Chapter 2

Forbidden Fruit

"Jesus H. Christ, it's cold," Miyagi growled to himself as he walked down the stone steps from the library. The winter night was blacker than the darkest ink, and the city lights had to work harder to fend off the darkness tonight. Miyagi let out a bellowing yawn that created a poof of a cloud in the air. He had come straight here from the university today to do some research for his own academic pursuits and had stayed much later than he intended. The assistant librarian was a friend of his and often let him stay past closing hours. It was after midnight now, and he knew it was time to hit the hay. He knew he would probably pay for bending over those old books for so long, but it was Friday night and he would have some time this weekend to relax.

Having missed the last train, Miyagi debated about whether or not to get a taxi. It was quite cold out, but his place wasn't too far and he thought he could use a bit of exercise after all that deskwork. His footsteps echoed almost loudly in the empty streets, and the atmosphere was a bit eerie. It didn't particularly bother him, and he began to dig in his coat pocket for his cigarettes. While searching, his fingers briefly touched his phone and he ended up taking it out, turning it on and checking for any missed calls or messages. There was a passive-aggressive one from Kamijou stating that he had finished grading Miyagi's Intro class essays and would see him in the office on Monday, but that was it. As he took his cigarettes out and lit one up, his thoughts wandered to Shinobu. It had been over a week since their meeting at the coffee shop, and so far he hadn't heard anything. Miyagi knew he really shouldn't be surprised by that. After all, he barely knew the kid, though he was a little regretful that he hadn't been able to change Shinobu's mind.

But something was still nagging at him about that whole situation. Why wasn't Risako helping her brother out financially if she wanted him to stay in school? And what job was so strenuous that he couldn't even keep up in class? Other high school kids managed part time jobs just fine. Shinobu had seemed rather reluctant to give any specifics, and it was more than likely he was hiding something. Everything was terribly fishy, and once again, Miyagi pondered about whether it was wise or not to dig deeper. He really didn't have a right to pry, but Shinobu hadn't seem too opposed to hearing him out at the time—

The sound of clanging metal suddenly rang through the streets, slicing into Miyagi's ears and making him halt. Loud bangs continued to shatter the still night air, and Miyagi found himself heading in the direction of the cacophony. He turned a corner and looked down an alleyway, snubbing out his cig as he took in the scene. A stocky, muscled man who looked to be in his late twenties was shoving a much smaller figure to the ground, delivering a brutal kick that sent the victim crashing into a nearby dumpster with a metallic thud. Miyagi could hear a faint, snarling voice from the attacker, though he couldn't make out exactly what he was saying.

His features firm, Miyagi took out his phone and pretended to dial a number. He wasn't sure whether or not the guy had a weapon on him so it was better to play it safe. He made sure his footsteps could be heard as he came further into the alley.

"Yes, I'd like to report an assault happening right now. The perp is about 170 centimeters and wearing a black jacket with a large white symbol on the back. The address is half a block west of 32nd st—"

"Fuck!" the attacker yelled as he realized what Miyagi was doing. With an angry cry, he kicked the figure on the concrete once more and took off running, disappearing into the maze of alleyways.

Miyagi came closer and heard a weak groan from the victim. But despite being beaten against a dumpster, the second he noticed Miyagi approaching, he forced himself to his feet and began to hurry away.

"Hey! Wait!" Miyagi called, his pace increasing to a jog. "Are you okay? Let me call you an ambulance."

"You don't have to," a shaky voice replied. "I'm fine."

"You're not fine. You could have a concussion or something. You should get yourself checked out."

"Fine, I will. But I'll do it myself, thank you."

Miyagi began to grow a little irritated but something abruptly made him pause. That tone of voice…it sounded familiar. Where had he heard that before?

A theory springing up in his head, Miyagi took a few quick strides and grabbed the figure's shoulder. And when he turned him around, his eyes widened. Before him was a teenage boy with honey blond hair and eyes the color of a hurricane. But this boy was sporting a black eye, a swollen lip, and a nose that was streaming trails of blood.

"Shinobu?"

The boy sniffed, carefully wiping at his bloody nose with his sleeve. He kept his eyes lowered and tried to shift out of Miyagi's tightening grip.

"Shinobu," Miyagi said, leaning forward and trying to catch the youth's gaze. "What happened? Did he mug you?"

Shinobu wordlessly shook his head.

"Do you know why he attacked you?"

The teen's face twisted in panic and Miyagi gave his shoulders a bit of shake.

"Shinobu, answer me," he said firmly. "Did you know who he was?"

The tone Miyagi used reluctantly unlocked Shinobu's tongue. "Not personally, no."

"Then who was he? Why did he beat you up?"

Shinobu struggled to breathe around the thick lump growing in this throat. This was a nightmare. After he had been so careful to keep this a secret, Miyagi just had to see him in this disgraceful state. Honestly he would have preferred the beat down.

"Shinobu!" Miyagi demanded.

Shinobu pried his mouth open and somehow formed words. "He…was a customer."

Miyagi raised an eyebrow. "A customer? What do you mean? What were you selling…him."

Miyagi's words trailed off as he suddenly took a closer look at Shinobu. Underneath his big coat, He was only wearing a plain white T-shirt was crudely ripped at the collar. It had a few stains of blood on it as well as other wet splotches. His jeans were also stained and the fly was down. Shinobu's skin looked damp and his hair was messy in a certain way that Miyagi recognized. The older man swallowed hard, knowing circumstances had just set him on a landmine.

