[fic] The Things We Can't Control - Chapter 19 ~Part Two - Junno's Tale~
Title: The Things We Can't Control
Author:
prettyorianna
Pairing: Akame. Others to be added later.
Rating: NC-17.
Genre: crime drama au
Beta by: my cat Gemma. okay, seriously, nobody
Disclaimer: I don't own KAT-TUN, any of its members, any other JE people. I write this for fun and for other fans of these fine folks. But don't steal my plots, mmkay? I put a great deal of time into them except for when I'm randomly spastically spitting words onto a page. But I value those too...
Summary: Two criminals with vastly different styles meet by chance one day. Can they work together or will they end up destroying each other?
Author's Note: Here's the rest of the chapter. The two parts have different names but the full name of the chapter itself is "Two Arguments and Junno's Tale" so... enjoy!
BANNER BY DESHISORABA!!
Warning: This gets graphic often occasionally, containing at the very least foul language, character death, nefarious crimes, rape, etc etc.
The Master Posts:
On my journal - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_ Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the akame_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the je_kamenashi Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the kattun_fanfics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
On the jin_fics Community - The Things We Can't Control Master Post
Chapter 19 Part Two ~Junno's Tale~
“Iriguchi, deguchi, Taguchi desu!” Junno’s cheerful voice greeted them as Jin, Koyama, and the other Kizuna members whose names Jin couldn’t quite remember entered his pawn shop. Jin groaned. Did Junno have to tell that same joke every single time?
Though, it’s not like the man would stop even if Jin complained. Hadn’t he already tried that more than enough with no results?
On the way over, Koyama had explained that someone had robbed the pawn shop, trashing it pretty badly. Junno had a very clever hiding place for his illegal side business as a fence which the robbers didn’t find but his legitimate business was mostly on hold until he could get the place cleaned and take inventory. So Kame had decided to send some help from Kizuna, to clean or anything else Junno needed to get himself back in business and figure out who had the nerve to hit his place.
But before Jin could even say why they were there, someone familiar stepped out from the back room. Some Jin had been hoping to avoid for, well, forever.
Detective Nishikido Ryo.
Maybe he wouldn’t remember Jin? It had been four years since that botched Starbucks robbery north of the river. He should have known that job was a bad idea. His getaway driver was inexperienced and spooked when Jin ran out of the café with a cop hot on his tail. Just his luck that the place he hit had an off-duty cop at a table near the door. Jin barely was able to dodge past him.
When his driver left him behind, he had no choice but to run. He figured, if he could get across the river, he’d be fine.
But the man followed him south of the river. Jin eventually managed to shake the guy and made his way to the building he was squatting in at the time. Only it turned out the cop was from south of the river as well and Jin kept almost running into him. After the 3rd time, he asked around and found out the detective’s name and that he habit of sticking his nose into everyone’s business for the right price, which was a plus if you had money but a hassle if you didn’t. So Jin decided it’d be best to move to a different police district.
So what was he doing at Junno’s?
Maybe Nishikido wouldn’t recognize him? It was such a small robbery, really, even if it had been at gunpoint, and it was unsuccessful anyway. But, no such luck. Their eyes met and the corner of Nishikido’s mouth turned up in a smile.
But he didn’t say anything. Instead, he turned to Junno. “That broken lock… you were right. Amateur work. Real sloppy. I’ll put some feelers out but you have to understand, it’s not my jurisdiction. I have a few contacts and the people who did this are probably bragging on the street anyway. Probably a bunch of fucking kids. If I find a name, I’ll call you and you can decide what you want to do about it.”
And then Nishikido whispered something to Junno though Jin couldn’t hear what it was and then Junno shook his head, not bothering to whisper his response. “Jin? No, that’s not possible.”
Something else and this time Junno nodded.
And Nishikido walked out right past Jin and Koyama and the others without so much as another glance.
The pawn shop was much messier than Jin had ever seen it. “Hey, Junno, did you lose something? What’s with the mess?”
Beside him Koyama facepalmed. Junno gave him a look like he said something foolish and the other Kizuna members standing behind him started snickering. “What? It’s a simple question!”
Koyama leaned in and whispered, “He got robbed a couple days ago. That’s why we’re here to help him clean and get organized again. Well, except you. You’re supposed to buy the surveillance stuff for the kids. Though while he gets what you need together, it’d be nice if you’d actually help the rest of us.”
"I forgot..." Jin got the impression that Koyama thought he was lazy and possibly an idiot.
