Hello everyone! It's Dejichan! This is the finale of "Returning Relations"! I'm a bit sad, because I love this story! And so many people enjoyed it! -smiles- After this fic, I have two more in my mind. One is an AU fic, which I believe you'll all enjoy. I've been planning it for awhile, and it's gonna be really interesting! I'll have details added to my profile shortly. And the sequel of "Lies, Deceit and Unwanted Pain" is coming, too. Any title ideas for thatwould be greatly appreciated! It will also be awesome, since my writing has improved a lot since that story! Read "LDAUP" if you want to enjoy my sequel! Well, read and enjoy!
Dedicated to JulinX, because her computer has a virus. I wish her good luck!
Gah! I almost forgot the disclaimer... EEP...
Disclaimer: I don't own Gravitation. If you sue me, I'll cry.
Chapter 13: Fiery Hearts of the Finale
"Ritsuka, why do people hurt other people?" Shuichi asked timidly as he walked home with his best friend. "I mean, I don't understand what would drive anyone to do something like that. You usually have pretty good answers for things, so I'm guessing you have some sort of idea."
"Why do you always ask so many questions?" Ritsuka joked. "Ugh, well I don't know why people do that exactly. Some are just plain evil, and others are crazy. Most of them are mad though." Shuichi frowned. 'Is my dad mad at me?' he thought. 'Is that why it hurts all the time?' "Did that help?"
"Yeah, thanks Ritsuka!" Shuichi cheered. He hugged his friend tightly, and Ritsuka chuckled.
"Moron."
"I'M HERE!" a familiar voice called. Everyone, except Shuichi, in the room looked over to the door, where they saw a flash of blond. There was a short silence before someone realized what was going on. Tatsuha's eyes widened. He gasped. He couldn't believe his eyes, nor could anyone else.
"K!" Tatsuha shouted. Lo and behold, K stood at the doorway, guns and all. It was their savior in the darkness, their last hope. When everything seemed impossible and undoable, the hero came. And he gave them a glimmer of hope, and each of the good-hearted people gripped it tightly in their hearts. It was all they had at the moment.
K looked like a fierce father who had just seen his son hurt. His eyes narrowed as he aimed the gun. "K! How did you know we were here?" K smirked. He silently pointed towards Hiro with his free hand. Hiro was now wide awake, raising his cell phone up for everyone to see. Yuki, Tatsuha and Anoiji stared blankly at Hiro. Ryuichi smiled smugly.
"You see, I realized exactly what Hiro was trying to do" Ryuichi explained calmly and smoothly. "So, as to not ruin his plan, I distracted Anoiji. I got him involved in a discussion, so he wasn't paying attention to his second hostage. Hiro called K, who called some others and rushed over. It was a smart and quick decision, one I would've done myself. I didn't want any of you to try to get to Anoiji and risk your lives when K could do the job much easier. He has guns, and years of training, unlike all of you here. That's why I held you two back, Yuki and Tatsuha."
Tatsuha and Yuki nodded hesitantly. They were too surprised to think clearly. It was astounding. Hiro was calling K this whole time? They were saved before they had even realized the true possibilities of the danger at hand. And they had no clue. Both felt a bit angry at their obliviousness, but they were glad that help had come. It was amazing that Hiro had been able to do that without being caught, and that Ryuichi came up with a diversion so quickly.
"W-what?" Anoiji demanded. He glowered at Hiro, and put his hand into a fist. "This is a damn joke! There were NO foils in my plan! NONE! I've been planning this for days on end! That damn bastard in the corner lied! He couldn't have… He didn't…. No!" Ryuichi smirked.
"Oh, but he did" Ryuichi said. "I watched him do it, too. It was quite amusing to see you going on and on about how you won, and see him dialing K's number. I had to use all my strength not to laugh." He chuckled. "Ah, but Anoiji, this is the punishment for hurting our sparkly Shuichi. No one gets away with that, I repeat, no one."
"Fuck!" Anoiji yelled, losing his composure and everything else. "Damn you all to hell, damn you! This couldn't have happened! My buddies were watching outside! No one could've gotten in here!" K rolled his eyes and patted his gun. Anoiji's eyes widened. "You…killed them?" He wasn't worried about his friends, just annoyed at his current situation.
