authors_paradise | LOVE in the Phi

Pairing/Characters: KinKi Kids, Akame, UchiRyo, OC, (probably some side-pairings)
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: Don't own the JE boys (duh!), but OCs are mine and I created the story
Warnings: bad language, mentions of sex, bit angsty
Multi-Chapter

Intro: Koichi has to come out to Ryo about his affiar with Uchi. Interesting facts are revealed in this process. And while Ryo seems to have something to hide and Koichi feels completely over-strined, there's still also the question of Tsuyoshi's role in the course of events. What will detecvie Kajima reveal? And are there maybe even more suspects?

Note: Update. ^^ I'm very glad that I can update this story again so soon. ^^ I had a lot of fun writing this and I think Kajima-kun is a very interesting guy, although he keeps doing things in a kind of nasty way that bothers me, even though it's... it's hard to explain. Like, I totally dislike what he does, but I like the fact that he acts in this way. Strange, huh? ^^" Anyway, here's the new update in two parts.

“Uchi and I are having an affair.”
Ryo was merely sitting there, staring at the other. He bit his lip, shifting slightly.
“I… you’re having an affair?” he finally asked in disbelief. “How… how did that happen?”
“Nishikido-kun, I’m really sorry,” Koichi tried.
“You’re sorry?” Ryo barked out. “Then why do you take away my lover?”
“I have no such intensions,” Koichi assured him.
“Then, why?!” Ryo demanded. “Why did you do it? Why did you not care that he’s with someone? Why are you telling me this now?”

Koichi gulped as he saw tears forming in the corner of the other man’s eyes.
“I… don’t really know what to say,” he admitted, “or how to explain. I’m sorry it happened.”
“Sorry my ass,” Ryo spat at him. “I don’t want you to ever go near him again.”
“I understand,” Koichi nodded. “It’s… it’s over. I’ve come to tell you that it’s over.”
Ryo’s eyes were piercing him with their stare. The younger man bit his lip hard and had his hands cramped into tight fists. After another moment, though, he simply turned around and fled the room. Koichi sighed, gripping his hair.
“I told you, this is gonna be disastrous,” he muttered miserably. “Uchi’s gonna hate me too.”

“I don’t know about that,” Kajima admitted, “but this was important.”
“I still don’t get it,” Koichi sighed. “Why couldn’t I have told Uchi-kun, so he can at least tell his lover in person?”
“I didn’t want him to get involved too much,” Kajima explained. “He’s still among the suspects, because he was close to you. Plus, there was no need to tell this guy anything.”
Koichi blinked. “Huh?”

“Nishikido Ryo is now the main suspect,” Kajima told him, “because you didn’t tell him anything he didn’t know already.”
Koichi stared. “That’s… impossible.”
“It’s a fact,” the detective retorted.
“How did you conclude?” Tsuyoshi asked evenly.

“I didn’t even have to read his face,” Kajima explained. “While he’s a good actor, his reaction was totally not the one of someone who only just learned that their lover is cheating on them. It is in our nature to protect the ones we love. If this had hit him as a new, unknown fact, his first reaction would have been denial. He would have sworn that it can’t be true, that probably you have the hots for Uchi and want to try and cut into them, at the very least, he would have called the other immediately to verify your point. But he merely accepted what you told him. He already knew it was true. Plus, he didn’t ask you any of the questions that stir you, when you hear about something like this. Like `How long has it been going?´ or `When did you tend to meet?´. Stuff like that. He knows all of that.”

Koichi gulped. “That means, he knew what was going on between me and Uchi… But why did he never say anything?” he asked, frowning.
“That’s yet for me to find out,” Kajima stated. “I was hoping that Uchi would help me with that, but as it turned out that sadly Nishikido-kun indeed knew about your affair, he might be reluctant to talk to me and give me information that might be bad for Nishikido. Sadly, I can’t force him, since I’m not in an official investigation.”
“If Nishikido really knew about this affair,” Tsuyoshi mumbled.
“Tsuyoshi, please,” Koichi dragged out desperately. “We’re talking about Nishikido. Do you think he could…? I mean, he’s so…”

