Ronin Warriors Fan Fiction ❯ Pain, Joy, Life ❯ Touma, wait! ( Chapter 9 )

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

Seme: The dominant or 'top' partner of a homosexual couple.





Pain, Joy, Life


Chapter 9
Touma, wait!



Seiji-





Still down in the dark basement, Seiji was almost purring from the attention that Xiu was giving him while they sat side-by-side on the stairs. Seiji wasn't sure about how long he'd been down here, maybe a couple of hours and then another hour with Xiu keeping him company, but he was actually starting to enjoy the dark. Maybe it was just because it gave him the opportunity to have Xiu's hands all over him.

"I kind of like this." Xiu whispered, rubbing Seiji's arm with one hand. "Private, dark," Xiu put a hand on Seiji's leg and Seiji felt a pleasant chill run up his spine and numb his brain for just a moment. "And alone with my little Glinda." He finished with a teasing tone.

Seiji went cold and pushed himself away from Xiu violently. "Don't call me that!" Seiji stood up and walked about three steps away from the stairs and Xiu, putting himself as far into the darkness as he could stand.

"What?" Xiu sounded slightly hurt, but Seiji didn't apologize.

'If I could see his face, I'd know what he was thinking a little better.' Seiji thought, cursing the darkness he was locked in. Seiji just hated not being able to see someone's face while they spoke, it made him feel like he couldn't hear half the conversation.

"Don't call me Glinda!" Seiji was feeling very alone in the pitch-blackness with only Xiu's voice to let him know he wasn't alone. "Don't ever call me Glinda again!" How could Xiu call him THAT?!

"What's the problem?"

Seiji felt Xiu's hand reach out to brush his hand, but Seiji jerked his hand away and tried not to think how unsettling it was that Xiu could see better in the dark than Seiji could. It felt like he was blind! Seiji wasn't angry with Xiu, exactly. "I don't want you to call me that! Where did you hear it? Who told you to call me that?"

Xiu's gentle hand obviously got tired of being nice and grabbed Seiji's wrist tightly. "What is your problem?! No one told me to call you anything, I can think up my own damned pet names for my boyfriend!" Xiu nearly shouted this and Seiji became aware that his grandfather could probably hear any yelling.

"Lower your voice unless you want my grandfather to kick you out!"

Xiu managed to lower his angry voice. "What got you so worked up all of a sudden?" His hand, though tight on Seiji's wrist, was gentle enough to allow Seiji to pull away. Xiu, as everyone in the school knew, was not only a world class Kento fighter, but he was also a weight lifter and could probably have broken Seiji's thin wrist if he'd tried.

Seiji didn't want to answer, but he felt he had to, to be fair. "There was a picture of me in the bathroom at school." Seiji was actually thankful that it was dark so Xiu couldn't see his blush. "Under it someone wrote, 'Glinda the gay witch, ready and willing for any able-bodied Seme. Must fight Xiu the OX to the death for a hard fuck.'"

Xiu was quite for a long time.

"Xiu?" Seiji said, worried at his boyfriend's strange silence. "Xiu, say something." He rather expected Xiu to be yelling and throwing things by now.

"You...you thought I'd give you a pet name if I knew someone was saying things like that behind your back?" Xiu sounded horrified and insulted at the same time. "Sei-chan, I would NEVER do something like that to you! I watched the Wizard of OZ last night and I thought it was cute, that's all."

Seiji wrapped his arms around himself. "Xiu...do you think I'm easy?" Seiji HATED feeling vulnerable more than anything and Xiu was the only person outside his immediate family who ever saw Seiji showing his insecurities like this.

"Easy?" Xiu gave a low laugh. "Are you joking? It took you three days before you'd even talk to me! Two months before you'd relax around me, and almost a year before you'd go out with me. I thought you were straight for the longest time."

Seiji didn't even smile at the little joke. "Then why do they say things like that? Is it because I'm a witch, then? I've never done anything at school except wear my pentacle and none of those cretins knows what it means unless I tell them. I've gone out of my way to stay out of people's way. I don't insult people and I don't hurt anyone. Why?"

Xiu's arm wrapped around Seiji and hugged him tightly. "It's because you're beautiful, smart, and strong. They can't hurt you in any other way so they're trying to hurt your reputation. It's not true and everyone who matters knows that!"

Seiji sniffed, sorely tempted to cry. "I know...it's just..." 'It hurts.' But Seiji didn't want to say that out loud. It sounded terribly undignified.

"I know." Xiu said, sparing Seiji the pain of having to actually say it. "So what can I call you, if not Glinda?" Xiu said in a teasing voice, to lighten the tone of the conversation. "Can I call you bunny?"

"No!" If anything, that was worse that Glinda!

