Kaminaga had awoken from his sleep at the sound of someone knocking on his door, the man throwing an arm over his eyes to return to that blissful unconscious state he craved at two in the morning. He sighed, hearing another knock and turning away in hopes that his late-night visitor would spare him. It was probably just a drunk Odagiri asking for company after a rough day at work.
Just as the knocking stopped and Kaminaga was ready to go back to sleep, his eyes snapped open when he heard glass breaking right outside of his bedroom door.
That wasn't Odagiri.
It startled him into action, the man jumping out from bed and reaching for the gun he kept in his dresser. Kaminaga fumbled in the dark as he loaded his gun before he pushed the magazine in and pulled the slider back in time to see his bedroom door get kicked in by the asshole who decided it was cool to break his property.
Kaminaga aimed his gun at the shadowed figure standing in his doorway, squeezing the trigger and listening to the man grunt and fall to the floor before a second one appeared. Kaminaga hadn't expected two intruders, but now that he realized who may have been in his apartment he didn't feel like sticking around.
I can't believe my ex-girlfriend sicked the mob on me.
A bullet whizzed past him, barely missing his shoulder before it engrained itself in his beige colored wall. Kaminaga took that as a sign to leave before his would-be killer made a better shot. He glanced at the mysterious man approaching him and ruled out the chance of getting past him and to the door. If he guessed correctly, there were more men waiting outside to take him down. Instead, he turned on his heel and ran towards the only other exit.
"Get back here!"
Kaminaga ignored the gruff shout and braced himself for the impact, covering his face as he launched his body through the window. His legs hurt as they smashed into the glass and shattered the panel, its shards landing in his hair and cutting his arms as he fell towards the ground several meters up from his apartment floor.
The sight of the illuminated pool below him was enough to ease his worry, Kaminaga turning around in time for his back to hit the water and hold his breath. The ungraceful collision hardly compared to the stings he felt from his cuts when he went under, the water doing little to ease his wounds.
Kaminaga blinked before he flailed to the surface, water getting up his nose and making him cough as he began swimming and climbing out from the pool, his gun still clutched in his hands. He was sure it wasn't going to function properly now, but the sound of rushed footsteps and shouting had him running to the pool gate and climbing over the obstacle. He cursed his landlord for locking the gates after dark when he landed on his bare feet and continued running before any of the mobsters could catch up.
He heard a set of feet behind him and maybe there were more. It was hard to tell over his pounding heart and his heavy breathing, but he was sure there were probably even more men left in his apartment before he split and pulled that stunt. Now he was barefoot, soaking wet, and running for his life down a dark street in nothing but his underwear.
The gun was heavy in his hands but he continued running with it because he was no match against those men unarmed. If the gun couldn't work, he'd use it to knock one of them out at least.
Another gunshot went off behind him, the sound a little distant, and Kaminaga couldn't help but look behind him and notice that the mobsters were slowing down and he was gaining distance. He laughed a little, breathless, at the large chance of survival he had thanks to his stamina.
Kaminaga turned a corner and found himself in a nearby neighborhood, one he knew he was familiar with because of the corner store there that he frequented. He looked around frantically, trying to find a place to hide before he heard one of the men shouting again. Something about a car?
He didn't want to know what he was saying, preoccupying himself with trying to live through the night. Going back to his apartment would be a death wish. Where else could he go?
He didn't have time to think when a car had rounded the corner, the bright headlights momentarily blinding him. It was a black Cadillac, a newer model, and Kaminaga had a sinking feeling in his gut that hiding wasn't going to be much of an option now.
He didn't wait for the front windows to roll down before he took off, the Cadillac jerking forward and following him down the road. He tried to outrun the car creeping up on him, but his legs were hardly a match for the vehicle and he knew it was only a matter of time before they would kill him.
The car was right beside him now and Kaminaga retreated to the side walk, knowing that the light posts between them would be enough to prevent the car from moving any closer. The gunman hanging out from the car, however, was a different matter.
