Disclaimer for FAKE

Fandom: FAKE

Pairing: Dee/Ryo

Rating: this is work safe. Not fun loving or bad loving this time. I don't think I even used profanity this time. Huh, guess I better step up my writing now.

Spoilers: After Vol. 7

Timing: First year of being together. Just after the end of the last volume for sure. I think somewhere in the middle of May maybe since I want it to be spring. Probably just a couple of months after getting together.

Summary: Dee is having sleepless nights, Bikky finds a true ally to help him in the streets, and Hideo really wants to get Ryo out of his situation. Maybe another possible ally is on the way. Hope you remember the next person to come up.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of FAKE. They belong to Sanami Matoh. I'm just a poor fan fic writer. I do own the characters of Hideo, Pedro, and Eric.

A/N: Bonus! I'm able to get another chapter out a day later. I know you readers are excited about this. I sure know I am. And now I'm ready to get to work on my next chapter too. This is so great. Please enjoy this chapter. I'm working real hard to save our poor Ryo.

Beted by no one totally at the moment. Looked at by Vovo after it's up.

Trouble in Little New York Chapter 13

Ryo, feeling a little better after the cleaning, watches Hideo inspect the food that was brought.

"Kuso," Hideo curses under his breath as he finds some unappetizing things in the sandwich. "I'll be right back with some proper food. Please do not worry. I will not let anyone in here who is not supposed to be in here."

Feeling relived upon hearing those words, Ryo, still on his stomach, watches as the Japanese man leave the room.

The next day finds Bikky on the bus once again going back towards his old neighborhood. When he gets off, he doesn't go back to the hookers, instead he goes in a different direction in hopes that he can find someone else he knows and possibly trust. He peers down alleys and peeks into corner stores but to no avail. Finally he goes into a liquor store that he used to frequent with his biological father when he was younger just to see what had changed.

"Bikky, it's great to see you again," the store owner greets the boy warmly, "It's been some time since I last saw you. My how you've grown. How have you been doing?"

Bikky smiles at the man before answering, "I've been doing well lately. I have a great foster dad now and he's pretty kind to me. I'm actually happy where I am."

"Well that's good to hear, son. Don't mess it up for yourself, you hear?"

"Yes sir," Bikky agrees as he begins to wander the familiar isles of the store.

"Oh and by the way," the owner calls out, "pick something for yourself before you go. As long as it's legal." He chuckles at his joke.

"Thank you very much," Bikky chuckles back.

Bikky wanders the candy isle for a few moments looking for something interesting but then moves on to the chips isle when nothing proves to be appetizing. Finally deciding on a bag of hot fries, he moves to the back of the store to the cold cases to pick out a bottle of soda. It was here that he ran into an old friend who was eight years older than he is. His name is Lloyd Benson.

Lloyd is a twenty year old, 5'9" black man with a slightly triangular face. There's no visible cleft in his chin and his cheek bones are up a little higher on his face. He has a pair of hazel eyes that are very clear and always watching of his surroundings. He has a muscular build and several tattoos on his arms only. Today he's wearing a short sleeved, blank navy blue T-shirt and a pair of loose fitting blue jeans. They do not fall below his belt line though. He knows the meaning of low hanging pants and he is not the kind of person to portray that signal. Pair of black suede Timberland boots completes the ensemble. His hair is cut short to his head and he has a small goatee and mustache on his face. This man is also a drug dealer but of a rare kind. He refuses to deal to minors because he knows that it's just wrong.

He turns around when he feels that he's being watched and he gives a wide smile showing even white teeth. He sees a face that he hasn't seen in about two years.

"Well if it isn't Bikky Goldman!" he calls out heartily in a deep voice. He goes over to the twelve year old by and they exchange a dap with a quick but warm man hug. "How have you been, man? Whatcha been up to lately?"

Bikky grabs a Coke from the cold case while answering the questions, "I've been doing great ever since I've been taken in by my foster father. I'm going to school and I even have a bid in for a girlfriend."

"That's great, man. I'm really proud of you," Lloyd says truthfully. He always had a soft spot for Bikky. He treated the younger boy like a little brother.

Bikky's face suddenly turns serious and a little sad as he asks a question to his friend, "Can we go somewhere private to talk?"

Watching his friend's face take a sudden change made Lloyd a little worried and he gives a nod. The two head to the front of the store and the shop owner says to Bikky that everything is on the house. He smiles and waves a thank you as they go outside.

Once their feet hit the pavement, Bikky and Lloyd walk quietly for a moment for one block before stopping in front of an abandoned brick building. For a few extra minutes they're silent until Lloyd finally breaks the silence.

"What's the problem, little brother?" he asks with concern in his voice.

Bikky sighs heavily and takes a deep breath before launching into his story.

"Well, first off, my foster dad is a NYPD detective," he watches as Lloyd eyes widen in surprise at this new bit of news. "Don't worry, man. Everything is cool. He knows nothing about you. I wouldn't tell him anything about you at all." He looks up and down the street before asking his next question. "Can I still trust you, bro? You know, with anything and to not tell anyone untrustworthy? Epically any social workers."

