Phosphorescent Lights: Chapter 1
Every secret has a price…
Title: Phosphorescent Lights
Summary: A photographer with no memories whose goal in life is to seek out what he has lost; a businessman who swore revenge for the death of his lover while desperately trying to escape his fixated reality. Two entirely different men with entirely different lives bound together by the threads of destiny. But little do the two know that they are bounded together by more than just simple destiny…
Genre: Romance/Drama
Pairings: Akame (main) [Jin/Kame] mentions of Jinda, Ryoda, Pin, Kokame, Kamaki, Tegomasu
Other Characters: Jin, Kame, Ueda, Yamashita, Ryo, Koki, Taguchi, Nakamaru, Tegoshi, Massu
Content: Romance, drama, AU [Alternate Universe]
Author: Nerd-san
Disclaimer: I am not in any way affiliated with Johnny Entertainment
…are they willing to pay it?
Phosphorescent Lights: Chapter 1
“The president’s making his way over here!”
A random voice filled with nothing but raw fear voiced loudly, and at the mention of those words a few of the employee’s faces fell. The cheerful chatter, the hearty atmosphere that had been there a second ago, left.
The rest of the workers looked as helpless as the others, fluttering about, scooting this way and that in hopes of preparing themselves in time.
A. Jewelry’s president rarely made personal visits down to the offices, but when he did, it was never to bring about good news. Over the coarse years, everyone had gotten used to the cruel notion.
Someone’s going to be fired, it was a thought every single one of those employees had dawned over, but none were too stupid to actually say it aloud. Nervous grips on the edge of their computer desks, glassy eyes that shone with a stealthy understanding of fear…another day.
Nakamaru buried himself in a pile of paperwork set in front of his computer, cutting the teasing chatter with his co-worker, Taguchi. His fingers were trembling atop the keyboard but he paid the anxious quiver no attention. The president didn’t like insecure employees.
And surely, there he was, clad in his threatening black business suit and overpriced dress shoes with his personal secretary by his side. His hair was graying with age but his eyes still held the same intimidating air of indifference.
“Change the lights,” he commanded.
His secretary, a much younger man named Ueda Tatsuya - Nakamaru was faintly familiar with him - nodded as he took out his cell phone. “Yes, sir.”
Ueda Tatsuya. He was the only person who had furtively aced his interview for the harsh company. At least, that was the rumor that was going around. Another was that he was secretly going out with the CEO who had interviewed him.
But looking at the man now as he obediently made some calls on his cell phone, nodding authoritatively at the responses, Nakamaru saw this as impossible.
Ueda was far too straight-laced for that. Not to mention the CEO was a guy. And the company strictly banned anything of that sort.
There was another rumor floating around. Actually, there were plenty - one was even as farfetched as to say that the president actually killed someone. Nakamaru didn’t believe it, but then again there were many untold things amidst A. Jewelry. Anything was possible.
There was even that one incident that A. Jewelry had managed to keep quiet for the most part from the media; Taguchi who had worked here for far longer than Nakamaru had told him.
An employee had committed suicide.
Rumors were kept between the lower-ranking employees; it was a sort of secret that they shared amongst themselves in a clandestine rebellion seeing as most other privileges were taken away from them.
Some gossip said that the CEO wasn’t like the president. But that had already been evident, even for Nakamaru who had been one of the newer employees.
The CEO slacked in his work; his expensive attire was usually worn in a messy, disobedient manner and - as some said - he hated the president with an unprocessed craze. And he made it clear.
“Everyone listen up.” Taguchi gently nudged Nakamaru as Ueda’s superior voice broke the uncanny silence.
“From now on there will be no more phosphorescent lights in any of the offices. They’re unethical and a waste of the company’s money. Anyone seen in possession with any sort of phosphorescent light, I don’t care if it’s emitting from your watch or whatever it may be, from tomorrow onwards will be fired. Do I make myself clear?”
