First of all I would like to thank you for leaving reviews, reading and following this story. I had fun writing this fic, and I had more fun writing this chapter. Perhaps that's because I'm in need to satisfy my SouMako desire.

So, I hope this chapter will be an enjoyment for you too. It's may be quite a long one.

CHAPTER 3

On the Night Road

:-:

"Leave Makoto to Sousuke. He will be a great bodyguard."

—Rin to Haruka

:-:

The mackerel dishes prove to be very delicious. Sousuke doesn't realize how hungry he was before he started to eat. He's quite a good cook himself, and he's actually curious about the secret ingredients inside the foods he's consuming at the moment. Eating the food slowly, his mind keeps guessing. Did he insert some sort of... what is this? Pumpkin?

"So how does it taste?"

Makoto's sweet voice interrupts his thoughts. Sousuke stops eating and shifts his gaze toward Makoto. The brunet is watching him in anticipation. Makoto is smiling, slight blush is visible on his cheek, and his droopy bright emerald eyes shine in expectation.

"Tastes great." Sousuke gives an honest answer, which is relieving to him. If Makoto looks at him that way, Sousuke will probably give the same answer even though the food tastes shitty. He doesn't have the heart to disappoint Makoto.

"Told you." Makoto tilts his head, the smile on his lips stretches a little wider. "Nobody beats Haru in the kitchen. In the water, too."

"So he's also a swimmer?" Sousuke reluctantly turns his head to Haruka, who is now sitting beside Makoto while eating his food a little too slowly—the actual word has to be 'gracefully', but Sousuke doesn't want to admit that.

"Best swimmer ever." Makoto says, looking completely like a proud mother.

Rin, who's sitting beside Sousuke, finally stops munching. "No. I'm on the same level at him. Haru, let's compete again next time and we'll see who's the best."

A sigh escapes Haruka's lips, but Sousuke can see a little shine reflected in those beautiful ocean blue eyes. "Fine."

"Perhaps you want to compete with Sousuke, too." Rin pats Sousuke on his shoulder. "Sousuke's a very strong and fast swimmer."

Makoto puts down his fork. "Such coincidence! So we're all swimmers here? Ne, Yamazaki-kun, what's your specialization? I'm doing backstroke. Haru's in freestyle."

"Butterfly." Sousuke answers, rubbing the nape of his neck.

"If that's the case... you guys should tell us your work schedule. I think it will be fun if we can all go swimming together in the weekends or any off-days." Makoto suggests.

"Uh." Sousuke furrows his brow. He doesn't expect it will be so easy to keep in touch with Makoto. He always thought the brunet is the kind of guy who's too busy for leisure time.

Makoto quickly raises both his hands. "I-it's okay if you don't want to. I'm not forcing anybody here." He says nervously, getting the wrong idea from Sousuke's expression.

"Sousuke would love to." Rin suddenly says, "In fact, he's been waiting for this."

Sousuke steps on Rin's foot under the table, pressuring it on purpose. Rin's smile vanishes as he turns to Sousuke, baring his sharp teeth. I'm helping you here, dammit.

"That's great, but are you sure?" Makoto's green eyes are fixed on Sousuke's teal ones.

He can't say no to those eyes. Well, maybe he can, if it's going to bother his already enormous pride. Saying 'yes' to a visit to the swimming pool doesn't bother his pride.

"Sure." Sousuke finally says, eyes shifting to Makoto's mouth. Compared to Haruka, Makoto eats quite a lot and in a rush. There's a grain of steamed rice and a little stain of sauce sticking near his lower lip. Sousuke fights to urge to brush them off with his thumb, if not licking them away directly with the tip of his tongue.

"Makoto. There's rice and sauce near your lip." Haruka said, staring at his best friend disapprovingly.

Makoto laughs softly, blushing a little in embarrassment. "Ah... sorry about this." He wipes his mouth with the back of his hand. Haruka huffs.

"Gross. Use the handkerchief." Haruka continues eating, turning away from Makoto.

Sousuke concludes that the blue-eyed man is probably a neat freak. Seriously, those very dark blue hair can barely be more neat and perfectly brushed.

"Makoto." Haruka says again, "It's getting late. Don't eat too much. You will gain weight."

Rin laughs. "Seriously, Haru. You can be a bit strict now. Makoto is usually the one who restrict you from entering fish tanks, right?"

"What do you mean?" Sousuke raises his brow.

"Haru sometimes likes to strip off his clothes whenever he sees a pool or a fish tank large enough for him to enter." Makoto helpfully answers.

"Are you kidding me?" He can't believe it.