"Shinobu," he said calmly. "Did you… have sex with that guy… for money?"

Shinobu kept his head bowed and Miyagi knew the answer was pretty damn obvious. He released Shinobu's shoulders and took his wrist in hand.

"Come on, we need to get you to a hospital."

"No," Shinobu retorted, jerking his arm back. "I can't go to a hospital."

"Why not? You're beat to all hell."

"I can't, okay? Someone will find out. Look, it was only a few hits. I can take care of it."

Shinobu turned and began to run down the dark alley. Miyagi opened his mouth to call out to him but was interrupted as Shinobu's foot caught on a recycling box, causing him to stumble and land flat on his face. Miyagi sighed and rolled his eyes, walking over as Shinobu shakily tried to heave himself up. Miyagi grabbed one of his arms and started to help when Shinobu suddenly lashed out.

"Don't touch me! I can do it myself!"

"Obviously," Miyagi replied. "Come on, Shinobu-chin. We'll get you cleaned up."

"I told you, I'm not going to a hospital."

"We aren't going to one. My apartment's not far from here and I have a first aid kit. Do you think you can make it there?"

Shinobu's eyes looked at Miyagi fearfully, and he rubbed his bloody lips together as he tried to make a decision. He knew this was a bad idea. He knew he should just leave and go see Ei, but the chance to see Miyagi's home was something he'd only fantasized about. And it was a forbidden fruit he couldn't help biting into.

Shinobu let out a heavy breath through his nose. "I think I can make it."

The teen allowed Miyagi to help him up and felt his face flush as Miyagi wrapped an arm around his lower back to help support him. They began to slowly headed back to the street, silent as the deserted streets as they walked to Miyagi's apartment.

"Here we are," Miyagi said as he opened the door and turned on the light. Shinobu tentatively followed him inside and began to take off his shoes.

"Why don't you give me your coat and I'll hang it up to dry?" Miyagi asked. Shinobu paused and reluctantly handed it over. He was only wearing that ripped T-shirt underneath and goose bumps immediately covered his arms as he shivered.

"Why aren't you wearing heavier clothes?" Miyagi asked as he put the coat onto a hanger. "It's freezing out there."

"I was, but I had to leave in a bit of hurry," Shinobu murmured, wrapping his arms around himself. Miyagi sighed and grabbed a thick blanket from the top shelf of the closet.

"Come on," he said. They both entered the living room and Miyagi gestured down the hall, handing him the blanket. "Go into the office, get out of your wet clothes, and warm up on the couch. I'll find something for you to wear and get the first-aid kit."

Shinobu nodded and headed down the hall while Miyagi went into the bathroom. And as soon as Miyagi shut the door and locked it, his face distorted into an expression of horrific disbelief and anger. He had kept his cool out there because he didn't want Shinobu to get scared and run off, but underneath the façade he was absolutely livid. How long had this been going on? What would have happened if he hadn't been there? How could Shinobu possibly be this stupid? And where the hell was his goddamned sister in all this?

Miyagi made the motion of banging his head against the wall repeatedly. Why me?

But shortly after, a wave of guilt crashed onto the shore of his insides. Here he was whining when there was a teenage boy in his living room who had just sold his body and been cruelly assaulted by the same guy. Miyagi sighed and grabbed the first aid box out of the cupboard. Now was time to just nut up and shut up. There were more important things to be taken care of.

Miyagi wiped the emotion off his face and left the bathroom, crossing the hall to his bedroom. He searched through his closet and bureau drawers, looking for something Shinobu could wear for the time being. He decided on a pair of flannel pajamas. Even though the kid would swim in them, at least he'd be warm. Shinobu could take a bath as well.

Miyagi paused for a moment as a question rose in his mind. In every crime show he had ever seen, the victims were encouraged never to shower after a sexual assault. Shinobu would wash away all evidence of what had happened, but he had also made it clear that he wasn't going near a hospital. A kid showing up in that state would instantly get Social Services involved, and Miyagi could understand why that would terrify Shinobu. What he was dealing with now was akin to a wild animal: if Miyagi moved too quickly, Shinobu would just bolt. He had to slowly earn his trust, and that meant giving up on the hospital idea.

Regaining his composure, Miyagi left the bedroom and found Shinobu sitting on the couch wrapped in the blanket. He was still shivering.

"Oy," Miyagi said, setting the pajamas and first aid kit on the coffee table. "Why don't you go take a hot shower and soak in the tub? I'll make us some tea and something to eat. Are you hungry?"

Shinobu hesitantly licked his lips. "I…guess so."

"Okay. Go get cleaned up. And we'll put some ice on your eye after you're done to get the swelling down."

Shinobu nodded and Miyagi headed into the kitchen. He began to prepare the tea as he watched Shinobu rise and retreat to the bathroom, casting a short glance at Miyagi along the way. While he was in the bath, Miyagi made tea, some instant miso soup, and produced two convenience store bento boxes out of the fridge. He was thankful he had stocked up on those the other day, considering he hadn't been anticipating company.

But as Miyagi worked in the kitchen, his brow furrowed into a wrinkle that would make Kamijou envious. He knew that after he got Shinobu feeling a little better and safer, they would have to have a good long talk about things, and considering Shinobu's stubbornness, it was going to be a formidable task. For what seemed like the thousandth time that evening, Miyagi sighed, not anticipating the time to come.

I can't believe I pretty much wrote all this in one go. I've been sick too long.

I hope you've enjoyed the story so far and I greatly hope to hear what you guys think and if I should continue. Kisses!

TBF101