Chapter Eighteen:
“Please
sir, we cannot allow you into that particular section of the wing. It has been
closed to all visitors at this time.”
“But
you don’t understand. I must speak with Ogata-sensei immediately. It’s very
important.”
“I’m
sure it is, but hospital policies and from their personal requests, I still
cannot allow you to go in there. You are just going to have to wait until he
sends for you himself.”
The
orange-haired man gave a sigh of exasperation as he tried hard not to yell at
the smug-looking nurse before him. Calming himself down, he tried again.
“Okay...will you at least tell him that Amano-san is here.”
The
nurse eyed him warily for several moments before whipping out a notepad and a
pen. “How do you spell that, sir?”
“A-m-a-n-o.
Please tell him that I have an important message from back home. If I can talk
to him immediately...”
“Yes,
sir. I understand,” she cut in rather rudely, and spun around to pick up the
phone to dial her counterparts that were on the upper floor. She had had a very
long night dealing with press people and curious onlookers who had bombarded
her all night with requests to see their latest patients. She didn’t get what
the ruckus was about. They were just teenage boys and not even
“Your
message has been sent,” she finally said with a bored tone. “Would you like to
wait in the lobby? There are some complimentary doughnuts and coffee.” Like she really cared if he had some or not.
It was
Amano
nodded with another heavy sigh and made his way towards the stiff looking
chairs. Sitting down on one of them, he picked up the copy of USA Today that
lay on the coffee table, and sure enough, taking a rather small portion of the
front page, was the story of the fire that had broken out in the auditorium.
According to the report, three boys had been brought out from the fire and
while two of them were still recuperating in the hospital, the third body had
been found dead on arrival. The police were yet to identify who the person was.
As for the tournament, the officials had decided to hold off for the day as a
sort of tribute to the fallen Japanese team. The competitions would continue, in
earnest, with the finals tomorrow.
Amano
gave a small and wistful smile. He had hoped he would be covering the finals
with his countrymen being the highlight of the story, but as Fate would have
it, he was left here thanking Kami that they were still alive. What exactly had
happened in there? What were the two boys doing in such a place to begin with?
His reporter’s inquisitive mind was already looking into various scenarios and
situations and with a light nod; he picked up his cell phone and decided that
some detective work was in tow.
“Oi...moshi
moshi....yes, please get me Hitori-kun on the line. Hai...there is
something fishy about this case and I want you to look into it for me...”
~*~*~*~*~*~
Ogata
rinsed his face in the sink of the small bathroom. Raising his head, he stared
at his wan reflection in the mirror, noticing with a faint grimace that his
eyes looked tired and that he needed a shave as well. Reaching for the white
towel nearby, he wiped his face dry and slipped his glasses back on.
He
had had little to no sleep and his neck ached thanks to his upright position
all night. Patting himself down, to get some semblance of decency, he reached
into his pocket to bring out a cigarette, only to remember that smoking was not
allowed in the building. Groaning in dismay, he pushed open the door and walked
back out to the lobby where Akira and Waya could be seen staring at the floor
silently.
He
stopped before them, not even sure of what to say at the moment. They had been
through a lot and Ogata wasn’t sure that he could say anything to make them
feel better. He finally settled for a curt ‘Good morning’ which had both of
them starting as if caught in headlights.
“Ah...good
morning...” Waya mumbled softly, blushing lightly in embarrassment at being
surprised in such a way.
Akira
responded with a similar greeting, only to add a quick, ‘Can we see them now?’
which earned a look from Waya and a shake of Ogata’s head in refusal.
“Why
not?” Waya asked rudely, as he too was getting too impatient.
“Because
we are not supposed to,” Ogata replied calmly. “They are still resti...”
“It’s
not fair. We haven’t seen them since the fire. Why can’t we...?”
“Here’s
an idea,” came the curt interruption from the sensei. “Why don’t you both go
freshen up a little in the bathroom? There are some extra toothbrushes and
anything else you might need in there and by the time you come out...I am sure
they will allow you to see them, okay?”