"How about snuggles?"

"Certainly not!"

"Baby doll?"

"Do I even have to answer that?"

"Ummm...then I think I have the perfect pet name."

"Dare I even ask?"

"Blondie!"

Seiji groaned. "That's not a nick name, that's a description. Shall I call you blackie?"

"That's just silly. I prefer to be known as...dum, dum, dum dummmmmm...SEME MAN!"

"You what?!"

"Please?"

"No way! I'm NOT calling you that in public!"

"You're no fun, Demon." Xiu pouted.

Seiji blinked. "Demon?"

"Sure. You won't let me call you something cute, so you'll have to settle with this nick name. It fits you pretty well, actually. You fight like a demon and you love like a demon. Wild and passionate, sinful and lusty." Xiu kissed Seiji softly, running his rough fingers along Seiji's jaw. "You're all Hell and damnation in one little kiss. You could send saints to Hell with smiles on their faces with one look from those gorgeous lilac eyes." Xiu pulled a happier and more compliant Seiji back to the step where they'd been sitting and let Seiji sit on his lap. "Your voice would make Satan himself weep with joy. No creature on Earth has ever been blessed with such heavenly beauty that would rival any angel."

Seiji's eyes rolled back into his head while Xiu whispered his love making words into Seiji's throat where he was planting kisses and licking softly. Xiu was one of those rare people who, when they tried, could cause an orgasm by words alone. Sadly, Xiu didn't try very often.

"Your hormones are running away with you again, Xiu." Seiji managed to gasp out. It was hard to talk when Xiu got into a mood and got Seiji's blood pumping.

"You make it sound like a bad thing, Demon." Xiu made himself comfortable under Seiji while nuzzling against Seiji's neck.

"Remember what happened last time you got carried away?" Seiji said, weaving his fingers in Xiu's hair. "Shin caught us in the home economics Room."

Xiu laughed. "Yeah. I can still see the look on his face when he found out why there was noise coming from the pantry. I think we scarred him for life. We were only cuddling, for goodness sakes."

Seiji wanted to make a witty comment, but for the life of him, he couldn't seem to make his mouth work. Probably because Xiu's tongue was currently exploring it. 'Well, perhaps darkness has its uses after all.' Seiji thought. 'Xiu's never this ardent in the light, he's to shy.'

"When are you going to let me...you know?" Xiu asked softly.

"As soon as you tell your parents about us." Seiji promised. They'd never actually had sex before, though they desperately wanted to. As far as Seiji was concerned, Xiu wasn't ready for sex if he wasn't comfortable telling his parents that he was gay. So Seiji was contend to wait until Xiu was ready.






Ryo-








After a while, Ryo was allowed to get up once Dr. Date was sure that he was going to be fine. He'd worked his way through the bad memories of Father-now Bishop-Brannon, but he wasn't much happier because of it. Ryo normally tried to keep his memories from those few days locked away in the back of his mind. They always left him with a nasty taste in his mouth and a sour feeling in his stomach.

He couldn't get it out of his head though that something had happened to Joji and therefore something had happened to Yoko, too. Since they were never apart it would have been difficult to hurt Joji without hurting Yoko.

"Very well." Ryo's granma was saying when Ryo walked into the family room with Dr. Date leading him. She was sitting in on the couch with Mr. Date at her side. "We accept your invitation." Only then did his granma see Ryo. "Ryo, dear. We're going to be staying for the day, so I want you to make yourself useful to Dr. Date, understand?"

"Y-yes, granma." Ryo answered promptly. He stood behind her so he could watch what was going on and kept looking out of the corner of his eyes at Mr. Date. It was probably because of all that...stuff with Bishop Brannon and now that he knew Shit Face was hanging around that Ryo was starting to wonder who he could trust. For a long time Ryo hadn't been able to trust anyone but his granma and Byakuen. Lately, he'd been getting better, but now Mr. Date was even looking suspicious.

Oh, sure, Seiji loved and trusted his grandfather. Mr. Date SEEMED to be a good man, but one never could be really sure. Ryo had learned long ago that people would always betray you in one way or another. 'Mom died, dad just left, Father Brannon was supposed to protect me, Sister Jo left. The only people who've never betray me or left me are granma and Yaku-Chan. They're the only one's I can really trust.'

"I don't like the thought of Ryo out in this storm, after all." Ryo's granma went on to say, as if Ryo had never spent a day or so wet because of the rain.
"It's better that he stay someplace warm and dry." She reached over her shoulder to pat Ryo's hand lovingly.

Still, at least granma seemed happier here and her memory seemed a bit better. She had been getting quite sick, but now she was more like her old self. She was still frail looking, but at least her mind was a bit more normal. If she was happier here, then Ryo wanted her to stay in the Date home.