"Makoto, shut up." Haruka looks a bit annoyed, but says nothing else.

"Well, Haru. Makoto's not a model, so it's okay if he gains more fat, as long as his voice remains pure." Rin flashes them a smile.

Haruka doesn't reply. He finishes his meal, which is only half of the actual portion.

Sousuke, on the other hand, doesn't like the idea of a fat Makoto. He doesn't say his opinion out loud, but he does examine the brunet's food. His portion is big, and Makoto is almost finished eating them. He starts to look at Makoto's body. It's well-built with a good amount of muscles. No unnecessary fat is on sight. His body is perfect, and Sousuke wants to explore every little inch of it.

Someone is watching him. Sousuke has a strong sense, and he quickly looks up. Haruka is staring at him, eyes sharp and cold like ice peaks.

What's with this guy, really?

:-:

"We're really sorry again for making you guys wait." Rin stares at his phone, checking the time. It's almost 11 P.M., and the restaurant has closed. The four of them are standing in front of the entrance. "So me and Sousuke brought our motorcycles here to escort you guys home. I can't risk any one of you to walk around in the night like this. The streets are dangerous."

"That's very considerate of you. Thank you." Makoto smiles, "As expected from a police officer. I bet you've seen so many crimes around here?"

"And most of them happen in the night." Rin grins at them, "The typical victims are people like you, Makoto."

"Eeh? Rin, that's just cruel." Makoto whines.

"But no worries!" Rin rests his hands on his hips, "Because you get Sousuke. He has rock fists and steel feet. If someone messes up with you, Sousuke can make him regret he's ever been born."

"That's scary—I mean, that's just superb." Makoto chuckles, giving Sousuke a warm smile. Sousuke sighs, too tired to counter his best friend.

"There's really no need. Makoto can take care of himself." Haruka suddenly says, staring at Sousuke. "He has stupid strength. For balance, Makoto can go with Rin."

Sousuke's eye twitches. He isn't stupid. He knows this particular guy is trying to keep Makoto away from him on purpose. He used to read a lot of 'codes' sent from people's expressions and gestures. He has spent a lot of time assisting his seniors in the interrogation room.

"I don't think that's a very good idea." Rin said, "Makoto is too soft. He won't hurt a bug, let alone punching people in the face. Sousuke will handle him." On the other hand, Rin is trying a bit too hard to make Makoto go with Sousuke. He doesn't want to admit it, but Sousuke feels like he should thank Rin later. He will probably treat his best friend in the steak house.

Haruka huffs, eyes closed and brows furrow in annoyance. "Fine. Yamazaki." He opens his eyes again, looking at Sousuke. Under the moonlight, that beautiful pair of blue eyes shimmers like an edge of katana. "Take care of Makoto..." he trails off, before continuing, "...please."

Sousuke's eyes widen. That simple word of 'please' is enough to wash off his annoyance toward Haruka. Sousuke smiles a little. "Fine."

"Leave Makoto to Sousuke. He will be a great bodyguard." Rin winks at Haruka. "Now, Haru." He walks to his motorcycle and sits down, covering his head with a helmet. He gives another helmet for Haruka before straightens the vehicle up and starts the engine. "Get on."

Haruka pays Sousuke a last look before taking the space behind Rin, sitting comfortably on his motorcycle and putting the helmet on, securing the strap perfectly under his chin. Rin is testing the power of his engine before the wheels begin to slide up front. "See you guys again!" He waves and goes off with Haruka, leaving Sousuke and Makoto alone on the street.

Sousuke has started his engine and tested it a little. He secures the helmet on his head and hands another one for Makoto. His eyes stares at the brunet without showing any emotion.

Makoto takes the helmet from Sousuke's hand. "I hope you don't mind. I'm... I'm heavy, you know." He blushes a little before covering his head and making his way behind Sousuke, settling himself on the motorcycle.

"'Course I don't." Sousuke replies, "More or less, I can guess your weight. It's seventy-two or seventy-three kilograms. I don't think you weigh more than seventy-five."

"Wha—how do you know? Yamazaki-kun, that's impressive." Sousuke shudders in pleasure as he feels Makoto's breath near his neck.

Sousuke shrugs off. "I learned a lot from school and experience. It's nothing impressive, really. Hold on tight, Tachibana. If something happens to you, Rin will hunt me down." And Nanase, too, but Sousuke is smart enough to shut up.

He can feel Makoto's tight grips on his police uniform, at the sides of his waist. He's a bit too prideful to ask Makoto to wrap his arms around his waist instead. He doesn't want to give any possibility for Makoto to think more than what Sousuke wants him to think.