The
red head was about to open his mouth to give another smart-mouthed reply, but
was pulled to his feet by Akira, who placed a finger against his lips to
silence any protests he might have had.
“We
will be right back, Ogata-sensei,” he said with a light bow. “Let’s go, Waya.”
Not
giving him a chance to say a thing, Akira had them inside the bathroom with the
door firmly locked behind him. Waya snarled and released his arm from the
6-Dan’s grip, glaring daggers at him in disbelief. “What the hell was that for,
Touya?” he bit out coldly, only to gasp in surprise as he felt Akira’s lips
against his, successfully silencing any other thing he might have said.
Waya
struggled within the intimate embrace, his face flushing with heat as he tried
desperately to push the other boy away. He shouldn’t...no, they shouldn’t be
doing this when Shindo was lying on a hospital bed probably dying.
Touya...Akira....please...don’t....
He opened his
mouth to protest and immediately regretted the act, for Touya used the
opportunity to thrust his tongue within the parted lips, a low moan of pleasure
escaping him as their heated appendages met and clashed in a silent duel. Waya
closed his eyes, his legs finally giving way. He was unable to fight any longer
and with tears of resignation and frustration sliding down his cheeks, he
wrapped his hands around the other boy’s neck and gave in to the breathtaking
kiss, his mind churning and whirling with possible reasons for why Touya was
doing this now.
Finally,
just when they both thought they would faint from lack of oxygen, Akira
released Waya with a small sigh, never relinquishing the hold he now had on the
redhead’s lean waist. Waya opened his eyes weakly, licking his swollen lips as
he tried to get his frazzled thoughts back in some sort of order. Imagine his
shock and surprise at seeing a similar trail of tears on his lover’s face,
causing him to gasp softly.
“Aki...Akira...why...?”
The
6-Dan rested his forehead against Waya’s, staring deeply into the puzzled
golden depths before him. “Waya...” He paused, not really sure on how to
continue.
“What
is it, Akira? Tell me! You are beginning to freak me out.”
Akira
stared into the beautiful eyes knowing that what he would say might change the
entire dynamics of their relationship. But he had to tell someone or he was
going to go insane. And taking a deep breath, he croaked out weakly.
“Waya...I...I...I think I might have...have
had something to do with...with what happened to Ochi today.”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ogata
paced restlessly outside the room door. He had taken another peek to see how
the boys were doing and from what he had seen so far, both were resting
comfortably in their beds, still fast asleep. He walked towards the large glass
windows, his hands rubbing across his mouth in agitation. God, he needed a
smoke, but he would have to leave the building and he didn’t want to leave
without letting the boys know where he had gone. Sighing in defeat, he was just
about to help himself to some of the refreshments that had been laid out on a
side table for them, when the sound of footsteps had him spinning around
sharply.
“Mr.
Ogata, I believe.”
The
blond nodded with a small smile at the nurse. “Yes, I am. What can I do for
you?”
The
young woman blushed lightly at the handsome man before speaking. “You have an
important message from someone named...” She eyed the notepad. “Amano. He says
that he would like to speak to you. It is very urgent.”
Ogata
frowned lightly, dropping the doughnuts he had picked up. “Where is he?” he
asked curtly, as he reached for his jacket to slip into it.
“The
main lobby downstairs. Should I tell him to wait?”
“No...no,
it’s okay. Could you please tell the boys my whereabouts when they do come out
from the bathroom?”
She
smiled and gave a small nod. “Yes, sir. It will be my pleasure.”
Thanking
her quickly, he made his way towards the elevator, already wondering what could
have possibly gone wrong for the reporter to seek him at such an hour.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Shindo
flexed his wrist lightly before dropping it back down to his side as he heard
the door opening. He was about to close his eyes, thinking it was probably
Ogata about to come in again, only to see that it was just a nurse coming in to
check up on them. He watched as she made her way towards Ochi first. She poked
and prodded causing Shindo to think that she might have been checking a piece
of equipment. After scribbling down a few things, she made her way over to him,
only to give a small cry as she found herself staring into piercing green eyes.
