On the Street of Dreams

Chapter summary: “How old are you, Mr. Uesugi?” the detective asked, helping the sweating author.

***

Interrogation


It was total chaos outside the Kyoto Clinic. Traffic was being diverted around the scene. What traffic was getting by was slow going as curious drivers squirmed around in their seats like they had ants in their pants as they tried to see what was going on. Sharp, angry honks permeated the air as drivers stuck further back in traffic had no idea what was going on, lost their patience.

The area around the clinic had been cordoned off by yellow police tape. A wall of people gathered around the crime scene, eager for a glimpse of something to satisfy their curiosity, something they would be able to brag about to their coworkers the next day.

“You’ll never guess what I saw…!”

A small, white compact car sat as a silent assassin several yards from where the thick, dark red pool lay congealing in the late summer evening. The cars windshield was a spider web of cracks.

Tatsuha could still hear the unnaturally loud squeal of the brakes, the thunks as Taki Aizawa, he would learn later, rolled across the hood and then crashed into the glass. It had been a god-awful sight. He had nearly regurgitated everything he had eaten that day. The emergency medical technicians arrived on the scene faster than normal. He figured they had been in the area, maybe having just completed a run, or something, but as fast as the EMT’s had arrived, Tatsuha had a feeling that in the end it would not matter.

He watched the Crime Scene Technicians as they studied the scene of the deadly accident. Markers littered the roped off crime scene, pictures were taken, statements made by various people who had “witnessed” what happened. The cops had hulled his brother off after several eyewitnesses stated he had driven like a maniac, nearly causing several accidents. They also claimed Eiri had threatened Taki. If it were anyone other than Eiri, Tatsuha would not have believed it, but it was Eiri. It was when his brother did not make a threat that got Tatsuha worried. He hoped his brother could get himself out of this mess. If for nothing more than for Shuichi’s sake.

He turned his head away from the grizzly sight of the accident and caught sight of the driver of the car that hit Taki, a panicky brunette who could not be more then twenty, being interviewed by another officer.

“He just came out of nowhere,” she sobbed, wide eyed in what Tatsuha could clearly see was shock. She began panting, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “Oh God! It was like he just fell out of the sky! I…I just…I didn’t have time to stop…!”

The police officer bent his head down and started speaking in low, soft tones to the panicky woman, probably trying to calm her down so she did not start hyperventilating. Over her shoulder, he motioned for one of the EMT’s. A small, thin man rushed over and escorted the young woman back to the ambulance, speaking in the same low, soft tones.

His eyes roamed over to the ambulance where his brother-in-law was now resting. He hoped Shuichi was going to be all right. He was extremely worried about the kid. So much has happened recently. He has been through a hell of a lot in just the past twenty-four hours.

Tatsuha had no idea how or when, but sometime during the chaos, Ryuichi showed up. Tatsuha could not recall if he had called his boyfriend or if the singer found out some other way. It was all a big blur, but no matter how Ryuichi came to be here, he was glad he was.

“Mr. Uesugi,” said a brash voice pulling him out of his thoughts.

Tatsuha blinked and turned back to the police officer before him. There was nothing outstanding about the guy. He was of medium build, average height and weight, black hair and dark eyes just like everyone else in the country. His uniform was crisp and clean. He was a man you would easily forget the second he walked away.

“You said you did not know, Mr. Aizawa, correct?”

“Uh, yeah,” Tatsuha nodded. “I think Shuichi knew him, though. It seemed like they knew each other anyway. And I think my brother had a run in with him before.”

“Why do you say that?”

“Didn’t I warn you?” Eiri hissed, shoving his face into Taki’s. “Didn’t I?” he yelled. Eiri shook the man, banging him against the wall. “Did I not tell you to stay the fuck away from him?” he hissed. “Huh! Do you remember what I said I’d do if I saw your filthy ass again?”

The officer nodded, making note of this confrontation. “Do you happen to know what went down the last time they met?”

“Hmm.” Tatsuha shook his head. “Sorry. Knowing my brother, he probably threatened the guy.”

“Threaten? Does your brother have a tendency to go around threatening people?”

Tatsuha snorted. “Just jerks like this Taki guy. And from what little I saw of their confrontation earlier, Taki seemed like a complete asshole. It looked like he was deliberately provoking my brother, too. It was clear Taki was harassing Shu, shaking him and yelling in his face.” He shook his head. He did not blame his brother for threatening the guy and nearly strangling him. He had been this close to doing the same damn thing. “Eiri and Shu are…very close,” to say the least, he added silently, “and Eiri has a tendency to be overly protective of him. I guess when he saw Taki harassing him, he snapped. Especially if it happened before.”