"I wouldn't tell anyone backstabbing even if it was just about you taking a piss."

"Great. Thanks man." Bikky says with a weak smile. Then he launches into his story about his dad being kidnapped by people unknown and that the only thing they know was used on him was a horse tranquilizer because Ryo still had his phone when they said this just before they ditched it into the trash. He says that he knows this because his dad's partner on the force told him these things. He stops to take a swig of soda and to wait to see what his friend would say.

Lloyd stays quiet while he absorbs the story he just heard. "Okay, look," he starts off finally, "There are several gangs in this city that deal in kidnappings. The problem is finding the right one." He glances at Bikky's face as it falls into a sorrowful expression that was not hidden well on the younger boy's face. He already has an issue dealing with gangs unless they're buying from him. He refuses to join any. He feels better being a free dealer. "But you know that I'll help you any way that I can. You know that I feel like you're my younger brother." He watches at the other boy's face brightens up with a grin. "Now listen to me closely," he starts with a warning in his voice. "There's this new up and coming gang called the Scythes. They've only been around shortly, but word is they're pretty ruthless and for some reason, their numbers have grown quite quickly. But then suddenly several of their top men have been put away behind bars. Now there are rumors that the head boss is pretty upset and he's out to find out who's been doing this. They've also been recruiting new people as young as you. I've heard that this is one of the most unique gangs ever. They seem to recruit every nationality available and it's said that once they meet the boss, they wind up joining." He looks meaningfully at Bikky with his next words, "I don't want to see you getting caught up with that gang at all."

"You don't have to worry about me, Lloyd. I'm not stupid enough to get up with any gangs at all." Bikky says sternly. He pulls out his cell phone to check on the time and glances down the street. "I've got to get home before my dad's partner does. Thanks for helping me out man. Let me give you my number so you can call me with any news."

"Sure thing, little bro. I'll give you mine as well just in case you have something to tell me as well."

Bikky and Lloyd exchange numbers, give dap with a man hug and Bikky heads off in the direction of the bus stop.

As Lloyd watches his friend leave, he notices a black non-descript car pull off and head in the same direction as Bikky. He memorizes the make and model of the car for future reference but just misses the license plate. After that, he gets a call on his phone and its back to business.

x x x

Bikky and Dee get home around the same time with Bikky being first by about five minutes. He was just sitting down to the table with his homework when Dee saunters in with a slightly defeated look on his face. Bikky knows that the look meant that there was no progress in finding Ryo. "Hey, Dee," he tries to say cheerfully.

"What's up, B," Dee tries to be as warm as he goes into the kitchen and puts on one of Ryo's aprons to begin dinner.

After that, it grew silent between the two for a while except for the clanks and chinks of pots and pans and the scratching of pen on paper from homework. After a while they're both sitting at the table together, which is now set for dinner, and try to hold a conversation with each other.

"Well I'm sure you've already figured out that it was another useless day," Dee says after swallowing a mouthful of food. "I'm going out tomorrow with Ted to the same place where we found Ryo's phone and ask some people to see if they saw something suspicious or anyone throwing something small into the trash can."

"That sounds great," Bikky says with genuine enthusiasm. "Also, I went to my old hood today after school and talked to some friends," he gives himself a moment before continuing, "I've heard some things about this new gang that's made quite a name for itself called the Scythes."

Dee frowns at the sound of the name and says out loud, "That name sounds somewhat familiar. I want you to be careful if anyone comes up to you with any kind of proposition."

"No problem, Dee."

After dinner, both guys work together to clean up the dishes and make the kitchen spotless. Then they sat together in the living room and watched some mindless T.V. until 8:30pm when Bikky goes to his room to get ready for bed. Dee sits up for a while longer and then at around 9:30pm he decides that he just wants to give up on being awake for the rest of the night. He goes to the room where he gets ready for bed. Lying in the dark on the side of the bed that he normally sleeps on, he finds is difficult to fall asleep. He rolls over to stare at the empty space next to him and his eyes begin to well up with tears. After effortlessly trying to stop them from falling, he just lets them flow down his face. He picks up one of Ryo's pillows and breaths in the familiar scent of the shampoo the he uses along with the natural Ryo smell. Finally Dee begins to cry in full force. His sobs tear through his chest as his heart constricts. He head reels in desperation of finding his beloved but his mind keeps telling him that it might take too long. He swats those thoughts away like so many irritating mosquitos. He continues to sob his heart and soul out until finally there were just no more tears left to shed. He cries until there's hardly any breath in his lungs, until sleep finally quiets him down and consumes him. He falls into a restless and fitful sleep, filled with horrid dreams of his poor Ryo being raped and abused by a faceless man.

x x x

Ryo's glassy eyes survey his prison as he listens to Hideo walk around the room preparing something or other. Eric had just left after another night of torture and abuse and Ryo had once again tried to prevent the invasion only to be beaten again. More purple and blue bruises mar his sides and back. The only area that wasn't touched was his face but he feels that it's only a matter of time. His feeling of wanting to give up and just leave this plane of existence was more prominent this time around but for some reason, the Japanese boy keeps talking and touching him, keeping him tethered to the painful world. He's not sure why this is though. He already feels that Dee and Bikky wouldn't want him around anymore, so why was this young man going out of his way to help him?

