LEGAL DRUG (GOHOU DRUG) FANFIC

Title: Sanguine

Written By: RinoaDestiny (Ann Koo)

CHAPTER 20

"Rikuo," Kazahaya said, slipping into the chair by the other boy's bedside. "Kakei-san told me to give you these." Palming the canister of pills in his jacket pocket, the worried brunet fished it out. Rikuo's hand lay open, translucent in the mix between artificial and natural light. "I don't know why you need these, Rikuo but Kakei-san told me not to worry." The skin of Rikuo's palm was soft, filmed a faint orange as sunlight fell upon the container and Kazahaya pulled his hand away, restoring it back to his pocket.

Kakei-san had given him painkillers; never mind the reason why. That confused Kazahaya and he didn't like being puzzled. Why would Rikuo need them if he was on the mend? After all, weren't those types of drugs meant for serious pain?

"Thanks, Kazahaya."

"It's all right, Rikuo." Rikuo's voice, deep as it was, sounded wan. It was apt, considering how Rikuo hadn't gotten up this morning and continued to lay in bed, surrounded by his sheets until it was pale upon pale. That concerned Kazahaya and then on top of it all, Kakei-san intercepted him downstairs and gave him the drugs. Had him go back upstairs, important delivery in tow, and as he watched Rikuo's fingers close around the canister, Kazahaya shivered.

Something was wrong – something – but he couldn't figure out what.

"Rikuo, are you okay?"

A sudden question, just like that and he wasn't sure what response he'll get. Rikuo looking at him and yet not, lines of exhaustion worn into his face. Had the other psychic even slept? He couldn't tell if last night was fraught with nightmares because he'd heard nothing but... But Rikuo had gotten good at slipping out at night without alerting him. Alone to fight a mental and emotional war that Kazahaya only knew from the periphery of memory. That would explain the silence, as well as the bluish shadows underneath intense green eyes.

It reminded him of something else as well. Something that Kakei-san told him to tell Rikuo. He needs to know this. Let him know it's okay if he decides to sleep the entire day. Not that it mattered to him but Rikuo...

"Do you want me to close the curtain? Block the window? Kakei-san said you can sleep as long as you like, Rikuo. If it makes you comfortable, I can –"

"It's okay." All too quiet. "You don't have to stay."

He didn't, in the end. However, he pulled the curtain, casting a block of emerald upon Rikuo's huddled form and using pieces of cardboard, covered the windows. He flicked off the lights, letting a cool darkness fall upon their shared space and just before he left, Kazahaya looked again at Rikuo's hand. The plastic canister lay in a loose grip, held on as if it would solve all the pain and turmoil and endless, soundless nights of agony.

When he went back downstairs, having completed Kakei-san's assigned task, his boss was nowhere to be seen. "He's running an errand of his own right now," their partner-in-crime said, opening the break room door and beckoning him inward with a tip of his head. "Come on in, kid. It's been a while since we've talked and some things have come up."

Saiga-san waited for him to be seated, sinking into the couch before shutting the door. This time, their positions reversed – Saiga-san standing while he sat, attentive and gazing upward – made the beginning of the conversation different. Not tense, sneaking with the same unease as when those photographs were first unveiled; yet, the balance was tipped. Or even and since they were in for a long talk, the other man gave him and his legs a much-needed rest. That was...nice. Especially for Saiga-san.

"First things first. You'll not that good of an eavesdropper. Normally, when you're doing those displays, you'll be cursing up a storm. We didn't hear that. Rikuo was too agitated to tell the difference but you can't fool us, kid. So, what did you hear?"

"A lot."

"Did you know about Tsukiko-san's death? Has he told you anything?"

"I knew." He noticed the shift in the ridges of flesh above Saiga-san's shades. "He told me the day he wrecked the store. I saw one of his memories. They cut her throat, Saiga-san and he couldn't do anything about it."

"He witnessed it?"

"They forced him to." Forced him to do other things as well. "I don't think he had much of a choice. It's like he keeps telling me."