Ryo's thoughts weren't entirely on the conversation, though. He was thinking of Shit Face and how he was lurking around somewhere near by. He also had to find Joji and Yoko and make sure that the two of them were all right. 'I couldn't stand it if they were hurt because of me.' Ryo thought miserably. Surely, Shit Face wouldn't have hurt them just to get at Ryo.

'I'll have to leave in the morning.' Ryo looked out at Seiji's beautiful garden, grey and hazy because of the rain and heavy fog, but still quite beautiful. 'With Shit Face lurking around, it's to dangerous for me to stay around Seiji. Shit Face might try to hurt him. I'll have to repay his family, too.' That thought made Ryo reach for the chain around his neck. Sister Jo had said that it was pure silver, so it would be nice enough to repay what the Date family had done for them with all this hospitality.

Besides all that, there was the question as to where Byakuen had vanished to. Normally, he'd have caught up with Ryo by now and at least let Ryo know he was around if he didn't want to let anyone else know where he was. With any luck he was just waiting for them at that old gas station Ryo had found for them to live in.

The next problem was what to do with Ryo's granma. As much as Ryo wanted to keep his family together, he's almost yelled at Sister Jo for suggesting he send his granma to a hospital, Ryo had to consider his granma's safety now. Before there hadn't been a sicko pimp following him around. 'If he was willing to hurt Joji and Yoko who make money for him, Shit Face would have no problems hurting my granma.' Ryo knew unless he somehow got Shit Face to leave him alone, his granma would be in danger.

Ryo also wanted to find out if Touma was all right, the last time he'd seen Touma; poor Touma was beat up pretty badly.

"Ryo?" Mr. Date said, interrupting Ryo's thoughts.

"Yes?" Ryo turned his attention to Mr. Date, tensing slightly when he met the older man's gaze. Mr. Date was a very intimidating, powerful seeming man and Ryo had all he could do not to cringe under his gaze.

Mr. Date pointed to a door on the other side of the room. "That door is locked. Please, unlock it and let Seiji out."

Ryo blinked. Seiji was locked up in the basement? It must be because of what Ryo had done. "Key?"

"It's on a hook just beside the door and a flashlight on the table beside the door. Go down and tell Seiji his punishment is over, will you? He's been down there long enough and I don't want the boy to suffer."

Ryo nodded and went off to do what he was asked. He could still hear the adults talking when he unlocked the door and shone the flashlight down the stairwell, focusing on not one, but two people. Ryo's first thought upon seeing Seiji was, 'I don't think he's suffering all that much.'

Ryo looked down on Seiji and Xiu kissing. Not just a peck on the cheek, but Xiu had Seiji on his lap while he worked his way up Seiji's neck, planting kisses on every spot of Seiji's neck that he could find. Seiji's head was lolled back and Ryo could see a content smile on Seiji's face.

'Oh.' Ryo thought. 'Xiu came for a visit.' Ryo decided it was time for him to leave. He didn't mind what Seiji and Xiu had between them, but that didn't mean he wanted to watch and remember what he'd gone though.

Ryo quietly closed the door, desperately thinking of what to tell Mr. Date about why Seiji wasn't coming upstairs right away.

"Is something wrong, Ryo?"

Ryo turned only to find Dr. Date right behind him, looking at him expectantly. "Ummm, no." 'What do I say?!' Ryo panicked. He didn't want to get Seiji or Xiu in trouble.

Dr. Date looked at him suspiciously. "What are you hiding?"

"N-n-nothing!" Ryo bit his lip, but knew Dr. Date didn't believe him.

She frowned and wheeled herself a bit closer, snatching the flashlight from Ryo's hand. "Open the door, Ryo."

Ryo hesitated. She was going to kill Seiji not to mention what she'd do to Xiu! Ryo had seen it many times before from kids who'd been kicked out of their homes and ended up on the streets. It was NEVER a good thing for parents to find out something like this by surprise.

"Open it." Dr. Date's face was hard and Ryo couldn't disobey her. Ryo took a deep breath and swung the door open. Dr. Date immediately turned on the flashlight and looked down. Her face tightened.

Ryo froze for the inevitable explosion upon her finding her only son kissing a boy.

Instead of the reaction Ryo had been expecting, Dr. Date rolled her eyes and muttered with irritation, "Oh, lord, they're at it again!" With a sigh, Dr. Date turned to Ryo and said, "Sorry if that bother's you, Ryo, but those two seem to have unnaturally strong libido's. Hand me that soda, will you?" Dr. Date finished what was left over in the tin soda can and then watched her son and Xiu making out with an almost amused expression before rolling her eyes. "BREAK IT UP!" She hollered before hurling the empty soda can down the stairs and managing to bean Seiji in the head. "Do I need to turn the hose on you two, again?"

