Dead Simple - Chapter 3
Title: Dead Simple
Pairing: Akame
Genre: non-AU, Romance, Angst
Rating: PG-15 starting to think that I might change this in later chapters but for now, yeah
Beta gaea_chan (thanks J1! :D)
Disclaimer: I own nothing but the plot.
Summary: What would you do if life teaches you a lesson… when you’re already dead?
A/N: It’s been, wow, almost five months since the second chapter? I’M REALLY SORRY if you’ve been waiting for this (not that a lot of people are waiting LOL). Same as always, real life stuff getting in the way. Well, just so you guys know, I intend to finish this story no matter how many years months it takes me so if I could just ask a for a little patience from you guys~ xD
Chapter 3
Kame heaves a sigh, probably the fifth - or is it the sixth? - since he took this shaded spot under a tree. He is a little ways outside the temple where his funeral is to be held, his eyes alternating between staring at the green, grassy ground and looking up at the sky. It’s clear and blue today, with a soft breeze every now and then. There aren’t many vehicles passing by the road between the grassy area and the temple grounds; everything is quite serene and still, it seems.
He isn’t much of a fan of randomly sitting under trees and dirtying up his clothes as he marvels over the work of nature, but that’s exactly what he’s doing right now, and maybe more.
Kame is thinking… maybe this is what others call ‘reflecting.’ Mainly, he’s just marveling over his life, over what he had accomplished in the short twenty-six years, how he had worked with so many people, and how he had learned abundantly from them.
If only for that, Kame is forever grateful… He figured that he should come to terms with these indebted feelings now, because he doesn’t know if he would ever get to express his thanks at all - and chances are he would never be able to.
It sucks, though, that he didn’t get to do Dream Boys this year. It would have been his last one, and he would have been doing it with an entirely kouhai cast. Kame can’t help but smile as he imagines Tamamori to be the one to replace him for the lead role next year. He knows the Kis-My-Ft2 member would do very well… Well, maybe now, Tamamori will have to face the challenge a year earlier.
Dying is such a major screw-up to his schedule, Kame thinks. It’s not like it was within his control, but still.
And then Kame remembers another screw-up, probably not as significant compared to not being able to do Dream Boys, but more recent, and more personal.
‘Take care on your way home, Jin… See you tomorrow.’
Kame had immediately wanted to kick himself after he said that last night. As he watched the car speed away, he wondered why he had said those words. To begin with, he had assumed that Akanishi would come to the funeral ceremony. Why would he do that?1
Kame also called his former band mate by his first name… something he had not done in many years. Kame could only suppose that his sudden attachment to Jin is due to the fact that only Jin could see him. In this world, he is not living anymore. For everyone else, he has passed away, and is now but a mere memory.
But for Akanishi, he’s here, somehow hanging on, still existing. Right now, Jin is the only connection Kame has to the world of the living. Jin is the only one Kame can turn to. Kame can go anywhere he wants in the blink of an eye, essentially do anything he wants, but without a mortal body and anyone to hear him, there’s only so much he can do. Kame isn’t sure just yet, but perhaps he still lingers on in this world to find out why he died, and Akanishi is the only one who can help him.
But that is not to say Akanishi can help him with everything. Jin is alive, with a hundred problems of his own. Kame can’t expect him to drop them and help Kame - help a dead person - understand why he’s still here.
Right now, Kame is relying on the feeble bond he had made with Jin when they were much younger - for it, they can face each other and still talk despite all the mess when they were still in KAT-TUN - and Kame knows he can’t push it. Akanishi will probably soon realize that there’s no sense in trying to help Kame. After all, helping Kame won’t and can’t solve Jin’s life problems for him.
Kame is pulled out of his reverie when he sees a familiar vehicle roll up to the entrance of the temple. His nonexistent heart hammers against his nonexistent ribcage as he watches the renowned baseball player Nishioka Tsuyoshi alight the car.
Kame had not thought of him at all after dying, but now that he is here, Kame can’t help but feel a bit of regret and, at the same time, gratitude. He cranes his neck to see better when he spots Tsuyoshi’s ex-wife get out of the car as well. Kame had heard that they are slowly patching things up after Tsuyoshi had returned from America. They may well be on their way to a reconciliation, and Kame sincerely hopes that they will be happy.
