People were talking; they were all abuzz.
It was the talk of the manga community and it just never seemed to die down. And every time he heard it, he would sneak a smile to himself.
The infamous manga artist, Sono Hanasaki, the so called slut who slept with anything that moved, was now off the market.
In love...taken...commited...
Engaged.
That was the rumor mill now. And Sono knew to ignore it. He still had yet to give Seiji a straight answer, but his lover was more than commited to being patient with him during this stressful time. The ones who knew him personally saw the ring and instantly asked questions. Some just went right into the rumors and even after Sono explained he wasn't engaged but he was commited to someone, the rumors still spread.
Thank god only a few people had his name and face because this would've turned out ugly really fast.
Sitting at his desk at home, he couldn't bring himself to work. He would catch himself staring at the ring, smiling at it and start gushing like a school girl.
It hadn't even been a full week yet and already, he was considering saying yes. Just the idea made him spin in his work chair, happier than he'd ever been. There were times he'd catch himself dancing around his apartment, feeling the urge to pack everything and move in with Seiji then and there.
He would think of all the times he and Seiji met in public after that night. No longer was it just them hugging and going about their day. Seiji would get so excited to see him that he'd bolt full speed and kiss him with everything he had in him. Sono would kiss back, never thinking twice about it anymore.
And of course, people would stare, some would shake their heads, others would squeal and cheer, the latter being high school girls. The men would chuckle and go about their day, hand in hand.
And if Sono was feeling the affects of this new found joy in his life, Seiji was on cloud 9.
His work was taking a back seat to his love life, pampering his blond lover any chance he got. And Sono returned the favor quite often, paying for drinks, dinner and snacks here and there.
Hell, their sex life suddenly became 100 times more active and wild. Since that festival night, they had been having sex once every few days and sometimes in the most random of locations. Just recently, as Seiji was checking his mail, Sono came around the corner to visit him with a smile. One kiss to the neck later and the next thing he knew, he and Sono were going at it being the apartment building.
Just the memory of it would make Seiji drool and forget everything he was supposed to be doing, especially with Yasuda helping him.
"Oi, are you listening?"
Seiji awoke to the feeling of paper hitting his head and he turned quickly to see his friend standing there, an annoyed look on his face.
"Welcome back, Yamada. Care to help me finish YOUR work?"
"Damn...I'm sorry, Yasuda. I don't know why I can't stay focused today."
"I'll tell you why. You're love struck. Ever since you proposed to him, you two have been attached at the hip. And I'm fairly sure you need new sheets. Don't ask me how I know that...I'm happy for you, don't get me wrong but christ...we do need to buckle down and work, you know that."
Seiji pouted, but nodded. He felt terrible putting his friend to do his work while he dreamt of his blond lover and what they could be doing. In all honesty, work was the last thing he wanted to be doing.
As if a gift from the heavens, his cell phone made a loud shrill, making him bolt up and grab it, staring at the caller I.D. It wasn't Sono, but that wasn't what concerned him.
It was Oishi...he hadn't heard from them in a week, so he had assumed good news. Sighing, he flipped open his phone and answered the call.
"Hello?"
"Yamada-kun, it's Oishi. Listen, I know this is sudden, but it's important that we talk to Hanasaki-kun right away."
"Sono? He's not with me though. He should be at home. Have you tried calling his number?"
"4 times! It keeps telling me the line is busy. And this is seriously serious and-"
There was a scuffle on the other end as he thought he heard Yakura fighting for the phone. Staring at Yasuda, who gave him a look of concern, Seiji paced around as Yakura took control of the line.
"I'm sorry for that, Yamada-san. Oishi has yet to understand how to handle these calls. But he is right in saying we've been trying to contact Sono 4 times and all our attempts have failed."
"Look, at least tell me what is going on before I start having a panic attack? What is it?"
"We just got word that Takeo was spotted in the Toyonaka are. If memory serves, that's where Sono lives, yes? We need to get there as soon as we can. There's no telling what'll happen in Takeo finds him first."