The request was met by hesitant nods as Taguchi began playing with the strap of his necklace. Nakamaru looked over at it; it was the one they had bought together at the beginning of the year.
Taguchi wouldn’t let it go with its odd glow. He frowned as Taguchi hurried to pocket it. It was made of phosphorescence.
The president himself made no noise asides for the gruff cough that followed Ueda’s orders. He nodded in approval at his secretary’s superior tone. The two walked off, Ueda lightly supporting the president’s movements, and Nakamaru looked back at Taguchi who gave him an apologetic smile.
“It’s not our fault,” he murmured and the two turned back to their respective computers.
Nervous grips on the edge of their computer desks, glassy eyes that shone with a stealthy understanding of fear…
…another day.
“Geez, it’s so disgustingly dim here!”
The workers looked back and immediately relaxed at the awkwardly soothing voice and clumsy steps that followed their customary click-clack pattern of twos. Click…stop…clack…stop…
Why was it that they found estrange comfort in that voice? Simply put, because it was the only voice that was able to get away with things they had never even dared to dream of saying. Nakamaru turned around and cautiously nodded in the man’s direction.
His presence was always this noticeable. Jin scratched his head as he whined royally. “What gives?” He asked, and looked around at the uneager workers for answers.
“The president’s changing the lights, sir.” Nakamaru explained, “The new fluorescent bulbs will save the company well over thousands of dollars!” Taguchi was the only other one who was able to hear the lack of enthusiasm in his voice.
“Honestly why haven’t we thought of this earlier?” Another laughed in a falsely good-natured way.
Jin’s brows furrowed with anger as he glanced around. “W-What?!” He croaked with utmost anger. “He can’t just do that! Why the hell are you letting him?!”
A shy female in the back hesitantly raised her hand, unable to remember that this was not school, but Tokyo’s most prestigious, over-priced, voracious business company, “Akanishi-san, he’s the president…” her voice almost broke as she squeaked.
“And if he asked you to change your family would you?!” Jin shot back; the malice laced in his voice ran far deeper than he thought it would.
The female looked distraught, as if inwardly chastising herself for going against the man. She bowed her head lowly, “I-I’m very sorry…”
Jin ran an enraged hand through the strands of his perfectly muddled hair. “God damn it…I knew he’d try to pull something right before I left.” The multi-colored phosphorescent lights randomly scattered about the building were the only things Jin had left to remember that person…
…and the president knew it.
“Stupid old man!” Angrily, the man punched the nearest wall, gripping his wounded fists by his sides afterwards. He ignored the rants of the uneasy few in the room and stormed out of the room. He wasn’t going to let that man get to him.
He rubbed his temples consciously and looked down at his watch. It was almost noon and his plane left at two. He would deal with the problem when he returned. It wasn’t everyday that he had received a five-week paid trip with his lover.
And thinking of it now; that was the same reason he was now hesitant of leaving. He couldn’t let the remains of his lover be discarded by the president.
A part of him assumed that he had already moved on. That he had accepted the reality of the situation - that he had accepted his reality. But that wasn’t true.
Jin hopped in the red sports car his friend had bought him for his birthday and hurried to start the engine, scrambling away at his unfastened seatbelt.
He stepped on the accelerator.
The faster he got out of here, the better.
◦●○◦
Kame stifled a yawn and stretched his hands well above his head as he glared back uneventfully at his opened laptop. His report wasn’t going anywhere. Again.
“Geez…” He pouted outwardly at the thought. His boss had wanted a written article to accompany his latest photograph but, as usual, the man’s mind had gone blank at the most crucial of moments.
He hated writing; he wasn’t sure if he had always hated it or if it had just come with the passage of time, but Kame was sure that he would much rather be outside taking inspirational prints than being cooped up inside in his small apartment, eating away his time in front of his aging laptop.
Tiredly, Kame looked back at the screen before shutting it abruptly. His photography was successful enough without the need to add in any written reports, but his boss had made it ominously clear that it was required.