"No, I just knocked 'em out, and roughed 'em up a bit, ya know?" K laughed heartily. Then, his face became serious again. "You chose the wrong guy to mess with, buddy. If you have problems, deal with them yourself. Don't drag Shuichi into them, especially since you've hurt him enough already." K scowled at Shuichi's unconscious form. A deep anger rose out of him, not the maniacal one. It was more like hatred and rage mixed together in a large bowl. K's eyes were practically made of steel, and they showed no vulnerability. He was a fighting machine at the moment, and he wasn't going into shut-down mode any time soon.
"Damn you" Anoiji muttered. He had finally realized that he had lost the battle. A smirk appeared on his lips. He had another trick up his sleeve. "Ah, but you can't shoot me. I have Shuichi right here." He picked Shuichi up and dragged him in front of Anoiji. His eyes gleamed. "You'll have to go right through Shuichi to get to me, which would mean killing him, am I correct?" He had regained his calm attitude once again, and his voice seemed steely, unbreakable.
K put his gun back in his pocket. His eyes gleamed mercilessly. He knew that when he had the chance, he'd easily kill Anoiji without any regrets. Yuki's anger was rising past the breaking point. To relieve himself, he punched the wall. Tatsuha was just as angry, so he joined his brother in punching the wall. Ryuichi, however, remained calm. He chuckled lightly. Hiro…was silent. He seemed to be deep in thought.
"Why the hell would you be laughing at a time like this?" Yuki yelled to Ryuichi. "Shuichi's in trouble, damnitt! And you're just standing there, laughing!" Ryuichi said nothing, but he stopped laughing. Yuki was relieved. He seriously felt like smashing someone's head in if he heard Ryuichi laugh one more time.
"Well, I guess I'll be going then" Anoiji sang. He picked up the unconscious boy and slowly dragged him towards the nearest window. Yuki saw red. He went charging again, but this time it was Tatsuha who held him back. Tatsuha grabbed Yuki's arm and pulled him back. Anoiji stopped for a moment, unsure as to whether he should leave yet.
"Damnitt, stop Tatsuha, you bastard!" Yuki yelled. "Let me go! Why won't anyone let me kill him?" He glared at Tatsuha, his rage evident from his eyes. "You keep pulling me back, but why can't I just kill him? It's self-defense for fuck's sake! I won't get arrested, so there's no damn reason to keep me back! HE is going to kill Shuichi once he's done, or something else! I can't just watch him disappear like that! I can't!"
"Calm down!" Tatsuha said. "Look bro, I know you hate him. I know you want to kill him. I know you want to save Shuichi, but…" He sighed heavily. "Think for a minute. How will you feel a month after this? I know that no matter how horrible someone is, people still become guilty, even if they…" He let Yuki finish in his mind. "And what would Shuichi think of you then?" Yuki silenced himself. Tatsuha let go of his brother's arm with a relieved smile. "Glad you understand me." He whispered into Yuki's ear.
"Don't worry, we'll get Shuichi back. And we'll have Anoiji pay in a different way, I assure you." Yuki made no comment. He remembered Kitazawa, and how guilty he felt afterwards, even though the teacher did the unspeakable. And Shuichi would probably never be able to look at Yuki the same way every again. Yuki had enough on his guilty conscious at the moment.
"Ah, okay, while you two chat away, I'll be on my way" Anoiji said. "Hey, that rhymes. How ironic." He chuckled. "Well, it doesn't matter now. Keep your mouths shut or Shuichi here will die. And if that isn't enough, I'll kill his mother as well. And you know I'm serious. I don't hesitate to kill, and neither do my men. Even though they were knocked out, they still kill easily, like cutting butter."
"Why are you doing this?" K demanded. His hand reached for his gun, just in case. He wanted to be prepared if Anoiji became preoccupied. Then K could just shoot him straight in the heart, and it'd be all over. "I don't see the point for a father to kidnap their own son for fun." Everyone looked at K grimly.
"No, no, no" Anoiji said. He was a bit annoyed at all the detours, but he wanted K to suffer as he heard the tale as well. Anoiji loved telling it to others, especially women he met at the bar. He'd tell them the story the morning after though, and they'd run away. Then Anoiji didn't have to worry about them sticking around. It was quite convenient.
