Legal Drug Fan Fiction ❯ The Chains That Bind ❯ The Chains that Bind ( Chapter 3 )

Legal Drug : The Chains That Bind - Chapter 3

 

Summary: Kazahaya's past and present collide for his 18th birthday, as dangers unfold that even Kakei and Saga can't see. Only Rikuo can save Kazahaya from a family reunion, and finally get intimate with Kazahaya in the bargain - more intimate than Rikuo had bargained for. First chapter of the Chains That Bind story arc.

 

Disclaimer: I have no rights to Legal Drug, of course. This was my first attempt at a fanfic.

 

 

Chapter 3 - The Chains that Bind

 

Rikuo opened their apartment door to the back of the beautiful girl he'd seen before. “I'm home,” he called.

 

Startled, she spun around and bowed deeply and gracefully. “Welcome home,” she murmured. “You must be Himura-san. I'm called Kudo Kei - Kudo Kazahaya's elder twin sister. I'm honored to meet you.”

 

“Welcome home!” called Kazahaya, returning from the kitchen with a Pocari Sweat bottle serving as a vase for pink peonies. “Rikuo! My elder twin sister Kei came for our birthday!” His eyes were huge and bright with joy, his face flushed, his upset seemingly forgotten over Rikuo ducking out on his birthday dinner.

 

“Yes, so I've just heard. Pleased to meet you.” Rikuo bowed stiffly in return. He removed and placed his shoes, studying Kei. Her fine silk kimono was lush with pink peonies on a yellow background. The resemblance to Kazahaya was striking, though oddly reminding Rikuo more of December's starving Kazahaya than of August's rambunctious Kazahaya. She must be broiling in those layers of silk, he thought. Though… she doesn't seem to be. Of the girlish jewelry that clashed with her kimono, a heart locket on a fine gold chain and a matching gold charm bracelet had migrated to Kazahaya's neck and wrist. Rikuo frowned.

 

Kazahaya gestured them all into the living room in front of his treasured box fan, protecting the peonies from the gale by perching them on top.

 

“They're so beautiful, brother,” said Kei. “Brother has always taken such good care of me,” she added to Rikuo, timidly attempting conversation.

 

“Your visit is such a lovely surprise, isn't it?” Rikuo raised an eyebrow at Kazahaya.

 

Kazahaya looked puzzled a moment, but his brow cleared as Kei softly said, “Oh, Kazahaya invited me. He's always been so forgetful…” Her twin nodded vaguely, eyes glassy. Drunk, concluded Rikuo.

 

“That must have been frustrating in school, Kazahaya?” fished Rikuo.

 

“School is so hard on those who don't fit in,” answered Kei, after a blank pause. Her voice was sad, hypnotic, so very soft. “Our guardian took us out of school and hired us tutors instead.”

 

“And are you also…you didn't fit in?” asked Rikuo.

 

“We are twins,” she replied, without really answering.

 

A brief banging on the door in lieu of good manners interrupted. Kakei and Saiga entered bearing cheesecake. Apparently they'd stopped at their apartment on the way. “Hello, hello!” boomed Saiga.

 

“Ah, let me fetch plates,” said Rikuo. Kakei followed him into the kitchen. “Well this is interesting,” he said neutrally while collecting utensils. “Why is she here?”

 

“Why weren't you?” countered Kakei pointedly.

 

“…It was a mistake, OK? I'm here now. And I'm worried about Kudo.”

 

Kakei shot him a this-isn't-over glare, but conceded the change of subject. “What have you learned?”

 

Rikuo conveyed the infobyte about home schooling by order of their guardian. “And over dinner?”

 

“Less than that. They're devoted. The girl loves flowers. As you see. They seem to have been alone together most of their lives…. She does most of the talking.”

 

“Yeah, I caught all that. How much did Kazahaya have to drink?”

 

“Just green tea.” Kakei took the plates and things into the main room, leaving Rikuo to ask an empty room, “Then why…?”

 

Saiga lit a candle on the cake, the box fan temporarily muzzled. The twins knelt to blow it out together, hands clasped on either side of the cake. “I wish that we will always be together,” breathed Kei. “Always,” echoed Kazahaya, eyes shining too brightly. And they blew the candle out.

 

Saiga's unflappable smile never wavered. Kakei's smirk suggested the twins would look incestuous if the pair were slightly less clueless. Only Rikuo winced. That's just so wrong. His eyes narrowed, caught on the girlish charms dancing on Kazahaya's wrist as they sliced the cake, both with a hand on the knife, like bride and groom cutting a wedding cake. That's so… not Kazahaya…

 

“Where's our gift?” he blurted to Kakei.