“Damn it…” He groaned lazily as he stood up and walked past the small hall and into his basement, which he had turned into a darkroom so he would be able to self-develop his own photographs. It was much faster than taking them to the store, and to an extent, cheaper.
For months now he had been saving up to move back to Tokyo.
There was no ‘back’, really, because for as long as he could remember he had been living in Okinawa. Taking pictures in Okinawa. Falling in love at Okinawa.
A part of him wanted to forget about his old self - his old selves - and to simply live the life he lived now. A successful photographer with his beautiful girlfriend, small apartment and rusting laptop. He was satisfied with his life now.
But still, the human curiosity ate away at him; he wanted to know.
Tokyo would be a final trip for him. A final destination before he gave up trying to figure everything out altogether.
He assumed that, perhaps, something there would trigger his lost memories; the doctor’s strongly opposed of this decision and refused to let the man out of their sights for the first few weeks of his waking.
It was almost three full years now.
Kame waited. He waited and waited for his memories. Maybe with time they would simply seep back into his head. He had no such luck.
Steadily the days turned to weeks, the weeks to months and there still was no sign of anything.
Kame’s life remained unchanged; he would take pictures in the mornings, go out with his girlfriend after her classes finished, eat, catch up on any missing housework, watch the occasional movie with a friend, sleep… and repeat the same procedure the next day.
Other than that, nothing out of the ordinary occurred. In fact, his life was as ‘the same’ as it was the day before, and the week before, the month before…
Kame entered his darkroom and sighed contently. The red glow emitted from everything around made him feel truly at home. He smiled at the random photos he had hung around the room with his girlfriend.
It wasn’t his idea to hang such memorable pictures where one could hardly see them, but somehow the sense of secrecy between them was more than enough of a reason. He traced the outline of her silhouette in the nearest photo and chuckled.
They had been dating for three years now, but that had been more than long enough for Kame to realize that he was truly in love with her. She had accepted him. She had accepted him even after he had told her about his amnesia-prone state.
And that was why today he was going to ask for her hand in marriage. Or rather, in Kame’s case, her ear in marriage.
Under one of the shelves in the room, Kame consciously dug through the drawer until his hand kindly brushed against the velvet material he had been searching for.
He didn’t remember his mother; really. Any memories he had shared with the women had been long forgotten. Eight years forgotten, to be exact. It was his father who had given him this precious family heirloom in his place and passed on words that had been from his mother.
“Give this to the woman you fall in love with, Kazuya.” He could almost picture his unexplained father telling him this. “It was your mother’s last wish.”
Kame didn’t remember his father, either. Any and all information regarding the two had been passed on through his doctors. It was a heartrending life, he admitted: to forget and start again only to forget again and return to square one.
But regardless, she had accepted him the way he was.
It was far more than Kame could ever ask for.
It was coincidental, really, the way they met. Twenty year-old Kame had snuck out from the hospital, still going through a phase of denial and impulsive regret. He had gotten his hands on a camera, desperately snapping away at pictures of anything in hopes of remembering something.
She was there.
She was completely angelic sitting under the setting sun, blank canvas ahead of her, frowning lightly at the disappearance of the sun. Kame peeked over to see the paint set across from her no matching the disperse colors of the sky she had been so urgently trying to paint.
He was lucky that it had been a Polaroid camera. Gracefully, he walked up to her and stuck the photograph he had just taken in front of her. Luckily for her, it had matched the colors in on her canvas, saving her the great deal of starting another wash of acrylic assimilation.
Recalling that moment, Kame remembered that their expressions had matched that day. Lost, hurt, confused. Kame had found someone who had been as perplexed about life as he was.
The rest was more or less, self-explanatory, if not muddled in with moments of sheer chance. He had snuck out of the hospital again. She was there again. They didn’t exchange many words at first; Kame would take a picture of whatever it had been that she was drawing and she would accept it.
When he was discharged, they had started going out. It wasn’t a big development, there were no misunderstandings between them; it was a normal, peaceful relationship that neither of the two expected to last for too long.