Seiji yelled and grabbed his head where his mom had hit him with the can and Xiu jumped at the sound of her voice. He relaxed when he looked up and saw it was Dr. Date. "Hi, ma'am." Xiu gave her a cheery wave. His happiness faltered slightly when his eyes landed on Ryo and he looked uncertain about how Ryo would react.

"Seiji, are you corrupting that nice boy again?" Dr. Date asked, putting a hand on her hip.

"Yes, mom." Seiji let Xiu stand up before wrapping his arms around Xiu in a loving embrace, putting Xiu more at ease. "Did you want something?" Seiji looked from his mom to Ryo.

"Y-your grandfather said p-p-punishment's over." Ryo told him. Damn! The stutter was coming back. Well, it was probably just because he was startled to find Seiji and Xiu like that. He was just startled, that was all.

Seiji nodded and stood up before helping Xiu to his feet, too. "Thank you, Ryo."

Dr. Date didn't seem at all surprised, but waited until they both came to the top of the stairs and closed the door behind them. Dr. Date looked up at the two boys. "Do I have to remind you two that before you do anything further than kissing, you'll make an appointment to see me."

"Mom..."

"Don't you 'mom' me, Seiji. You both will need check ups and blood tests. I don't want you taking any chances with disease."

Seiji rolled his eyes. "Mom, I promise I won't get HIM pregnant."

Dr. Date grabbed a bokten off the wall and whacked Seiji over the head, gently. "What was that?"

"I said, 'Yes, mom.'" Seiji answered obediently.

"Good. Now, Xiu, why don't you invite your family over here for dinner?" Dr. Date beamed at Xiu fondly. It was very clear that she liked him very much and not only accepted his relationship with Seiji, but approved.

Xiu looked away from everyone. "Sure, but the restaurant keeps everyone pretty busy, you know. I don't know..."

Seiji hugged him. "Don't worry. I'll be there when you invite them."

Xiu looked back at Seiji gratefully.

The tender moment lasted only until Seiji saw that his grandfather and Ryo's granma were watching the entire scene. Seiji's granma was politely pretending that she saw nothing and was sipping her tea while Seiji's grandfather looked very irritated. Seiji managed a smirk, apparently figuring that if he was going to get in trouble he was going to get in as much as possible.

"Ah! And the enchanting Mrs. Sanada!" Seiji managed a very fake looking expression of surprise and stepped away from Xiu, moving closer to where Ryo's granma was sitting. "How lovely to see you again, my dear. You look absolutely ravishing, as always." Seiji took her hand and kissed it soundly on the back. For a finishing touch, Seiji gave her a bold, flirtatious wink.

Ryo felt like he either wanted to laugh out loud from seeing someone flirt with his granma, or kill Seiji for doing it. He wasn't sure what he should do and was rather stunned. Seiji behaved so different when he was in his house than when he was at school.

Seiji's grandfather turned bright red and looked like his head was going to explode, but Ryo's granma had a very unexpected reaction. She blushed a soft, rosy pink and smiled at Seiji fondly. "I haven't had my hand kissed in many years, young man. Your devilish tongue will get you into mischief one day."

Seiji just laughed. "I get myself into mischief all the time so it's not a terrible thing. Besides, Xiu manages to keep me out of harms way, most of the time."

"Seiji." Mr. Date said in a warning voice. "You were supposed to be in punishment."

"Technically," Seiji said pointed out. "You never said I had to be alone. You just said I had to stay down there. Xiu just came for a visit to keep me company."

"And I suppose keeping you company gave you that hickey?" His grandfather replied dryly.

Ryo managed to sneak a look at Seiji's throat and saw that he did, indeed, have a large purplish bruise that looked very much like a hickey mark. 'I've never seen any family so supporting about having a gay son!' Ryo thought, amazed. Almost everyone he'd ever met who was gay had horror stories about how their family had reacted when they'd come out and here was not only Dr. Date, but also Mr. Date, an ultra conservative type who was accepting and approving.

"No, grandfather. That was from yesterday." Seiji smiled, apparently at the memory. "I was helping him with his homework."

"Oh?"

Seiji smiled smugly. "Sex ed."

Xiu blushed and looked like he might kill Seiji on the spot if Dr. Date hadn't whacked Seiji over the head with the bokten again. "We have guests, young man!"

"Sorry."






Shin-
At the police station-






"Not you again!"

Shin almost felt guilty about appearing here again when he saw the officer who walked into the interrogation room. "Good morning, Uncle Chin."