The officer raised an eyebrow. “You said your brother and Mr. Shindou are…close.”

Damn. Tatsuha mentally cursed himself.

“What’s your brother’s relationship with Mr. Shindou?” He lifted his head and stared at Tatsuha intently.

Tatsuha stiffened and paled slightly. He gulped and licked suddenly dry lips. Of all the questions...

What did it matter anyway? What bearing did it have on…anything?

Their relationship? Yes, officer. They are currently dating. No, I don’t know how long, but I do know that they are lovers. From what I understand, my dear older twin brother has buried and emptied himself into the child countless times over the last week or two. They are as close as two people can become. Yes, I am aware that Eiri is twenty-two and Shuichi is only sixteen, but you see they are truly in love. Yeah, right.

Instead, he said, “Shuichi’s my brother-in-law.” Not exactly a lie. Just not the whole truth. He held his breath, hoping the man would not pry any further. He did not want to get his brother into any more trouble than he already was. If Eiri was caught having an inappropriate relationship with a minor, his career as a writer would be ruined and he would be carted off to jail for at least three years and made to pay a hefty fine. It was not that bad of a sentence. It could be worse, but…Tatsuha shivered…he heard stories of what was done to people who were accused of having sex with children. He would not wish that on his worst enemy.

“So, you’re married to Mr. Shindou’s…”

“Half-brother.” Well, not legally. He and Ryu had had a civil union, but why split hairs? He nodded over his shoulder to the ambulance. “He’s in there with his brother now.” He knew they would want to confirm what he just claimed. He just hoped Ryu did not blow this. As much as Ryu loved his brother and wanted the kid to be happy, he was not too partial on his involvement with Eiri.

“Okay,” he said nodding. “In your own words, Mr. Uesugi, tell me what happened.”

A scene played out in the young monk’s head.

Eiri, holding Shuichi protectively, turned his head slowly and glowered at Taki. Much to his pleasure, Taki withered slightly but regained his wits and stood up straight, staring right back at Eiri and just as coldly. “I suggest you leave,” he growled. “Now. Before I change my mind and skin your ass alive.”

“Taki and Eiri were arguing about something. I’m not sure what,” he lied.

It was not as if he got his kicks from lying. If the cops found out he lied to them, his ass was grass and they were the lawnmower, but he felt it was not his place to say anything. It was up to Shuichi. If he wanted to tell the police what went down between him, Eiri and Taki, then that was up to him, but Tatsuha just could not bring himself to say anything. Not like it mattered. What bearing did what they were arguing about have on the fact that Taki tripped over his own damn two feet right into traffic?

“Eiri told Taki to leave. At first the guy refused, but finally Eiri managed to persuade him.”

“How’d your brother manage to do that?”

Tatsuha smirked.

Rage surged through Eiri. He clenched his hands into tight balls of fury and advanced towards the man.

Taki’s smugness vanished and was replaced by a terror deeper than he had ever felt before. He paled, his eyes getting as wide as saucers. He stood frozen to the sidewalk, unable to breathe or call out for help.

Eiri stopped an inch away from the man and leaned his face towards his until their noses were almost touching. “Get. Lost,” he hissed, seething with anger. He watched through narrowed eyes as Taki’s body jerked into action.

“My brother can be very…convincing. Especially when he’s pissed off.”

The uniformed man nodded. “How did Mr. Aizawa fall into the street? What did you see?”

The man stumbled backwards, losing his balance and falling flat on his face. He scrambled to his feet and shoved his way through the crowd. “I won’t forget this,” he called back, beside himself with anger at himself for his weakness and at the writer for just being. “You wait and see! This isn’t the end!”

Growling, Eiri took one-step towards the retreating man and Taki shrieked like a girl, his eyes getting even wider.

Everything seemed to slow down at that moment. Everyone watched as the tall, lanky, dark haired, dark eyed man tripped over his own two feet in his haste to be rid of Eiri. He staggered backwards towards the curb, trying to catch himself. He balanced precariously on the lip of the curb, his arms flailing around like a windmill.

With help from Tatsuha, Shuichi stood up and stared wide-eyed and pale at Taki.

Someone from the crowd rushed forward to help the man, but when their hands hit, it sent Taki tumbling backwards and out into traffic and into the path of an on-coming car. People screamed. Brakes screeched. Tires squealed.

Tatsuha shuddered violently and shook the memory away. The image had been forever seared into his mind. He would probably have nightmares for weeks. “He…he tripped…over his own two feet.” If it were not so serious, the fact that Taki had tripped over his own two feet would have been funny. Now, it was just sad. He took a shuddering breath. “He…He lost his balance and…fell…into traffic.”