Kaminaga quickly held his gun out in a panic and started shooting, his labored breathing doing little to help him aim. The bullets all hit around the window instead, denting the car, but it made the mysterious man roll the window back up for protection and he was momentarily safe. At least now he knew his gun still worked.
As they continued up the street, he noticed the familiar sign of the convenience store approaching and he smirked. It was a sign of hope to him, the dim lights shining despite the store not being open and creating a beacon of security.
Kaminaga suddenly raised his middle finger to the driver of the car and took a sharp turn into the alley between the store and another building, effectively losing the men on his tail and forcing them to stop the car.
The alley was too narrow for any kind of four-wheeled vehicle to pass through but it was enough for Kaminaga to escape and he was grateful. A chain-link fence cut off his exit but it did little to stop him as he climbed and jumped down, never slowing even as he saw the men in the car pursue him on foot.
He was too far ahead and he knew that they wouldn't be on his tail for long. The fence closed off the neighborhood from the public park, which eventually led him to the riverbank. It was hard to see how sloped the land was as he descended, but he was careful with his footing until he reached the water and submerged himself.
The water was freezing and Kaminaga could feel goosebumps on his skin as he swam, trying to be as quiet as possible in case those goons were closer than he thought and decided to follow. It wasn't long before the water was receding and he made it to the other end of the bank, his underwear completely soaked and his hair sticking to his face.
He couldn't stop the shiver that ran down his spine as he stood and a cool breeze brushed past him. He could no longer hear any shouting from the other end of the bank and Kaminaga breathed a sigh of relief at knowing they wouldn't be behind him for the rest of the night.
Kaminaga looked around and tried to find a landmark of some sort to help guide his way to someplace helpful. A friend's house or a police station, at least. Odagiri's apartment was near his own, so that was ruled out. Amari was out of town on business for the rest of the week, which meant he couldn't stay at his place until he returned.
Kaminaga shuffled through the grass and onto pavement, pushing past the thick bushes that lined the sidewalk and led to the middle of town. Kaminaga spotted a bank, a small business building, and a bar that was oddly closed at this hour. He frowned, hoping that some place was still open where he could ask for help.
The road was empty too, not a soul to be seen walking or driving this late at night. If the bar was open, maybe there would be a bigger crowd but all he could see were faint lights from a cheap motel sign a mile down the road. Running a hand through his hair, Kaminaga sighed and made his way down the street in hopes of running into someone.
After discovering that the motel's parking lot was empty, Kaminaga's patience was wearing thin. With the gun in his hands, he knew walking in the lobby would result in getting arrested and that was the last thing he wanted after what he went through.
Tired and agitated, Kaminaga clicked his tongue and decided that he would just follow the road signs until he found someone to help. His bare feet were sore after all that running and he hated how cold it was after his venture in the water, but he knew the river was what ultimately saved his life.
He crossed his arms over his chest as he walked, searching ahead for any public phones he could use. He realized it would be useless if he did find one, considering he didn't have any money on him in the first place. Not only was he exhausted and cold, but he was broke, too.
"Fuck my life." Kaminaga was bitter, glaring down at the sidewalk like it was at fault for getting him into this mess. No, it wasn't the sidewalk's fault. His ex-girlfriend was to blame.
He hadn't taken her seriously; she mentioned having ties to the mafia when they started their relationship. It was brought up during their dinner date at some cheap restaurant that they both enjoyed for being a quiet place and Kaminaga had thought that, because it was brought up so casually, she was only joking.
Not long after he started seeing her, some things happened in his private life that took up a lot of his time. He was still adjusting to his new photography job after recently receiving news that his uncle was admitted to the hospital due to complications. Stress was piling up and after a while Kaminaga stopped being interested in a relationship. It wasn't like he was cheating, he was just busy and the added stress of a relationship was too much at the time. When he finally decided to break up, she didn't take it well and even threatened him. "You better watch your back once my father hears about this!"
