Legal Drug Fan Fiction ❯ In The End ❯ Chapter 1

Rikuo held him tightly, willing the warmth to return to the fading body. There was so much left unsaid, so much undone. He couldn't, he wouldn't lose somebody else. He wouldn't allow it.

 

Determination danced in his tense face and he stood, lifting the heavy body, holding it close to him.

 

“Kazahaya no baka,” he muttered softly.

 

“'m nuh ah baka,” he responded angrily. His voice sounded full of cotton and his words were slurred, but he was speaking, speaking clearly enough to be understood and he understood what was being said around him.

 

“Don't you leave me,” Rikuo ordered softly. “Don't you dare leave me.”

 

“I… itai,” Kazahaya whispered, pain contorting his body as Rikuo held him.

 

“It's okay. I'm going to take you home. We'll get you fixed up.”

 

How? How had this happened? Less then two hours ago they had been normal. Well, as normal as they ever were. They had been walking along, content with each other, content with their recovery job clutched tightly in Kazahaya's hand, and content with the development in their relationship. And now, Kazahaya was fighting to stay alert, and Rikuo was fighting to stay calm.

 

What had done this to them? Rikuo couldn't even fathom what it was. There was pain, there was confusion. There was a hurt Kazahaya bleeding in his arms. They hadn't stood a chance. A little chance would have been perfect. If he had been able to see, if he had been able to fight, then Kazahaya wouldn't be laying in his arms, Kazhaya wouldn't be bleeding on him.

 

“Rikuo? Bring him in quickly,” Kakei's sooth voice exploded through his thoughts. The tall man nodded slowly and walked slowly through the door and up the staircase to the room he shared with Kazahaya. Placing the brunette gently on the bed, Rikuo stepped back, allowing Kakei the room he needed to tend to Kazahaya.

 

“Why don't you go get cleaned up? Does Kazahaya have the item?” Kakei asked softly, a small hand resting on his shoulder.

 

“It's in his front pocket, right side. I'll shower after I'm sure Kazahaya is fine. Besides, he needs to be cleaned up first.”

 

“Are you okay?”

 

“I'm good enough. Tell me Kazahaya's going to be okay,” Rikuo asked softly, desperation dancing in his soft voice.

 

“Kudo-kun will be fine. Saiga and I shall see to it that Kudo-kun is. I would not have sent him on a job if I had doubts about his continued well-being.”

 

“Sometimes, I just don't know about you,” Rikuo murmured softly, his eyes narrowed suspiciously at the deceptive blond.

 

“Go take a shower. Clean up. We'll take care of Kudo-kun.”

 

Sighing, Rikuo turned from the pair of lovers and his own bleeding lover to shower. To wash away the blood he'd earned from carrying the brunette home. Before leaving, he grabbed a pair of sleep pants and stalked out.

 

Once he was locked within the confines of a hot shower, Rikuo's mind wandered back to happier memories.

 

They had just returned from yet another job. Yet another opportunity for Rikuo to save Kazahaya from certain doom. They were sitting in the office uncomfortably. Kazahaya was leaning against Rikuo, drifting off into his dreams. Rikuo had managed to get an arm around the brunette's shoulders, making him feel comfortable, content.

 

“Rikuo,” Kazahaya whispered. His voice was so soft, Rikuo thought he'd imagined it. “Rikuo, I really like you.”

 

“What?”

 

“I really, really like you. Maybe even love you. Do you hate me for it?” Kazahaya asked timidly. He snuggled closer to Rikuo's chest.

 

“No,” he murmured firmly. He wrapped his arms around Kazahaya's shoulders and held him. Just held him. “I don't hate you.”

 

“I'm glad. I would have left if you had said yes.”

 

“And I would have found you. No matter where you would have gone.”

 

“Rikuo?”

 

“Hmm?”

 

“Can I… can I have a kiss?” Kazahaya asked, his voice both confident and unsure.

Shifting so he could look at Kazahaya, Rikuo smiled and complied. Bowing his head, he placed a sweet, innocent, chaste kiss on Kazahaya's soft lips. When he pulled back, Kazahaya's eyes fluttered open slowly and he smiled contentedly at the taller man.

 

“You never have to ask,” Rikuo murmured.

 

“Thank you,” Kazahaya whispered, wrapping his long arms around Rikuo's waist before snuggling close to him. “Wake me when you need me,” he murmured, his voice heavy with sleep.

 

So anti-climatic, and yet, it was so perfect. Holding Kazahaya had been the highlight of his evening. Holding Kazahaya in the bed they shared was his purpose. He thrived, fought every day so that he could hold the brunette close to him. So he could fall asleep to the rhythmic breathing of the thinner man.