All the blood in Seijis body went cold as Yakura hung up the call. Wasting no time, he told Yasuda to get his jacket and shoes on, which he did with no question as he felt his friends aura change so suddenly. As Seiji was putting on his jacket, he tried dialing Sonos number. And just like Oishis attempts, it was busy.
"Damnit Sono, answer your phone...shit! We have to go Yasuda!."
"Already calling a cab. Let's go. Keep calling. He has to answer at some point."
The two men bolted outside the apartment with Seiji not even bothering to lock his door. They rushed down the steps right as a cab pulled up for them and Yasuda told the driver the address. Seiji was trying to stay calm, constantly calling his lovers phone, praying he'd answer. And every call ended in a busy line. Who could Sono be talking to that would take this much time?
A dark thought crossed his mind. What if his phone line was being hacked into? What if Takeo found him already?
Seiji doubled over in his seat, about ready to scream. Yasuda mentioned to the driver,
"You might want to drive faster..."
Backtrack 45 minutes
The power had been off for over 20 minutes and the residents were getting frustrated. Sono would've remained indifferent to the problem, had it not been for the strange phone call he recieved just moments ago.
It was a typical night just before the power went off. He had finished his work for the night and was about to retire to bed. But something had been bugging him all night and he couldn't figure it out. He had the sense that someone...somewhere...was watching him and it put him slightly at an uneasy feeling.
So, he walked into his room and opened his closet to pull his clothes for tomorrow...only to see a bag hanging in the very back of his closet. Curious, he reached in and grabbed the hanger and bag, seeing it was a bag from a dry cleaners, and pulled it out...
His eyes widened for a moment, taking it in. He was staring at a high school uniform...a high school uniform from Asaka High School...the high school he attended 15 years ago...it looked as though there was something dried on it.
The bag dropped from the blonds hands and he started to shiver, wondering where this came from. Getting down to one knee to look closley at the uniform, he saw that what he saw was dried...blood. It was blood.
There was small ripped hole just under the left breast pocket and it seemed to go all the way through the uniform. Curiosity got the better of him and he pulled the uniform out of the bag, inspecting the blazer. His finger went through the hole, examining it. It also felt like there was something in the breast pocket, so he fished it out and saw it was a piece of paper.
As he opened it, staring at the paper, it dropped from his hands and he fell backwards, moving away from the blazer, eyes wide and he lost the ability to breath.
It was a picture. And not just any picture.
It was the picture he had of him, Naoki and Takeo in high school. The same one in his locket...he hadn't worn it in years.
Suddenly paranoid, he got to his feet and dug into his closet, pulling out a small shoebox and set it on his bed, opening it.
Inside were photos and little trinkets here and there. But Sono pulled on a gold chain, holding it and slowly took it out of the box. There it was. His locket. Looking as beautiful as the day he and his friend purchased them.
He opened the necklace and took in the sight of his friends as they used to be. His heart fell flat and he held back a sob. He hadn't expected to hold this again.
But something in his mind told him he needed this. That if he didn't put this on, something terrible would happen.
Just as he was about to slip it over his head, he froze, feeling a cold chill in his room. It was like a breeze of ice and a voice he could have sworn he heard in his ear,
"Don't put it on...that's not who you are anymore..."
The locket fell onto the bed as Sono looked around his room, suddenly feeling nervous and afraid. And as if things couldn't be worse, the lights in his home suddenly went out in a burst. Almost instantly, he heard people next door complaining and children sobbing.
This couldn't be what he was thinking. There was no way.
Gasping to himself, the blond turned on his heel to grab his cell phone from off his desk. The second he touched it, it started to ring.
It was an unknown number.
Fear aside, now Sono was getting angry. This had been a bother for too long. Gathering up his courage, he answered the call and spoke with venom.
"Listen, I don't know who this is, but stop calling this number. I don't care anymore. You've been calling me for days, even after I changed my damn number. So whoever this is, leave me alone or I'll do what I should have done and call the police."