“Koichi, everyone is a saint in your world,” Tsuyoshi cut him off. “Fact is that bad things happen. People do those things. I’m not saying that it makes the person itself bad, but you know, we have to face that something did indeed happen and everybody could have done it. Every criminal has a family, you know. Friends. Lovers. That’s just the way it is. You can’t tell who would do something to you by the way they generally act around you.”
Koichi looked sternly at the other for a long while. Then he sighed.
“I understand,” he muttered. “But really… Nishikido…”

“I’m not saying it’s him,” Tsuyoshi continued. “Just that it’s possible.”
Koichi gave a weak nod. “All of this is really bothersome…”
“It is,” Tsuyoshi agreed.
“I’ll take a short leave to the toilet,” Koichi announced, getting up.
Once the door closed behind him, Kajima shot Tsuyoshi a bright smile.
“While we’re alone,” the detective said merrily, “shall we do our part?”
“What do you mean?” Tsuyoshi asked, blinking.
“You…” Kajima probed carefully, “What’s your relationship with Koichi?”

Tsuyoshi tensed visibly at the question. He understood, of course, that he too had to be questioned. Following his own logics, he would be a suspect, just as everybody else. And yet, the way Kajima asked his questions bothered him.
“We’ve known each other forever,” he explained with a shrug. “We’re like family to each other.”
Kajima nodded in understanding. “How long have you known him now?”
“It’s 20 years now since we first met.” Tsuyoshi smiled lightly. “I can’t believe it’s been so long already. Feels like only yesterday that the two of us met.”

“And you’ve been working together a lot too?” Kajima wanted to know.
“Yes,” Tsuyoshi nodded. “We were assigned to working together pretty soon. It wasn’t easy at first. We were so different from each other… But in the end we worked it out.”
“So, you’d say that your working together works fine,” Kajima mused.
“Absolutely.”
“And you’ve grown close during this time too.”
“Yes.”
“Becoming friends.”
“As I said…”

Kajima didn’t even listen to Tsuyoshi’s explanations anymore, making his next point already.
“Do you love him?”
At that Tsuyoshi stiffened. “What… do you mean?” he asked warily.
“Just what I said,” the detective shrugged. “Do you love him?”
“Well,” Tsuyoshi said, licking his lips. “Of course, I’m… fond of him…”
“You know what I’m on about,” Kajima smiled at him.
Tsuyoshi sighed, shaking his head, yet gave a soft smile. “I confessed to him a while ago. A long while, actually.”

“How are your feelings today?”
“I… I wouldn’t say I’m stuck,” Tsuyoshi mused, “but I’d lie if I insisted that I’d reject him if he approached me.”
“So you have feelings for him?” Kajima wanted to confirm.
“Yes,” Tsuyoshi nodded. “I love him indeed.”
“Does he know?”
“I think he does,” Tsuyoshi sighed.

“Tsuyoshi-kun,” Kajima said, bracing his body. “Did you violate Koichi because he wouldn’t willingly give himself to you?”
Tsuyoshi tensed visibly. Kajima’s eyes bore into him and he felt like jumping up and punching that guy for suggesting such a thing. He understood, though, that Kajima was going for his reaction. Most probably he wanted to know if he could trust Tsuyoshi with delicate information. He recollected himself, trying to look at least a little bit dignified.
“No,” he finally answered, simply, but intensely.
Suddenly Kajima smiled warmly at him. “I thought so,” he analysed. “Just had to be sure.”
Tsuyoshi nodded vaguely.

The next moment the door opened and Koichi returned into the room.
“Sorry,” he apologised. “Took a while.”
“Not a problem,” Kajima waved him off. “I’m done here anyway. I’ll go and have a look around the house. You guys… well, do whatever you usually do.”
“Right,” Koichi nodded.
He felt relieved that finally Kajima would leave and he could rest for a while. It was only when the detective had left the room that Koichi realised that there was another issue still in the air. He looked at Tsuyoshi and smiled nervously.

