Chapter 4
"Come with me.", the guard ordered Rukawa. His face doesn't reflect any signs of panic. He therefore pretended to be unaware of the reason behind the guard's invitation. He swallowed deeply, composed himself and managed to speak before attempting to ask the guard.
"Why do I have to go with you sir?", Rukawa asked the guard cautiously. He felt his legs quiver like leaves, his palms start to perspire, and his hair stand on end. He had run out of things to say to the guard. Since he spotted the guard in front of him, his voice is a bit trembling and unclear.
"You violated the law." The guard's response seemed to resound repeatedly in his ears as he heard it. To calm himself down, he bit his bottom lip.
"Why did you pursue me sir?", he warily replied. His uneasiness got more intense. He felt as though his heart might leap from his rib cage. Is this the end for him?
"You've been viewed by many people. I quickly located you thanks to the videos that internet users recorded of you.", the guard seriously responded. Rukawa could hardly hear the sounds of the crowd and the shops because he seemed to be chilled by the wind. He struggled to look at the guard. He persisted in maintaining his innocence.
"What video? Did I do something wrong?", he worriedly questioned. As he fought the Weird Head Gang, he was unaware that the individuals he regarded as aliens were filming him. His jeans are tight, his jaws are trembling with anxiety, and he is beginning to break out in a cold sweat.
"We have a protocol here in the city. Wear a face mask at all times.", the guard simply answered. As soon as he heard the guard's response, his brain cells popped up to explode with confusion.
"Was the facemask the reason you followed me?!", he quickly asked.
"Yes!", the guard replied shortly while grinning. What he was unaware of was the fact that Rukawa had been so enraged and annoyed by his previous chase that he was on the verge of cursing him.
"You bubbling dunce! I wasn't wearing a facemask, so you scared the living daylights out of me by chasing after me! I would have pulled your teeth without using anesthetic if you weren't an officer! I'll bald you out! I'll fasten you to a tree so ants can eat you. I'm going to feed you to the chicken!", he infuriatedly thought.
"You're injured, I'll apply first aid. Why did you avoid me before? Have you broken the law?", the guard asked with concern tone. When Rukawa discovered the guard's genuine motives for targeting him, his teeth gritted. He believed the guard was about to take him into custody.
"May I know what happened to your ankle?", the guard inquired. Because of the assistance he provided, Rukawa's irritation with him eventually decreased. He observed him while he was bandaged. Now that it has been proven that no one will notice him for taking off the black hoodie, he can finally relax.
"I'm chasing a sea urchin, I want to feed it to the chicken."
xxx
Rukawa's ankle hurt so bad that he was unable to run. Sendoh took advantage of this. He took off running once more, terrified that Rukawa would do to him what he had done to the gangsters in the square. When he came upon a communal area, he entered in to rest.
[Sendoh] Where is he?! Is he getting closer?! I'm sure I'll be dead when he catches me! Wait a minute... Why did I chase after him?! Right! I'll take my bag from him! Our bags were exchanged! I completely forgot! I will get back to him. I was running so fast. I'm so exhausted. I need to use the restroom first. My hair strand had fallen out. What happened to me? I simply want to go fishing. Wait, I thought I recognized the black hoodie standing behind me. But I did not take that turn. If I did, I might see what I was afraid of this whole time. What have I gotten myself into? I've got to get out of here! Whoa!
[Man] Hi dear! Do you remember me? I woke you up on the train earlier. Can we have some coffee or tea?
[Sendoh] I thought I would pass out! Here we go again, the burly man with the voice of a woman. How many times will I see him the whole day? Why are they dressed the same as my seatmate?! Why are black hoodies so popular right now?! From now on, I'll now look at their bag first. Maybe it'll be safer if I had someone with me. He won't be able to beat me. I will never let my attractive face and enticing figure to be used as a punching bag. There is probably nothing wrong with me tagging along with him.
"Yes, I'm available.", he replied. Sendoh eventually went with the man. His eyes continued to stray as he walked, looking for Rukawa.
[Sendoh] He seems friendly. He greets everyone we see in the street. Just like a politician. He is quite nice. He even took me to an expensive coffee shop. I'm sorry, you're not my type. I joined you so that the snoring bear wouldn't hurt me when we met again. Why am I feeling dizzy? My eyes are spinning as if the furniture outside the shop is rotating on its side. My vision is becoming very hazy. I'm afraid half of my body will fall onto the table. My eyelids will droop. What is going on with me?
xxx
The guard bandaged Rukawa's ankle and he was able to stand and walk again. He put back on his black hoodie. Even with his face mask on, people couldn't help but stare at him when he exited around the corner.