"Ready?" Sousuke asks. After receiving a nod from Makoto, he runs the vehicle over the night road.

:-:

Sousuke keeps his speed at the steady pace of sixty kilometers per hour. He slows down to forty kilometers whenever he encounters a sign which indicates fifty kilos for the maximum speed allowed. He can easily get annoyed by noisy chatters, but he finds himself enjoying Makoto's relaxing voice along the way. The night breeze makes the ride more tranquil.

"Turn left." Makoto instructs, "We're still halfway."

"Did you walk on foot to the restaurant from your house?" Sousuke asks after finding out that Makoto's home has quite a great distance from the restaurant.

"Nooo. I like walking on foot, but that will waste a lot of time. I used the taxi service." Makoto chimes. Sousuke wants him to talk more.

"I see." Sousuke replies.

"Yamazaki-kun, you're really obeying the rules. That's great." Makoto praises him.

Sousuke finds himself smiling like an idiot. He clears his throat. "It's shameful for anyone in the Law Enforcement to break the traffic rules."

"That's true. Yamazaki-kun, you'll be a great General one day."

"Thanks." Sousuke's eyes soften. He really wants to be a Superintendent General one day, or even the Commissioner General, but that seems impossible.

He feels Makoto's grips tighten at the sides of his uniform. "Have a faith in yourself. You're still young. You have a long way to go. How old are you, Yamazaki-kun?"

"Twenty two."

"I'm twenty one. We have a long way to go and a bunch of opportunities to achieve our dreams. What's your dreams, Yamazaki-kun? Only if you want to share, of course." Makoto's voice is soft, but somehow it gives him spirit to reach his dreams. Sousuke gulps.

He wants a life with the best partner for him. His partner doesn't have to be perfect, but Sousuke does want someone who can make his life complete. He wants to get the highest rank possible in the Police Department. He wants to bring justice and protect the people of his beloved country, and of course, protect his loved ones.

"I want to bring justice to this country." Sousuke finally replies. He never expect himself to easily open up like this, especially to someone who just enters his life. "I want to be a Commissioner General, or if I can't reach that, the Superintendent General."

"That's cool! Yamazaki-kun, keep chasing that dream. You have my full support."

"Well, currently, I'm just a lowly officer. Thanks, though." An image suddenly invades his mind. It's an image of himself wearing four gold stars of honor on his uniform, making his way home to Makoto, who has been waiting for him by the door of their comfortable house.

Sousuke tightens his grip on the handle of his motorcycle. He really doesn't understand why that image comes to his mind. He concludes it's probably because of his little crush on the brunet sitting behind him.

"And you? What's your dream?" Sousuke asks, finding himself actually curious.

"Children." Makoto's voice soften, "I want to have children."

For some reason, Sousuke feels uncomfortable. If, just if, he and Makoto end up together, it will be impossible for them to have children. But, Sousuke tells himself, we won't be together. He's just a little crush in my youth. This feeling will pass away with time.

Sousuke and Makoto will part ways, waving their good-byes toward each other. They will take their different routes to fulfill their dreams. It's not like Makoto is that important in his life. He's had several crushes before back in his school years, and none of them make it until today. He doesn't and most likely will never love Makoto. His attraction is pure lust, which he can easily get from anywhere, including Rin's porn magazine.

While the vehicle runs off, Sousuke is looking around them. He has a habit to watch around, making sure everything is fine.

"I also want to be a... rock singer, but actually I can't—"

Sousuke suddenly hits the brake, cutting off Makoto's words, which he hasn't really listened.

"Wha—Yamazaki-kun, that startled me." Makoto whines, grabbing Sousuke's waist.

"Shh. Shut up now." His sharp teal eyes are focusing on their right. Sousuke finds someone suspicious who's trying to peek around a house. The person seems to bring a weapon. Sousuke turns off the engine and pulls off his helmet, keeping their distance away.

"Eh? That's my house." Makoto whispers, also pulling his helmet off.

"What the hell...?" Sousuke suddenly remembers his dream. No way. It's not like my nightmare comes true.

"Who is that?" Makoto asks in the lowest volume possible.

"It's not like I can answer." Sousuke sighs, "Shut—I mean, don't talk for now." He pulls up his handheld transceiver, pushing one button on it. "One suspicious person is loitering around a house in the street of Minamikagaya. The person seems to bring a sharp weapon. I request immediate backup."

Sousuke pulls up the key of his motorcycle and puts it inside his pocket. "Stay here, Tachibana." He grabs his gun on the holster and quickly runs off toward the person.