Kame lies back down on the grass when he sees the members of KAT-TUN arrive together - a bit of a smirk playing at his lips because today all four men are sporting huge sunglasses that cover half the face, and Kame could pretty much guess why - followed by more Johnny’s talents. He also sees baseball players, TV network executives, magazine staff - Kame had not been too fond of many of them, but he is nevertheless glad that they took the time to come over and honor him for one last time.
Kame sits up again, short of bolting up straight when he sees Akanishi’s car slowing down at the entrance. His heart hammers again, even worse than earlier. What is Jin doing here? The soloist is alone as he gets out of the car, dressed in all black. There is a slight frown on the man’s lips but the rest of his face is hidden by large sunglasses. Unlike how unusual it seemed for KAT-TUN to sport them, sunglasses were a staple to Akanishi’s everyday outfit, so that today, he did not really look any different.
The man walks straight to the entrance, and there’s something in his mindless, mechanical gait that tells Kame that, somehow, things aren’t right today. Maybe Jin and Meisa had an argument? That could be the reason why he’s alone today…
Kame watches Jin disappear beyond the entrance, and now he is thinking twice about going inside and watching the ceremony. What’s the use? It’s not like people will be talking about how he died. No, Kame will hear empty praises - they will be talking about how remarkable and inspiring he had lived his life, and how it’s such a shame that he had to go at such a young age. No one will be talking about their suspicions. Kame doesn’t see the benefit of watching people being exaggeratedly dramatic and emotional over his death.
Yeah, maybe… Kame can delude himself with reasoning out that watching people cry over him will irk him. In truth, he doesn’t want to see his family. He doesn’t think he can bear to watch them cry anymore, especially his mother.
And he doesn’t want to see Jin. The image of Jin being uncomfortable and in some sort of distress is difficult for him as well. Kame doesn’t remember being this perceptive when he was still alive, especially to Akanishi, but again, maybe it’s because of the sudden attachment he has developed for the man.
Getting up from his spot on the grass, Kame brushes dirt off his pants, not realizing that there actually isn’t any dirt. By default, dirt doesn’t stick to dead people’s clothes. Sighing, he tells himself that he would just visit Akanishi maybe later today. He gazes one last time at the temple before he walks away.
oOo
Jin tries not to fidget in his corner while observing the funeral ceremony. He’s more than a bit bored, but it’s not like he can leave anytime. He discreetly checks his watch - he ditched the big white one today for a smaller gold and black in light of the occasion - and makes a small sigh when he realizes that it’s almost over.
He’s been wondering, too, where Kame is. Jin was expecting him to be prowling amongst the mourners like the previous night, but not having spotted the man anywhere has also come as some sort of relief for Jin. He’s not sure about what kind of emotion to display, after all - he should be sad that Kame is dead, but because he knows Kame’s still around, he just can’t bring himself to grieve genuinely.
Weird world, Jin thinks, playing with the pinky ring that is again in his pocket. He had already decided last night that he can’t give it to Kame’s mother… He just can’t.
It’s like saying goodbye to Kame, when Jin isn’t feeling all too somber. Not when he’s going to bump into Kame sooner or later. They still have a mission to do together - yes, mission, because while Jin hasn’t really decided on how or where to start, his brief talk with Ueda had basically convinced him to get to the bottom of things and find out if there really was foul play involved in Kame’s accident.
Perhaps, that’s the reason why Kame’s soul - or whatever it is - still lingers here on earth…
It’s not going to be easy, though. They had not been friends for years, and, while it’s convenient timing that Meisa decided to take a break in Okinawa for a while, nevertheless Jin sticking his nose into police investigation will look more criminal than sympathetic. They will need to think of another way to uncover the truth, and with that thought, Jin can’t help but feel a wee bit excited. Weird world.