 

“Must have left it in the apartment. Sorry, Kudo-kun, I'll have to give you your other present tomorrow.”

 

“Oh, that's OK!” Kazahaya beamed. “I'm just so happy! I've gotten so much this birthday! Thank you! But I'm really looking forward to it tomorrow!”

 

Saiga did a good job on the cake. Kei didn't eat any, but she dotingly hand-fed Kazahaya. The two were so quiet and engrossed in each other, that it was easy to see how Kakei and Saiga had learned nothing over dinner. They were blissful. Rikuo was unnerved. And soon the little party broke up.

 

Out on the landing, Saiga closed the door on the mutual assurances that they'd all see each other in the morning. He grabbed Kakei's breast, and said, “I don't get it.” Kakei swatted his hand and he grabbed the other breast, this time catching the one with the jewelry giftbox in the breast pocket. “Why not?”

 

“…I'm not sure,” answered Kakei. “They're so happy together. Himura… Maybe Kudo-kun leaves with Kei, instead of staying here with Himura. But maybe… that's good.”

 

“You're being too hard on Himura.”

 

“So explain it to me,” Kakei hissed.

 

“Not sure I can. That kind of thing… was what he used to do before. What if you're falling in love with someone who can't love you back? When there's no right answer, you keep trying wrong ones. Right?”

 

“Some are more wrong than others.”

 

“Nevertheless.”

 

Kakei considered that on their silent way back to their apartment. Finally inside, he said, “I'll grant you understand Himura-kun better. I'll grant Himura may care about Kudo, in some inept sort of way. But Kudo-kun loves his sister, and she loves him.”

 

“That begs the question of why he ran away to starve and freeze on the street.”

 

“Himura and Kudo bicker constantly.”

 

“That begs the question of why Kudo's suddenly turned into an obedient pet.”

 

“You don't trust the sister,” Kakei observed.

 

“Neither does Himura. Nor do we know why she's here. Or… how.”

 

“Kudo invited her,” said Kakei, surprised.

 

“No. He didn't,” said Saiga. “That much I'm sure of.”

 

“Oh… Then… maybe we do have to trust him to Himura.”

 

“That's what I'm saying.”

 

-oOo-

 

Rikuo glared at Kei in the store the next day, each and every time he passed by her. She had no trouble reading. She passed the time on a slim book of Meiji era poetry that was way over Rikuo's head. She didn't look wilted by sleeping in the breathless humidity. Though it had been Rikuo's choice to flee to his bedroom and leave the fan to the twins. She looked bright and well, stronger than she had the night before. Though that was probably a trick of the light. Except, Kazahaya looked pale and drained. Still with that glassy-eyed mindless happiness, but … drained. Though he seemed to be eating more than usual. Funny, come to think of it, he couldn't recall her eating at all, though probably she just ate when Rikuo wasn't looking.

 

Somewhere in the midst of sweeping spilled mints out from under an aisle's shelves, kneeling on the floor, something finally clicked with Rikuo. He's not happy, he's entranced! That jewelry… His eyes widened as the scope of that sunk in. What if he's been entranced … like this … all his life? What if…

 

He looked up the aisle to the cash register. Kazahaya sat smiling vacantly at nothing. His kanji primer was forgotten on its shelf. He responded well enough, if absent-mindedly, when a customer came to the cash register, or one of the others asked him to do something. But between promptings he drifted to a stop. Kei sat a few feet from him, reading.

 

Rikuo found Kakei, checking inventory and filling out order forms in another aisle, and urgently asked him back to the office to talk. Saiga was already there in his usual station on the couch.

 

“We need, I need, to give that ring-and-chains thing to Kudo,” he began.

 

“Well…yes,” said Kakei. “But…suppose you tell us your reasoning?”

 

“I think you know more than I do,” accused Rikuo. “Or why did I get that ring?”

 

Saiga chalked up a point in mid-air. “Allow me, Kakei,” he cut in. “Himura-kun, Kakei-san can't see this week, everything around Kudo is a complete white out. After the white out, with the ring, he's still here, bound to you somehow. In every other future, he's gone, completely.”

 

Rikuo recoiled. “Tsukiko…”

 

“That's why I didn't want to tell you,” said Kakei. “Like Tsukiko. Precisely.”

 

“You had some insight about Kudo-kun, Himura-kun?” reminded Saiga.

 

“He wasn't there…” Rikuo began, recalling a gentle kiss dripping with pear juice. “He isn't here. That's why you can't see him.”