“I guess I owe you an explanation,” he sighed.
“It’s okay, Koichi,” Tsuyoshi smiled. “You really don’t have to. Whatever your reasons… they are your own.”
“Thank you,” Koichi whispered.
“Just… why him?” Tsuyoshi asked carefully.
The other sighed. “It’s the same question,” he analysed. “ `Why him´ – it’s the same as `why not me?´ ”
Tsuyoshi merely shook his head. “I don’t mean why did you choose him instead of me,” Tsuyoshi explained. “I mean, why did you take someone who’s not free?”

Koichi stiffened slightly. “It’s… not like I had planned for it,” he defended himself. “I know that it’s wrong.”
“And yet you did it,” the other analysed.
“Well, it’s not like I suddenly jumped him out of the blue in the dressing room,” Koichi answered a bit more bitingly.
“But?” Tsuyoshi asked, feeling his guts twist slightly.

He really didn’t want to hear how Koichi got to be intimate with another guy, but they were still trying to figure out the mystery of Koichi’s… well, whatever it had been, so every piece of information might help. He was, of course, also – despite the stinging feeling – curious about the matter.
“He did it,” Koichi said silently.
“What do you mean?” Tsuyoshi asked, narrowing his eyes.

“I don’t know,” Koichi sighed. “It was like… he spontaneously decided to hit on me. He approached me. At first I rejected him, but he kept coming again and again and… I guess he got me in one of my weaker moments and that’s how it all started. Before I even knew what was really going on, we were in the middle of a highly delicate affair.”
“He was the one who initiated it?” Tsuyoshi asked, surprised.
Koichi merely nodded, hugging his knees to his chest. “I knew, of course, I shouldn’t go there. But… I was feeling lonely too.”
“Horny, you mean,” Tsuyoshi sneered.

“And what if?!” Koichi bit out. “Maybe I was a bit desperate. I know he wasn’t the one to go for. But he kept approaching me, offered himself. Am I now a bad person, because I wanted to fulfill my needs? Because in the end I didn’t resist when something I wanted was being offered to me?”
“No, Koichi, you’re not a bad person,” Tsuyoshi sighed. “I understand… at least a little bit. But I wonder about Uchi-kun… he wouldn’t have had such problems.”
“Who knows,” Koichi shrugged. “It’s not like just because you’re in a relationship, everything’s working out fine for you.”

“Are they having problems?” Tsuyoshi asked curiously.
“I don’t know,” the other admitted. “I never asked. I felt that it wasn’t a good idea to probe. But Uchi seemed a bit… desperate. During the rehearsals too… Sometimes he completely spaced out.”
“You should tell Kajima about it,” Tsuyoshi suggested.
“Why?”
“Maybe… I don’t know,” the younger man admitted. “But maybe there is something that he’s hiding too. He seems wicked enough…”

“It was my fault too,” Koichi sighed.
“How?” Tsuyoshi asked, voice a bit tight.
“Do you really want to know?” Koichi asked, smiling sadly.
“It’s okay,” Tsuyoshi decided. “Anything that helps solving this.”
“Why are you so…?” Koichi shook his head. “Why do you care so much?”

“Koichi… Do you remember back when I had those strong attacks? You kept sitting by my side at night when I couldn’t sleep because I was scared of getting on stage. When I was medicated, you kept carrying that weird bowl because I would get sick sponaneously every now and then. When I felt off on stage you took over the entire show, giving me time to rest whenever there was even the smallest slot. You read about every book on the subject, wanting to learn everything about it. How could I not care about someone who has given me so much of his love and attention?”
Koichi smiled warmly at him. “Well, if you don’t mind…”

_______________________________________________________________________________

Koichi eyed Uchi nervously. It was out of their usual routine to spend time together between shows. That day their break was a bit shorter, though, since there’d been problems with the stage that had to be settled. Thus, some guys had decided to stay in for the second show, just buying a small lunchbox. It still felt weird – especially since Uchi wouldn’t leave Koichi’s side. As though he was waiting for them to be alone – which they were at the moment. Koichi eyed the boy again. He was not paranoid, though. That guy had repeatedly approached him with very distinct intentions. To questions about his current relationship and why he so badly tried to engage with someone else the other blocked completely.

