A/N: 🌈🏳🌈HAPPY PRIDE BESTIES!!!🏳🌈🌈
Prepare for angst, and also spot the fruits in here.
Yes, fruits. I was planning on putting them in since last year, but I never got to reach that part until now, and since it's June I was like, PERFECTTT!!!, and so here we are!
23. The Fruits Of Our Work
"I laughed and said, 'Life is easy.'
What I meant was,
'Life is easy with you here,
And when you leave,
It will be hard again.'
-Miranda July
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Present Time:
"Should I drop you straight home, (y/n)?" Inui asked as you drove down an isolated street and you glanced around to observe your surroundings.
A particular turn caught your eye and you shook your head," Can you turn right over there instead?"
"Sure," he did as you said," Where does this lead?"
"Oh, um... (f/n)'s house. I don't think I wanna go home right now."
"Makes sense," he agreed, nodding his head.
"Did you get to talk to Koko?"
"Kinda."
"How did it go?"
"I already knew how stubborn he was, but I never thought he could be downright infuriating."
This made a small giggle escape your lips, and Inui felt his tense shoulders relax a bit.
He had been worried about you the moment him, you, Mikey and Izana stood in front of Shinichiro's grave with tension floating in the air, knowing that this was no such environment a person with your upbringing should be in.
"How are you feeling?" He asked as he swiftly glanced behind then back at the road again.
"I don't know. This is a lot to sort through, so I'll wait until we reach my friend's house until I try to process things."
"Okay. Which turn should I take next?"
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You quietly walked towards (f/n)'s house, trying to not wake her parents or any of her other family members living with them, and quietly knocked on her window to wake her.
"Akihi-...(y/n)?" The curtain was pulled back and (f/n)'s eyes widened in recognition, quickly opening the window. "Come on in. What are you doing here? Is this about Emma? Do you wanna talk about it?"
You climbed in and waved goodbye to Inui, who nodded as he left. Then you turned back to (f/n) and told her what happened, and by the end of it your body was wrecking with muffled sobs and Akihiko was on his way over, running like his life depended on it after (f/n) gave him the short version of what you had just told her.
"Let's get you cleaned up first before anything," she led you to her bathroom," You can borrow my clothes if you want, I'll come in and leave it in the bathroom later."
Needless to say, the shower helped you calm down lots and by the time you were done, you were thinking more clearly than before.
Deciding the first thing you needed to do was call Mikey, you were quick to pick up on the odd tone in which he was talking, and when he broke the news that Kisaki was dead you found yourself rushing towards the bathroom as bile rose up your throat, dropping your phone on the couch.
(F/n) rushed in after you and held you as you threw up, registering clearly for the first time what had happened today from midday to midnight.
Meanwhile Akihiko was on the phone with Mikey, doing his best to be gentle with the other boy and comfort him, reassuring him that you would be alright when Mikey asked if you were.
How is everyone going to recover from this anytime soon?
When they had gotten you to calm down for what seemed like the hundredth time today, (f/n) led you back to her bed.
"We can share the bed tonight, Akihiko already said he was gonna take the couch. And don't worry, (y/n), we'll help you talk to your parents tomorrow. I don't think it's gonna be easy doing it alone after all."
"Thanks, guys," you whispered as you snuggled under the covers and closed your eyes, not noticing the worried looks shared between the other too.
But no matter how hard the three of you tried to fall asleep that night, the task proved to be unsuccessful. So at four in the morning you all got up and left a letter saying (f/n) would be out for a walk to her family, then from there you all headed to the hospital where Kakucho had been taken to.
There you found some Toman and Tenjiku members, mostly the higher ranked members, but none of them gave off any sense of threat to the other, knowing well enough the gravity of what had just happened.
"(y/n)," Smiley acknowledged your presence as the rest of them lifted their heads up," The doctor told us Kakucho's stable now, though he isn't conscious yet."
"Oh," you responded, not knowing what else to say," That's good to hear."
"The doctors said that it's because whoever gave him first aid on the spot did a great job. You should be proud of yourself," Mitsuya smiled up from the wheelchair in which he was sitting, though it didn't reach his eyes.
"Oh...um...that was mostly Inui so..." You breathed in," You should be saying all this to him. I was the one who worked on Izana, and he died."
Their smiles faltered and Angry's frown got even deeper.
"You shouldn't sell yourself short," was all he said as the hospital door opened and Inupi arrived.
"Where's Mikey and the others?" Your eyes searched for the familiar blonde but came up empty.
"He hasn't arrived yet, along with Draken, Takemichi or Hina."
As if on cue, the door behind you opened and a familiar voice belonging to a short blonde was heard.
"We're here, guys! What happened while we were gone?"
Mikey was followed soon after by Draken and Takemichi, and you guessed that Hina had already went home.
They were soon filled in on the good news, and Mikey was soon on his way towards you, crashing into you full speed and hugging you tightly.
"Don't ever do anything risky like that again," he said with clenched teeth into your shirt, and your heart twisted painfully as you hugged him back.
"I'm sorry,' you whispered," But you should know I feel the same way when you do it too, please, Mikey."
"I'll make sure you, or any of the members of Toman, never go through anything like that again, I swear."
"(y/n)-chan, you're here too?" You heard a voice from behind you and turned towards the source to find Shoto and Yukimura standing side to side.