Koyama walked up to the counter and handed some kind of letter to Junno. “From Kame.”
Junno opened it and scanned the letter. A huge smile slowly broke out. “Kizuna is the best! Okay, let’s see… I’ve mostly got the back taken care of, but the lock on the back door is smashed. I got a new one finally and I was going to install it right after Nishikido-san left but it looks like I’ll be getting together some equipment for you guys.” And he went on and on, assigning cleaning, inventory, and repair jobs in rapidfire to Koyama and the four other Kizuna members, all of whom immediately set themselves on whatever task he assigned them.
Then he finally addressed Jin. “So, you’re with Kizuna now? Good for you! You’ll do fine with them. Good folk. Let’s see what I have that you need… What kind of devices are you looking for today?”
Even with his shop in shambles, Junno was smiling. He always smiled. Always. It was unnatural! But Jin didn’t say it out loud. He wasn’t that much of an idiot no matter what Kame might think. “Audio. Easily concealed.” Now what else had Kame said? “Something that stores the recording in the device itself would be best, if you have it.”
“… if I have it…” Junno muttered, shaking his head. “How long have you known me? Two years? When have I ever not had something?”
“Ah, yeah… sorry. I’m just under a lot of stress. My friend Tatsuya’s in trouble and-”
But Jin didn’t get to finish his sentence because Junno’s smile dropped and his eyes widened and he was suddenly very, very still. “Ueda Tatsuya?”
“You know Tat-chan?” Jin asked, floored. As far as he knew, Tat-chan never went this far from Papa K’s stroll. “How do you know him? He never comes out this way, at least not in the three and a half years I’ve known him. He never strays too far from Papa K’s stro-”
“No, not anymore he doesn’t,” Junno interrupted and he sounded very bitter for a moment before switching to a more worried tone. “What happened? What’s wrong with him?”
“He tried to leave and Papa K found him,” Jin sighed. “I have until Friday to come up with $40,000. Except that Kame says it’s a ruse so we’re trying something else…”
“Everything you need. No charge. Excuse me but I have to make a phone call. Now. I’ll… right… minute…” and a very rattled-looking Junno retreated to his office and Jin heard the click of the lock.
Well, he was in limbo waiting for that equipment. He’d never bought anything like that from Junno so he didn’t know where to find it and even if he did, he really doubted it was where it was supposed to be. The place was a total mess. Might as well help with the cleaning until Junno came back out.
And Junno did eventually come back out. It seemed like he had been crying but Jin didn’t ask. It wasn’t his business if Junno had cried or not, though it did prove he actually could. Jin honestly doubted the man could do anything but smile but now he had proof that wasn’t so.
But he did have to ask, “How do you know Tatsuya?”
“We dated. For almost two years.”
“He didn’t mention he was dating someone.”
“It ended four years ago. That lying bastard pimp of his stole him from me!”
Jin gave his full attention as Junno told him the whole story.
“He had been working for Papa K for about nine years already when we met by chance. I finally saved up enough money so I was scouting out locations for this pawn shop and I literally walked right into him. I didn’t know he was a whore. I just… one look was all it took. It felt like destiny, you know? So I asked him out to dinner. But he turned me down because he thought, well… he thought I was trying to trick him.
“But I wrote my phone number down for him anyway and I guess he didn’t immediately throw it away because the very next day I got a call at home. He told me that ‘the cards’ said I was okay and he apologized for being so cold to me. He said we should meet up for that dinner before he had to go to work. I asked him what he did for a living and he just said he was in sales.
“So we had dinner and maybe a few too many drinks. We were chatting like old friends, on into the night. Only when Tatsuya realized it had gotten dark, he pretty much fled the place. I could tell he was scared but I didn’t know what for.
“He finally called me again three days later. We met for coffee and he was sporting a black eye and he seemed really skittish. I begged him to tell me what was going on or at least give me his phone number. I thought maybe he had a boyfriend already, an abusive one. I wanted to help. So I followed him when he left and I saw. I saw what he did for a living. I was going to sneak away again but he spotted me. Our eyes met and he looked so… oh, I don’t know, heartbroken I guess. And I guess I was too. It hurt seeing that look in his eyes.
“I thought, that’s it. He’ll never call again and since he’d dodged giving me his number, it wasn’t like I could call him. But he did call, early the next day. I can’t say that first conversation wasn’t awkward but somehow we got past it and we started spending almost every morning together. Sometimes we’d go on lunch dates, or sometimes we’d go on a picnic at one of the riverside parks along with cousin Maru since this was back with Maru still lived with me.