“Oh
my God!” She placed a hand against her chest and shook her head lightly. “You
gave me quite a scare there, young man.” Gathering her scattered wits about
her, she managed a smile and reached for the IV to see just how much was left.
“It’s good to see you awake...” She eyed the name on her notepad. “Shindo. You
gave everyone quite a nasty scare last night. Everyone was beginning to think
that you wouldn’t make it. But I am so glad. I was really rooting for you
two...especially him.” She turned to look at Ochi. “He is such a young kid and
having to go through all of that...it kinda makes you want to kill the bastard
that did that to him.” She motioned for him to sit upright as she continued
with her story. “And the third guy with you...poor kid. He didn’t make it
through the fire. The police are still wondering who he is and what he could
have possibly been doing in there. It’s obvious he isn’t one of...you.” She
giggled lightly as she fluffed his pillows, before laying him back gently
against it. “But on a much brighter note, it looks like you guys are becoming
pretty popular, especially with the girls. Your faces were splashed all over the
evening news yesterday and you should have seen all the flowers that were
brought and toys and stuff. See...?”
She
waved her hands towards the ones in the room and Shindo turned to see what she
was gesturing towards. He blinked in surprise at the amount of flowers that had
filled the corner of the room. Why hadn’t he noticed that earlier? It looked
like a mini-garden in here. And whatever it was that the nurse was saying (she
couldn’t seem to shut-up for some reason), Shindo managed to cut in with a soft.
“Thank
you.”
This
stopped the young woman as she blushed darkly. “No problem, Shindo. You are
such a sweetheart,” she said with a warm smile as she did something
uncharacteristic of her profession. Leaning forward, she placed a soft kiss on
his forehead, only to gasp as the door creaked open and two frowning faces
glared at her.
Shindo,
who had turned a bright beet red at the gesture, wondered what had the female
so flustered and about to reach out to place a hand on her arm, he blinked in
surprise at the two boys that had now made their way into the room.
“Akira!
Waya! Come! Come! Come!” He patted the side of his bed with his face breaking
out into an impossible grin. “She is a very nice woman, so don’t get too
jealous,” he teased with a light laugh as he noticed them glance at the flushed
and embarrassed nurse.
“Oh,
don’t mind me,” she said quickly as she made her way out of the room. “Oh and
your teacher said to tell you that he is downstairs with Amano. He should be
back shortly.” Waving lightly, she left the room, leaving the three boys to
stare at each other in silence....that was before Waya bellowed out.
“Shindo
no baka! What the hell were you thinking going in there?! Did you want to get
yourself killed?!”
The
blond winced and held his hands to his ears, being careful not to move to fast
or the IV needle might have done more damage to him. He chuckled and smiled
sheepishly. “But I am still here, aren’t I...ooooofffff!!”
Waya
had grabbed him in bear hug and was currently squeezing the life out of him
while Akira giggled at the gesture, before pulling the redhead away gently.
“It’s my turn now, Waya.”
“No!”
“Waya?!”
Came the ready pout. “You have held him for long enough now. It’s my turn!”
“You
are going to have to pry me off him, Akira. I have no intentions of letting go,
got it?”
“Wa...ya...can’t...breathe...”
“Let
him go, Waya!”
“No!”
Shindo
was beginning to turn blue. “Wa....yaaaaaaaaaa...gack!” He slumped within the
crushing embrace, sending Waya pulling back in panic.
“Shin...Shindo?
Hikaru....come on...I was just kidding...you didn’t really pass out, did you?”
Akira
groaned and frowned. “You’ve killed him, Waya. I hope you are happy now.” He
gave an exaggerated sigh, before pushing the red head away. “I guess it’s time
for me to bring him back to life, ne?”
Waya
blinked. “What the...? Hey!”
Akira
smirked wickedly as he leaned closer to Shindo and before the red head could
protest, he sealed his lips against the slightly parted ones before him, eyes
closing as he deepened the kiss with a groan of delight. Waya scowled at the
action before snorting and turning his face away.
“Fine.