[Rukawa] What's the matter with these aliens?! You're avoiding me like I'm a monster! Excuse me, but I think I look more human than the rest of you. By the way, many people watched my live match earlier. You just saw our scene on the square and now you're terrified of me?! They started filming and photographing me again. I almost forgot! They shouldn't be able to recognize me! People irritate me very much! You give me the creeps every time! Bags of scum! Where did that spiky twit go?! I didn't watch the game, I even got into a fight because of that thief! He stole my bag! I'll crush you, nitwit!
He put his hoodie back in the bag as soon as he removed it. He was on his way when he noticed a spiky head sitting in a nearby coffee shop. He noticed Sendoh not far away with a man dressed similarly to him. When he watched the man, his mobile is placed on the right ear as if talking to someone, while his left hand hold bank cards like playing cards. The man sitting at the table with Sendoh had a wallet and cards in his hand that he was familiar with. That was his stuff! Now, he has confirmed that Sendoh got his things. He became enraged.
"I'll destroy you both!"he said as he bolted in that direction. His rage appeared to build up in his arms and fists. His powerful blow knocked the man's head into the table. His neck was virtually twisted, smeared with sweat, saliva from his mouth, and blood from his nose. The man who attempted to steal his stuff passed out totally.
Before he could punch Sendoh, he noticed that he seemed to be staring off into space and making no other movements, as though under hypnosis. He realized that Sendoh was actually a victim of a scam artist. He reached for his bag. He double-checked his belongings to ensure that nothing was missing. He simply left the man he assaulted and Sendoh alone. But he went back, walked on the fraudster's lying body, and asked the waiter inside the shop for assistance.
"2 fights in a row. What the actual fuck?!", he said. Two blocks from the coffee shop, he sensed that a black van was following him. His brow furrowed when he realized that by slowing down his step, he also caused the car's pace to slow down.
xxx
It was as if Sendoh woke up to the siren of the police. He rubbed the space between his eyes. He opened it and questioned why there were so many people, mostly women around him. When he turned back, there were police officers in front of the shop, confronted the man with the female voice. He again shut his eyes. He was startled awake by the women's gentle but excited voices.
"What's causing my headache? Why are there so many people around me? Huh?! Why are there policemen here? Let me have a seat in the comfy chair first. I'll start by massaging my head. In this kind of situation, I truly need some space to unwind. I don't want to be a part of this. I want to smell the salt air, feel the sun on my skin, and be in a place where all I can hear are birds. Right now!", he said in a hurry.
"Where are you going, sir? Umm... Right now, how do you feel? Umm... Do you feel dizzy still? Do you experience headaches? Umm... I will accompany you to the clinic. I'll drive you home if you like.", the waiter said shyly.
"I'm nervous about the questions the cops will ask me, but Miss waiter scares me more. Be calm, miss. I'm not your husband!", Sendoh told himself.
"You are the dashing man who earlier strolled through the center of the square! You're more handsome in person!", the other girl said.
"Why do women's eyes seem to have brilliant lights in them to me? The waiter in front of me has been constantly inserting a hair strand into her ear. They seem thrilled to see someone like me. Well, this is what we call the Akira effect. Hehe.", he said, enjoying what the girls had to say.
"Sorry, Miss, I have something important to do today. Thank you for helping me.", In an effort to escape the uncomfortable situation surrounding him, he hastily stood up.
"We are not the ones who save you. Earlier, at the table, you were chatting with a wanted con artist. He has long been sought after by the authorities. He has been many victims, particularly foreigners.", the other girl stated. He was unable to leave since the waiters could see that he was feeling lightheaded.
"What?! Is the man I was with earlier a con artist?! Rukawa will undoubtedly beat me up when we meet if that scammer gets his hands on this bag! ", Sendoh muttered, firmly clutching the bag in his arms.
"We thought you were friends. You should rest here for a while.", the other waiter said.
"I just met him. Who is the man who attacked him? Where is he?", Sendoh asked in confusion.
"We don't know him. He's not a customer. He simply walked up to the person you were just speaking to. He also quickly fled after knocking out the conman.", the other waiter remarked.
"Do you have a photo or surveillance video of him? I would like to thank him.", Sendoh promptly asked.
"We earlier provided the police a copy of the video, but since he is so attractive, we snapped a photo of him. He has a perfect face, a pointy nose, and skin as smooth as a mirror, but we can see from his flawless complexion that we have no hope for him!", the female waitresses' chitchat.
"Do they really mean what they say, or are they just being too dramatic about the man's appearance? It's fortunate that they captured him on camera. It appears from their description that I have a rival when it comes to beauty. Hehe. I'll find out why it is that ladies swoon over him.", he asked himself. The waiter offered up her phone, which contained a photo of Rukawa, wearing a sleeveless shirt with a wide side slit, the camera angle is sideways. The distance prevented him from seeing the entire face.
"What shoes is he wearing?!", Sendoh asked.
"He's sporting a pair of Air Jordan shoes. He has blue eyes. Same bag as yours. I recalled the cool, appealing man who engaged in fight in the square. They both have lovely and striking blue eyes. He hurried off. We never even got his phone number.", her regretful response.