Kaminaga had shrugged her off and told her she was being overdramatic. He believed that all he would get was a nasty phone call from an upset father for breaking his daughter's heart. He did get that phone call, but that wasn't everything. No, he received death threats in the form of anonymous letters and pictures of himself and where he lived that were clearly taken by someone hiding across his apartment building.
After a few weeks, Kaminaga found it difficult to sleep at night and eventually starting taking self-defense classes in case her father was true to his word. Tonight's events were proof of it.
Too caught up in his thoughts to notice the car that was driving down the road, Kaminaga didn't see it until he saw the headlights that beamed and illuminated his legs. Kaminaga panicked, believing that the mafia had already found him and he pointed his gun directly at the driver's side of the vehicle.
Before the car had even stopped the brunette had noticed that it wasn't even the same color, let alone the same brand, as the one that was chasing him. Seizing his chance, Kaminaga ran in front of the vehicle to make sure it wouldn't speed away and shouted at the driver. "Don't move!" He wasn't sure if he could even hear him from inside of his car, but considering that the guy inside wasn't moving, he'd hoped his warning was taken to heart.
He walked around to the driver's side and yanked the door open, surprised to find that it was even unlocked in the first place. Inside was a young man dressed in a suit, his dark bangs parted away from his eyes and he didn't look like the type of guy Kaminaga expected to see driving this late. "Give me your cell phone."
The man blinked from his seat, staring up at him like he had just said something stupid. "Excuse me?" He didn't look frightened at all despite looking at the gun that was pointed directly at his face.
"You heard me. Give me your cell phone." Kaminaga motioned with his other hand to get his point across, knowing there was only so much he could take after the night he just had. "You have one of those, right?" He knew pointing the gun at him would probably get himself in legal trouble, but he couldn't exactly hide the weapon now after using it to stop the vehicle.
The man in the blue suit only stared longer, mouth parting and shaking his head.
Kaminaga grit his teeth and walked closer, nearly touching the barrel of the gun to the man's head. "Listen. I just survived a mob hit by jumping out of my apartment window, outrunning a car, and swimming across a riverbank just to escape them so I'm not in the goddamn mood to play nice–give me your fucking phone or I'll blow your brains out, you understand?"
The other seemed to understand what he was saying, but the blank stare he was receiving was enough to make Kaminaga scream. Instead of getting his cell phone all he got was a question. "Why are you in your underwear?"
Kaminaga would have found it funny if not for the circumstances, but the question was genuine. The stranger honestly wanted to know why Kaminaga was in his underwear at two in the morning after having just threatened the man's life at gunpoint.
"Get out of the car."
"What?"
"I said get out of the car!" Kaminaga shouted and moved the gun closer, pressing the cool metal to the stranger's forehead and inching his finger near the trigger. He was prepared to legitimately shoot the guy if it meant he could get a chance to escape town and find a new place to stay before his ears picked up the sound of an engine not too far down the road.
He would have dismissed it as another random bystander save for the fact that he was standing in the middle of the road with a weapon pointed in someone's face. If anyone else saw him, it not only meant he'd be running from the mob but from the police, too.
Kaminaga looked to see how far the car was from them, estimating how quickly he could remove the man from his car before he would be spotted. As he glanced up and saw the moving car by the motel he had passed earlier, he squinted when he realized the vehicle was familiar. It was black, that was obvious, and the shape looked a little blocky. From where he stood, it looked sort of like an SUV? No, the car was smaller than that and more compact.
As it rounded the corner completely and continued closer, Kaminaga had discovered that it was the same Cadillac that he had barely escaped from. "Shit." He wasn't sure how they managed to find him this quickly, or if the mobsters were simply driving home, but all he knew was that he needed to leave.