As soon as the ceremony is over, Jin is already on his way out. He keeps his head low as he traverses the stone path leading outside the temple, not wanting to attract attention, but he has no choice but to abruptly halt when he sees a sleek pair of black shoes in front of his own. Looking up, he finds Johnny Kitagawa himself blocking the way, and Jin is instantly out of words, barely managing a nod in place of the traditional respectful bow. With the way Johnny gives him a disdainful frown, anyone can that tell the old man isn’t pleased to see him, either.
“What are you doing here…” Johnny says quietly, though there’s no one else around to hear them. His frail, old voice is devoid of emotion, and his frowning eyes reveal nothing but dislike.
“Paying my final respects to Kamenashi… Sir,” Jin replies in what he hopes is a perfect balance between sincerity and defiance. Well, it’s true. He’s here because he once was Kame’s band mate, and no matter what punishment Johnny deals out, the old man can’t erase that fact.
“Kamenashi-kun would not have wanted you here,” Johnny says, and Jin isn’t even surprised anymore.
“Kamenashi wouldn’t have liked you meddling in his affairs even after his death,” Jin snaps back, all pretense of respect gone as he glares at the big boss.
Jin thinks he sees a hint of a smirk - then again it might just be the unsightly wrinkles - before Johnny, in his slow, aged conduct, walks past Jin, muttering, “Go home, Akanishi-kun… The Jimusho will call you if you have work to do. No need to intrude in the affairs of other talents.”
Jin reels, grits his teeth, desperately fights the urge to wheel around and land a punch on Johnny’s ugly, old face. Instead, he glares at the stone path, disbelieving of what he had just heard.
Johnny Kitagawa actually considers Kamenashi’s funeral an agency affair. Forget weird. This is a fucked up world.
oOo
“Johnny-san? Really, Akanishi?” Kamenashi just short of cries before breaking out into something like a cackle, the obnoxious kind of laughter Jin had come to grow tired of from his KAT-TUN days.
Jin glares at the younger man - surprising himself with how easily he resorts to that kind of reaction - before deciding to take the high road and try to reason out instead of, say, being offended by Kame’s stupid laugh.
“Have you even been listening to all the shit I just said?” Jin exclaims, unintentionally sounding indignant anyway.
They had been talking about random stuff and for most of the afternoon, Jin was trying to segue to the topic of Kame’s death and how someone could have had a hand in it, and now that Jin finally got the big theory off his chest, he’s met with something just short of ridicule. Jin can’t believe a dead man’s laughing at him.
“Yes - but - ”
And as Kamenashi can’t seem to contain his glee, Jin sighs, glancing at the clock up on the wall right behind Kame. Meisa had decided to visit her parents while her tummy was still small and she could still travel, and having left so early in the morning, she would of course be settled in her Okinawa home by now. Maybe Jin should make a call… later. Like hell he would do that in front of Kamenashi.
“Listen, I’m just following Ueda’s logic here - ” Jin then says as he raises his beer can to his lips, suddenly cautious, and with good reason, because just then, Kame stops chortling and smiles instead. Weirdly, in Jin’s rightful opinion.
“What - ”
“Amazing how my death turns you and Ueda into the best of friends - ”
“Wow, shut up,” Jin retorts, downing the rest of the can’s contents. Earlier, he had tried offering Kame a drink but was met with a cagey look. Kame then proceeded to explain that he can’t eat or drink because apparently that’s just how ghosts are.
Now Jin grasps how he’s all alone in this spacious house with a legit ghost, and that causes him to grab another can and chug it. If Kamenashi’s going to turn into Bem, Jin will have to be drunk as hell to face that.
“No offense, Akanishi,” Kame continues nevertheless, with a face threatened with another smirk, “But just because Johnny-san hates you doesn’t mean he hates everyone… You know what I mean,” Kame shrugs.
Jin hasn’t met any other dead person to compare, but he thinks Kamenashi is just too haughty for a ghost. Kame raises his eyebrows at the older man inquiringly, and Jin realizes he’s staring. He didn’t even try a comeback for what Kame said, and well, Jin had always thought sometimes it’s better off that way. He had always been used to his friends’ rudeness and even offense, and thinking back, it had been that way with Kamenashi before when they were Juniors, before all the shit that went down.