"Ah, Shoto-kun!" You smiled as Mikey pulled away from you," What are you doing here?"
"Well, long story, really," he grinned weakly," I was actually invited to join Tenjiku. I was a pretty famous name back when I used to be in gangs, but I decided to stop getting involved because one of my friends parents were pretty strict, and threatened to stop us from interacting if I did. So I rejected the offer, but still, hearing the news shocked me. So I decided to come visit the injured."
"And Yukimura?" You rose a brow at the taller boy.
"Me and Shoto hang out sometimes, so what?" He mumbled as he turned away.
"We hit it off pretty well when I first followed you to his home to visit," Shoto had to reach up to ruffle Yukimura's hair," And have been hanging out ever since."
"That's nice," you gave them a smile as the door opened again.
"The patient has requested for (l/n) (y/n) and Inui Seishu," a nurse said as his eyes searched among the gathered crowd.
You and Inui stepped forward and followed the nurse in, and he led you towards one among the many hospital beds on which Kakucho was lying.
"Please make your visit short. The patient refuses to rest until he sees the both of you, and he still needs lots of it to recover," he requested before he left as Kakucho's eyes drifted between you and Inui.
"Thank you both...for saving my life," he said in a whisper after the nurse left," I wouldn't be here without you."
"It's nothing," Inui replied shortly, as was expected with his personality.
"I'm sorry for not being able to save Izana," you looked down at your feet, not wanting to meet his eyes. "I'm sure he meant a lot to you."
Silence followed your words, the only sound being the ticking of the clocks second-hand and the beeping of the monitors.
"He did,' Kakucho finally said as he stared off wistfully. "He was the only family I had left, but you shouldn't blame yourself for his death. You did all you could, I'm sure, and there was nothing more that could have been done... (l/n)-san, Inui-san, I want to say thank you again."
"That's not necessary, we only did what we could do in a situation like that," you gave him a sad smile," You should be getting some sleep right now; the nurse said you'd need a lot of rest to recover."
"You're probably right, and I think the meds are kicking in already," Kakucho gave a low chuckle," I think I'm gonna sleep now, if you don't mind."
Saying your goodbyes, you and Inui left him to catch up on some well deserved rest.
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Footsteps could be heard from inside your house as you, Mikey, (f/n) and Akihiko stood outside with dread. It might probably piss off your parents more to see all of you together after the news that they had just received but hey, strength in number, right?
The door swung open and you were greeted by your mom's tear-stained face,
"(Y/N)! MIKEY!! I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE BOTH SAFE!" She wailed as she brought both of you into a hug, making you both start to cry as well.
"MOM!" You both wailed back as your friends started sniffling in the corner and your dad and sisters joined in on the hug.
Akina had a small idea of what had happened while Chiharu was clueless, crying only because all the older ones were, and your dad was trying his best to stay strong and not sob out loud, though tears were streaming down his face.
"We're gonna go now," you heard (f/n) say through her tears, nodding as she and Akihiko turned to walk away and your parents guided you into the house.
After crying for a few more minutes, Akina and Chiharu were sent upstairs as the rest of you remained in the living room.
"Mikey," your father started, his voice raw with emotion," Me and (y/n)'s mom have been talking and..."
He trailed off, the atmosphere heavy and intense, making your lips tremble and eyes fill with tears all over again.
"We've let it go all the time, no matter how dangerous the situation you put (y/n) in was, but it has gone too far!" Your mom suddenly burst out," If you can't promise us to stop doing all of these dangerous things, then I'm sorry but-"
"I'm sorry!!" Mikey's strangled cry interrupted her speech, falling to his knees on the floor and bowing low," I'm so sorry, I'll never be able to show you how sorry I am! I failed to protect her, and so many other people, I want you to know how sorry I am for that..."
"We don't want you to protect her from any danger you bring her way, Mikey," your dad took a breath in to regain his composure, "We want you to prevent her from encountering any danger altogether. We're both so happy that you love our daughter, love her enough to swear that you'll protect her from any danger you will be facing on the path towards achieving your dreams...but me and Etsuko...we're asking for an entirely different thing. I hope you understand us."
"Dad...mom," your hands were shaking as you tried to look into their eyes," What are you...what are you guys saying?"
"We're so sorry, baby," your mom whispered," But you have to understand-"
"No! I don't!" You were close to shouting by now," Mikey's gonna stop, he said it himself. Right, Mikey?!"
All of you were in tears again by now, and the lack of response was dragging on for too long.
"Mikey, please tell them that's what you said," you begged, whispering as you grasped your shirt over where your heart was as if it would stop the ache, it hurt too much.
"I'm sorry, (y/n)," Mikey said between his teeth," But... I can't lie to mom and dad. I'm so sorry."
And in that instant, four hearts broke simultaneously in one room.
You and Mikey were both close to losing a lover, and your parents already knew that they would be losing someone who they considered their own son soon.
"I...I have to get going home," Mikey weakly stood up and made his way towards the front door and you made as if to stop him, but your mom placed her hand on yours.
"Let him go for now, he might need to clear his head (y/n). If you want, you can always talk to him later."
But for now, please just stay with us. We were so scared at the thought of having to losing you...I hope you know that.
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