Kiss Shindo for as long as you want. I am going to kiss Ochi then.” And making
good on his promise, he began to make his way towards the still figure on the
other bed.
Shindo
(somehow magically restored back to life by Akira’s powerful kiss) and Akira
pulled apart in disbelief. “You...you are not really going to...” came the
stunned question as both boys gaped at the red head.
Waya
smirked and nodded. “You don’t think I can? And besides...it will be a thank
you for the crap he was about to put us through.”
“The...crap...?”Shindo
blinked in confusion, turning to glance at Touya for answers.
The
6-Dan shrugged lightly. “It’s a long story, Shindo...”
“He
will tell you about it later, as soon as I am done with my job here,” Waya
interrupted, as he gazed down at the small boy. He had been ready to steal a
quick kiss and to make himself scarce, but as soon as his eyes lay on the
bruised and battered body of the boy that he loathed for the better part of his
life, he felt something warm stir within his chest. Ochi might be a first class
bastard, but he didn’t deserve any of this...no matter how sleazy he might have
been.
“Kami...what
happened to you, Ochi...” he whispered softly, as his hands reached out to
trace the outline of the bandaged face.
“Well,
are you going to kiss him or not?” Akira taunted, not really sure why such a
proposition should bother him.
“I
am, I am. Don’t rush me.” And taking another deep breath, Waya closed his eyes
and leaned forward to brush his lips against the cold ones before him.
Quick,
easy, done!
He
opened his eyes as they immediately clashed with bewildered amethyst ones. It
took him about two seconds to realize that Ochi was indeed wide awake and
giving a small cry, he fell to the floor, his face flaming with color as he
began to shake his head.
“Don’t...don’t
get any ideas, Ochi!” he said quickly, his cheeks darkening with even more
color as he heard Akira and Shindo begin to laugh hysterically. “I...I....Kuso!
Stop laughing!” He picked up a nearby flower vase and lifted it high above his
head, ready to smash it onto the two laughing boys as they began to plead for
their life even though the giggles hadn’t stopped.
Shindo
broke out into song. “Waya loves Ochi. Ochi loves Waya. Let’s run away and get
maaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaried!!”
The
redhead was now so flushed that he could barely think straight and about to
open his mouth to give another vehement cry of denial, Ochi’s soft voice broke
into their gaiety.
“I...I
am sorry.”
This
sobered everyone up quickly as they all spun around to face the boy who was now
sitting upright with his gaze lowered to his bandaged wrists. In a voice that
was thick with barely held back tears, he whispered out hoarsely.
“I
am so sorry...”
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Ogata
spied the orange-haired reporter talking earnestly into his cell phone and
quirking a brow in question, he greeted him with a light bow.
“Morning,
Amano-san.”
“Ah,
morning, Ogata-sensei. Please give me a moment to finish this call.”
The
blond nodded before reaching into his pockets for his packet of cigarettes. As
soon as he heard the phone click closed, he motioned for Amano to follow him
outside. If he didn’t satisfy his craving, he was going to be one irritated
person for the rest of the day. Nodding in agreement, Amano followed the blond
towards the lush and beautiful gardens. Daylight was still breaking and so the
relative peace and serenity of the environ was not disturbed.
Lighting
up a stick, he offered one to the reporter, before asking quietly. “What’s the
problem now?”
Amano
took a drag of his cigarette before replying. “Shindo-kun’s mother and Ochi’s
grandfather have arrived. They checked into the hotel about an hour or so ago.
Apparently, Ochi-kun’s grandfather had connections with a jet company, which
was why they were so fast in arriving.” He explained as he noticed Ogata’s
bewildered glance. “As for Touya-sensei...any word from him?”
Ogata
shook his head. “He is not coming and neither is his wife. They both feel no
need to come down here if their son is alright although they do send
well-wishes to those hurt in the incident.”
“Sounds
almost cold, doesn’t it?”
Ogata
shrugged lightly. “Not really. After being with Touya sensei this long, you
come to expect such things.”
Silence
fell for several minutes as they enjoyed the solitude, before Amano spoke up
again. “I am trying to investigate the cause of the fire, Ogata-sensei.”