There was a pause before Sono heard the familiar sound of a dial tone, signaling the other line had hung up. Feeling good, he moved the phone so he could call Seiji. But then a notification popped up, saying he had received a picture message.
Groaning, he opened the file and in a second, his anger and bravado faded back into fear.
It was taken the night of the festival. And it was a perfect shot of the blond kissing Seiji on the boat. Under the picture, there was a text that read,
"Not so snarky now, are you babe?"
Babe...that word made the blonds insides churn violently. A flood of memories racked his brain, all regarding one person. He was only able to say one word.
"T...Takeo?"
His phone buzzed in his hand again and in the back of his mind, he heard
"Don't answer it."
Fear consumed him for a second as he answered the call, setting it to his ear and not saying a word. But he didn't need to.
"15 years. I looked all over for you for 15 years. Who would have thought you'd still be in Japan...last I heard, you were in America. Haha, I thought your rich daddy would have sent you far away by now. But hey, bonus for me, huh? I've missed you, Sono...I've missed you a lot."
The blonds form started convulsing in tremors, unable to do anything else. He inhaled a breath of air and asked,
"How did you find me?"
"You clearly underestimate me. After all, I was the one who found out you were fucking Naoki after you dumped me so there's that. Oh speaking of which, did you like the little gift I sent you? It actually didn't take much to grab that after I broke out of prison. What with his daddy being chief of police, he's never home. Did you know he kept in his his old room? Ahaha! What a sad little man."
It took Sono only a few minutes to realise Takeo was talking about the school uniform...and it took him less than a second to realise whose it was.
Tears rolled down his cheeks as he thought back to that night...that night in the alley.
He begged Naoki not to die, not to leave him alone in this world. And Naoki promised to always be there for him, no matter what. He would always protect him. And now, 15 years later, the past was coming back to haunt him.
And this time, there was no Naoki. Only his blood strained uniform sitting on the floor in Sonos room.
He felt vomit in the back of his throat, only to gag it down as he heard Takeo laugh over the phone.
"Oh! And imagine my surprise when I found out you were in a relationship. I heard it from so many people through what I can only guess is gossip. Now see...that's where I get angry. I recall saying on our graduation night that you were mine...MINE...and that if anyone else touched you, they'd be sorry. I must say, he looks pretty handsome. Shoulda caught his face haha."
"You will stay away from him, Takeo! You won't touch him! If you so much as look at him, I'll kill you. I'll kill you like I should have done. I should have stolen a gun from my father and killed you myself."
"You? Kill me? Oh now I know you're just fucking with me. You can't kill me. You don't have the guts."
"I'm warning you...stay away from him."
"Who the fuck are you to be giving me orders? I should come into your house right now and bash your brains in for what you did to me. You won't kill me, Sono. You can't even protect yourself. You're nothing. And you've always known that. From that night at graduation you knew that you'd be dead by my hands alone. How have you lived, by the way? From what I hear, you're just a slut, a whore you sleeps with whatever and whoever gives you a glimmer of affection. So who will miss you once you're gone? Your little lover? I'll make you watch as I kill him. Your family? I doubt it. The minute they hear you're gone, your father will be doing such a happy dance to be rid of the family disgrace. Your family never cared about you after high school...and you fucking knew that."
The blonds eyes nearly blinded over as he slid down onto the floor, tears flowing in steady streams. He couldn't find his voice, he couldn't hear himself breath. His hand was trembling and he leaned his head back, trying to find his composure.
"I'll be with you soon, babe. You and I are going to have a loving little reunion."
The line suddenly died and Sono let his phone slip from his hand, barley hearing it smash on the floor. In a zombie like state, he got to his feet and walked to his bedroom, staring at the bloody uniform with the picture on the bed.
The locket was sitting next to the picture and Sono felt his arm move on its own, his hand grabbing it and holding it to his chest, eyes red from sobbing.
He pressed his lips against the locket, mumbling to himself, getting louder with every breath. And finally, he whispered,
"I'm so sorry, Naoki...I couldn't stop him."