He turned back to the stranger and retracted the gun, running over to the passenger's side of the car and getting in before the man could even think of driving away. "If you don't want to be covered in bullet holes, I suggest you drive." He knew he was referring to both himself and the driver at this point, but it didn't matter as long as the guy knew he was in danger either way.
The threat barely fazed the other man, his eyes turning to look at his new passenger. Instead of question him, the man took his foot off the brake pedal and stepped on the gas to get the vehicle moving again. A gun wasn't being pointed to his head now, so he knew that was a good sign. His carjacker hadn't specified where to drive, so it wouldn't be his fault if they were going to wrong way.
As they drove, Kaminaga slid down in his seat and ducked out of view from the window just before the Cadillac had passed them. It couldn't have been just a coincidence that someone else in town had the same car and he realized he made the right choice by hiding himself.
He waited a few more seconds before he sat back up and sighed as the vehicle disappeared behind them and down the empty road. His carjacking idea hadn't exactly worked, but at least the mobsters were gone and he was off his feet for a few minutes.
"May I ask what this is about?"
Kaminaga looked over at the man beside him who's eyes were calm and focused on the road, as if they were having a normal conversation in his car. He couldn't understand how collected he was, even during Kaminaga's threats of violence. "Do you want to give me your cell phone in exchange?"
The other remained stoic. "I told you I don't have one. Not on me, anyway." He spared a glance at him before returning his concentration to the road again.
"Then take me someplace where I can use a phone."
"My house is just a few streets down."
Kaminaga gave him a look that indicated he was skeptical. The offer was shady enough, but considering he was the one with the gun, he didn't particularly care now. He didn't say anything, however, and instead leaned back against his seat and stared out the window at the passing buildings.
The stranger was true to his word as he began to see houses lined up and they drove into a neighborhood that didn't look as shady as he imagined. The sound of the turn signal was the only other noise besides their breathing as they turned into a street on his right and continued down the road.
As they drove, he observed the houses that blurred past them and how they managed to get bigger and more spaced out the further they went. He wanted to say something about it, ask if the guy was a millionaire that lived in a big house, but kept his mouth shut instead. He felt like the question would really look like he was intending to rob the man blind.
"My name's Tazaki."
Kaminaga tore his eyes away from the window when the stranger spoke, looking over and watching him turn the steering wheel as they pulled into a driveway. He really wasn't expecting an introduction but at least now he had a name to go with the face. He watched as they drove around a curve and parked in front of a paved space big enough to hold Tazaki's car. They were parked at the entrance of his home from what he could see.
"I'm Kaminaga." Kaminaga didn't look over at him when he replied, only feeling a sense of obligation for the stranger telling him his name. He probably shouldn't have, considering Tazaki could turn him into the police later, but it was something he was willing to risk for his pride. Whatever pride he had left after running around town in his underwear.
Kaminaga opened the passenger door and stepped out just as Tazaki circled around the car after he shut it off. They made their way to the front door, Tazaki unlocking it and opening it wide so Kaminaga could pass through first. A moment later, Tazaki flicked on the lights and the whole room was illuminated, Kaminaga looking up at his surroundings and trying to keep himself from gaping.
The house itself wasn't extremely large, but the inside was spacious and the posh furniture decorated the living space and complimented the color of the walls. The couch and chairs were a light gray and the walls themselves were a navy blue, keeping the room refined and calm yet adding enough color to keep it from looking too dreary.
He was distracted when someone tapped his arm, Kaminaga snapping out of his daze and turning towards Tazaki as he began to walk towards a hallway. Kaminaga followed wordlessly, looking around at the picture frames hanging on the wall to give him an idea of what Tazaki was like. Some photos were obviously old, one being a carte de visite that was no bigger than his hand. Most featured men and women standing together, expressions stony, and standing in front of wooden boxes. They looked like chicken coops to him.