They were wrong however, and with each passing day, Kame could feel himself needing her more and more. It was then that he had declared his love for her, which at first had her taken aback.
She didn’t need much convincing, however, to return his love. And just like that, their meaningless encounter had turned into the most meaningful thing in Kame’s life.
That had been the first memory he had ever made. He took the velvet case carefully opening the contents inside. There was only a single earring: the last thing he had to remember his parents. His old life. He held it to great importance.
And today, he was going to give it to her.
◦●○◦
Ueda emotionlessly made his way back to his luminous office as soon as he had seen the president off for the day.
As soon as he closed the door and made sure that there was no one else around, he gracelessly slumped in his chair, harshly chucking his suitcase in the corner and let out the aggravated sigh he had been holding in for too long.
Some days he thought back on what the CEO had told him when he had first started working for the company. Some days he laughed at the naivety of it all; some days he regretted not listening to him.
Today was one of the latter days. If there had been a job as frustrating as being the president’s personal secretary, Ueda was yet to find it.
Perhaps he and whoever it was in that occupation could empathize with each other about their dreadful, unfulfilling lives. He doubted it.
If there was one reason that Ueda could get through his day, it was Akanishi Jin.
Akanishi Jin. His boyfriend of exactly one year. Quite the opposite from the usually refined and quiet Ueda, but it was a refreshing change.
They didn’t act like lovers at work; merely co-workers who simply co-existed with each other’s presence. But that didn’t change the fact that they were together.
Strictly forbidden; something very unlike Ueda. Ueda the perfectionist. Ueda, the president’s evident ‘favorite’. He was sure he would be far less than anything he could ever think of if anyone were ever to find out.
Ueda let out the shaky breath he couldn’t remember holding. But everything was like that at the company. There were certain things that were best kept to a person’s self.
Five weeks, that was the only though that had gotten Ueda through today. He could leave this conflagration for five weeks. He put the leave under business reasons but he and Jin knew better.
France - that was their romantic destination to make up for the past few weeks of minimal contact. But minimal contact was required to lift the heavy suspicions circulating around him and Jin. And they both had understood that.
The stealthy knock on his office door jerked Ueda out of his trance and hurriedly he picked up the suitcase he had thrown earlier, placing the bag neatly on his desk. He straightened his angrily crooked tie and cleared his throat before heading for the door.
An artificial expression glued to his face, Ueda slowly but confidently opened the door. He felt his heart sing at the possibility of it being Jin, but quickly dispelled the thought as soon as it came.
Jin wouldn’t - he couldn’t - see him at work.
“Yes?” Ueda’s synthetically commanding tone asked even before turning the knob.
He didn’t have time to waste with worthless employees; he had better things to be doing. Like driving down to Jin’s apartment to pick the man up, for one.
Even though they worked in the same building, the two made sure to keep a healthy and noticeable amount of distance between them. Today’s plan had been that Jin would leave work before Ueda and drive home, waiting for the older man to pick him up before driving off to the airport.
Ueda blinked back the shock as he did a quick once-over at the figure in front of him. They had already opened the door the Ueda had his hand on and now the president’s favorite could only wonder why his grip on the doorknob had doubled in strength.
Nishikido Ryo.
He had a sort of reputation around the company - Ueda wasn’t deaf to the rumors, he merely chose to ignore them. Nishikido had been the closest person to the president asides himself. If possible, even closer. He had been working for A. Jewelry for years now.
But looking at the sullen man now, Ueda could only wonder what business he had with him. They weren’t close. They weren’t friends - not exactly enemies either; simply put, they ignored each other’s existence.
But when Nishikido had mouthed the words Akanishi Jin, Ueda’s heart stopped. He had a rough estimate as to where the unwanted conversation was heading.
◦●○◦
Yes! Finally an entry that's short enough that I can use black font. (Seriously the other one annoys me to death) Yes! Yes! Yes! *Celebrates* ^_^;;