AU JE Fic "For The Times That Has Yet To Come"
Part 3
Dedicated to
kriszeth for the support!
Note- Unbeta'd as of now.
Ryo wondered if this wasn't one of the stupidest decision he'd taken over the past month.
Going outside was risky.
And this came from experience. He'd sometimes sit in the dark, when everything was still and he knew he was probably the only living being awake around, and remembered the days where he'd get paid to walk hours in a stupid forest to find an onsen or that he would have to put on a wig and catch bills with chopsticks.
There were a few things that he would never ever whine about for the rest of his life, however long would it be.
Now the reason to go out wasn't stupid. Trying to gather their friends and family under one roof was both comforting and right yet so wrong. But Ryo couldn't continue like this, living stressed in a small apartment he was begining to crack and he needed someone else to help share the load damnit.
Not that Uchi and Ohkura were so hard to take care of, both had grew up so much since he met them. Uchi had gained a lot of maturity ever since his suspension and his reintroduction. Ohkura had gained a lot of confidence too over the years and was much more of a presence now. But both were so used to look up to him in some ways, because he was older (though not by much) that by default they let Ryo take the decision.
And right now, Ryo felt like he was loosing his damn head.
They texted nearly everyone they knew, saying that they would look for a bigger place so they could all watch over one another.
Only Yasu answered them within the day.
And no matter how often Ryo found himself repeating that it didn't mean that their family were dead, he couldn't believe his reassurances anymore than Uchi or Ohkura did.
They had texted Yasu with the plan that they would meet at the nearest school. Even if being in the open was dangerous, meeting up in a closed place was more dangerous.
Again, this was a precaution that came from experience.
The problem was, the demons, they looked humans.
Because, they were humans. They were possessed by demons or vengeful spirits. It didn't matter the name, just that if you weren't looking too closely one could possess your best friend and try to kill you.
Ohkura learned it firsthand.
And now they weren't really taking chances. They had found a way to detect them, which was why Uchi was clutching a small bottle of sake in his hand. He kept clicking the lid open, ready to throw the content at a second's notice.
Ryo darted a look toward Uchi when the latter bumped slightly against Ryo's side since he was walking so close to Ryo. Ever since Ohkura made a comment about Uchi's dogs being dead this afternoon, Hiroki had stopped talking to Tacchon and stuck to Ryo's heel all day.
Ohkura had been slightly amused at first toward Uchi's hypersensitivity of Leon and Maron's wellbeing. But that spot was apparently sorer than Ohkura thought because even if Ohkura had apologised a half a dozen of times, Uchi was still ignoring him. Ryo was too stressed with meeting up Yasu and Subaru that he didn't even want to waste energy dealing with their melodrama. They were old enough to deal with their own problems without having him as an umpire.
The plan was easy enough, they had to meet at the school and make contact each on one side of the fence. Just in case something went wrong.
Ryo had prayed when he was alone in the bathroom -the place he could have total privacy- that he wouldn't have to use one of the huge kitchen knife he carried on him. He knew Yasu ever since he'd joinned Johnny's. They were together so often, they shared so much.
And Subaru...Ryo felt a bit chocked up thinking about him, he hadn't seen him in over 2 months now. Subaru was doing a series of shows with FiVe in Osaka when this happened. Ryo had been in the train coming from Tokyo. They were supposed to meet in studio two days after that.
But that never happenned. Airports, train stations and everything public shut down after the mass attacks started. The only places that started to open up were churches.
Ryo was never more glad that he had vetoed against it after they had watched a special broadcast over the internet of churches that had been blown up.
The night was cold than he expected but Ryo didn't want to wear too much in case it might slow him down. The walk had been uneventful so far and it was grating his nerves raw. There weren't any sign of life so far. Nothing.
They were in Osaka for fuck's sake! Not that it could compare to Tokyo, but they were in a city that was usually so bursting of life. To see it so still made him feel like they were the only living -non possessed- being on the planet.
Ryo stopped to check his watch as they neared the school, it was barely a block away but he needed to know how long they'd have to wait. He felt a pressure against his back and twisted around to see Ohkura lifting his hands in defense. He had obviously not seen Ryo stop and bumped into him.
Ryo's heartbeat was so fast, it rivaled the ticking sound of his watch. He nodded toward Uchi who uncapped his bottle of sake and let the lid fall on the pavement. Ohkura put his right hand in his jacket where a flaregun was hidden. Not that Ohkura was much of a good shot, but at close hand it was harder to miss. Ryo was the best at closehand combat on the three...not that it was hard considering how Ohkura would whine at the mere scratch and that Uchi was beaten at wrestling by Tegoshi of all people.