"That explains his hesitation. You must've heard him through the door. He didn't want to give us an answer."

"I wouldn't, either if I was him." I have no idea how he's holding on like this. It can't be easy. "He didn't tell me much when I asked. I wanted to know why they killed her. He...he told me he wanted to forget it all. I don't think..."

"He can't forget it, boy. That's why he's mum on it."

"Am I interrupting a special occasion?" Kazahaya looked to the side, hearing Kakei's mellifluous voice breaking the serious tone of their discussion. Slender hands placed down a bag of store-bought pastries and then slid smooth and quick into one pocket, producing a small envelope. "I heard some talking as I was coming back and this was the one souvenir I received while I was out."

"You mean someone slipped it to you in secret?"

Shock in the older man's voice – baritone shot through with alarm – and Kakei's expression hardened. Turned serious and his boss nodded, chestnut strands wafting down to fall soft and delicate against the frame of polished metal. "Open it, Saiga. Let's see what warning or games they're playing with us."

Kazahaya stood. Moved closer. Watched as the envelope divulged its contents.

A single petal and a small electronic device. He had no idea what it was.

However, glancing back and forth between Saiga-san and Kakei-san, he noticed that they did. "It's a sound recording. Love, are you sure you want to hear this? And what about the boy? It could be more of the same."

"As long as we destroy it after. Kudou-kun," Kakei-san asked, turning to face him, "are you sure you want to be here for this? You've already seen so much. I don't want you in a state afterwards."

Kazahaya chewed on his lower lip. It wasn't an unkind suggestion, considering... Considering that if the recording meant more of that kind of stuff, perhaps it would be better for him to leave. He didn't want to hear Rikuo in pain or some of the implications the possible sounds could mean but if he left...

If he left and kept himself ignorant, how would he fit this piece of the complicated puzzle into place? He wouldn't have it in the first place and in this treacherous game being played by Rikuo's tormentors, he couldn't afford to skip any clues. He couldn't afford to lose Rikuo because he was squeamish or just like Rikuo, horribly afraid.

Rikuo was holding on, somehow. So could he.

"I'll stay. I have to."

Kakei-san's eyes on him, asking him again without words, "Are you sure about this, Kudou-kun?" He nodded, emphatic. No hesitation on his part. His own silent communication. I'm eighteen. I'm no longer a child. I'll stay. I'll listen. You know why.

A moment like a held breath. Then, Kakei spoke. "Play it, Saiga."

Kazahaya glimpsed the small button or whatever it was being pushed, clicking something inside the device. A spooling of tape or simply something else, maybe digital but for the first minute it was all silence like the empty confines of a pure white room. For a minute, he thought the recording was a dud or plain useless – just lack of sound, like a cruel joke that enticed without any guarantee of laughter or shocked response.

What followed next was horrific.

It was a loud, drawn-out scream so shrill that if glass windows existed in this room, they would break. A cry of complete terror, edged with panic and the sound of shuffling. Of someone moving, attempting to break away. "No! Eichiro! Don't let them do this to me! Don't –" Saiga-san's hand clenched tight, as if the other man wanted to crush the noise into nothing. The recording rolled on, snarling an ugly string of expletives. "Shut the little fucker up, Mikuragi." A heavy footfall. "Now." The thud of a body hitting the floor. No. Slammed into the floor by the sound. "Why don't you get out of here before I fucking kill you, shithead? Come back when we're done with him."

Oh gods. This scenario was familiar. Why was this bringing up deja-vu?

"You're a fucking asshole, Toshiya."

The rustle of cloth. "I'll swallow those words if I were you, Eichiro. You'll eat shit talking big like that." Another faint noise. Someone being pushed. The clang of steel. The almost inaudible click of the bolt being thrown. Faint shouts from a distance. Kazahaya glanced from the stream of audio coming out of the device to the brow-knitted expression Kakei-san wore. Looking to the other man standing across from them, completing their triangle, Kazahaya confirmed his worst fears.

All of them were taken aback. Only he knew what this was about.

