takaba began to flood his memory. He had been so carefree and absent minded that he'd forgotten why he'd ended up in this small village in the first place. If he kept on like this, so nonchalant and casual, Asami would surely find him. He had to leave while he still had a chance.
He stiffened a bit, feeling a cold sweat break out. The fear that Asami would catch up to him...what would he do? What he torture Sudoh? Would he kill him? All these thoughts piled within his mind grew heavily upon his heart, and he began to shake uncontrollably. Sudoh didn't want to die…not after this, not after he saw that it was possible to live without fame, without all the glamour and without a powerful man to please. He hadn't even realized, that in the midst of his fear, a lone tear had fallen from his eye, followed by many others.
"Sudoh…" Evangeline asked. "Are you alright_"
"Evan!" The other girl yelled, approaching Sudoh with Rutherford behind her. "The dishes need to be washed, get up and move your ass! Your mom didn't give you this place to sit and lollygag." She crossed her arms, glaring at Evangeline.
"Oh...oh…I…alright! Sorry Sudoh, I'll be back." She stood. "Guess I am being a little lazy." She gave a strange smile, turned around and quickly rushed to the kitchen. The other girl, Eden was her name, placed a new cup of water on Sudoh's table. She sat down and stretched.
"I'm heading to check out your car." Rutherford spoke, holding a tray with Sudoh's burger. "Here you go." He placed it on the table and gave a hopeful smirk. "I'll be back in twenty minutes."
Eden watched as Rutherford vanished. She again stretched and moved her feet. "I miss America, but I guess this place is pretty cool….Hey, are you alright?"
Sudoh was breathing heavily and took a drink of his water to calm down. Eden watched in silence as he wiped his eyes and took a painful gulp. "I'm fine…just fine…" He looked at the burger sitting before him. All of a sudden, he didn't feel so hungry.
"I...just…" He frowned. "It's been a busy night."
"I feel you! You should be here on Saturdays! I swear, people from all over come here, we're working until four in the morning and hell, it's just the three of us." She nudged his shoulder. "But we haven't had anyone like you before."
Sudoh forced a smile. "I've heard…."
She went silent for a while and stared at him. "There's really something bothering you isn't there? I can tell, with that fake smile you're wearing. You know, I heard Evan blabbering about you being a model or something. It's not as glamorous as it seems, it gets to you eventually."
Sudoh would've taken offense to a comment like that, but now, all he could do was agree with her. "Well I finally had a wakeup call…I guess." He shrugged.
"Wake up calls are bitches, aren't they? But they can also be helpful."
"Mine has caused more problems that solutions."
"If you don't mind telling me, how so?" Eden leaned near him. "I'm all ears."
"Let's just say I let my jealousy and anger get the best of me, and now I'm going to pay for it."
"Love triangle?" Eden mused.
"You can say that." Sudoh found himself chuckling. "I just…tried to retake someone that I thought was mine. Another person got in the picture, and I guess I reacted," He felt his heart constrict. "in a childish way…I did something terrible." Admitting his own faults made him feel oddly better, as if a pain was lifted from his chest. However, that didn't change his situation in the slightest.
"Uhg, I hate when shit like that happens! It's happened to me before, but I've gotta say, your actions were justified. Don't ever take crap from someone who just decided to pop up ruin things." She banged her fist on the table. "I hate nosy bitches, annoying folks, assholes in general! I know how you feel!"
Sudoh smiled. "Really?"
"Yeah…it's like, you've been here all along and then someone just has to come and show you up. It's pretty fucking annoying. Especially if that person is a tease…"
As Eden went on, Sudoh felt a growl rumble in his stomach. His eyes quickly darted to the burger sitting on the tray and he couldn't stop himself from reaching for it. He had never even held one of these things before, and feeling the warm greasy bun made him think twice about it. But he took one bite of the warm, salty, sweet, delicious sandwich and for a moment, it seemed as if all his troubles vanished.
"Do you like it?" Eden apparently saw his reaction, as there was a smirk across her face.
He nodded and continued to eat it. "Well then, I'm going to help Evangeline in the kitchen. I probably hurt her feelings, so I should check on her. Later." Eden stood and made way to the kitchen, leaving Sudoh to finish his burger. It was probably the most delicious thing he tasted and for once, he didn't feel the need to gag himself in order to stay skinny, it was nice to have a little bit of meat on his bones. He drank a bit of his water and looked at one of the many clocks. It was almost time for him to get going, despite the fact that he had no definite destination.
He looked on the walls at various pictures. Some read 'Mt. Rushmore', 'Yellow Stone', 'Hoover Damn', and many other things. Just far away places that Sudoh would have loved to have seen. However, he didn't count on making it past another day after this, he was practically dead. Asami had him in his clutches, the best thing to do now would be to drive back to Shinjuku and_
"Hey!" Rutherford came back inside. "Your car is fixed, there was just something jamming the engine, I pulled it out. And you'll need some more gas soon, there's a station about twenty five miles minutes north from here, and if you need a ride, I can take you somewhere in my truck…assuming you'd leave your car here." He sat down next to Sudoh this time rather than across from him. "So you liked the burger?"