Tazaki turned a corner on the left and they were suddenly in the kitchen, Kaminaga's bare feet touching cool tile and making him shiver. He stared down at the black device in the middle of the table, recognizing it as a cell phone. He watched Tazaki pick it up and hand it to him. "Why is your phone in your kitchen?" He swiped the screen to unlock, furrowing his brows when he noticed it didn't have a passcode.
"I left in a rush this morning and forgot it." Tazaki shrugged at the question and walked over to the fridge, opening it and rummaging through small piles of Tupperware until he found something he apparently wanted.
Kaminaga turned to the side and ignored him as he dialed a number, hoping his friend would pick up. He held the phone to his ear and listened to it ring, until he was sure his friend wasn't going to pick up, and then was sent to voice mail. "Hey, Odagiri, it's me. Listen, I know you're probably asleep right now but give me a call when you wake up tomorrow morning, okay? It's important."
Kaminaga hung up afterwards and wished that Odagiri would take his message to heart and call him first thing tomorrow. He knew he was attached to his phone more than most people, so he probably had nothing to worry about.
What he had to worry about though, was the fact that he lived so close to Kaminaga. Their apartment complexes were only a few blocks away from each other and Kaminaga was uneasy at the thought of his friend getting caught up in whatever trouble he had brewed with the mob. If they knew where Kaminaga lived then who was to say they didn't know where his friends lived, too? If Odagiri was safe, then the phone call was only to be certain that nothing had befallen him during his escape.
Kaminaga set Tazaki's phone back on the kitchen table and his eyes located a plate of brownies wrapped in plastic wrap that wasn't there before. "What is this?"
Tazaki looked up from the refrigerator and pulled out a carton of milk, reaching up into the kitchen cabinets for, what Kaminaga assumed was, cups. "Brownies."
"Yes," was all Kaminaga could say afterwards. He stared at them, and then back at Tazaki, who was now filling up two glasses of milk like he was preparing a snack for a child.
One glass was set in front of him while the other was placed on the opposite side of the table as Tazaki returned the milk to the fridge and unwrapped the plate of brownies. Kaminaga wasn't sure if the man was up to something or if he was just being hospitable to his carjacker.
"Now that I've given you my phone, do you mind explaining yourself and why you decided to hold me at gunpoint?"
Yeah, Tazaki was up to something. He supposed it was kind of weird to offer sweets to a stranger in your home after what had happened. An explanation was in order. It was the least he could do for putting Tazaki in potential danger.
The dozen or so brownies that were piled on the plate were reduced to about four by the time Kaminaga had finished, the brunette chugging down his glass of milk until it was empty and he was tired of talking. He had explained everything from the beginning: from the time he signed up to that dating website to the moment he and Tazaki met.
"I see." Tazaki had slid the plate closer to Kaminaga after he finished, not in the mood for any more brownies. "I hadn't realized the gun you were holding was actually real."
Kaminaga's eyes widened and he set the glass down, staring over at Tazaki. "Was that why you were so calm about it?" The weapon had been placed on the table as they ate in his kitchen because Kaminaga wanted use of both his hands and the gun was rather heavy after a while.
Tazaki shrugged. "Toy guns look like the real deal these days, it's hard to tell the difference." He felt more than saw the difference the moment Kaminaga put the barrel to his forehead and the cold steel was enough to convince him. That was why he wasn't as reluctant to drive away at his order after he figured it out, compared to his demeanor during the demand of his cell phone.
Honestly, if Kaminaga had just asked nicely at the beginning he would have given him a ride to wherever he needed without his sass. Instead, he pointed a loaded weapon at his face and kicked up a fuss after such a simple question. Tazaki had never been mugged before, let alone by someone dressed only in a pair of boxers. He didn't know how to handle the situation.
Kaminaga sighed and ran a hand through his hair to brush back his bangs, wincing as his fingers caught the knots in his hair and pulled at his scalp. He knew Tazaki noticed his reaction because he was suddenly standing straight and walking over to him, his hand covering his own gently to stop him.