A desperate scramble, cut off. A vicious laugh. "Where do you think you're going?" The sudden hard sounds of blows, striking thick and heavy. Cries of pain. "Imagine that. Thinking that Eichiro's going to help you. What's he going to do?"

A resounding laugh of gravel and smoke. "I don't know, Jiro. Cut him a new one?"

Laughter and all of it so derisive and cruel so that it crawled across his skin like unleashed spiders. A groan of distress. The dreaded sound of unzipping and the slap of flesh. "Hold him still. Haven't had a good fuck in three days."

And then, deja-vu smacked him, dislodging the memory entire.

"No...no!" A wild shriek. "No...you can't! Eichiro!" Another blow; so brutal that Kazahaya winced. "Eichiro!"

"Shut up, you damn whore!" A yelp of agony. Kazahaya had tears in his eyes. "This is all you're gonna be getting now. Spread his legs."

"No...no..." Rikuo's voice a knife-edge of hysteria. "No...please...no...no!"

Beside him, Kakei-san trembled. Saiga-san's hand shook but the other man still reached over and pulled the smaller man closer to him. Kazahaya realized he, too, shuddered, appalled by the continuing dialogue.

"No! You can't! You can't!" Horrible, horrible sounds. "Stop...please...stop..."

"Look at the pretty bitch cry."

Sniggering. "He's mine next."

"I'm sure he can take you. Hey, how is he today, Toshiya? Taste good?"

A snarled grunt. Ragged screaming. "Hasn't...been...this...fucking...good..." A loud groan. Kazahaya closed his eyes, hearing the whimpers behind the coarse chuckling. "Who's up next?"

"Why would they...why would someone..."

"Shhh, love. You know they're trying to demoralize us. Scare us."

"They're sick. They're...no one normal would do something like that." If Kakei-san meant the photographing and now this audio-taping or recording of one of many of the traumatic experiences Rikuo suffered, then his boss was right. Otherwise, they already knew that but then again, this was the first time they've heard actual dialogue. He's already been exposed to it via Rikuo's memories, thanks to his ability. "No one sane would...give something like this to anyone and..."

"Get our stuff ready tonight, just in case, Kakei. We might need to move soon and quickly."

Saiga-san and Kakei-san's voices melded, fading out of his consciousness as Kazahaya concentrated on the audio. New words, swift and brutal, followed the consecutive assaults on Rikuo. He heard them, just barely above the wretched gasping sobs. "Pretty little punk." The jangling of laughter, like rusted chimes in a bitter wind. "Hey, you done yet?"

Snickering. "Wait your turn, Jiro. There's plenty here for you, isn't there?" The voice turned glacial, iron-hard and menacing. "Isn't there?"

A soft thump. "Well, shit. He's passing out, Mikuragi."

"Slap him the fuck awake."

Toshiya. That command brooked no argument. Kazahaya jumped as the crack reverberated from the device. "Shit. He's out cold, boss. Unless there's something you're gonna do about it."

Hard footfalls. "Clean yourself, fool. You look fucking stupid." Sharp quick snaps of words, like fraying razor wire. "Are you going to fuck him or not, Jiro?"

"Damn, boss...he's a mess."

"Never bothered you before." Stony silence. "Get it over with, Jiro or get your ass out of here."

"Goddammit! Don't push me around like that!"

"You want a red smile?"

"Okay! Okay! Dammit!" Silence. "Ugh...you cleaning him?"

"Get it the hell over with, Jiro. You let that little snotnosed asswipe Eichiro take care of the rest. That's all he's good for." Frantic sounds and Kazahaya realized Jiro was finishing, none too eager to be caught in the center of Toshiya's ire. "This one's good for fucking – nothing else."

"I demand second next time."

"Don't test me, Jiro."

"Dammit, Toshiya! Just because you've –"

Whatever it was Jiro was about to say never got said. There was a loud clean snap in the distance. Metal slammed, crashing into metal and Kazahaya jerked, startled to hear Yoshiro's belligerence. "What are you doing, Toshiya?"