The situation was difficult. They were acting together, they often got physically close and Koichi found himself in an uncomfortable situation. He knew Uchi was in a relationship. Whether it was happy, or not, was not really a point in the matter. Uchi was not free. However, he kept giving him hints, was suggestive, gave him ideas and initiated physical contact. And while Koichi was not a man to get involved in someone else’s relationship, he certainly was not unaffected by such advances. The fact that he hadn’t had any in forever didn’t exactly help either. More than just once he’d found himself wavering and fled the scene in order to keep himself from doing something really stupid.

“Koichi,” Uchi addressed him, voice soft, slightly insecure.
“Hm?” As Koichi looked up at the other, he frowned. “What…?”
“Sorry,” Uchi apologised. “It felt bothersome, so I scratched…”
Uchi had scratched the skin of his eye that had been hurt in the show. It had healed pretty well, but Koichi knew very well that the crusting skin could feel annoying. It seemed Uchi had been too impatient with getting rid if it, though.
“You’re bleeding,” Koichi stated, getting up and fetching a patch and a bottle of antiseptic. “Sit down over there,” he instructed as he grabbed a tissue from his box.

Uchi obediently seated himself, closing his eyes.
“Okay, I’ll make sure it’s clean and then patch it up,” Koichi informed the other.
“Ah,” Uchi complained, a pained expression coming to his face when Koichi started to dab the wound carefully.
“Stop being such a child,” Koichi complained, rolling his eyes. “It’s important to keep wounds clean.”
“Mh,” Uchi agreed, braving the stinging pain.

Once it was over he sighed in relief. Koichi smiled mildly. This boy looked totally tough, he was tall and rather stud and he had a loose mouth. But when things got a bit rough he turned into a little boy, getting whiny and hiding himself. Koichi carefully placed the patch on the bleeding skin of Uchi’s eye.
“Your vision might be a bit limited again,” he analysed.
“It’s okay,” Uchi told him. “I was scared last time around. But you were great and made sure everything went well, so now I’m not so worried.” He opened his eyes slowly, glancing up at Koichi. “Because you’re there with me…”

Koichi gulped. “Ah, all done,” he declared awkwardly.
“Koichi,” Uchi whispered, pulling on his senpai’s arm, dragging him forward.
It would have been a lie, had Koichi insisted that he couldn’t have resisted the force of Uchi’s tugging. But really, a man had his limits – and he’d reached his. This man was touching him, touching him with intent and he so very badly wanted to…
“U-uchi-kun,” he breathed out, as if to call the other to reason, but in the very same moment he closed his eyes, admitting defeat.

And the boy latched on immediately, pressing his lips against Koichi’s insistantly. It had happened before. Once, or twice. This time, however, he did not resist. Warm lips were moving against his, inviting him to participate in a promising kiss and he dismissed all of his doubts and simply latched onto the feeling. Uchi sighed happily when he felt Koichi responding.

_____________________________________________________________________________

“Okay, thanks. I don’t need all the details,” Tsuyoshi decided.
Koichi inspected him warily, licking his lips. “Tsuyoshi… it never meant much to me. As you said before I was basically horny and he was… willing.”
“I was willing,” Tsuyoshi reminded him. He took a deep breath. “I still am.”
“Oh, Tsu…”

“I’m sorry,” Tsuyoshi stated tightly, trying to calm himself again. “As I said, you don’t owe me explanations. I also understand when you say you were confused back then. Just this one thing… Do you really not know? The way I feel about you? My feelings for you never changed. I mean, I’ve come to terms with what we have, but when I’m being honest… you are the one. I don’t need any explanations, excuses, or whatever. I just want to know whether you know… while you treat me the way you do.”
Koichi bit his lip. “Tsuyoshi…”

“You can always lie, of course,” the younger man offered. “It’s not like I can tell.”
“Shit, Tsuyoshi,” Koichi barked out, sounding hurt rather than annoyed, though. “Why do you say such things? Why would I lie to you? How could I, when you ask me like this?”
“You’ve lied before,” Tsuyoshi reminded him. “And very discretely so.”
“Tsuyoshi,” Koichi sighed sadly. “I… I know about your feelíngs. Or maybe… I kind of suspected that some of them might still be there.”
“And yet you act so casually around me?” Tsuyoshi asked, his own voice a bit pained too.