"It's okay. I'm here to take care of you," Hideo says soothingly as he carefully cleans Ryo and applies some ointment for bruises and cuts. While working on the cuts, he's extremely careful since it's the abused orifice that needs this attention. At first he gets no response while he speaks his accented English so he gets up from the bed once he's finished taking care of the man. He leaves out of the room and locks the door behind him in case his partner for the night comes back and decides he wants to bother he charge. He comes back shortly with a bowl of soup, some crackers and a glass of water. The person who was supposed to work with him this night was Pedro but the Hispanic man was nowhere to be seen. He sets his burden down in a chair, unlocks and opens the door, picks up the tray and goes back into the room. He watches as Ryo's listless eyes wander in his direction but not making any contact. He decides then that he would speak some simple Japanese to the man.

Ryo stares towards the sounds of Hideo without really seeing anything. Maybe I should just give up, he contemplates to himself, and just close my eyes and never open them again. Suddenly a simple phrase said in a language he holds dear brings him out of his sorrow a little.

"Dai jou bu desu ka?"

It only takes a moment for Ryo's brain to translate the words in order for him to respond, "Iie." He sees his vision clearing a bit as he listens to Hideo ask him if he could help him. "Iie," was his response.

Hideo watches as some life comes back to the dark eyes while he asks his next question, "Doushite?"

"Nandemo nai desu," comes a soft reply.

Hideo sets the tray down on the table and comes back to the bed. He speaks in English again when he gets to the side, "Can I touch you?"

"Hai," Ryo replies, still quietly.

Hideo proceeds to lift Ryo a little so he can flip him onto his back. "Gomen nasai," he says as he takes in a sharp breath from seeing Ryo wince in pain from his bruises being touched. Next he begins to untie the man's hands and helps him into a sitting position. He notices that Ryo did try to resist sitting up, "Daijoubu desu," he reassures quietly. He helps him sit as comfortable as possible.

Ryo didn't really want to sit up due to fatigue from being beaten and crying. His body felt really painful to be up. When he's able to finally find a spot to sit without it being too painful to his bottom, he just slumps his shoulders and hangs his head in shame and defeat. "Doushite?" he asks the young man. "Doushite watashi nano?"

Hideo looks down at Ryo with a sad look in his eyes now and at first he was just going to tell the main truth as to why he's still here but then he realizes that it's not the full truth. Instead he says the truth with what he really wants to say added in. "Eric-san has ordered me to keep you alive. He seems to like keeping you as some sort of pet. I do not know for sure. I just know that he is really mad at you for the things you have done to our group. He has wanted you very badly to teach you a lesson." He watches Ryo's shoulders slump even more at these words. "Demo," he continues and watches as the dark eyes look up with a little hopefulness, "I care what happens to you."

Ryo looks at the Japanese man in absolute surprise. His throat chokes up and no words are able to emerge from him at the moment.

Hideo takes this as a time to continue. "I do not like seeing you being abused. I do not know why, but it really bothers me. I do not wish to see it anymore."

"Then why don't you just let me go then?" Ryo asks hopefully.

"Eric-san would kill us both," Hideo says with a little sadness in his voice. He watches Ryo's eyes fall again from these words. Finally he helps his charge eat dinner. He had never bothered to retie Ryo's hands when he sat him up. He just didn't feel the need to do so. After he was done helping the other man eat, he helped him to lie carefully on his back on the bed where he does end up retying Ryo's hands. He leans down to Ryo's ear and whispers quietly, "Please do not worry. I am going to do all that I can to get you out of here. Just try to be as patient as possible and do not give up on life."

Ryo scoffs at these last words but nods his head in agreement. He tries to get a little more comfort able on his bruised and battered backside. "Hideo," he calls out, "You can call me Randy." He closes his eyes and listens to his caretaker gather the dishes from the table and then leave the room. He hears the comforting click of the lock on the door fall into place and he's able to rest a little better. He then falls into a dreamless sleep.

More A/N: So now we're up to Ch. 13. This is great. There's more chapters to come. But I'm getting close to the climax of the story so i don't know how many more are left. But I promise I won't drag it out and make you mad. The chapters will come as they come like always. I'm also in the process of another story but it's a different group of people. It's from one of my fave games called Dynasty Warriors. But that's to come later. Thanks for reading and loving my story so far.

Japanese and their meanings:

Daijoubu desu ka?- Are you alright?

Iie- No

Doushite?- Why

Nandemo nai desu- Never mind

Hai- Yes

Gomen nasai- Sorry

Daijoubu desu- It's alright

Demo- However

Doushite watashi nano?- Why me?

And that should be it for my translations. Hope I'm right with them