Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ The Long Weekend ❯ Chapter 8 ( Chapter 8 )

[ Y - Young Adult: Not suitable for readers under 16 ]

Chapter 8


The next morning, Tatsuha nervously stepped inside K's apartment after the big
American opened the door. Tall for a Japanese, Tatsuha was not used to having to
look up when he spoke.

"Nice place," he started to say politely, then broke off. There were cardboard boxes
and shopping bags everywhere. K had a large apartment for Tokyo, but he had almost
no free space.

"Used to be nice," K corrected, shutting the door. "My wife visited a few weeks ago,
went shopping, and now this." The American glanced around in disgust. "It's just her
auxiliary storage unit at the moment." He shook his head.

"Doesn't your absence bother her?" Tatsuha asked.

K shrugged. "We're not on the best of terms, though we're not divorced. There's still
some attraction left. Have a seat."

Tatsuha found a spot at the end of the sofa. A feeling of nervous dread was in his
stomach, though he had no idea why.

"I suppose I should get right to business," said K, taking a chair next to the teenager.
He was looking out the windows. A black folder was resting on the glass table by his
side.

\\He doesn't want to look at me,\\ Tatsuha realized. \\He's not happy about this
situation.\\ The teenager's anxiety increased. \\Why has he asked me here? What's
wrong?\\

"Do you recognize this?" K asked, holding up a strip of paper. Tatsuha studied the
rumpled thing and shook his head no. Then he went still, remembering the numbers.

Sanjiro's phone number.

K's eyes were unpleasantly hard. "I think you do," the American said coldly. He
glanced away again. "This is the cell phone number of one Sanjiro Tanaka. Age forty-
three, present occupation, truck driver. He's done time in prison for some of his
activities. He was an errand boy for some Yakuza types in his teens, got involved with
transporting drugs for them, did a few years for that, and came out of the lockup with
some unusual sexual tastes, apparently. He went back to prison for them later. One
minor, male aged fourteen, name unknown, charged Tanaka with rape. The jury was
doubtful—kid's word against Tanaka's, so they gave him a light sentence. Tanaka
came out swearing he'd reformed, though he began to acquire a reputation at some of
the gay bars in the larger cities he's traveled through. Rumor has it he's picked up a
few male prostitutes and driven off with them, and they haven't been seen since."

Tatsuha's face lost its suavity.

"I have friends in the police department here, and they traced this number for me, and
gave me Tanaka's history." K finally turned to face him. "When I drove out to have
dinner with you people the other day, I stopped at a highway turnoff to wait for a light. I
saw a rig pull over and let out a kid, and the driver gave this kid some money. I thought
that was odd, since hitchhikers don't usually get paid by their rides, and I was sure I
was witnessing a drug deal. So imagine my surprise when the kid shows up at my
dinner. Buddhist monk, even."

"It wasn't a drug deal," Tatsuha replied in a rush.

"I know. I wasn't sure, though, when you threw up and fainted at dinner. I thought
you'd taken something, but you didn't seem high. So I went through your backpack
while you were recovering on the couch, and found two bloody pairs of underwear.
Then I knew it was THAT sort of deal. And you took money for it. 3,000 yen, as I
discovered when I asked you for beer change. A Buddhist monk, a kid."

K had been holding a pen in his hand, studying it. Now he looked up. His eyes were
icy.

Tatsuha's heart stopped. "Is THAT what you think? It wasn't! I swear to God!"

"Then why did you take the money?"

"I didn't! I was just standing there, when he called me over to the cab. And he handed
me the money. I didn't expect it at all. I was too surprised to react when he did it."

K put the pen down, and rested his chin on his fist, looking intently at his visitor. "But
you had sex with him?"

Tatsuha was speechless. What could he say that would keep him out of trouble?

"Did you?" K repeated. "Don't lie to me, kid."

"Yes," said Tatsuha finally. "But I didn't sell myself."

K opened his notebook. "After finding out about Tanaka, I had one of my friends in the
police department pay him a visit, to find out what happened. He bullied the driver a
bit, and got some sort of story out of him. Tanaka claims you were a professional
prostitute."

"I am NOT," Tatsuha shouted. "He's a fucking liar!"

"Tanaka also claims he paid you for a bit of ‘roughness.' He wouldn't clarify, but later
waffled, saying he ‘may have dropped a cigarette by accident.' What does that mean?"