He could clearly hear as the white car slammed on his brakes and skidded forward. All the screams. He saw as the car slammed into Taki, the guy’s body jolting with the impact. He flew up and rolled over the hood, slamming into the windshield. When the car finally stopped, Taki’s body flew off the car and sailed through the air, landing with a sickening crunch several yards away.

The police officer nodded. “Alright,” he said, snapping a grateful Tatsuha out of his thoughts. “Thank you, Mr. Uesugi. I have your contact information here just in case we have any follow up questions.”

Tatsuha inclined his head. He watched as the officer crossed the crime scene to join several plain clothed detectives. Sighing, he started towards the ambulance where Shuichi was. He had not taken more than several steps when Ryuichi, complete with his cowboy hat and sunglasses popped out of the back and looked around frantically. When the older singer caught sight of him, he waved. Tatsuha’s heart started beating wickedly in his chest.

“He woke up, Tatsu,” the older singer called.

Tatsuha’s heart soared. “Thank God,” he whispered. He raced towards his boyfriend and their charge.

*

The interrogation room was small, cold and not very impressive. There were no windows or anything luxurious about the place. The boxy room had a table set up against the far wall with two not so comfortable chairs, one on either side of the table. In the corner was a camera that would record everything said and done.

Slouching in one of those hard chairs was famous romance author Eiri “Yuki” Uesugi, an ankle resting on the knee of his other leg. His foot bounced, belaying his impatience. His blond hair was mussed, his golden hazel eyes filled with worry. He brought up the cigarette pinched between his fingers and inhaled deeply, the embers at the tip glowing red. The fingers of his free hand tapped an impatient tattoo against the table top. Blowing out a thin stream of smoke, Eiri leaned forward and crushed out the butt.

When the door to the interrogation room opened, Eiri looked up.

“Finally,” he breathed.

As soon as the police arrived and got a basic overview of what happened, they brought him in for questioning. Because he was not being charged with anything, yet, there had not been any need to slap handcuffs on him. They just placed in him the back of the squad car and brought him here.

“Want anything?” one of them had asked.

“Coffee. Black. And cigarettes,” he added as the man was leaving.

That had been an hour ago. Maybe now they could finally get this whole thing over with so that he could get to Shuichi. He and the pink haired idiot had a lot they needed to talk about.

A different man from the one who had brought him here walked in, a file secured in his hand. He was tall, lanky and had thinning salt and pepper hair. There were small round marks on either side of his nose indicating that the man wore glasses.

The man shut the door behind him and slapped the file down on the table. With an air of calm about him and a face clear of emotion, Eiri looked from it to the man as he pulled out the other chair and sat down with a grunt.

“Mr. Uesugi, my name is Detective Hirano.”

Eiri inclined his head politely, even though inside he was seething with rage and irritation. He so did not have time for this! “Detective.”

Detective Hirano opened the file and pulled out a picture. Turning it around, he slid it across the table to the writer. “Do you recognize this man, Mr. Uesugi?”

Eiri regarded the picture. Without his glasses, the image was just a swirl of color. Unfortunately, his glasses were back in his car back at the accident sight. He shrugged and set the picture back down. “Without my glasses, I couldn’t tell you.”

The detective studied the writer through squinted eyes. “You wear glasses, Mr. Uesugi?”

Duh! Did he not just as much? “I’m far sighted, yes,” he said out loud in a polite voice. Moron, he thought.

“Well, this is the man that you tried to strangle earlier.”

Ah! So, that meant it was a picture of Taki Aizawa. An evil smirk titled the corner of his mouth. If Shuichi had not stopped him, he really would have killed that bastard. It would have felt so good, too. Eiri gritted his teeth and fisted his hands in sudden anger. Bastard. God, he really hated that guy! That bastard had the nerve to touch his Shuichi? Even after he warned him of the consequences? That asshole deserved everything he got! It was just too bad that the clumsy fool tripped over his own two feet. It would have felt so much more satisfying if it had been him pushing him in front of that car. Oh, well. Why split hairs? Dead was dead. Or so he hoped anyway.

The detective studied the famous authors face and saw the hatred in his eyes. “I take it you didn’t like Mr. Aizawa very much.” It was more of a statement than a question.

Eiri snorted. Did not like the guy? That was the statement of the century. He reached for his pack of cigarettes and slid out a white stick, clamping it between his lips.

“You can say that,” he mumbled around it.

“Tell me about your relationship with him.”

Relationship? With Taki Aizawa? What relationship? If you considered wanting to bash the guy’s head in every time he so much as thought of the man was considered having a relationship, then he was guilty as charged.