Shin's Uncle Chin was a sergeant on the police force and was getting tired of seeing Shin here, apparently. He was a small man, like his sister, Shin's Okaasan. Uncle Chin had black hair, of course, tied back into a short pig tail and was carrying a stack of files in his hands. He practically dropped the files onto the table in front of Shin before grumpily sitting opposite of him.

In the room was one other police officer that was armed, because Shin was such a dangerous suspect, but very little else. There was a table and two chairs, but nothing that could be used as a weapon of any kind.

Sergeant Chin sighed and pulled out a blank form from out of his stack of files to fill out. "What are you doing back here, Shin? You promised your mothers you'd say out of trouble. Tell me what happened." Uncle Chin said, readying his pen to write on the file.

Shin wasn't about to tell the police the truth, even if it was Uncle Chin it wasn't worth getting Touma in trouble. "Only little disagreement, sir."

"You attacked some guy with a knife!" Uncle Chin read off the paper that the arresting officers had given him. "Jeezus, Shin! You're mothers are going to have conniptions! As if your rap sheet isn't long enough all ready! This one's going to land you in the joint! I can't keep you out this time. This isn't like all those little brawls you manage to get into."

"Mom and Okaasan get over it." Shin answered uneasily. "It self defense."

Shin's Uncle Chin shook his head, still filling out information on Shin's file. "Are you still living at home?"

"Yes."

"Have you had a birthday since your last arrest?"

"No."

"On any drugs or alcohol?"

Shin gave him an offended look. "I'm smart enough not get involved in that!"

"But not smart enough to keep out of a knife fight, huh?" Uncle Chin exploded. "A knife fight with an unarmed man in his own home! He's going to charge you with assault and probably attempted murder if he even wakes up. That poor man is in surgery right now. The doctor's are trying to save his life!"

Shin's expression darkened. "Tell them not to fight to hard. That 'poor man' not worth their sweat."

"Leave." Uncle Chin turned to the other officer in the room.

The other police officer looked surprised. "But, sir...regulations..."

"I can handle this myself. Leave. That's an order."

"Yes, sir."

After the other officer had gone, Uncle Chin looked at Shin with suspicious eyes. "It was hard enough to get my superiors to let me handle your case, since you're my nephew, don't make my job harder by lying! Tell me the truth. What are you talking about?"

"Don't know what you mean, uncle."

"I know that tone, boy. You're hiding something tell me what it is. Did that man do anything I should know about?"

"I told you, it self defense. He kill me if I not defend myself. He attacked me when I go to his house to pick up my friend, Touma, to take him to school. Mr. Hashiba is Touma's dad, he is nuts. Touma's crazy dad attacked me." Shin crossed his arms over his chest petulantly.

"So you pulled a knife on him?"

"Don't be silly. I look like the sort of person who carry a knife?" Shin tried to sound innocent, but didn't do it very well.

Uncle Chin gave him a dry look. "I KNOW what kind of person you are, Shin, so don't start with me."

Shin grinned. "I am product of troubled home life and a bad childhood environment. It not my fault that I'm a juvenile delinquent."

"Keep smiling, kid." Uncle Chin waved a finger at Shin. "This time I can't keep it quite for you. You got arrested in school, so they'll have to be told what happened and God only knows what kind of rumors are going around about you."

That sobered Shin's mood. He'd had a pretty good reputation going at school as a 'nice guy' and that was going to be ruined now. Oh, well. It was all to protect Touma, after all.

"Well, it looks like you're taking this a little more seriously. How about telling me the whole truth, this time." Sergeant Chin asked.

Shin thought a moment. "I think I wait until my friend comes to visit me and see what he wants me to tell you." He told Uncle Chin, honestly.

"The truth would be nice."

"I never lied to you, Uncle."

"No, but you do have a talent of telling half-truths. Lying is only going to get you into more trouble, Shin. You can't hide the truth about this forever and if you do, you're going to spend a long time in prison. Not Juvenile Detention, but Prison."

Shin nodded. "Yes. But it hurt my friend if I tell truth."






One hour later-





Shin found himself in the police station's lock up when his Uncle couldn't find a way to let him out. Not that it really mattered. Shin was perfectly ready to take responsibility for this. The cell they put him in was empty, because he was juvenile they didn't want to put him in with any of the adult criminals.

The jail was, despite all reports in the news about over crowding, quite empty. The place was quite with just a few sleeping drunks and a hooker or two who looked bored. It smelled like vomit, probably due to the drunks, and had an underlying scent of bleach. Like they'd tried to get rid of the smell, but the bleach just hadn't been strong enough.

"Make yourself comfortable, Shin." Uncle Chin told him while he locked the barred doorway behind Shin. "It'll be a few hours, but I'm sure your mothers will come to get you before long. The bail is pretty high though so..."

"Tell them not to bother." Shin said, turning away from his uncle. "It's not important."