The person immediately recognizes Sousuke's presence, trying to hide the weapon behind the back.

"Stay there! Hands where I can see them!" Sousuke shouts, his hand still on his gun without pulling it out.

The person seems taken aback. Sousuke can see clearly now that the person is a man, probably in his thirties, wearing casual shirt. He looks nervous, refusing to show his hand.

"I said hands where I can see them." Sousuke repeats, clenching his jaw and staring at the man intimidatingly.

"Y-Yamazaki-kun...?"

Makoto's voice is soft when it reaches his ear. He sounds a little scared, if not nervous. Sousuke turns his head a little, taking a peek at his back. Makoto is there, standing near his motorcycle, but he isn't alone. Another man is holding him from behind, pushing his temple with the muzzle of a gun.

Sousuke curses under his breath. Wrong move, he thought in regret, I should've been aware that he might not be alone. I shouldn't leave Tachibana there.

"Shit." Sousuke curses again, pulling out his gun and pointing it toward the person in front of him. "Don't move. If you dare harm him, I will shoot your friend there."

"I-if you dare come closer to either one of us, I-I swear I will kill this guy!" The criminal says, pushing Makoto's temple with more force with his gun muzzle. Sousuke can see that he's anxious. Sousuke needs to take as much time as possible before his backups come. "And you, too!" The criminal continues, holding Makoto tighter, "If you dare fight me, I will kill you instantly. I swear!" He turns to Sousuke, "You're not in the best position now, Officer. There's two of us with weapons here. Now p-put down your gun, or I will shoot."

It sounds like a mere threat, the criminal won't really shoot him, but Sousuke will play safe. He doesn't want to risk any harm for Makoto. Sousuke gives him his most intimidating gaze before putting his gun to the ground.

"K-kick it away, and throw me your motor key. Now!"

Sousuke takes a deep breath before kicking his gun away and taking his motorcycle key from his pocket. He can hear police sirens in the distance. Sousuke plays a little bit with his key.

"Give that to me now or I will shoot him!" The criminal is practically screaming.

Sousuke throws his key toward them. The key lands near Makoto's feet. "Satisfied?" He raises his brow.

Someone is moving behind him. The movement is quick, and Sousuke immediately turns. The other criminal is raising a knife, swinging its edge toward Sousuke. Using the side of his hand, Sousuke knocks the criminal's arm in a swift strike, sending the knife to the air. His hand instantly forms a knuckle and lands a hard punch on the person's head, knocking him unconscious.

The police sirens are clear now. Two police cars stop near them. Several officers come out from the car. "Don't move!" One of them shouts, pointing his gun. "Release him. Hands up. You're under arrest!"

"No!" The criminal who's holding Makoto answers stubbornly, "D-don't come closer or I will kill him!"

Finding the criminal's attention distracted, Sousuke moves without sound, trying to position himself to the man's back.

"Are you resisting the police force? Put your gun down!" The officer commands again in tight tone.

"I—I rather kill him then I will kill—"

The criminal never finishes his sentence as Sousuke's fist connects to his face from the side, throwing him to the ground. Makoto stumbles and falls as he's dragged down by the criminal's arm. Sousuke steps his foot on the criminal's gun, kicking it away. "You're under arrest." He releases a deep breath. He didn't realize he was breathless.

The other officers approach the man, securing his wrists with a set of handcuffs. Sousuke immediately crouches down beside Makoto. "Tachibana..." he breathes, "are you alright?"

"Of course!" Makoto stands up, smiling nervously, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? What?"

"Well, I could strike him with my elbow or whatever, but I found myself...hesitating, you see, when he threatened me like that..." He trails off, eyes droop toward the ground. A blush adorns his cheek.

"Are you an idiot?" Sousuke can't believe his ears, "Of course you shouldn't fight him. He will kill you. We can't really read a guy like that. He's anxious, and he can do anything in that kind of anxiety, including a killing spree."

Makoto looks down, saying nothing.

A surge of guilt suddenly forms up inside Sousuke. "No. I don't mean that. Tachibana...? Look, I..."

"Great job today, Officer Yamazaki." Someone pats his shoulder. Sousuke turns to him, giving a polite bow to his senior officer.

"Thank you, Sir. Glad to be in your assistance."

"Can you handle the victim?"

"Sure. No problem." Sousuke says, taking another peek to Makoto. The brunet is looking the other way, fingers fidgeting.

"Isn't he Tachibana Makoto? That famous singer?" The officer's voice is lower in volume now.

"Yes, he is. This is his house. I have a feeling these two guys are sent by someone holding a grudge on him, or probably these two guys are two stupid stalkers. I don't know. They're in your hands now."