“Well, I didn’t know what else to do,” Koichi explained. “What could I have done? It was… I couldn’t handle it. We agreed to stay colleagues and friends, so I decided to treat you like that. If you felt off about it, why did you never say anything?”
“Because… it hurt to think of it,” Tsuyoshi said helplessly.
“I didn’t mean to hurt you… But why is it my fault now?”
“No, I don’t mean…”

“I didn’t do anything,” Koichi demanded. “You said it’s okay to be friends. I thought in the end you were okay with it, no matter your feelings. Why…?”
Koichi merely shook his head and fled the scene. Tsuyoshi sank back against the couch, sighing. That hadn’t exactly gone well.

What now…?

“You know,” Jin sighed rather pleasantly, “I really missed it. Being here.”
“You missed being in Shinjuku?” Kame asked curiously.
“No,” Jin dragged out, rolling his eyes. “I missed being here. At home. It’s strange, you know. All I ever wanted was to get out of here. But now that I’m so far away most of the time, I can’t help missing it. Stupid, isn’t it?” he grinned.
“Mh,” Kame made, shaking his head. “I think I understand. It’s really… I guess it’s a human weakness. We always only ever start missing things when we don’t have them anymore.” A slightly sad smile came to his face. “I wonder whether I’ll miss it.”

“Miss what?” Jin blinked, confused.
Kame smiled at him. “Dream Boys,” he explained. “It’s our last season.”
At that the other stared. “What?!”
The younger man just kept smiling. “It’s not like I feel reluctant,” he stated, “but looking at you now, I can’t help wondering whether I’ll miss it later… I guess it is a bit stupid.”
Jin laughed lightly at that, making Kame blink.
“I never would have thought we’d ever agree on anything again,” Jin said, sounding happy.

Kame chuckled lightly at that. It was true, he and Jin had had a rather cold base of communication. In that very moment he felt a bit reluctant about that, but he remembered all the pain, the tears, the sleepless nights Jin had caused him, always keeping him close, but never actually taking him, pun intended. Jin would approach him repeatedly, but then, as soon as he’d reached out his hand to grasp him, the other retreated again. After a while Kame had started to save himself the trouble of feeling rejected and simply pushed Jin away in the first place.

“Kazuya… Why was it again that we fought so much?” Jin asked, sounding sad.
Kame felt as though he was being choked. Why did Jin ask that question now? In that situation? And calling him by his given name? Not that the name thing bothered him – which in itself was bothersome. But really… what to tell him?
“Well,” Kame finally mumbled. “I guess we just… didn’t match.”
“People don’t get into such a situation just because they don’t match,” Jin opposed. He stopped in his tracks, looking at the other. “Was there something? Did I do anything?”

Kame felt panic rising in him. He bit his lip nervously, not knwoing what to do or say.
“You never did anything,” he finally managed.

…which was actually the problem. You never… No, you did something. You did. But you never finished anything. I didn’t know what to do. You kept doing things, but you never pulled through and I simply couldn’t take it anymore. So, whenever you came near me, I pushed you away… because I couldn’t bear it. Being close, but never able to… How could I have told you?

“But?” Jin asked, ripping him out of his thoughts again.
“But… nothing” Kame insisted. “We simply didn’t match.”
“Okay,” Jin sighed, “then just tell me what exactly I did to make you feel this way.”
“I don’t know,” Kame spat at him. “What – you think I remember every little detail that annoyed me?”
“Were there so many things?” Jin asked, sounding a bit hurt.
“Jin, did you come back here exclusively to ask me this?” the younger man asked bitingly.
“Yes.”

At that Kame stared. He hadn’t expected such an answer.
“I don’t know,” Jin sighed. “Somehow I couldn’t forget about it. I always kept thinking it over again and again and I couldn’t get it out of my mind. So I thought I had to come and sak you in person. I mean, I always thought I really did everything. To make it a pleasant relationship, you know. And now you’re saying that so many things annoyed you. I just want to know where exactly I wronged you. It’s not like I mean to mend anything now. I’m expecting it’s way too late for that. I probably should have asked you this a long time ago. But I really thought I at least have to know.”