"Loved it." Sudoh admitted. "Did you make it?"
"Hell yeah!" Rutherford smiled.
"It was the best thing I've ever tasted…"
"I'm glad you liked it! That's how we roll down here, making the customers happy!"
There was pause that manifested as Rutherford rested back in the seat. "If you decide to stop by on Sunday morning, you can…come to mass with us."
"Mass?" Sudoh sounded confused.
"It's Easter Sunday…you know how it goes, but that's just if you stop by, and I can pick you up, if you need a ride." Sudoh smiled for a while feeling his heart warm up. Even someone like this, who barely knew him, was being so kind to him.
"Thanks…" Sudoh frowned. "But I don't think…I don't think it's a good idea."
"Suit yourself then_"
"I like the name Rutherford, by the way. Nicholas is nice, but Rutherford is better."
Rutherford frowned. "I hate that name…"
"It's a nice name, for a nice person." He turned to face Rutherford with a smile on his face, a genuine smile. Even in the depths of the devil's clutches, Sudoh still felt happy. And yes, he knew Asami would eventually catch up to him, and perhaps kill him. He'd maybe even get Takaba to kill him, but at that moment, none of that mattered to Sudoh.
Perhaps he'd had an epiphany, or a revolution, but Takaba had to be one of the best things that happened to him. If it wasn't for that brat, then he'd never be on the run, and he'd never meet these three amazing people. He'd never get to see life from a different perspective, a life that wasn't clouded with fear, power, money, fame, influence….Asami.
He hated that he'd have to leave it all behind to either runaway or surrender, but this night was perhaps his best in years.
So as he stared into Rutherford's bright green orbs, he didn't feel guilty leaning in for a kiss that he so longed for. He didn't feel guilty brushing his lips on the younger boy's despite the obvious surprise that settled within Rutherford's face. At that moment there was no Asami and most certainly no Takaba.
Sudoh was now living for himself.
OoOoOoO
Rutherford led Sudoh out of the restaurant and walked him to the car. He smiled at him and waved as he left, feeling somewhat empty inside as he went back in to the restaurant. He waited to hear Sudoh's car pull out before he shut the door. He surely would miss that guy.
"Alright girls, closing time!" He announced as both girls rushed out of the kitchen and to Sudoh's table.
"I liked that guy…" Evangeline grabbed hold of the tray.
"Yeah…hope we get to see him again." Eden looked at the table. "Hey, did he ever pay?"
"Yeah. He left in on the table, said it was under the tray."
Evangeline then lifted the tray, staring at three envelopes. "Is this the payment?"
"Think so." Rutherford walked over to the table. "There are three for each of us….guess I'll take one. Oh…it's got my name on it."
"I'll take the other. It has my name also."
"Same here."
All three friends ripped open their envelopes and neither one could hold back their gasps as they saw the amount written across the line of their checks.
"Two hundred, forty thousand…dollars?!" Rutherford exclaimed in shock.
"American dollars!" Evangeline yelped.
"He's rich!" Eden gasped.
"He's a fucking model! But I didn't expect him to do this…shit! Is his number on there so we can thank him?" Rutherford loudly asked.
"I don't see anything!" Eden cried.
"Damnit!" Rutherford bellowed. "You're fucking me…where is he going? You think we can catch up to him?"
"If we go now!" Evangeline muttered. "But we've…ugh…"
The trio, not sure how to react, continued to bicker until closing.
OoOoOoO
Sudoh wasn't sure what to think as he drove away that night. Happiness could've described it perfectly, but that was more of an understatement.
He may not have had any money, nor status, power nor wealth, but now he had something that even Asami and Takaba lacked, and that was freedom.
He was free, from politics, from binds, from influence. And Asami or no Asami, Sudoh was still happy and thank God, he could still find love.
He was his own person now, free to do what he wanted and not what some man told him to do, and despite the disadvantages that he'd face in the future…Sudoh really liked it that way, because that's how he rolled. The new and improved Sudoh, no longer reader to surrender but to fight for his new and better life.
There is my tribute to Sudoh because even he deserves some love to. I hope you liked it, I enjoyed writing it…And yass! Easter Sunday is coming up, time to go shop for dresses. I'm going to church on Saturday and Easter Sunday. Oh yes, and I did go to confession this month and felt so relieved! And by the way, Caged may be update on Saturday rather than Sunday because I don't plan to be writing fanfictions on Easter Sunday, I'll be with my family.
So…worldly issues. I really hope that Russia doesn't take over the Ukraine, I mean…a war would be awful! So, I think we should all pray for Russia and Ukarain.
Everybody have a wonderful Easter but don't forget the true meaning behind it and that is of course, relflecting on Jesus' sacrifice!
I don't own finder series.
Please review!
And Peace out homies!