"Look. My daughter is his fan. Don't tell anyone, but can you ask him for autograph?"

Without his intention, Sousuke sulks in front of his senior. "Ask him yourself, Sir."

"I can't. You're in a closer relationship with him now that I give him to you for handling, and I have to bring these guys to the station."

Sousuke clenches his fists, but finally nods. "Got it... Sir." He doesn't know why, but he has somewhat lost his respect toward this particular senior officer.

"Good. See you tomorrow." The officer walks away, getting inside the police car.

Once all the officers have left, Sousuke approaches Makoto. "Tachibana, look, I'm sorry for what I've said. It's a bad habit of mine, but really, I don't mean that in the slightest."

"Um, I understand. I really do." Makoto smiles warmly at him, "I'm just a bit tired today. Usually I'm sleeping at this hour."

"Are you really alright? Excuse me." Sousuke takes Makoto's hand, examining his hand and arms for bruises. His teal eyes gaze along his face and neck, checking for any injury. Makoto seems alright. Just a slight bruise on his palm and arm. Also, there's another bruise stretches at the side of his neck. His temple reddens, but nothing serious.

Without his intention, Nanase's voice rings back in his mind.

Take care of Makoto... please.

Sousuke rubs his head. "I'm sorry I dragged you into this."

"Yamazaki-kun." When Sousuke lifts his gaze up, Makoto is looking at him, gentle green eyes shine beautifully under the moonlight. "You're like this town's hero." Next, his lips curls a smile. "You just saved me, you know. If I made it home without you and encountered those guys, I don't know what's happening now."

Teal eyes soften, Sousuke smiles a little. "Enough with the '-kun'. Just 'Sousuke' is fine."

"Ah...?" Makoto's smile widens. He looks somewhat happy, "Me too. You may call me 'Makoto', then."

"Makoto." Sousuke repeats, tasting the name on his tongue. He likes it. He really likes it, and he wants to say it again, every hour and every day. "Well, Makoto. We're in front of your house now."

Makoto nods, making his way toward the door. "Thank you for everything today, Sousuke. Today will be very memorable to me, I guess."

And he really likes his name rolling off from Makoto's tongue.

Scratch scratch.

Sousuke frowns. "Do you hear that...?"

"Eh? Oh, they're my sweethearts." Makoto chuckles, "Sousuke, meet my sweethearts." He pulls out his key and uses it to open the door. Two little kittens walk out from the house, white and black. The white kitten rubs its little body on Makoto's ankle. The black one looks at Sousuke warily with a pair of big green eyes.

"Kittens..." Sousuke finally says. He doesn't know Makoto likes cats.

"This is Mizu and Sora." Makoto crouches down to pat the white kitten. The kitten opens up its eyes, showing Sousuke a pair of wide blue eyes.

Water and sky. Very simple names, but Sousuke like them somehow.

"What's behind the names?" Sousuke crouches down, holding his hand toward the black one. The kitten is still looking at him warily, making no effort to move.

"Haru loves the water. I love to see the sky. See their eyes. You can recognize who's who." Makoto pats the black kitten gently under its chin. "Sora, this is Sousuke. He's a friend of mine, and he's a really good guy, so you don't have to be so wary."

"What's their gender?" Sousuke's eyes shifted to the white kitten. This one looks more friendly. The white friendly kitten represents Nanase, and the wary black one represents Makoto. Ironic.

"Mizu's a girl. Sora's a boy."

"You can breed them." Sousuke stands up. He imagines going home to a house full of cats. It isn't so bad. They're indeed sweethearts. Sousuke huffs and shakes his head. He's starting a habit to imagine weird things. "Makoto, it's very late in the night. I believe you have to sleep now."

"You're right. Thank you for escorting me here, Sousuke, and saving me, too." Makoto blushes a little, "I hope you still remember about our plan to visit the swimming pool together?"

"Of course I do." Sousuke smiles. He will be fine. He should be able to handle his feelings for Makoto. He can make it fade away, and Makoto will be his ordinary friend.

When Sousuke starts the engine of his motorcycle, he gives Makoto a last look. Makoto is still standing by the door, watching him go. He's holding both Mizu and Sora in his arms. His smile is warm, and Sousuke wants to see that sight again and again, but with him walking toward Makoto. To his home.

In this very late hour, Sousuke is usually sleeping, yet he finds that sacrificing several hours of his sleep for Makoto isn't so bad. In fact, he enjoyed the day better than most of his days.

Notes:

I hope you liked this chapter. Comments and reviews are very much appreciated. See you on the next chapter.