"What?"

"Please, Uncle. I don't want anyone to get upset because of this."

Uncle Chin looked like he was going to have a fit. "This isn't some prank, Shin. Why don't you understand that?! You are going to go to prison! Don't you want to prove your innocence?"

"But I'm not innocent. I did it."

Uncle Shin shook his head and gave up on the conversation. "I'll come see you later, Shin. I've got to get back to work." With that he walked away and Shin was left alone. At least he thought he was.

"You should tell him the truth."

Shin turned to the soft voice and found a man in the adjacent cell, laying down on a cot that was next to the bars separating the two cells. The man wasn't looking at Shin, but was staring at the ceiling with his arms down at his sides. He was pretty well built with muscles that Shin knew he had no hope of ever getting. His pants were black and so tight that they left NOTHING to the imagination. The most striking thing of all was his vibrant pink hair that was spread over the mattress of the cot.

"What you know about it?" Shin asked, trying not to sound to insulting. But, really, why would a perfect stranger get involved?

"I know you're hiding something." The other man kept staring at the ceiling and Shin saw that his eyes were only half-open, as if he was trying to fall asleep. "It's no good. Whatever you're hiding won't stay hidden and you'll be found out."

There was something about this guy that intrigued Shin and he went closer to the cell wall, to get a better look at the man. He was lovely to look at, but there was something terribly sad about him. It was like his spirit was dead and his body was waiting to catch up.

"I stab a man in the stomach." Shin said almost absently as he studied the man. "I hope he die."

The man didn't reply.

"It his own fault. He deserved what he got and more."

Slowly, the man turned to Shin and looked at him for the first time. Shin was very proud that he didn't react at all to seeing the man's one pure white eye or the blood soaked area that was just healing over where it looked like his hair had been ripped out of his scalp. Skin and hair had been ripped off, just over his left ear, though now it was scabbed over.

"What makes you judge of his fate?"

It seemed like such a strange thing for this dead eyed stranger to ask. "He hurt my friend. I'll protect my friend no matter what."

"Even if it ends you up here." It wasn't a condescending tone, or even an accusation, just a fact. It was almost as if the man understood.

"Shin!"

Shin was suddenly grabbed roughly by the shoulder and spun around to find Uncle Chin scowling at him. "What is it?" Shin asked. He had been so engrossed with the pink haired stranger that he hadn't heard Uncle Chin unlock the cell door and come in.

"Keep away from the bars, boy! He's dangerous."

"Him?" Shin didn't see what was so dangerous about the pink haired man. He was very passive, in fact. "Why?"

"He's on suicide watch." Uncle Chin replied softly. "We think he killed another prostitute last night and when we found him he'd just slit his wrists. The girl must have put up quite the fight; it looks like she ripped out half his hair in the fight." Uncle Chin pulled Shin back to the other side of the cell. "Don't go near the bars, he's dangerous and desperate. He's having a psychiatrist come this afternoon to evaluate him and see if he needs to be moved to a mental hospital."

It was only then that Shin noticed the man's arms weren't just laying by his side, but they were tied to the cot so he couldn't easily move. His ankles were also tied down, but the man didn't seem at all interested in freeing himself. He just lay there.

After one final warning to keep away from the pink haired man, Shin's Uncle Chin left again.

"What's your name?" Shin asked the pink haired man. It was important. For some reason, it was important that he know all about this man who'd given up on life. "I'm Shin."

"Yes. Sergeant Chin said so a moment ago. I'm Joji."

"Did you kill that prostitute?"

"Did you attack that man?"

"I all ready said I did."

"There is no blood on your clothes. When you stab someone in the stomach they bleed all over the place."

Shin paled slightly.

Joji continued in his velvet voice, very certain of what he was saying. "You are protecting someone and you are taking the blame for what that someone did."

Shin frowned. He hadn't counted on anyone guessing what really happened, but his secret was safe for now. Joji wasn't a cop and there was no proof to the contrary of Shin's story. 'I wish I HAD been the one to knife Touma's dad.'





Touma-





Toum a sat in the busy police station, waiting to see Shin. He was hunched over with his head in his hands, trying to decide what to do. Shin had whispered to him in class, "Just keep your mouth shut!" But that was the last thing Touma was thinking of doing.

'How can I do that? They'll send Shin to prison for sure and it's all my fault!'







Flashback-




His dad was in a bad mood again. They were getting more and more frequent, these bouts of strange black temper. Touma was used to these moods of his dad, though, and he lay on the floor while his dad kicked him. Touma had learned long ago that the best way to deal with the beatings was to not fight and try to think of something else. Not easy, but possible.

"Touma!"

Touma's head flew up at the unexpected voice and he saw, to his horror, Shin standing in the doorway of his apartment. Shin had an expression that somehow mingled fury, disbelief, and utter horror at what he saw.