"I have a reason" he assured the blond-haired man. "You see, when Shuichi was a lot younger, I would beat him, and his mother, when I felt like it. My wife was submissive and never told anyone what was going on. She was smart, but stupid at the same time. And Shuichi was too afraid to do anything as well. I wasn't worried. But then, Shuichi over here decided to spill it to his best friend, Ritsuka. I was listening in from the doorway. I heard the confession, and I was pissed."
"So, I did the only thing I could. I killed Ritsuka. Shuichi was obviously furious with me, but he practically hid himself in a shell afterwards, especially after I hid the body. Once the search party came, I broke up with my wife and disappeared."
"Years later, I got a message in the mail that they reopened Ritsuka's case, and that I was a suspect. Now, I don't want to go to jail. I had to find someone close to Ritsuka to be a witness on my side. I'm going to make Shuichi tell the court that I didn't kill Ritsuka, but that his mother did. I already had the motives planned out. Everything was set. All I needed was Shuichi. I returned to Japan and pretended to be the dad that changed. I knew Shuichi would listen to me, even if he didn't believe a word I was saying. He was stunned that I had returned, and I think he was worried about your reaction, Mr. Yuki." He let that sink in for a moment.
'He…didn't tell me because he was worried about how I'd react?' Yuki thought. 'That doesn't make sense… Why would he be worried? What did he think I'd do? I don't get it…' After a few seconds of thinking, it finally hit Yuki. 'He thought that I'd be angry! He thought I'd be mad that he made me tell him my secrets, but he didn't tell his. He must feel guilty… Sure, I'm a bit annoyed, but my secrets weren't life-threatening. Kitazawa is dead, and was dead when I told him. There were no worries, so I understand why he didn't say anything, but he didn't think that… So he risked his life to make sure I wouldn't be angry at him? If he dies, I'm gonna be furious!'
"It hurts, doesn't it?" Anoiji asked Yuki in a sweet, mocking voice. "To know that your lover wouldn't tell you something this important because he was afraid you'd get angry. You must feel horrible, eh? I mean, when I first realized that he had a boyfriend, I was a bit worried. After the first meeting, I knew I was safe. But you were suspicious. I tried my best to clear them, but I guess that in the end you figured it out. A tad too late though, neh?"
K was stunningly silent. He didn't, couldn't believe his ears. 'Shuichi had it that tough, and he still acted like a happy, carefree idiot? His mother and he were beaten and his best friend was killed by his father, and he kept kicking. You'd never think that his past was that horrible by the way he acts, all happy-go-lucky and happy. It's amazing. But I have to concentrate and wait for a good time to strike.' K studied Anoiji, and where Shuichi was. Shuichi was still right in front of Anoiji. It was still too risky to shoot there. 'Damn.' But K still had some hidden hope left in him. There was something Anoiji overlooked.
Yuki, meanwhile, practically had steam coming out of his ears. He growled angrily and let out a frustrated, dissatisfied sigh. He concluded that today was probably the worst day in his life, even worse than the day he killed Kitazawa. He felt like crying, the same as when he killed his teacher, but he held them in. He had to act tough, for Shuichi's sake. Or maybe it was for his sake; he didn't know for sure at the moment, and it didn't matter either.
Tatsuha, on the other hand, was trying to stay calm. He needed to, though he couldn't understand why. His brother needed him, but it was also something else, something he didn't think he would ever truly "get". He wished that he had never gone to the concert. Then, maybe this would've never happened. Maybe Shuichi would be okay, and Anoiji would've been caught somehow. Maybe Yuki would've figured out what was going on sooner, and stopped all this. But the fact was, Tatsuha DID go to the concert, and something similar probably would've happened even if he didn't. He sighed.
"Tatsuha, can I punch you, just to make me feel better?" Yuki pleaded angrily with sarcasm dripping from his voice. Tatsuha turned ghostly white after getting out of his deep thoughts. He knew how hard his brother punched from previous experiences in his childhood, and he didn't particularly want to re-experience it. He still had a bruise on hisarm from the last time, (when they were kids)and it still hurt! Tatsuha shook his head. Yuki rolled his eyes. "I was kidding, moron." Tatsuha smiled, definitely relieved.