Unable to see clearly, he stood there, crying and holding the locket to his heart. From behind him, he heard his front door slam open, alongside a frantic voice calling his name.
His eyes popped open upon hearing Seijis voice, turing his head to face him as he and Yasuda ran down the corridor to his room. Both men were stunned at the sight of a bloody uniform on the floor and the blond man standing there like a zombie, tears in his eyes and staring at them confused.
Seiji wasted no time and took the blond in his arms, holding him close and rubbing his hair, kissing his ear and saying,
"Oh thank god...I feared the worst when you didn't answer your phone...are you alright?"
The blond said nothing, but Seiji jumped when his hands reached behind him and hugged him hard. Yasuda looked around and calmly asked,
"What happened in here? Whose uniform is this?"
Seiji felt the blond mumble in his chest, pulling back to hear him again. Those brown eyes were so red and puffy from crying, Seiji felt his heart snap. And it became clear how this happened.
"Was it...was it him? How did he find you, Sono? Did he hurt you? Talk to me, did he do anything to you?"
Sono frantically shook his head and said,
"He...I didn't see him. He called me...said some horrible things...god Seiji he was in my apartment...I feel so disgusted...I feel unsafe in my own home..."
The younger man could only feel the hate from his anger boil his blood at that moment. He knew Takeo was quick, but not this quick. He had invaded the blonds home, stuck a horrible memory in his room and now, the blond was on the verge of a serious panic attack. He had to get Sono out of this place.
Turning to Yasuda, he said,
"I need you to pack up some of his clothes, bathroom needs, whatever it is. Please...I have to get him out of here."
Yasuda needed no other explanation. He went right to work grabbing a bag and threw some essentials in it while Seiji led the blond outside and down the stairs. Once down and to the nearest bench, Seiji sat him down and took his face in his, making him look at him.
At first, Sono refused to meet his eyes, completely ashamed of himself for breaking down like this again in front of his lover. But Seiji was firm and said,
"I am not letting you back into that apartment until I'm 100% positive you're in no danger. You're staying with me until this things blows over."
Upon hearing that, Sono finally looked up at him in surprise. And the look in Seijis eyes said it all. But something was telling him no and the blonds face shifted to a look of terror.
"I can't...Seiji I can't. It's too dangerous. If I moved in with you...he...he knows about you, Seiji. He saw us at the festival. He'll be looking for you too...I can't go through that again...if you found you, I could never begin to forgive myself for what he'd do to you..."
By now, Seiji was getting increasingly irritated with the same response he was getting out of the blond. No matter what he did, no matter how much he wanted to help him, Sono wasn't letting him in. He wasn't trusting him like he wanted him to..
Setting his hands on the blonds lap, earning a confused stare, he whispered,
"I don't know...what it is you want me to do, Sono. I've been trying to help you, but you keep pushing me away. I don't care what happens to me. I'd sooner die than allow you to get hurt by him again. All I want is to help you, to be with you, to protect you, but I can't do that if you won't let me in. You said you trusted me..."
Seiji took his hand and kissed the ring he had given him, caressing his palm. When he broke apart, he looked at the opal gem and said,
"You said you trusted me, Sono. I need to know you meant that. If you trust me, then let me protect you. Let me help you. You don't have to do this alone anymore."
Finally, he looked up at the blond and was not surprised to see him crying again. But he was happy to see a smile on his face. It made him glad to see it, even in such a grim situation.
Sono wiped his eyes and sighed, muttering,
"Alright...alright. I'm sorry...I love you and I know you're just trying to help...I'm sorry I'm so...closed off..."
"You don't have to be. I'm here. And you're stronger than this. I know you are...now let's go. It's getting crowded and I want to get you far away from this place. Here comes Yasuda."
Sure enough, Yasuda came running back and said,
"Christ...I was only out the door for ten seconds before cops started running there. I think your cop friends are here too. Do you want to see them?"