"Your hands off!" Shin screamed, dropping his school bag in the doorway and rushed towards them.

"Shin! No!" Touma tried to warn him off, but Shin was in no mood to listen and tackled Touma's dad, bringing them both to the floor. Shin was a tough little fighter, but Touma's dad was bigger, meaner, and more experienced. Shin ended up being thrown across the room and into a wall. With a groan, he slumped the floor putting hand to the back of his head and Touma saw a tiny spot of blood that stained the wall where Shin had hit.

"Little God damned turd." Touma's dad grumbled, stalking over to Shin and towering over him. "Who the Hell do you think you are? Coming into my home and interfering where you're not wanted?" He raised a fist, ready to smash it down on Shin as he did so often to Touma, but Shin wasn't about to let himself be pounded on.

Shin kicked up and caught Touma's dad in the kneecap, making him grunt in pain. "Shit!" Touma's dad cursed, grabbing his injured knee. "You little..."

Shin kicked Touma's dad in the groin, bringing the big man to his knees.

Touma watched this all, feeling helpless as it happened. 'What do I do? What do I do?' Touma tried to stand up, but everything hurt. Shin made his way towards Touma. "You all right?"

"Get out of here!" Touma told Shin desperately. "He'll kill you!"

"No, I..." Shin was cut off when large hands wrapped around his throat and yanked him away from Touma. Touma's dad had Shin pinned up against a wall, several inches off the floor.

"Dad! He's my friend, don't hurt him!" Touma cried, desperately.

"Little punk! I'll leave your body in the alley for your whore mom to find!" Touma's dad was insane with rage and Touma was scared so badly he could barely move.

Shin started to turn blue, but he kicked and swung his arms as best as he could, trying to get away. Touma's dad was stronger, though, and held Shin easily. He was so enraged that even the few hits Shin did manage to land didn't have any affect.

'Oh, God! He's gonna kill Shin! He's really going to kill him!' Touma struggled to his feet and staggered to where Shin had dropped his school bag. 'No! I can't lose Shin!' Dumping Shin's bag out on the floor yielded the thing Touma knew he'd find; a long, sharp carving knife. Touma had just grabbed it when something heavy slammed into his back and knocked the wind out of him. It was only by inches that the knife didn't hit Touma in the face.

Touma turned around to find that it was Shin who'd been thrown on top of him. Shin shook his head, obviously dizzy, and gasping for air. Touma's dad loomed over the both of them. His face was terrible and Touma knew that both he and Shin might die. "Dad..." Touma rolled Shin off him and tightened his grip on the knife.

"Bastard. I should have drowned you when your mother had you. You're no use to me at all. I'd be much better off with you dead!" He roared and raised both fists over his head before throwing himself at Touma.

'I don't want to die!' Touma screamed. 'NO!' Touma raised the knife in his hand and sunk it deeply into his dad's stomach.

The world froze and Touma stared, horrified, at the crimson blood running down his arm before dripping onto Touma's shirt and then to the floor just beside them. Touma's dad blinked, disbelieving, and sucked in a painful sounding breath. Touma pulled the knife out, listening to the blade slice his dad's flesh before he stabbed his dad again, as hard as he could. Dumb struck, Touma watched, fascinated, while his dad's expression slackened and he looked down at the knife protruding out of his stomach with Touma's hand still on it.

"T-Touma?" His dad gagged on his own blood. "Did I hurt you, Touma?"

"Oh, God!" Touma said breathlessly. "Oh, God, I'm sorry, dad. I'm so sorry!" He barely knew that he was crying while his dad slumped to the floor, kneeling in a puddle of his own blood. 'He was sick! What have I done? I knew he was sick and didn't know what he was doing.'

Shin grabbed the knife and pulled it out of Touma's dad's stomach. "Lay down." He instructed Mr. Hashiba gruffly. "Touma, call ambulance, tell them you need help, because someone stabbed, but don't tell them who you are. Give them address and hang up quickly."

Shin was working furiously; he stuffed the bloody knife into his school bag and used a kitchen towel to staunch the blood flow. All the while he was talking to Touma's dad in a firm, insistent voice. "Mouri Shin. Mouri Shin. Mouri Shin stabbed you. Attacked you. Mouri Shin. Mouri Shin."

Touma's mouth fell open when he realized what Shin was going to do. "No, Shin, you can't..."

"Quiet!" Shin snapped, watching Touma's dad's eyes close. "If he dies, you be sent to foster home. If he lives doctors will find he's crazy and you be sent to foster home. Will be better for you, either way."

"I won't let you go to jail for me. If my dad dies, they'll send you to prison forever!"