This
brought a frown upon the blond’s features. “It’s none of our business,
Amano-san. The police should be looking into it now. Besides...didn’t they say
it was something about a faulty fuse, after all the building hadn’t been used
in years.”
“Yes,
but why would Ochi-kun and Shindo-kun be in such a place to begin with? Haven’t
you ever wondered why?”
Ogata
refused to respond although he hated to admit that the thought had crossed his
mind several times already.
“There
is something not right about this picture...don’t you think?” Amano insisted
with another puff of his cigarette. “Don’t you think that the boys were
supposed to be....murdered?”
And
at that thought, Ogata crushed the cigarette in his hand, unmindful of the pain
caused by the burn against his palm.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~
“Ochi...kun...”
Shindo whispered softly as he stared at the hunched figure of his teammate. He
noticed that Akira and Waya had remained silent and were staring intently at
the boy as if waiting eagerly for something.
What
in Kami’s name was going on?
Ochi
sniffled and wiped the tears that had begun to fall from his eyes, not daring
to turn to face the boys beside him. He took a deep breath and coughed lightly,
trying to compose himself.
“Shin...Shindo...”
he began weakly. “I know that we have never been friends and might never
be...but...but I...for just one day, when you came to me for help...I felt as
if...I felt so...happy...” He finished weakly knowing that it sounded as if he
were desperately seeking approval. And maybe he did need approval, for he had
some things to clear up with them. He tried to convince himself that he wasn’t
doing this for Akira and Waya, but for Shindo and Shindo alone. He couldn’t
care less what those two thought.
“The...the
pictures...”
“What
pictures?” Came the sharp question from the blond, who was practically out of
the bed at this point.
Akira
sighed softly and lowered his gaze to the floor. “This morning...Ochi gave me
an envelope filled with pictures of three of us engaged in...uuumm...” He was
embarrassed to find himself blushing, but he had to continue.
“We
were naked and having sex,” Waya finished quickly.
Shindo
blushed darkly, mouth falling open in disbelief. “Wha...where...how...?”
“According
to Ochi, he had found the envelope in front of the apartment door this morning
and he had taken it before Ogata or anyone else could find it,” Akira
continued.
“Which
might very well be a goddamn lie,” Waya cut in with a dark frown on his
features. He failed to notice the harsh breath that Ochi gave at this.
“Anyway...he
gave me the envelope and I found out what it was and I knew that I couldn’t
risk them getting sent out to the press or into the wrong
hands...because...because...” He lifted his gaze to stare at the bandaged boy
sitting across him. “I was told to lose my match today or the pictures would be
sent out.”
Shindo
shook his head trying hard to digest all that was being flung at him right now.
“That’s...that’s not true...it’s just not true!”
Waya
nodded curtly. “It’s true all right. I couldn’t believe it myself when Akira told
me earlier. Can you believe the gall of that bastard?!”
“Was...was
that why you acted that way towards us in the auditorium?” Shindo asked softly
as he glanced sadly at the longhaired boy.
Akira
nodded in response. “I didn’t know what to do, Shindo. I didn’t want to us to
act too intimate in public. I mean, whoever is responsible for the pictures
might very well be in the crowd.”
“Don’t
you mean, Ochi?” Waya asked coldly. “And I really don’t see why you have to
blame yourself for what happened to him in there, Akira? He went in there to go
get some more bribe from the bastards he is working with to bring us down,
right, Ochi-kun?”
“Waya...”
“He’s
right,” Ochi interrupted softly, which in turn sent all three boys gaping in
incredulity. “I was partly to blame for my demise.” He laughed bitterly and
lifted his bandaged arm as if checking to see if it was still intact. “But
there is only one little problem with your story, Waya.”
“And
what’s that?”
“I
had nothing to do with the pictures, but I did know who was responsible for
it.”
All
three boys asked simultaneously. “Who?!”
Ochi
gave a wan smile before responding softly. “Remember the two friends you made
the first night we arrived here?” As he noticed the looks of dawning
comprehension on their faces, he continued. “Chris was the ring leader. He was
determined to bring Touya down for that little blunder back then.”