Tatsuha only stared at him.

"I might have believed his testimony, except for two things. You threw up after you
walked into Tohma's, and you fainted at dinner. What happened?"

Haltingly, Tatsuha told him an abbreviated version of the story. K didn't react, except
for a narrowing of his eyes.

When the teenager finished, K closed his notebook. "So basically, your gonads got
you into trouble," the American concluded. "You're damned lucky. My cop friend made
Tanaka go to the doctor for tests. He doesn't have AIDS or any other venereal disease
at the moment, which is more than you might expect from a guy who's been dumb
enough to have caught the clap twice. I have Tanaka's transcript in here, as well as
the cop's questions. All nice and official. So kid, what are you going to pay me to keep
this out of the hands of your father and your siblings?"

"WHAT THE HELL?!" Tatsuha shouted. "What do you mean, PAY? What are you
talking about?"

"You heard me. What are you going to pay me? I know you don't have any money.
Therefore, I'll settle for what you gave Tanaka." He stood up, facing Tatsuha, and the
teenager threw himself right over the back of the couch. Tatsuha ran for the front door
and tried to open it.

"It's locked," K called out. "Come back here."

"You're fucking crazy!" Tatsuha yelled. "You can't be doing this, you're blackmailing
me!"

"From what I've seen of your morals, kid, you couldn't care less. And it would be if I
were getting money," K replied, leisurely coming after the teenager. Tatsuha ran
around the dining room table, trying to keep his distance.

"Quit running away," K said, leaning over the table. "What's your problem? You didn't
say no to Ryuichi."

"WHAT THE FUCK?" Tatsuha cried.

"He always wears my tracker," K smiled, edging around the table, "for safety reasons.
His tracker died when it became soaked in water. I asked him what happened, and he
told me. Ryuichi never hides anything from me."

Tatsuha was stunned. He couldn't believe that Ryuichi had betrayed him like this. \\He
told this asshole?\\

"Don't look so shocked. I was his manager, and closest friend for years." K gave a
little lunge, and Tatsuha rounded the other side of the table in a panic.

"Some friend! He doesn't know what a shit you are!" the teenager snarled.

"What's your problem?" K retorted. "Just lay down on the couch."

"You SON of a BITCH."

"Hey, kid. I haven't seen my wife in ages, I can't screw my clients, and I don't know
why a man with my looks should have to pay for sex."

"Keep away from me!"

"What are you fussing about? My gun's still in its holster. Though something else
isn't." K smiled unpleasantly.

"I'm not in the mood," Tatsuha snarled.

"Kid, this his blackmail," K retorted. "You'd better be in the mood." Then he ran.

As Tatsuha tried for the living room again, he was tackled to the floor. The two slid into
some boxes. As K pinned him to the floor, Tatsuha panicked utterly. He screamed his
lungs out.

For a moment, K did nothing but study the terrified boy. Tatsuha was crying now,
trembling far worse than he had with Sanjiro.

K leaned back, and let go. Tatsuha scooted away from him, but was stopped by more
boxes. K stepped away, still watching the boy. The American sat down in the chair he
had vacated earlier, and opened his folder. Removing a sheaf of paper from it, he
began to slowly tear it into strips. He lifted his eyebrows, and said, "It's about time you
cracked, you smug little bastard. It took long enough. Learned your lesson yet?"

"WHAT?!" Tatsuha gasped.

"I said," K repeated, tossing scraps of paper into the trash, "learned your lesson yet?"

For a very long time, it seemed, Tatsuha could only stare at the American. It took
forever for the teenager's paralyzed mind to work.

"Kid," K finally said. "Get out of here. I'm heterosexual. Completely. Now go."

Tatsuha ran for the front door. It was still locked, and he was fighting mindlessly with
the handle, when K leaned over his shoulder and unlocked it. Tatsuha flinched aside,
and K grabbed his arm. "Don't you EVER get into trouble with another Tanaka again,"
the American said sternly.

Tatsuha shot out of the door, running down the hall for the elevator.

K looked at his watch. The little brat ought to be recovering his cool pretty soon. The
American didn't think the fright he gave Tatsuha was, on its own, going to be enough to
change the teenager's behavior. However, the second part of the boy's lesson would
be coming up right after Tatsuha returned to Tohma's.



To Be Continued.