Tazaki pulled his arm down and inspected his hair himself, just tall enough to see the top of his head and discover the tiny fragments of glass in his locks. If Kaminaga hadn't explained his story to him, Tazaki would have simply mistook the shards as glitter from a distance. Not only was his hair a mess, but the rest of Kaminaga's body too. There were several cuts on his arms and legs, and some of the dirt from the riverbank clung to his feet and ankles.
It was dark when Tazaki first saw Kaminaga on the street so the wounds were hard to decipher between cuts or just unusual shadows from an angle. Now that they were under his ceiling lights, he looked filthy. "You can get cleaned up in the shower. You may want to brush your hair of that glass so you don't cut yourself later."
"Yeah, I can see that happening," Kaminaga looked up and pinched the end of his bangs with his finger and thumb, his eyes crossing, "Does this mean I'm staying the night at your place?" He didn't know how to feel about sleeping over at a stranger's home, especially after what happened; he wasn't about to go back to his own apartment now though, that was for sure.
Tazaki smiled as he turned to put the plate of brownies back in the fridge. "You're going to have to if you want your friend to call back."
Oh, right. "I figured he would just call my phone in the morning, but now that I think about it, I'm not sure I'll even find my phone when I return. Those mobsters probably smashed it after I ran off or something." Hell, his apartment may have been burned down for all he knew.
His original plan was to hide and return by daybreak, but Tazaki lived too far away for him to simply walk back with all his injuries and fatigue. Tazaki certainly couldn't drive him back because if he was seen with him, it would only put Tazaki in more danger. If Odagiri couldn't get ahold of him, his only other choice would be to call the unknown number back.
Kaminaga watched as Tazaki walked past him and tucked his phone back in his pocket. He took that as a sign to follow and Kaminaga was led down another hall before a flight of stairs was presented to him.
Tazaki pointed ahead of them towards the open door that led near the back of the house. "The downstairs bathroom is right there for you to use. It's connected to the guest bedroom by a side door, so you're free to sleep in there if you'd like. It's only a half bath though, so you'll be showering upstairs."
Kaminaga saw the other door beside the bathroom, guessing that it led to the bedroom he was talking about.
"I also have a guest room upstairs, if you'd prefer to stay in there for tonight. The bathroom with the shower is also connected, so sleeping on the second floor might be your best option." He didn't think Kaminaga would want to walk all the way downstairs after a shower when he looked ready to collapse any moment. The first-floor bedroom was still always available if he didn't feel comfortable sleeping on the second floor for any reason.
Kaminaga shrugged, not really caring which room he wanted to sleep in. The idea of a half bath connected to any bedroom was stupid to him and he never understood the purpose of them in the first place. He didn't care if the shower was in the attic; he was taking a shower no matter what.
Kaminaga had walked out of the bathroom completely clean of the blood and dirt that caked itself on his skin. The cool air was refreshing as he stepped out and dried his hair, scrubbing his scalp and shaking the water droplets from his locks with a contented sigh. On the bed waiting for him was a change of clothes provided by Tazaki: a set of pajama bottoms and a large shirt.
He picked up the pants first, unfolding them and holding it up to his waist to check the size. He and Tazaki were the same height, so it wasn't a surprise to find his clothes seemed to fit his body, too.
Kaminaga looked over at the clock that sat on the bedside table as he got dressed, realizing that his escape had lasted well into the night. It was nearly four o'clock and Kaminaga understood why his eyes felt so heavy. His fatigue wasn't noticeable when he was running for his life, his adrenaline affecting his senses and forcing him into a hyper sense of awareness and ignoring his own exhaustion.
He slipped his borrowed clothes on and walked around the side to climb into bed, pulling the thick comforter back and wrapping it around his body. He had never felt so relieved to have his head hit the pillow, his eyes immediately closing and Kaminaga was out in seconds.