 

“Explain.”

 

“When he connects, the way he does, he is what he's experiencing, not the person experiencing it. And when the experience is over, he passes out, and then doesn't remember it. So while he's connected, entranced, he's … gone. School, stories, learning -- he doesn't remember anything. He's like a little kid who just started growing up these past few months, with us. Because he's never been here long enough before. He's been in thrall to her.” He looked at Kakei imploringly. “Is this even possible? Am I making any sense at all?”

 

“Are you sure, Himura-kun? You've seen this with Kudo-kun?” Saiga asked.

 

“Yes. Every time I've… He gets enthralled to me sometimes. And afterwards, he remembers nothing. When I bring it up, he gets mad at me for… making stuff up.”

 

Kakei asked icily, “If so, why is he better off enthralled to you?”

 

“…Because… I can set him free afterwards so we can ask him? What he wants?”

 

“Good answer,” said Saiga emphatically. “Kakei? Shall I take the register and send Kudo back?”

 

“Yes…” said Kakei slowly. “Alright, Saiga. And keep Kei up front.”

 

Kazahaya drifted to the back office, a little reluctant and glancing back over his shoulder toward Kei, but he was biddable enough.

 

As he closed the door, Kakei soothed, “I didn't want to give this to you last night, because it's a bit of special our type of thing. I'd rather not discuss it with Kei, alright?” He handed Kazahaya the jewelry gift box.

 

“Alright,” Kazahaya acquiesced. He unwrapped the box a bit mechanically. He really did seem fatigued. “Ah… thank you. What is it?”

 

“Here, let me help you with that,” said Rikuo, taking over. “I'll have to take this off, I'm afraid - the ring goes on your left hand.” He unfastened the delicate girl's charm bracelet and set it aside, masking his distaste.

 

Kazahaya watched passively as Rikuo knelt on the floor before him and took his hand. Rikuo slid the ring onto his left middle finger, arranged the shorter chains in their V's across palm and back of hand, and fastened the bracelet. He draped the remaining long chain up over his thumb and fastened it to the bracelet, end dangling down his wrist. He's calm and I'm sweating, thought Rikuo. Damn, this thing is sexy… putting it on him is sexy… He finally dared look up into Kazahaya's eyes.

 

Empty. Still empty. Rikuo swallowed hard. The other chain… the locket around his neck. Maybe… He reached with his mind and broke the delicate gold locket chain, trashing a link about a third away around. That should take a while to fix… “Ack, Kazahaya, I'm so sorry - I must have broken the necklace,” he said, pulling the broken necklace free and putting it with the charm bracelet.

 

Kazahaya blinked and gazed at the gold chains on the desk, puzzled. Something… Maybe… a little more? Rikuo slipped his right hand, palm to palm with Kazahaya's left, inside the long thumb chain. Kazahaya's eyes jumped directly to Rikuo's eyes, suddenly alert. Rikuo's breath caught, feeling the chemistry. Damn, this feels good!

 

Kakei cleared his throat to bring him back to business. “Kazahaya…?” Rikuo prompted. But his alertness was turning to a fixed stare.

 

Rikuo glanced toward Kakei for inspiration. Kakei shrugged and mimed pulling his hand out of the ring chains. Rikuo sadly complied.

 

“My sister had a locket like that.” Kazahaya's voice made Rikuo jump. “What are you doing?” Kazahaya snatched his hand away from Rikuo and glowered at him. “Pervert.”

 

“Tell us about Kei,” Kakei prompted Kazahaya. “Your sister.”

 

Kazahaya looked at him in surprise. “Kei? I'd… rather not,” he said sadly.

 

“I'm afraid I have to insist, since she's sitting at my cash register,” Kakei said.

 

“Huh?!? Kei died when we were thirteen.”

 

“Tell me about that,” encouraged Kakei, very softly.

 

“Kei was my elder twin. You knew that? How…? Well… She was sickly, for years. She had a weak heart. I took care of her as best I could. We were always together. We promised we'd always be together. We were both… strange… you know. And our parents died… school didn't work out… we were alone together most of the time. She was the only person in the world to me, you know? But…” Kazahaya frowned, distracted by a thought. “Five years? How could that be…”

 

He was interrupted by a gentle knock at the door. Kei entered shyly. “Excuse me. Kazahaya, is everything alright?” Through the door, Rikuo could see Saiga distracted by a clutch of elderly ladies.

 

“Kei!” replied Kazahaya happily. “Yes, everything's fine! Isn't my new bracelet pretty?”

 

-oOo-

 

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