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Theme: #21. violence; pillage/plunder; extortion

Disclaimers are on part 1.

Rating: R

Shinji had no idea where he was going. All he knew was that he wanted to be away. Away from Inui and his "friend", away from the pain, the heartache….

Shinji wanted to be away from himself.

Almost without knowing it, Shinji found himself on Kamio's block. "I wanted to go home," he muttered, "but maybe Akira can help me stop feeling…it's worth a try…." Decision made, Shinji went up Kamio's walk to knock on the door.

When Kamio opened his door, the last thing that he had expected to find was Shinji on the doorstep, looking like someone had died. "Shinji! What happened to you?"

"I…he…it…." Shinji swallowed, then, for the first time since that moment, allowed himself to start to cry.

"Shit!" Kamio dragged Shinji into his room and away from any potential prying eyes. Sitting Shinji down onto his bed, Kamio sat next to him. "Shinji…talk to me, please."

Shinji looked up at Kamio with dead eyes. "It's over, Akira."

"What is?"

"We are. Me and Sada—Inui." Shinji took a deep breath and wiped his eyes, trying to stop crying. "It's over."

"Did he break up with you?" Kamio demanded, feeling furious. Had Inui really been using his best friend?

"No. I broke up with him." Shinji stared down at his hands.

"But…you were so happy with him…." Kamio was thoroughly confused. "I think you better back up and tell me what happened."

Shinji shifted so he was leaning back against Kamio's pillows. "He's been lying to me. For at least a week, maybe longer. He's been meeting someone in our spot, and lying to me about it."

"Shinji…how do you know this?" Kamio was barely clinging to his temper.

"I saw him." Shinji's voice sounded as dead as his eyes had looked. "That day we got out early, I saw him…and he sent the other person away, and when I went over, he said he had just gotten there and it was a lie. I kept going back. I lied to you, and I'm sorry, but I needed to know, and they got closer, and then today…."

"Today? And don't worry about lying to me; I knew he was involved, somehow." Kamio moved closer to Shinji. "What happened today?"

"He…was on Inui. And then…they kissed…." Shinji's voice broke, and he turned away from Kamio. "And he couldn't give a good reason why! Maybe I could've forgiven him, if I just knew why." He drew in a shuddering breath. "If he didn't want me anymore, why didn't he just tell me?"

"Shinji…." Unable to bear seeing his best friend in so much pain, Kamio moved closer and wrapped his arms around Shinji.

Shinji let himself break then, not sobbing, but trembling like a leaf in a violent storm. In a voice laced with pain, he said, "How could he hurt me like that? I loved him, Akira—I still do, even after this." He sighed. "Why couldn't it have been you? At least I know you wouldn't have done this to me…."

"No, I wouldn't have." Kamio had never before wished that he was anything but straight, but in that moment he did, if only so he could ease some of Shinji's pain. All he could do was just hold his friend.

"I just don't get it…how could he be kissing me, and be with that other guy, too? Was he thinking of him and not me? How long has this been going on?" Shinji pulled back from Kamio and looked at him. "I want to go to sleep, Akira. I want to sleep and forget all about this pain, and not wake up…."

"No!" Kamio jumped, truly alarmed. "I mean, yes, sleep right now, but wake up, please."

"I will." Shinji tried to smile, but it was a grim parody of one. "I won't let him take that from me, too." He blinked and yawned. "But I'm so tired, Akira…I want to sleep…."

"Then sleep, Shinji." Kamio moved and stretched Shinji out onto his bed, pulling a blanket up over him. "Go to sleep, and hopefully things will look better when you wake up."

"But I'll still be alone…and still be wanting him…." Shinji sighed and dozed off into a fitful sleep.

Kamio watched his friend sleep for a minute, then stood up, finally letting some of his temper surface. "Sleep. And while you do, I need to find a certain jackass and have a "chat" with him."

Inui was walking with little direction. All he knew that he wanted to do was find Shinji.

The first place he went was Shinji's house, but no one was home—at least, no one that was answering. From there, Inui went to Fudomine, the street courts, back to the park, just about anywhere he could think of Shinji going.

