A.J. followed Shinsuke and Dre as they quickly made their way through the airport. He made sure to keep his hoodie pulled over his head and as far over his face as possible. Holding his left arm close to his chest, A.J. glanced at the faces he passed. He was certain they were going to run into one of Well's of Franne's friends. He was so caught up in trying to keep hidden that he missed a pile of luggage in front of him. Letting out a startled sound, A.J. gasped as he was grabbed from behind, pain racing along his nerves.
Pulling away from the hands on his waist, A.J. turned to find Dre standing behind him. "Dre?"
"Careful brother, we need to keep as low a profile as possible."
A.J. nodded, heart racing as he apologized to the couple next to him. Dre was right, they needed to make sure they could make it to the boarding gate without being spotted. "Where is Shin?" He looked around for his friend, a sliver of fear moving down his spine. "Dre, where..."
"Don't worry, he had to call Hiroshi and let him know what's going on."
A.J. sighed in relief as they continued towards the far end of the airport. "What about Sadie, is she..."
"Don't worry about sis, she will be fine. You just make sure to get your ass on the plane."
A.J. frowned at his best friend. "What do you mean by that?" He side stepped a group of tourist, turning his head to hide his face. "Dre, you're not coming with me?"
"No, she's sending Clay, he'll be going with you."
"No, Dre damnit we can't involve him in this! What the hell is she thinking sending Clay?!" A.J. looked around at the small crowd near the gate. Moving as close to his friend as possible, he started when a hand brushed across his shoulder. Turning, he blinked as he stared into a pair of bright gray eyes. "Clayton."
"Uncle Allen, are you ready? We need to get on the plane."
A.J. nodded, looking around for Shinsuke. "Wait, where is Shin? Isn't he coming with me?"
"I can not leave yet, Allen. I can not leave Hiroshi here alone."
A.J .turned to the man behind him, fear widening his eyes. "Shin you can't stay. Have Hiroshi meet us in Nagoya, we can take the train from there o-or..."
"You know why he can not leave yet and I must respect that but I can not leave him here." Shinsuke looked from A.J. to Clay then back. "I will see you in a few weeks. Do not worry, Dre will be with me so I will be safe."
A.J. looked at Dre, anger simmering along his nerves. "Yeah he just fucking told me. I didn't want Clay involved but as you can see..." He waved at his god-son, a small smile curving his lips up. "Anyway, we've got our contracts back in the States, we're finally out of here."
Shinsuke grinned as he nodded in agreement. "You know, it will be an honour to fight along side the Phenomenal A.J. Styles."
A.J. chuckled, groaning at the pain that shot through him. "Yeah well, can't wait to see you either. We can do some damage together." He grinned at Shinsuke, giving him a quick hug before he was pulled towards the boarding gate. He was talking to Clayton as they stood in line when he heard someone shouting his name. Turning to glance towards the waiting crowd, A.J. froze. "He's already here."
Clay turned to look for the man in question, until he spotted him talking to a store clerk. "Come on Uncle Allen, we need to get on the plane, now."
A.J. stayed close to Clay, keeping his back to the crowd as the boarding line moved forward. Showing his boarding pass to the attendant, he glanced back behind him to see Wellington moving through the line of passengers. "Clay..."
"Go in front of me, hurry Uncle Allen, get on the plane."
A.J. took off down the ramp, not looking back as the voice of his tormentor echoed behind him. Cradling his injured arm close to his chest, A.J. let out a soft breath as he stepped onto the plane and looked for a seat. He started in fear as a hand pressed against the small of his back.
"It's just me Uncle, come on let's find a seat and get comfortable."
A.J. looked up at Clay, following him towards the back of the plane. He took the seat next to the window, watching as Clay put his carry on in the over head compartment. "Clay, what's going to happen from here?"
"Mom said to make sure to get you to Juls. Uncle Dre said he and Shin will be home in a few weeks."
A.J. nodded as he listened to the soft voice. Closing his eyes, A.J. thought back over the past few years. The choices he'd made chasing his dream had come down to this. Shaking his head, he looked out the small window next to him, could see Shinsuke and Dre as they stood near the waiting area window. "You're sure they're going to be a few weeks?"
"That's what mom and Uncle Dre told me, not really sure but since I have classes next week, leaving early was great for me."
A.J. nodded, turning as Clay offered him a small bottle of juice. "Thanks Clay, I'm really glad you're with me." He looked over at the grinning man, a matching grin curving his lips. "If I drift off..."
"I'll wake you up if I need to Uncle Allen. Mom told me you needed your rest as well as an arm sling."
A.J. blinked as Clay pulled out a medical kit. "Pre-Med, almost forgot you were in school." This was why Sadie had sent Clay, she knew he needed a doctor but wouldn't trust just anyone. "Think you can keep this arm from getting worse?"
"I can try? I mean without everything I need to make sure it's not broken..."
"Whatever you can do Clay, I'll really appreciate it." A.J. flinched in pain as Clay examined his arm then cleaned the torn flesh. Looking around the cabin, he realized that they were screened off from the rest of the passengers.
"Your contract has a privacy clause on public transportation."
Nodding, A.J. watched as his arm was cleaned, bandaged and wrapped before Clay carefully put it in a sling. "Thanks Clay."
"It's not much Uncle but it's better than nothing, right?"
Looking up into wide, innocent gray eyes, A.J. smiled. "Yeah, it's better than nothing." He shook his head at his nephew's pleased look, surprised that he still had that affect. Looking out the window, he watched the lights of the cities below. If he had known that it would take almost six months for his friends and family to get back to the States, he never would have left to begin with.