"Rikuo-kun! Damn it...what the hell did they...hang on!"

"Aw, isn't that sweet? Makes me sick."

"Shut the hell up, Toshiya!" He could almost envision Eichiro's glare.

"You were never given authorization to do anything like this!" Yoshiro's voice rose, bellowing. "You want answers from him; you get them the right way – not like this!"

"How? Like you – cutting him open with glass? Sleep deprivation? You're no better than me, you worthless prick. When I stick my dick in him, he talks. He didn't do much besides kill one of your men, did he?"

"I'm not some child rapist."

Sardonic laughter. "He's hardly a child. Or are you too easily swayed by that gibbering idiot over there?"

"According to Japanese law, he is. Until he's eighteen, he's officially a..."

"And how are they going to know? You gonna tell them? You gonna tell them what you are or are they gonna drag you off to the crazies to become their bitch?" Someone spat. Kazahaya knew who. "Go back and play with your glass, old man. Get outta here."

"Eichiro-san, how's the boy?"

Silence. Beat. Beat. "He's unconscious. He's bleeding bad." Anger rising to the surface, disturbing the other man's taut voice. "He was almost well, too."

"Toshiya..."

"Come on, boys...let's go. Game's over for today."

"Toshiya, I'm not done speaking to you, yet!"

"I am, old man, so fuck off." A sharp intake of breath, as if in bewildered anger. The sound of footsteps stopping. "Get him clean by tonight." Stony silence – Kazahaya sensed Eichiro's helpless rage – and when Eichiro made a sound of disgust, he didn't want to know why. For once, he was glad he couldn't see, because he was sure Toshiya must've done something lewd and crass. He could only think of Rikuo lying still and unresponsive, mind gone dark and blank with pain and was grateful that he wasn't able to hear the rest.

Neither, it seemed, were they. With an audible snap, the recording ended, trailing into eerie silence and Kazahaya stared at Saiga-san and Kakei-san. It was with great control and restraint, he noticed, that allowed the darkly-clad man to lay the device down without slamming it into the table. No one could've mistaken the tension in those fingers for anything else but suppressed fury. His boss wore an expression of distress; brown eyes etching an invisible line down to the device and back. Back up to his stunned face and then to Saiga-san.

"You heard him. It wasn't over."

"I know, love. I know." A comforting rub on his boss's shoulder. "Don't think about it, Kakei."

He knew what the two meant. Kazahaya shuddered and took an involuntary step back, distancing himself from them. That first episode that Rikuo suffered – a moment of dread and terrible to witness – was further compounded by that callous command. Get him clean by tonight. He didn't want it to mean what he thought it meant but there was no other way of looking at it. He only hoped that Rikuo was still out cold when the vicious men came back.

He didn't want to hear Rikuo in any more pain.

"Yet another name. More evidence. First pictures. Now an audio clip. What will they send next, Saiga? A video tape? A DVD?"

"They'll do that if they can't get a hold of the boy."

"And they'll keep sending it until we either go mad or buck beneath the pressure. Neither which are alternatives I like. You heard how they broke him, Saiga. You heard how he screamed. That's not the Rikuo who left here. That's not the boy that Kudou-kun relied on. I know you brought in the pictures but if they know..."

"Then why did they give it to you? Why not a full-out assault?"

"Because it's a game of wills." Kakei's voice was stronger. Kazahaya was always surprised at how quickly his boss reasserted himself, overcoming a jarring emotional blow. "If we cave and crumble first, we'll be easy pickings. I know what you're thinking – that lowlife doesn't have the intelligence for that. Don't underestimate him. There's a reason why we also got the latter half of that conversation: It's a warning. Toshiya told Yoshiro to back off and threatened Eichiro before and after attacking Rikuo. He's telling us to watch ourselves. It's the same reason perhaps why Tsukiko-san died."

"As a warning? To Rikuo?"

"I thought he killed her because..." Kazahaya faltered, remembering. "Because he wanted to show Rikuo that he really was useless. That he couldn't save her."

"I see. You knew, Kudou-kun?"