"What?! Blue eyes, and an Air Jordan shoes?! Why does the snoring bear remind me of him?!", Sendoh thought as he imagined every details.
"Do you think he was the one who went viral earlier?", the other girl said.
"The manly man that girls approach to ask for a headlock?", the other girl asked.
"The man who arrived here was donning a white sleeveless top, as opposed to the man on the video who was dressed in a black hoodie.", the other waiter responded.
"He might have taken off his hoodie and changed into a white sleeveless shirt. It's raining hot guys today! It appears that today is a lucky day for our shop!", ,the waiters' standing nearby ongoing conversation.
"Is the person who helped me the same person who beat up the gang by himself this afternoon?! That means, he is Rukawa! I wish to repay him!", Sendoh chuckled to himself.
"Excuse me, ladies. Thanks for assisting me. I'm going out.", he warmly spoke to them.
"Thank you so much! Will you find him?", the other girl asked.
"Yes.", his short reply.
"Will you also ask him for a headlock?", the girls giggled.
"Huh?! Obviously not! Haha. I'd rather kiss him.", he responded with humor.
"I hope you come back soon. Could we snap a photo?", their pleading question.
"Alright. Hehe.", he smiled.
xxx
Sendoh sighed as he chewed. He needs to eat. He could hardly taste what he was eating because the day was so stressful. He regretted not having enough time to visit the port. Outside, he observed the busy road. It helped him feel less worn out and anxious. He motioned with his arm to take the bill. He accepted it and absentmindedly took his bag. He left the money on the table and went out of the diner.
[Sendoh] The night has arrived and it is too dark where I am. I wish to return home. However, I have no idea where my bag is. I truly miss fish. Kids, I'm sorry, your dad has experienced a lot. Nobody is immune to bad luck. I may be attractive, but I'm also caught up in trouble. But I'm delighted I ran into a fascinating guy, a snoring bear in the morning, a gangster at mid-day and a hero this afternoon. Isn't it adorable?!
He abruptly came to a stop. When he remembered that Rukawa's bag was empty of cash, he was baffled as to how he had managed to pay cash for the dinner. He was sitting on an iron bench. He swung his bag's zipper open right away. There were all of his personal possessions!
"Oh my God! This is my bag! Rukawa was the one who earlier saved me!", he exclaimed joyfully. The bag was given back to him.
"I really have to thank him! But I'm not aware of his residence. It doesn't matter because I can also locate him online." He quickly pulled out his phone. When he noticed that his phone was smashed, his eyebrows sprang up, and he held his head.
"My mother will surely scold me! It seems like my nightmare is still ongoing. I wish this day will end!", he said in a tired voice. He did nothing more than slump down on the bench, close his eyes, and tightly clutch his bag. He unintentionally turned toward the waste dump at the left edge of the corner. He had never seen a corner as black as this one. A man was walking awkwardly, hunched over, and on the verge of falling. He abruptly got to his feet because he recognized the person he was looking at. He moved quickly while running. He rounded the corner but failed to notice him. He searched for it in hopes of finding the person who had saved him.
He instantly proceeded in search of the source of the rustling sound after hearing it. He turned the corner before spotting Rukawa. In order to observe it and his state, he sat down. The scene he witnessed stunned him. He observed Rukawa supported his stomach beneath the ribs while seated on one side. From the wound on his left cheek, blood was dripping down the side of his head. He could hear thundering footsteps nearby. Suddenly getting to his feet, he took a cautious step forward to locate the source of the footsteps. He instantly placed a hand over his lips to prevent him from speaking.
"There are numerous footsteps. I can't keep track of how many shadows I see. Could they be the ones who hurt Rukawa? What should I do? We are at the end of the corner. They've cornered us!", he worriedly told himself. He perused the area. They couldn't scale the high walls to cross since they were too high. They lack a place to go outside. Nothing they do will get them away with. He could only come up with last option.
"I've got a great idea for getting rid of the gangsters! It has appeared multiple times in short clips on social media! It has saved many lives in the BL series and K-Drama! If it saves him, I will do it."
The sound of feet became increasingly louder, indicating that someone was approaching their location. This was the only thing he could think of. One. Two. Three steps. A sound of footsteps stopped. He sensed the presence of a group standing behind them. Sweat trickled down his brow as his chest pumped even harder. He focused on the bowed face of Rukawa. He gently licked his lips with his tongue. Rukawa's pupils dilated. They suddenly locked gazes. Sendoh held his head to bring their faces closer. He leaned back and closed his eyes. Their lips were intertwined.
xxx
Notes: I altered my title as I learned that it is a common title for fanfics. hehe. Many thanks to Caro and the guests who shared their thoughts in the last chapter! I appreciate you sticking with my story!