BAM! Everyone looked towards the direction of the sound. It was coming from Shuichi and Anoiji's direction! They gasped. Had someone killed/injured Shuichi? Their fears were destroyed once they saw the sight before them. Only K and Ryuichi weren't bewildered. Anoiji's eyes were blank, and blood was dripping from his mouth. He collapsed to the ground, his head hitting the floor hard. His eyes closed, and there was only silence. Blood poured from his back. He had been shot from behind...
From the window, they saw a figure. It had blond hair and a hat. Yuki immediately recognized the person as Tohma. Tohma had…killed Anoiji? How did he know what was going on?
"I called him too, ya know" K reminded the others. Ryuichi nodded firmly. Yuki rushed to Shuichi's side and picked up his unconscious lover. He didn't even want to hear the explanations anymore. He was just glad to have Shuichi back in his arms. Shuichi wearily flickered his eyes open. He first saw Yuki, and was overjoyed. Yuki didn't look mad; he looked scared and concerned! But then Shuichi's eyes strayed to Anoiji. Anoiji was…dead…
"Ritsuka, I have something to say…" Shuichi murmured in his room. Ritsuka raised his brow, because Shuichi sounded serious, and that was rare.
"Go on" he encouraged. "I'll listen to you." Shuichi still seemed hesitant. He didn't know if this was a good idea.
"Well, you know my dad?" Shuichi asked. Ritsuka nodded. "Well, he hurts me mom and me and… I don't know what to do… I mean, I didn't WANT to tell you, because dad told me not to, but I'm scared for mom. She's so depressed now and…"
"Wait, your dad hits you?" Ritsuka interrupted. Fire appeared in his eyes as Shuichi nodded hesitantly. "Shuichi, you should've told me sooner! We have to do something!"
"But dad will get mad!" Shuichi protested. "He might do something…bad…" Shuichi shivered. Horrible images flashed through his mind. "But it's okay if he hits me. It's mom I'm worried about. Maybe she could… Well, something bad might happen, but can I ask for advice?" he pleaded.
"And what's going on now isn't bad?" Ritsuka barked. Shuichi was silenced. Ritsuka was so angry. He couldn't believe that Anoiji was hitting his own child and wife. It disgusted Ritsuka beyond measures. He cared deeply for his friend, so this hit him harder than a normal case on the TV. Suddenly, they heard the door creak open…
"Shuichi, have you told someone about our little secret?" Anoiji asked angrily. His hands were gloved. He slammed the door behind him. Shuichi whimpered and froze on the spot. Anoiji glowered at Ritsuka. "So now you know what I do. I guess I'll have to fix that, right?" Ritsuka growled.
"Why did you hurt your own family?" he demanded. "There's no excuse for that! You should go to Hell, bastard!" Anoiji laughed and pulled something from his pocket.
"I believe you'll be the one going to hell, my dear boy" Anoiji whispered. Shuichi gasped and rushed forward. But he was too late…Anoiji had already struck the knife through Ritsuka's heart… Shuichi broke out into tears. Ritsuka was gone, because of him. One child's life had been destroyed in an instant, a boy named Ritsuka, Shuichi's first and best friend…
"Ritsuka, it's all over now…" Shuichi murmured. Tears fell from his eyes, and he started to cry on Yuki's shoulder. "It's all over Ritsuka. He's dead… I'm so sorry…"
Tohma entered the apartment with a BANG! He had beads of sweat dripping from his forehead, and his face had softened since all of them had seen it last. "Eiri, everyone, are you alright? I got the call from K!"
"Yeah, we're okay now" Yuki whispered. He patted Shuichi's back and let Shuichi continue to cry. "Thanks Tohma…" he muttered darkly.
Hiro stood up and rushed towards Shuichi and Yuki. Tatsuha, K and Ryuichi and even Tohmafollowed close behind. They were all truly worried about their friend, and tried their best to calm him down. The previous events were so surreal; it was like this was a dream and they'd be tapped on the shoulder by someone who was trying to wake them up. But it wasn't a dream. (Once and awhile they'd pinch themselves just to make sure though.)
And Anoiji's blood continued to drip from his mouth, which had once caused Shuichi so much pain. The nightmare was finally over. Anoiji was dead, and Ritsuka could finally rest in peace knowing that his best friend was safe.
A/N: If you want an epilouge, please review! (and youcan thank me for killing Anoiji. ;)It's quite necessary, especially to explain Tohma's actions, and all the little details and afteraffects! Thanks for reading my story! I love you all! (as friends)
