When Gai had gotten home that night he hadn't, in any of his wildest dreams, imagined that he would open his door, only to be greeted by the chill of the past, as it rasped; "Hello, son." in a voice so close, yet so very distant, that Gai had to wonder if he was going crazy.
He wanted to turn and run, he wanted to scream, he wanted to cry. Hell, at this point he'd settle for closing his eyes and putting his hands over his ears. But someone had caught him by the arm and pulled him into the room as they pushed his door shut.
They keys fell from Gai's hand and clattered noisily to the floor.
This couldn't be happening.
This wasn't happening.
"You look like you've seen a ghost." a soft husky whisper, followed by a chuckle, and Gai knew that voice. Gai knew that chuckle.
Gai knew this couldn't be the life he was meant to live. He'd escaped it all before, and he would do it again, damnit.
He didn't move when the man standing next to him put a hand on his shoulder. Didn't acknowledge it when the man he didn't know anymore spoke in his ear, in a voice he didn't want to hear; "Why don't you sit down? Things'll go easier that way."
"What are you doing here?" a voice much too small to be his own, too strained to sound strong, too weak to be Maito Gai.
"Need I a reason to visit my son?" Mingyu rasped, and Gai flinched his mind flooded with memories he didn't care about. Things he didn't want to think about. Memories from someone else's life.
Mingyu wasn't his father. Mingyu had ceased to be his father the day he'd stained a young boy's soul with blood (a young boy he didn't remember anymore. A young boy he looked like, and shared a name with. But a young boy had died on his fifteenth birthday. And Gai had emerged, strong and determined. Ready to take on all of The Twelve as long as it ensured he would escape.)
"You aren't my father." A voice he didn't know spoke, and Gai's mind was spinning widely, desperately trying to understand the situation. Out of control. This was all out of his control.
Mingyu was laughing, if you could call it laughing, as he approached Gai, a hand out stretched, and Gai shivered."My son," Mingyu rasped as he caught hold of Gai's arm in a grip so much like a vice that Gai found himself trembling out of fear of what might (or might not) happen to him tonight,
"I assure you," Mingyu's grip softened with his words, "I am here to help you. To offer support." Gai was confused, "If you want my help," Mingyu motioned toward Hiro who was lounging on Gai's couch watching him lazily, "Hiroki will always be by your side. I need not be more then a whisper away." Mingyu patted his shoulder as he stepped around him, Hiro rose and languidly followed after him, patted Gai's back as he went past.
The door closed, and Gai wondered if the axis of the world had broken, cause he was sure the floor was tilting dangerously toward him.
–
He was fourteen and Mingyu's world still had an almost romantic air about it. He was completely enthralled with his fathers life, and the men he called 'friend'. But for the moment he and his brothers could only hide outside the door and listen in on meetings.
Pan was the oldest, sixteen, and he was in the room with their father, and Gai was almost jealous of the other boy, but at the same time he was proud.
It was less then six months later that Gai himself would be called into the room, his father wanted him, he was told, to study as a soldier under Soshi, Mingyu's right hand man. And his best friend.
Gai was a fast learner, which was good for Soshi. But bad for Gai. He was fifteen when Soshi first handed him a knife; 'From ear to ear Gai, heh like a smile.' (but it wasn't like a smile. It was like the mouth of hell opening up to swallow him down. And he was sure, looking back, that it had).
Gai was fifteen when the tattoo was started. At first it was simple; a 'T' with a small '2' underneath the branch of the 'T'.
Gai didn't mind, rather he almost liked it. When he didn't think about what it was associated with.
By the time he was sixteen, however, the Tiger had been added around it. Black and white. At least it hadn't been coloured. Gai hated the tattoo, despite it's beauty.
Gai was summoned, and told he would be following The Wolf, he would be watching him. He was to kill him. It was Soshi who gave the order. His father sat in his chair looking at the wall, and to Gai he almost seemed... broken.
Gai watched The Wolf after that. But he didn't watch him as he'd been instructed. He watched him the way one would watch a girl (or boy) they were too shy to say hello to. Kakashi never noticed him.
He was seventeen the first time Kakashi kissed him. He was seventeen the night his restraints had broken.
His hands hand found Kakashi's body, the younger man opening his mouth and sighing pleasantly up into Gai's mouth, as he wrapped an arm around him waist. They were moving against each other in a way Gai had never even contemplated using with another boy, and he didn't know what he was doing (because he was sure he liked girls), but Kakashi obviously did.
He was drawing Gai forward out of the corner, and moving him back toward the stalls, Gai couldn't steady his breathing, only one thought running through his mind as Kakashi pushed him back into the stall, and he almost tripped over the toilet bowl; Is he going to kill me?
Kakashi's hands were strangely gentle when they touched him, and Gai tried to give back just as good as he got. But years of torture can't disappear just because you want them to, and Gai's touches were rough, short, almost angry.
Kakashi didn't seem to mind though, as he pushed Gai down to sit on the toilet seat, before carefully sitting on his legs, almost as if he were afraid to touch, afraid to feel (because he knew such things could only lead to pain; suffering; anguish).
–
A sharp ringing cut through the fog in Gai's mind, waking him, and just why he'd passed out he couldn't understand, dragging his cellphone from his pocket he didn't bother to get up as he flipped it open, "Maito," he murmured, only to hear Tsunade's sharp commanding voice demanding he meet the other men at Kakashi's house.
Gai climbed to his feet slowly, closing the phone as he bent down to grab the keys; what had happened?
A/N:
Sorry it's so short! But I've been busy lately, and haven't had time to write much (I actually wrote this at 4AM so if you see any mistakes please tell me!). Chapters will hopefully still get uploaded every week, but I think it's going to slow down *weeps*.
Next chapter is totally going to be dramas though xD
Oh, the chapter title, which is a line from the song 'I miss you' by Blink 182, is altered from the original line 'We can live like Jack and Sally if we want to', because A. It was too long, and B. it didn't fit the story.
Oh, Fantasi Liar: The Twelve is another gang :D