“And this came to you months after you left?” Kame asked, sounding dismissive.
“No,” Jin sighed desperately. “I told you, I couldn’t stop thinking about it. Just one thing,” he pleaded. “Just tell me one thing I did that hurt or annoyed you.”
“How about your constant nagging?” Kame said sarcastically. “You can never give it a rest. I simply didn’t want...” he broke off.
“What?!” Jin insisted. “What did you not want?”
“I didn’t want you stalking me anymore,” Kame finally burst out.
“Stalking you?” Jin repeated, sounding baffled.

“Yes, you kept following me around, asking me to hang out, dropping by unannounced and whenever I tried to retreat a bit, you came on even stronger. And I simply didn’t want it.”
Jin took a while to comprehend that. Then his face darkened.
“And what,” he asked daringly, “is so hard about saying that you want some more space? You always only kept jumping in my face and bitching like mad, but you never actually managed to tell me what you wanted.”
“I thought you’d get the message at some point,” Kame said with a shrug. “How could I have known that you’re such an idiot?”

Jin bit his lip hard. “Well,” he finally pressed out, “sorry for being such an idiot. You could have talked to me, though. Or at least not give me mixed signals. I mean, you never completely put an end to it. Sometimes you’d be nice and…”
“Well, I tried to stay on good terms, you know, since we were working together,” Kame explained, trying to sound matter-of-fact, while he himself knew exactly that he’d had weak moments in which he’d seeked the other’s presence.
Jin merely shook his head. “Maybe I really am an idiot, because I totally don’t get you. Or maybe Pi was right,” he mused.

“Yamashita?” Kame asked, apparently surprised. “What did he say?”
“That you like playing hot and cold,” Jin sneered slightly.
Kame merely stared at the other, taking in the last words. And then something broke in him. He approached the taller man furiously.
“What – ME?!” he demanded. “I’m playing hot and cold?!”
“Well, it seems you have trouble making up your mind,” Jin confirmed.

Hearing that Kame simply snapped. He grabbed the hem of Jin’s shirt and punshed him right in the face, sending him straight to the floor. The next second his eyes widened in shock, looking at what he’d done. Jin recovered slowly, pushing himself up a bit, looking back at Kame, first in disbelief, then in fury. He jumped up and grabbed Kame just as the other had done to him a moment ago. Kame stopped breathing. He had never seen the other like that. Jin was totally out of control, glaring at him and Kame thought he’s simply beat him until he collapsed, fist at the ready. He was terrified, yet unable to even try to free himself from the fierce grip. Then suddenly he was released again. He stared as Jin stepped back.

“Oh my god,” Jin choked out. “Look at us.” He shook his head in defeat. “I… whatever it is, I can’t fight it,” he said miserably.
Kame gulped bitterly as he saw Jin’s eyes getting wet.
“I’m sorry,” Jin pressed out, angrily blinking away the tears. “I’m sorry I upset you so. I… still don’t know what it is, but I see now that it doesn’t matter. Because whatever it might be, it’s stronger than me. I promise you, I’ll never ask you about it again. Okay? I’ll just… disappear again.”

Kame bit his lip. Was Jin still apologising, even though he’d hit him? He would have deserved an answering punch. And why did Jin look so miserable? Had he done that? Why did the other even care? Why was it so important?
“Why?” Kame mumbled, not even realising he was saying anything aloud. “Why did you come? Why did you seek me out again? Why do you still… bother me with this? Why can’t you just forget it?”
“I don’t know,” Jin admitted. “But somehow I can’t. It hurt me every time you pushed me away. And I just wanted to know why.”

Kame sighed deeply. “Okay,” he finally breathed out. “It’s not like there’s anything left to lose. You really want to know?”
“Yes,” Jin answered eagerly. “Yes, please.”
Kame smiled sadly at him, moving closer. If he really was to reveal it to the other, he’d at least get what he had wanted so bad – even if it was only once. Give and take.
“That’s why,” he whispered, darting forward and pressing his lips on the other’s.