As he was heading back to Shinji's house to try again, Inui caught sight of a familiar redhead. Maybe he knows where Shinji might've gone. Not even thinking that Shinji might've gone to him first, Inui jogged until he had caught up with Kamio. "Kamio, do you—"

That was all Inui was able to get out before Kamio turned, eyes blazing and fists flying. "You asshole!" Kamio screamed as he landed punch after punch on Inui. "What the fuck do you think you were doing, playing with Shinji like that? He loves you, and you repay that with running around behind his back?"

Kamio was panting as he continued yelling, not even pausing for Inui to try and explain himself. "And now he's at my place and so upset and wanting to die or some shit because you had nothing better to do than play with his heart!" Kamio finally let up on Inui and backed off a little. "Before I tell you to go jump off a cliff and fuck yourself and any number of nasty things that you completely deserve, at least tell me why? That's all he wants to know, and maybe if I can tell him, he can find some peace."

Inui hadn't even tried to dodge Kamio's blows, feeling that he had deserved every single one of them, and more. "Kamio…you may not believe me, but I wasn't playing with Shinji. I love him, believe it or not, and I could never cheat on him with anyone."

"Then tell me why you were lying to Shinji. Tell me why you kissed someone else." Kamio crossed his arms across his chest and glared at Inui.

"It was a project for school." Inui resolved to just tell his story and hope for the best, fully aware that this may be the closest he could get to Shinji if he said something wrong. "It was a meteorology project, which involved watching the weather. We had to work with partners, and mine was Yanagi Renji. He was on the Rikkai team, and we've been friends almost since the day we were born. We'd…drifted apart some, but we're still close. Anyway, Renji wanted to know a good spot where we probably wouldn't be interrupted to do this project and I…I suggested Shinji's and my spot."

Inui sighed. "I should've told Shinji right then, but I didn't want to upset him by telling him that I had invited someone else into a spot that's always been special to us. If I had told him, maybe some of this could've been avoided, but I was afraid to."

Kamio nodded briefly. "That explains the lying and maybe the touching…but not the kissing." His glare turned hotter. "This better be good."

"The kissing…it was Renji's idea. I should've said no, but…he said he needed…closure, I guess, for something that could never be. And I let him. I felt nothing…I wish I hadn't let him at all, because now it's cost me the best thing that's ever happened to me…." Inui was doing his best not to start crying again.

Kamio softened a little, but he tried his best not to show it. "You fucked up, Inui. You shouldn't have hidden things from Shinji."

"I know," Inui said miserably. "And believe me, I'm paying for it. I want him back, Kamio."

"And if he doesn't want you back?"

Inui seemed to collapse in on himself. "Then I'll respect Shinji's wishes," he said quietly. "But I would like the chance to explain myself to him in person before I walk away."

Kamio considered Inui for a minute. "He's miserable, right now. Shinji is miserable, and hurting and dying inside. And I know that he does not want to see you right now. Go home. Don't try to talk to him yourself. I'll talk to Shinji later and let you know." He sighed. "I'm doing this against my better judgment, you know."

"Then why are you doing this?" Inui was both grateful and puzzled. "You said it yourself. I…fucked up. I hurt your best friend."

"Because if it was a misunderstanding, Shinji needs to be able to make that decision himself. Besides…as miserable as you made him then, I really think he's ten times more miserable without you. And he's my best friend. If you're what makes him happy—though I don't see why—then I'm going to make sure that he's happy."

Kamio looked at his watch. "I better get back to him. I'll get your number from Shinji's phone. Don't call me. I'll contact you." He smiled a little at Inui. "If you do love Shinji, and he does love you, then the two of you'll make it work. If not, at least you tried, right?"

"Right." Inui nodded. "I…take care of him?"

"He's my best friend." Kamio sounded indignant. "Of course I will." He turned and ran for home.

Inui had to force himself to not follow Kamio back to where he knew Shinji was right then, instead, dragging himself back to his apartment. But, he was feeling something much different than he was before. The hurt, the pain, the desolation was still there, but there was something else, now, too.

Inui was feeling hope.

--The End--