"I was speaking to Saiga-san before. Yes, I knew."

"That completely ruins what we've figured out before. She was the bait for him and he fell for it." A gleam of light upon black as the shades turned towards the table, staring down at the device. "So they get him, torture him; make him wish he'd never lived. And then they kill her. So there goes the bait. So what does the boy become, Kakei?"

"He's bait for someone else."

"Who? The kid? How would that work?"

"Wait, wait, wait!" Kazahaya threw his hands up; baffled by the sudden twist in the discussion. "How would I...? Why would I...? What...what are you talking about?"

"Sit down, Kudou-kun."

It was a good suggestion. The room seemed to distort even as his sense of bewilderment increased. The bag of pastries was forgotten, sitting idle next to the dead-silent recording device and the... Kazahaya leaned forward, picking the delicate scrap of petal in between two fingers. Something wasn't right with this, like with Rikuo's painkillers. Something in particular about this...this petal wasn't right. At all.

"But why would anyone be after the kid, Kakei? What value does he...you don't think..."

"It might be a possibility. It's the only one that makes sense. What doesn't is why they had to go in a roundabout way and nearly kill Rikuo in the process."

"They don't want him dead. Not that bastard."

"I haven't forgotten." A grimace crossed Kakei's smooth features. "Kudou-kun, when you ran, did anyone know?"

"You mean..." How would Kakei-san know about his family situation? His reason for running? And why would it...? "I don't think...how did you know, Kakei-san?"

An exchanged glance between both men and the coils tightening in Kazahaya's stomach snapped inward, branding his fear on his face. "I suppose it's time you knew. Kudou-kun, I'm a precog. I see events in the future. Sometimes, they're short but succinct. Other times, I can see them all laid out like a plan. Do you wonder how I knew where and when to find Rikuo that night?"

It couldn't be. "You saw it?"

"I saw your future. I saw you kneeling by him in the snow."

"Can you see Rikuo's?"

"His future's vague and spare in revealing itself, unlike yours. The additional psychic energy would've clouded any trace I could've found after he disappeared."

"And now?" Traces of uncertainty. He was afraid.

Kakei-san sighed, pushing up the frame of his glasses and gazed at him. Behind his boss, Saiga-san stood, as if warding them from unseen visitors. The younger psychic rubbed the silken smoothness of the petal, trying to alleviate his jitters. It didn't help.

"Truth is, Kudou-kun, that Rikuo's future only brings shadows. Shadows of pain and guilt. Nothing concrete. I don't think this will be over for him quite so soon, nor so quickly. When I look into yours, you're always by his side. There's no deception in that."

"That..."

"How is he, Kudou-kun?"

"He's sleeping. I gave him the pills, Kakei-san and..." Oh gods, no. Don't cry. "He's so weak and thin and...I don't like seeing him like this. Why did you give it to him, Kakei-san? What's wrong with him?"

"They injured him badly, Kudou-kun. The damage goes deep. Some things just never heal and if they do, they don't heal right."

"But...it's been months..."

"Even so."

"He's not going to get well, is he?"

"Not so quickly as we'll like but I wouldn't dismiss it out of hand like that. He's trying but things are a lot harder for him now. The drugs are to help him with that."

"We wouldn't have given it to him otherwise."

"So that was what you guys were talking about."

"Yes, it was, Kudou-kun. He came to us and asked us for it. It's hard to refuse when we both saw the pain in his eyes. He tried not to let us see it. He's probably tried to hide it from you as well."

"He did." Rikuo sitting on the stairs. The night falling down soft and quiet. The burning brightness behind those eyes, set into a slender and pale face. Rikuo's denial. How hushed his voice was. The raw expression of hopelessness – of an end to come. Rikuo standing there – long sleeves covering a month's worth of scars – and all of the illnesses and stomach problems and fainting spells. All of the episodes. The photographs. The recording. Pieces of a bloody puzzle fitting into place, matched by each beating and rape and humiliation.

"Oh gods," Kazahaya murmured. "He said he was dying and I..."