Shin almost smiled, though he was clearly scared. "Not forever. I only a minor. A few years, perhaps twenty."

"You make it sound like it's no big deal."

Shin gave him a very serious look. "It not. You be happier away from him."

"I don't want you to do this!"

"Shut up." That was the last word that Shin would say on the matter. Before long they heard sirens in the distance and Shin grabbed Touma's arm. "We go now. If he can be saved, they will do it."

The two boys escaped out the back with Shin pulling Touma along only moments before paramedics and police rushed in the front door. 'I killed my dad. I killed my own dad.' Touma thought as they ran. His body still ached from the beating, but he didn't think about that. He could only think that he'd left his dad to die in the apartment.

"Give me your shirt." Shin hissed to Touma while they ran to school, all ready unbuttoning his own. Touma, still in shock about what he'd done, did as Shin told him and gave his bloodstained shirt to Shin. "You put mine on. It fit." Shin buttoned Touma's shirt up, buttoning his own jacket over it so the bloodstains wouldn't be seen. Once Touma had the clean, if slightly small, shirt of, Shin motioned for him to slow down. "Just stay quiet." Shin told him firmly. "I take care of you."






End Flashback-







Touma looked up when a hand touched his shoulder. There was a policeman standing in front of him, looking sympathetic. "Hashiba Touma?"

"Yes." Touma stood up.

"You said you wanted to see that kid who tried to kill your dad, right? I don't know why you'd want to, but you can, I guess. That little punk won't be able to hurt you, he's safely locked up. Just remember to keep away from the bars, all right? After you're done talking to him, we'll need you to give a statement. Just ask the officer on duty to bring you to the examination room, I'll be waiting for you there."

While he said all this, the officer led Touma down a narrow hall to the lock up and left him there. The cells were mostly empty with a few sleeping or quiet people in them and Shin, looking at one of his cell neighbors, some guy who looked half asleep with pink hair. "Shin."

Shin turned quickly at Touma's voice and smiled. "You OK?"

Touma felt the eyes of the pink haired man land on him, though the man stayed disturbingly silent and still.

"Yeah." Touma replied darkly. "My dad's gonna die and my best friend's going to take the blame for it. I'm doing just fine."

"Touma..." Shin went to the bars and put his hands on them, leaning up against them so he could get as close to Touma as possible. "Everything will be all right, if you tell them what happened." Shin said, switching to English so only Touma would be likely to understand him. The on duty police officer looked a bit confused at the language change, but didn't say anything to stop them. "Just tell them I did it and it'll work out all right. Xiu's family loves you, so they'll take you in and treat you like one of the clan. I'm not sorry it happened. I'm sorry if you feel guilty, but not that it happened. I don't want you to get hurt and that monster didn't deserve you as his son."

Touma started to cry and replied in English. "I...I don't think I can do this. Even if you weren't my best friend and practically my brother, I wouldn't let you take the blame for this. I can serve my own time, Shin."

Shin looked almost angry. "You have to! I have a history of petty crime, so they'll believe I did this. I don't mind doing this. I just want you to be happy."

"Even if you try to hide it, the police will find out what happened and then you will both be in even more trouble. If your father lives he will tell the police what happened."

Touma and Shin both turned to the pink haired man who'd spoken perfect English and suddenly Touma recognized the soft voice. "Joji!" He cried in surprise. "What are you doing in here?" Only then did he remember the man's occupation and realize Joji and Yoko must have gotten caught while they were walking the streets. "Where's Yoko?"

Joji looked away again. "She's dead."

Dead? "How?"

Joji didn't answer, just kept staring at the ceiling. "I am blamed."

'No. I can't believe that Joji would ever do anything to hurt Yoko. They were so close.' Of course, Touma had only known them for less than a day, so he might have had the wrong impression, but he really didn't think so.'

"They have many ways of determining who truly committed a crime and you will not be able to hide it. It's best to get it out of the way now and then you'll have no reason to feel guilty about lying."

"Yeah," Touma said softly. "I'll only feel guilty about murdering my dad."

"You didn't murder him." The pink haired man said, never once moving. "You defended yourself and he's still alive. There is a difference."

Touma shook his head. This was all besides the point he'd come to tell Shin. "I won't be happy knowing that you're in here because I was to much of a coward to stand up to what I'd done. I can't live like that! I don't even want to. If I don't own up to this, I'll end up killing myself, Shin." He choked on tears. "I just can't handle it." Touma took a deep breath. "I'm going to tell the truth when the police ask me. You'll be out of here very soon."

Touma turned and started to walk away, steeling himself for what was to come.

"Touma!" Shin cried, but Touma didn't pay any attention to him. "Touma! Wait!"

Touma kept walking, determinedly.





To be continued...