“But
how did you know...?”
“While
you three were busy worrying about your love lives, I happened to be
paying attention to other things around me.” Ignoring their sputters of
indignation, he sighed. “Actually, it was Kim who called the room one day and I
happened to be the only one in at the time.”
“What
did he say?”
“He
told me about the plans that they had been making,” Ochi replied as he lay back
on the pillows. He was beginning to get a headache. “The pictures of Touya and
Hikaru at the park was just a lucky shot taken by Chris’s girlfriend at the
fair that night. Of course, she didn’t know that Touya was a...eh...boy and had
only assumed it was a couple making out. She had been ready to toss it out when
Chris had noticed and pounced on it like a piranha.”
Waya
growled in growing fury. “I will kill that son of a....”
“And
so with the use of digital technology and some computer nips and tucks you
could say, he went to a gay porn site and whipped up pictures of boys in the
throes of passion...and using pictures of you from either magazines or internet
news sites, he fixed them up nicely to make it look as if he had caught you
three having sex. Any one smart enough would have noticed the poor quality of
the picture anyway.”
Akira
swallowed his retort at the insult, unable to stop the blush of humiliation
that came to his features as he realized that if he had only taken the time to
go through the pictures carefully, none of this would have happened.
“It
still doesn’t explain what you were doing in that room, Ochi,” Waya interrupted
with a bemused frown.
“Chris
had made tons of copies of the picture of Touya and Shindo. So even if he had
no case with the digital pictures, he could still use that one against them,
ne?” He narrowed his eyes and glared at Touya. “Now, I didn’t do this for you,
got it? I did it for Shindo. I didn’t want him to get involved in any of
your...”
Waya
snorted lightly “Hmph! If I didn’t know any better I would think you were in
love with Shindo.”
This
sent a flood of color to both Shindo and Ochi’s cheeks and deliberately
ignoring the jibe, he continued. “As I was saying, I didn’t do it for you. But
I had managed to get one of the American boys who was into the plan to trade
all the pictures to me...for a price.”
“What
price?” Akira asked sharply.
Ochi
mumbled something, which sent all three boys craning closer to hear what he
said. “We can’t hear what you said Ochi...” Akira began only to cringe at the
cold look that was thrown his way.
“I
said I had to pay about ten thousand US dollars!”
“Holy...”
“Damn!”
“That’s
too much!” Akira finished with a loud cry of dismay. “How could you...?”
“Exactly.
I do not have that kind of money on me and I told the boy that and he got upset
and then...” He stopped as the memory of the blows he had suffered had him
cradling his head in pain. He shook his head again to gather his scattered wits
about him. “Anyway...he hit me...and then left me bleeding there on the floor.
I couldn’t remember much...except that he lit up a cigarette and then stupidly
tossed the half-burned out match to the ground...and that was all I could
remember before passing out.”
The
three boys could only stare at their teammate with reluctant and growing lights
of admiration in their eyes. But not without feeling a twinge of guilt at their
harsh and rough judgments of his character. Shindo coughed lightly and rose off
his bed almost falling to the floor on his unsteady feet. He sat upon Ochi’s
bed, smiling softly at the look of mistrust that was given to him.
“I
don’t need your pity,” he said quickly, even though the blush on his features
hadn’t gone away.
“You
did it for me, ne?” Shindo replied softly as he placed an arm gently around the
small shoulders. “You risked your life for me...us...didn’t you, Ochi?”
The
small boy lowered his gaze and pouted, trying hard to maintain some form of
dignity. He was flabbergasted to find Akira and Waya now sitting on the other
side of the bed.
“What?
What are you all doing so close to me?! I told you I don’t need....”
He
paled at the sudden looks of mischief on their handsome faces and cringing in
growing worry and fear, he tried to ward them off as they all came closer and
closer to him.
“No...don’t
please...I don’t want to...”
“On
the count of three, guys!” Shindo said with a wide grin. “One...two...three!”
SMOOOOCH!