They had a good 20 minutes to go, so they made their way toward the school even slower. Careful to listen to any strange cracking sounds or footsteps. They were positioned on their side of the fence when they saw a bright yellow jacket in the darkness.
Ryo was sure that if Hina wasn't miles and miles away he'd slap Yasu so hard for dressing up like a big flashing target. At his side, far more discreet in a dark blue coat and cap was Subaru. They both smiles nervously at Ryo the moment they came within earshot.
They looked like themselves. But Ryo wasn't going to take a chance.
"Sho-chan, Subaru-kun. It's good to see you." Uchi greeted, his voice wavering a little with emotions. Ryo shifted his weight, worrying that Uchi wouldn't be able to do his part in the plan. He had also stashed a little bottle of sake in his pocket but he'd have to let go of the knife in his pocket to do that.
He wasn't ready to let go of the knife.
"Hiroki-kun, Ryo-chan, Tacchon. I missed you." Yasu said, and even if they were still a bit far, Ryo could see tears in Yasu's eyes.
Then again, Yasu was often quick to cry over anything really. And Ryo knew that he didn't have to turn his head toward Uchi to know that he also would close to tears.
"How are you guys?" Ohkura asked softly, festing his eyes on Yasu. The two of them were close, not that anyone in Kanjani8 wasn't close to one another, but Ohkura and Yasu shared a lot of friends and spent a lot of free time together. Ohkura always had a bit of a man crush on Yasu.
Ryo had teased about it once but Tacchon had replied -like the brat he was- how Ryo had a crush on half of the Jimusho.
"Okay." Subaru replied even if everything from the tone of his voice to his posture suggested otherwise.
"So what are we doing?" Yasu asked, gesturing the fence between them.
As much as Ryo wanted to circled it and hug them both, he still wasn't sure if they were who they said they were. Apparently, Uchi could read his mind because he threw the entire content of his bottle of the two of them on on three go to make sure the liquid touched their skin.
Yasu and Subaru reacted.
But not in the way Ryo feared they would.
Subaru wiped the sake off his face with his coat's sleeve while Yasu rubbed away the drops on his forhead with his fingers.
"Uchi! What the fuck are you doing?" Subaru asked annoyed but obviously human.
"What did you threw on us?" Asked Yasu coming a bit closer.
"It's sake!" Uchi said excited, digging in his pocket to take out another bottle that he sprayed on Yasu who had not received as much as Subaru did.
"Uchi! Stop throwing sake at me!" Yasu cried out, wiping the alcohol with his scarf. Subaru stepped in closer and glared at Uchi.
But Uchi was far too overjoyed to be intimidated.
"It's to tell if you're not a demon. It's to prove that you're not. We found that if you splash someone with it and you're a demon it makes smokes. Ryo-chan, they're okay, they're not demons." Uchi said creeping closer to Ryo with a goofy grin on his face that Ryo wasn't sure if it would ever grace Uchi's face again.
"Really?" Yasu asked, his cute face was wearing a frown and he inched closer to Subaru.
"Amanozake Boso-shu had holy water in it." Subaru said absently.
"What?" Ryo asked, alerted by this new information.
Subaru looked up to see 4 pairs of eyes looking at him.
"That's something Maru said to me once. We were drinking together and he said that he learned that Amanozake Bosu-shu had holy water in it for a blessing or something." Subaru explainned, his cheeks blushing a little for some reasons.
There was a pregnant pause as the rest of them assimilated the new information. It was such a Maru tidbit of useless -or so they thought- thing to know, it made them miss even more their friend.
"Alright, you proved that it on us, now do it on you." Subaru commanded, sounding far more older than he was.
Ryo couldn't fault him even if a tiny voice of him was yelling at him that it was futile to waste the sake. They could always raid another store for the sake. He nodded at Uchi who poured some on his hands before doing the same to Ryo. Uchi walked to Ohkura who extended his hand expecting the drink on his skin.
Only, Uchi threw the rest at Ohkura's face.
"That's for mocking my dogs." Uchi replied a shadow of a smile on his lips. Ohkura looked at him dumbfounded before rubbing his hand on Uchi's hair, messing his head up.
"Stop it!" Uchi whined, stepping barely half a step away, still in arm's reach.
"Now, can we go somewhere safe?" Subaru asked, as angsty as Ryo was to get out of the open. Ryo motionned the exit a few meters away and watched as Yasu jogged to reach their side. There were quick hugs and reassuring touches before Ryo motionned that they should go.
The 5 of them marched quickly toward the apartment building, it was a long walk away yet Ryo felt his body was far more lighter than before. He met Subaru's serious glance and he knew that he really wasn't alone anymore.
Something was changing and maybe, just maybe, things would maybe go back to normal.
Or what would be left of normal.
TBC
AN-The thing with the sake & holy water is very untrue. But it is a brand from Osaka.