“And Tatsuya brought those stupid faerie cards with him everywhere because he didn’t want the others he lived with to find them. He had a real sense of luck and fate and destiny, you know? He said to me once that…” and Junno choked up a bit, like he couldn’t get the words out.
But after a bit, he finally managed to continue with, “Well, that’s between us. Anyway, it took a while for him to be comfortable enough to… well, I mean, I never pushed, you know? I wanted him to know I was different even though I wanted to be with him. But those card apparently told him it was okay or something. I dunno. But it was… lovely. He couldn’t stay the night because he had to work, though.
“But one too many times of Tat-chan showing up with bruises… I offered to support him and keep him safe. My pawn shop was finally set up. I’d picked this location based on his advice… or, well, it was yet another thing he asked those cards. And, whatever else I may think about destiny, he wasn’t wrong on this.
“I can still remember that picnic where Maru stumbled on those rabbits. Before then, I was letting him run his guns out of my back room, but Tatsuya drew a card and then told him that if he’d take those rabbits with him, take good care of them, and try to find them good homes for no profit, his luck would turn around. Which, I guess it did.
“Anyway, he agreed. He was going to come stay with me. But he wanted to say goodbye to the others first. We didn’t know Papa K had figured it out. Tatsuya was supposed to come straight back after grabbing his things and saying goodbye but instead he vanished for two weeks. And when he came back, he started accusing me of all these horrible things. He said that I’d been sleeping around with Papa K’s other whores, buying time with them behind his back and that everything I’d ever said to him was just a lie.
“He slapped me and fled my apartment and… well, I tried to talk to him again. I showed up at Papa K’s stroll, begged him to listen. But… it was the strangest thing. I’d get near and suddenly all these different boys would be hanging on me, like they somehow knew me. They called me by pet nicknames that I’ve never gone by and… I still don’t understand it. But Tatsuya wouldn’t come near me. He wouldn’t listen.
“I kept trying. For a three whole months, I’d go down there at least once a day. Different times of day. But nothing worked… Three months and he still wouldn’t believe me and I guess I can’t blame him since the other whores were hanging all over me despite the fact I kept pushing them off.
“And finally, I just stopped going. I never saw him again. The look in his eyes, whenever I showed up… he was in so much pain and I couldn’t keep putting him through that. I never heard from him again. Neither did Maru and they’d gotten pretty close, almost like brothers.”
Jin couldn’t remember ever seeing Tatsuya with any sort of cards before and he’d always been so cynical about destiny. He’d literally said to Jin one time that fate was bullshit and that there was no such thing as a pure love. Tatsuya had said people could be friends with each other but that the human race wasn’t capable of more than that.
Was this why? Had he not always been like that?
But Junno continued, “Please, Jin. If he’s in trouble, find him. Help him. I’ll give you anything you need and I already called Maru and he’s said the same thing. And tell him… tell him I want to see him. Please. I still love him. I know it’s stupid, but… He’s in my heart and he always will be.”
And Junno gathered up everything they needed for Kame’s plan and then Koyama drove him back to the church.
Kame greeted them eagerly, asking, “How much did it all cost?” But Jin just wordlessly handed him back all the money. “Wait, this is everything? Did you not…”
“It was free,” Jin said distractedly.
“Free? Oh, tell me you did not rob Junno’s!” Kame practically shrieked.
But Jin was only half-listening. Rather than answer whatever Kame just said, he instead asked, “Ne, Kame… do you believe in destiny?”
“… have you been hanging out with Maru too much lately?”
“No, I… Nevermind.” But then what Kame said sunk in. “No, I didn’t rob Junno’s! He said he and Maru both will give us anything we need to rescue Tatsuya, free of charge.”
Kame actually looked impressed. “How did you manage that? They’ve never done that for our rescues before!”
“You never rescued Ueda Tatsuya before.”
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
The story continues:
Chapter 20 ~Fights, Rumors, and Lies~
A/N: Well, I managed to give you one side of the JunDa while sticking to Jin and Kame. Chapter 21 will have the kids' mission. But Chapter 20 is of course back to past!Kame.
At least you know a bit more about Maru's rabbit obsession! Yay for that, right? But I wonder what Papa K did to convince Tatsuya what he was saying about Junno was true?