Kame’s inquiring look turns into a half-smile when he understands Jin is not about to make a retort, and that look stirs up some long-forgotten memory, takes Jin seven years back, makes him feel like they’re friends again… like Jin’s 21 again.
“The gods must really hate your ass if you’re allowed to stay here but can’t taste food or booze,” Jin changes the subject, now wearing a smirk of his own as he takes another gulp.
Kame fully grins before replying, “I would understand that,” and Jin is both intrigued and anxious as to why Kame thinks he would deserve such punishment. Does Kame think he deserved to die, too?
“I just realized…” Kame starts, and Jin listens intently, because this is probably the first time in years that Kamenashi Kazuya is sharing a personal thought with Akanishi Jin, “I really don’t have a physical body anymore,” Kame says at last, not meeting Jin’s eyes, “It’s just surreal. It’s what they call the point of no return, I guess?”
He watches the other man for a few moments, uncomfortable to be witnessing Kame’s vulnerable side this time. In all the years that they have known each other, and for these past two days too, Kame had been nice, haughty, sometimes a smartass, and a lot of times bossy, but Jin had so rarely seen Kame act defenseless that he never really learned how to deal with it.
Jin forces a chuckle as he gets up and plops down on the same couch where Kame sits, wishing with all his heart that Kame is still as easy to cheer up as before, “That’s what they call it, but since when did you care what norms applied to other people?”
It makes Kame look up at him with an involuntary smile, and that makes Jin smile back, and want to push just a little more, try to brighten up the man just a bit more. Jin stretches out on the couch and puts a hand on the back of Kame’s head.
“I can touch you,” he says, not looking at Kame because he doesn’t want to feel cheesy about it, “And it’s something we didn’t expect,” Kame doesn’t move, intently listening, “We don’t know a lot about this whole dying thing, and if you’re still the Kamenashi I knew back then, you wouldn’t be worrying over some mortal body… You’re still here… with me - ”
Jin removes his hand at the same time that Kame moves his head away, and he could only guess it’s because what the fuck is he saying? There’s an ultimately awkward pause which Jin takes full responsibility for by bringing up (again) how Kame is rumored to have died because of someone’s plan rather than an accident.
“And as you’re here, we should try to figure out who would want to kill you,” Jin says, clearing his throat.
“But - aside from Johnny-san because that’s rather implausible - who would want to kill me?” Kame asks, now rubbing his eyes as if sleepy.
Jin shrugs. Kame can carry himself like a diva all he wants, but sometimes he’s still too naïve for his own good.
“Maybe someone who’s had a grudge?”
“You, then?”
Jin scowls at the bad joke, secretly surprised that they’re on this level of friendship so suddenly - the level where Kame would badmouth him without worrying that he’s overstepping some stupid boundary. Yeah, he and Kame were once at that level, and now that Kame’s dead, they’re back there.
Kame sighs and slumps in his spot on the couch, closing his eyes, and Jin feels the man is genuinely tired, and not physically, at that.
“I just don’t have enough reason to believe Johnny-san would ever do that,” the younger man says, eyes still closed.
“Yeah, because you’re his golden boy - ”
“Shut up, that’s YamaPi…” Kame snaps back humorously, “And you, once, a long time ago.”
Jin doesn’t say anything, too glaringly reminded of what had happened, and what he’d done, for him to basically lose the spotlight. And it’s not just the recent events that put him where he is now. Those times with KAT-TUN… truly, they were some of the best and worst times of his life.
He glances at his former band mate and is quite surprised to find the man suddenly asleep, eyes closed and chest rising and falling on a serene rhythm. Heh, a sleeping ghost. Jin doesn’t understand, either, how he’s not entirely freaked out by any of this. Just that...
It’s nice to sit here like this with you… just like old times.
To be continued...
oOo
As you know I started writing this mid-2012 so no DB yet at that time and Meisa was still pregnant. Have decided to go along with it so this is like an alternate future but set in the past kind of thing. You get me? Yes, you do. LOL
Just a quick note:
1 It’s said that if you’re not close to the person who died or his family, it’s normal to go to just either the お通夜 or the告別式.
Leave me a comment? Comments make me happy. LOL
Happy new year, everyone! :D
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