"No, not now. Let's just go. There's been too much going on for one day."
Sono nodded and latched onto Seijis arm as they walked down the path to the cab dock. Yasuda mentioned to the blond he packed him plenty of clothes and his shower needs, along with his work bag. Sono mumbled a thanks, feeling lightheaded from the whole ordeal.
His head was pounding and his muscles felt like lead; the only thing he wanted right now was to sleep. And yet he felt too energized to sleep.
Once they returned to Seijis apartment, the younger man suggested the blond go to bed, to relax and forget about today. But Sono felt otherwise. He mentioned he wanted to go for a walk, get some air and clear his head.
Seiji was against it. The last thing he wanted to do was leave him alone again, especially out there where Takeo could be hiding.
"I'll be fine, Seiji...20 minutes. Just give me 20 minutes alone. I need to breath for a bit."
"...Alright. But when that clock hits 8:45 and you're not back yet-"
"Yamada, calm down. He's a grown man. He can handle himself. Go enjoy your walk, Hanasaki-san. We'll be here."
Sono smiled and thanked Yasuda before grabbing his boots and left, walking down the steps and turning the corner to the nearest liqour store. God knew he needed something to take his mind off things.
Passing by several stores that would have otherwise caught his attention, he decided against them, working on clearing his head.
It had been such a long day and tonight was just icing on the cake for how badly he needed a drink.
Finally, he saw a small cafe and decided that coffee was the better alternative. Stepping inside, he heard the barista say hello and he waved, not having much energy for a smile.
He ordered a simple black coffee with cream and left after he chugged it down, earning an odd stare from the patrons. The coffee must have been hotter than sin, but the blond drank it down in no time, not a care in the world.
It helped, if only a little. The burning in his throat distracted him from the pain in his head. Coming up to a crosswalk, he sighed and looked up at the sky. After his burning drink, a shower and sleep sounded wonderful.
The floods of people crossing the road woke him from this thoughts and gave a small effort to walk fast to get home. But people were not understanding the concept of speed and he accidentally slipped, running into someones back, his hands gripping the black jacket.
"Ahh I'm sorry, sir. Pardon me."
Sono quickly walked past him, not waiting for a response as he walked up the sidewalk to head to Seijis home.
Then an odd thought crossed his mind. That mans jacket had a very unique smell to it. It smelt oddly familier and Sono had to stop walking to think it over. It smelt oddly of river water and a coppery overtone...almost like...the earth in a sense.
The blond stood there for a few moments, not realizing someone was behind him. It was only until there was a clearing that the man slammed his hand over the blonds mouth and pulled him quickly into an alley, ignoring the muffled screams.
The man pulled them further into the alley and soon pushed him up against the wall, noticing how much the blond was struggling, his brown eyes flared.
"Hey! Just what the hell is wrong with you?! Let me go!"
The man said nothing, but reached behind Sonos head to grip his hair, yanking his head back and in the process, hitting the brick wall behind him. The result was a loud moan of pain and the man softened his grip.
The mans hands wandered to the blonds left leg, caressing the back of his thigh. Sono jumped at the soft touch and tried to pull away, with no where to go.
Soon, he felt the mans hidden face in the crook of his neck, licking his exposed skin...Sono inhaled and caught that same smell from before. Only this time, there was another smell invading his sense.
It smelt of honeydew...his eyes widened.
Sensing the blonds realization, the man smirked and pulled away, allowing Sono to reach up and pull back his hood, wide eyes already growing wider.
All the sounds in the world around them faded, no people, no cars, no wind. All Sono could hear was his heart falling into the pit of his stomach with such volume.
The mans lips curled into a dark smile as he whispered into the blonds ear,
"It's been too long...I've missed you."
Sono wanted to scream, wanted to make some sort of noise to let people know he was here. But he couldn't. His throat constricted.
He was quiet. And it was the worst kind of quiet. It was the quiet before a loud storm kind of quiet.
He should've listened to Seiji.
He should have stayed put in the apartment...
TBC