For a moment he thought the world had stopped. He could feel Jin’s lips against his, unmoving and tense, but yet warm and plush. There was a slightly sweet taste to them too. But then he felt the world starting to roll again as hands grabbed him and pushed him to a considerable distance. Jin simply stared at him, eyes wide.
“What?!” he stuttered out, shaking his head.
“Are you really gonna force me to say it?” Kame asked bitterly. “Well, okay, then. I fell for you. And badly so. And then I couldn’t handle the way you kept flirting and teasing, but never taking me in. So I did the only thing I could think of… I kept my distance. And it hurt even so. Every time you… we… I just couldn’t handle it. There, now you know it.”

He eyed the other warily, feeling highly uncomfortable. Jin, however, would simply stand there, staring off into space. Finally he couldn’t take it any longer.
“Sorry,” he said simply and with that walked on, leaving Jin standing there alone.
Jin had other things on his mind than wondering where Kame might be off to, though. He was still trying to process what had just happened. Why it had happened. And how on earth he should take it.

“Here.”
Jin jumped as the voice next to him. As he looked properly, he saw a young man standing there (when had he gotten so close? Had he really spaced out so bad? ), holding out a handkerchief to him. He looked a bit off in his worn clothes, but he didn’t seem dangerous. Jin merely blinked at the item offered to him, first not really understanding what he should do with it.
“That looks pretty bad,” the man continued, nodding towards his face.

Jin blinked, touching his face carefully, feeling a wet substance. He was shocked for a moment, realising that he was actually bleeding. Then he finally accepted the hankerchief, cleaning himself vaguely.
“That was definitely an assault,” the man commented. “You should report him.”
“Ah,” Jin sighed, still wiping his face. “It’s really nothing,” he assured. “He’s just… feeling off, I guess.”
“Because his play was shut down?” the man asked.

Jin eyed the stranger warily. “Who are you?” he asked carefully.
“A fan,” the man answered simply. “It’s a shame the play was cancelled.”
“It wasn’t cancelled,” Jin retorted, “it wasn’t scheduled for next year. Big difference. And really, I don’t know a thing about it. I’m only here on holiday.”
“Oh,” the stranger said, surprised. “But you seem to know him.”
“Well, I do,” Jin admitted. “We… used to work together.”
“Used to?”

“I guess we… didn’t match,” Jin grinned weakly. “Or rather he fell in love with me, but never told me and instead started to ignore me, while I had no idea what was going on.”
“Well, that sounds… complicated,” the man admitted.
“Ah, Kazuya isn’t a simple person,” he said with a smile, shaking his head. “Never saying anything all this time.”
“Are you mad about that?” the stranger asked.

“You bet I’m mad,” Jin answered. “I mean, I’m the one who was… well, tricked might be saying too much… but still… why did he never say anything?” Again Jin shook his head.
“Would you have accepted him?” the man asked bluntly.
Jin stared. Then he considered the other, tilting his head slightly. “Why am I having such a conversation with a person I’ve never seen before?” he wondered.
The stranger merely shrugged. “I was just wondering.”
“Who knows,” Jin finally stated, smiling a little bit to himself. “It’s been so long… And shit, I am pissed at him.”
The man nodded. “Understandable.”

“Thanks,” Jin grinned weakly, handing the handkerchief back.
The stranger waved him off, though. “Do keep it. I have plenty.”
Jin merely shrugged and put the item away. “Okay, thanks. Gotta go now.”
“Good evening,” the man said, nodding slightly.
“Good evening,” Jin answered politely, before leaving the scene.
The man kept standing there, watching after him. His hand went into the pocket of his sweatshirt, grabbing a slightly worn MahJonng tile.

Kamenashi Kazuya… Well, he’s still not top on my list. But with this little display here… his criminal energy is unexpectedly high. He doesn’t mind assault too much. And with his play being cancelled… Tsuyoshi-san already told me that Koichi is often the victim of envy. There might be something to investigate here…

Kajima sighed, letting his hand slip from his sweatshirt.

I’ll have to do some more research…

_____________________________________________________________________________________________

Omg! What are Kame and Jin gonna do now? Mah, Kame is such an impulsive guy and Jin is unexpectedly sensitive. Ihaven't written him like this before. Well, I haven't written him with Kame before, maybe that's why. ^^ Kajima is such a perceptive guy. He's gonna find out what happened for sure. I hope you guys enjoyed it. ^^

Hand 1

Hand 3