 

Washing slowly, Rikuo thought angrily, `Be okay. You have to be okay. You have to be.'

 

They'd been together as coworkers, roommates and friends long before they had been able to admit the attraction they felt for one another. Now that they both knew, Rikuo had become obsessive in his desire to protect his lover. He would never forgive himself for Kazahaya's only scar. One he hadn't been able to stop.

 

Pain filled Rikuo's heart as the memory assaulted him.

 

“Rikuo!” Kazahaya's voice celled cheerfully. The brunette waved ecstatically when he raised his head to look. Kazahaya had managed to climb a nearby tree. He was standing with unusual grace, his body balanced naturally on the branch he stood upon. The wind danced around him, his brown-blond hair dancing in it's wake. He was absolutely gorgeous.

 

“This has got to be the best picnic I've ever had!” Kazahaya cheered. Winking, he blew a kiss in Rikuo's direction before seating himself on the branch.

 

Their picnic was yet another job, a fairly easy job in actuality. They had to stake out the tree Kazahaya currently occupied. Apparently, something strange had been happening in that tree. But nothing emotionally resonating as Kazahaya had managed to climb the tree with no problem.

 

“If you want to eat, you'll come down from there!” Rikuo called.

 

“Here I come!” Kazahaya answered. Very serpent-like, he slid out of his perch and landed gracefully on the ground. Running, he hurried over to Rikuo and the blanket, a plate of food already made up for him. “Itadakimasu!” Kazahaya murmured.

 

“Itadakimasu,” Rikuo repeated, smiling at the excited brunette.

 

The sun was starting to set when they'd finished eating. Kazahaya snuggled close to Rikuo, his head against the other's shoulders.

 

“Rikuo?” Kazahaya asked softly. “Do you feel that?”

 

“Yep. It's fine though,” Rikuo murmured, kissing Kazahaya's temple. “All we have to do is watch it.”

 

“So easy. More jobs should be this easy.”

 

“Yeah, well.”

 

“Look!”

 

At the tree, a woman was carefully walking in circles. She wore a traditional black kimono, folded right over left. She was mourning and it was the tree. After she had circled the tree twice, she fell to her knees and wrapped her arms around herself.

 

“We have to comfort her!” Kazahaya murmured. “She needs somebody.”

 

“She's not real,” Rikuo whispered softly.

 

“There were no memories on the tree. She's not a memory.”

 

“Leave her alone.”

 

“I'm just going to read the memories of the ground around her. I want to know what happened,” Kazahaya explained. “Don't worry about me. I'll be okay.”

 

“Your never okay, unless I protect you.”

 

“Well, protect me, jerk.”

 

Kazahaya crawled behind the woman, an unnatural feline grace moving him forward. Rikuo smirked at the other, the resemblance to a cat never as obvious as now.

 

He was careful as he crawled forward, seductive as he moved. He stayed behind the mourning woman and placed his hands to her left. A tremor shot through him and he fell to the side, memories running through his head.

 

“You! You did this to me! It's your fault!” the woman cried, turning an angry face towards the slumped Kazahaya. You killed them and now you'll pay!”

 

Rikuo watched, frozen, as he slender hands contorted, twisting into long claws. She raised her hand and in a swift, fluid motion, she raked her claws through Kazahaya's exposed side. When he cried out painfully, Rikuo jerked and moved into action. Rushing forward, he pulled Kazahaya to him and focused his breaking power on the tree.

 

“It's your fault! I'll make you pay for hurting them!” she cried, turning to face Rikuo. He hefted the unconscious Kazahaya and leaped out of the way as the large tree fell, covering the woman even as she cried, “It's your fault! You'll pay!”

 

“C'mon idiot. You'll be okay,” Rikuo murmured as he hurried back to Green Drugstore.

 

It really was amazing how nobody ever came to investigate why Rikuo was seen more often then not carrying home an unconscious, bloody Kazahaya.

 

The wound had healed, no problems whatsoever. But it hadn't healed completely. A scar wrapped around Kazahaya's back and left side. And Rikuo would never forgive himself for failing him. Since then, he'd done everything in his power to keep Kazahaya's clumsy self from harm. And he had. Until tonight.

 

Thank you for reading my new story. I do hope you enjoy it. I plan to have the next chapter out within a week, I'm just putting the finishing touches on it and then I'll be sending it to my wonderful beta! Please, leave a review if you like it, even if you don't. I'm curious to know what people think of it. Thank you very much!