"What, boy? What is it?"

"Kakei-san, is his...did he...his body's falling apart on him, isn't it? Because of what they did?"

"It was a month, Kudou-kun. A month of all of that."

"Oh no." He was crying. He couldn't stop himself. "We can't...we can't lose him now. I've tried so hard...he can't..."

"Boy, we're not going to lose him."

"But he's..."

"He's survived this long, kid. If he's unwilling to go down without a fight, we're not going to lose Rikuo. His body might be failing him but if we continue to encourage him, he'll stand a better chance of recovering. He'll sleep and get some strength back. The drugs will ease the pain. No matter what those bastards did to him, as long as he's listening to you and seeking help, he'll get through this. Trust me."

"Besides, Kudou-kun, none of your futures shows immediate death. Certainly not his."

"Then why does he seem so...it's like he's not healing. Like he's not getting better."

"He's still eating? Able to walk? Does he speak to you?"

"Yeah but..." Kazahaya closed his eyes. Replayed the conversation in his head. "He couldn't even get up today. And he didn't want me to stay."

"I'll go check on him. Saiga, mind keeping Kudou-kun company?"

"Sure. Make sure the boy's okay, love."

"You know I'll do that." Kakei opened the door, only to look back at them. Kazahaya glimpsed resolve in his gaze tempered by gentle sorrow. "Try to figure out the other item if you can. It's not as simple or blatant as what we heard."

Click. Silence falling. A calm quiet after the outbreak of brutality. Only sound but not.

You remembered. All of that...Rikuo, you remembered. And they weren't done. They came back and...Rikuo, how many more times did you have to go through that? How much do you remember that I haven't seen? How much aren't you telling me? Shielding me from?

"The petal, boy," Saiga-san said, sitting next to him. "Don't wear it out."

He looked down and stopped. He'd been unconsciously rubbing it during the discussion – a preoccupied movement that failed to settle his mind. Now, he stared at it. The texture, the color, and maybe a possible scent. From its appearance, it was fresh, just plucked off a flower and if it hadn't undergone such rigorous treatment, it would've fared better. Still, it seemed familiar. Like he'd seen it somewhere.

"You know something, boy?"

"My sister loved flowers. We used to grow all kinds back home before I left. I think..."

Then, it occurred to him.

It was the scent. A fragrance, light and natural, like rainwater. What was it that Rikuo remembered after Tsukiko died? He smelled rain and it wasn't coming from Tsukiko. The petal in between his fingers was long and white. A rain lily. Besides the narcissus, this was one of Kei's favorite...

"Oh no."

"What is it, boy?"

"Saiga-san..." Horror anew. "I think...I think my sister's involved."

Oh, Kei. What have you gotten yourself into?

Author's Notes: According to the Japanese Sexual Offenses Law, a child is anyone under the age of 18. The reason why Kakei and Saiga hold no hope for apparent justice is because Japan's law states this as follows:

'Rape', Art. 177 Penal Code

'A person who, through violence or intimidation, has sexual intercourse with a female person of not less than thirteen (13) years of age commits the crime of rape and shall be punished with imprisonment at forced labour for a limited term of not less than two years. The same shall apply to a person who has sexual intercourse with a female person under thirteen (13) years of age.'

'Death or injury resulting from rape', Art. 181 Penal Code

'A person who commits a crime provided in Articles 176 to 179 and thereby kills or injures another shall be punished with imprisonment at forced labour for life or for not less than three years.'

Google: "Sexual Offenses Laws - Japan".

This is even less than the sentence usually given out for theft, which is five years ("The typical rape sentence, she said, starts at three years, but seldom goes more than five, which is the average sentence for theft." - Google "Japan's Battlers of Sex Abuse Confront Culture, Law"). This is for women, not including men in the statistics. So by the time Rikuo turned 18 during his imprisonment, the Japanese Sexual Offenses Law no longer covers him, which is why Kakei and Saiga must go vigilante if they can. It's also why Yoshiro opposes Toshiya so much - not only for his predilection to rape but also because it breaches the law.