Grabbing the matches off the table in front of him, he ripped out one from the booklet and folded the paper lid back, encasing the tip of the match. He yanked the match and heard the familiar whoosh as the tip burst into flames. He threw the book of matches back onto the table. Holding the match to the tip of his cigarette, he inhaled deeply. With a couple violent shakes of his hand, the match went out. He tossed it onto the table next to the rest of the matches. Leaning back in the chair, he plucked the cigarette out of his mouth and blew out a long, thin stream of smoke.

“When did you first meet Mr. Aizawa?” Detective Hirano asked, breaking the silence.

Eiri thought about that. When did he have that first memorable encounter with that asshole? Had it really been only last week? “Friday.” That was right. Right before he was scheduled to leave for Tokyo. He had had that unforgettable night with Shuichi.

A picture of his young lover flashed in his mind. A sudden yearning to see the little idiot swept through him. Worry gnawed at his heels. His chest tightened and his throat constricted over a sob as his mind replayed the heart stopping moment when he turned around and saw his little lover passed out in the arms of his brother. He hoped Shuichi was all right.

“Tell me about that meeting.” The troubled expression that flashed across the writer’s face did not go unnoticed by the aging detective. He made note of it and filed it away for later.

Eiri took a long drag of the cigarette, thinking back.

Eiri slowed down as much as he dared to in the heavy traffic, searching for the kid whom had stolen his heart. Shuichi was not hard to spot. Traffic was moderate and there was very little pedestrian traffic on the sidewalks and even if there had been so many people it was like walking through a sardine can, how hard is it to spot a guy with pink hair; for that matter, anyone with pink hair in a sea of black? Not very.

An uncharacteristic smile graced his lips as he spotted the kid standing at the street corner. He felt…elated, happier than he had in a very long time! It was strange that this kid made him feel this way, like he was in a constant state of euphoria.

The smile slipped as he caught sight of a tall, thin man, his eyes hard and glistening with unbridled lust. The guy licked his lips as he stepped up behind Shuichi. Growling, Eiri’s knuckles turned white as he gripped the steering wheel in a death grip. Nobody looked at his Shuichi like that and got away with it. No one! He watched as said guy slipped his arms around the kid’s waist. Immediately, the kid tensed and paled.

Who the hell did this guy think he was? Fucking bastard! Cursing, Eiri yanked the wheel hard, sending the car flying to the shoulder. He glanced in his review mirror and saw that snake with his hands all over his Shuichi! Anger surging through him, Eiri flung himself out of the car, not bothering to turn off the car or shut the doors.

He stalked towards the couple.

He saw Shuichi trembling and knew it was not from desire.

Eiri was blind with rage when he noticed this…this perverts hands creeping down to the boy’s…Eiri paused his enraged gait as he watched in satisfaction as his little lover snatched the monster’s hand from his groin and elbow him…hard, right in the gut. A surge of pride overwhelmed Eiri. He heard the man grunt and double over, staggering backwards…away from Shuichi.

Maybe the kid did not need his help after all.

But then the man straightened. His face was contorted in pain and rage. “Why you filthy little…” He raised his hand and brought it back. “I’ll teach you to smart off to me!”

Eiri cursed, racing towards his lover as Shuichi gasped and closed his eyes, his head turning away from the inevitable. Eiri grabbed the man’s wrist just as he swung his hand downwards.

“He was harassing Shuichi,” he hissed, a renewal of anger flashed through him as he remembered that day.

“What do you mean, ‘harassing Shuichi’?”

Eiri told the officer what it was he had seen, being careful how he referred to the boy.

A scowl crossed the detectives face. “I assume you did not like that very much.”

You think, he thought.

Eiri growled, his scowl deepening. He had no idea who this guy was but hated the sight of him already. He twisted Taki’s arm and forced it behind his back. Ignoring the man’s hisses and small yelp’s of pain, Eiri brought the guy around and smashed him face first into the nearest building.

“What happened after that?”

Eiri leaned forward until his lips rested against Taki’s ear. “Touch him again and you’re a dead man,” he hissed. Shoving him into the building, Eiri let him go and backed away. Shuichi raced forward and latched onto his arm, half hiding behind him.

Taki turned around, favoring his sore arm. He glowered at the couple. “I won’t forget this,” he promised.

The stoic writer slipped off his sunglasses and took a menacing step forward. His golden hazel eyes bore coldly into the dark, angry eyes of the other singer. “You come near him, speak to him, come into contact with him in any way, shape or form and I. Will. Kill. You.”

“And then?”

Eiri leaned forward and crushed out his cigarette butt. “Then he ran away with his tail between his legs.

“Tell me, Mr. Uesugi,” the detective said, leaning forward, “do you always make it a habit of threatening people?”

“Only if they touch something that’s not theirs.”

Detective Hirano regarded the man who was rumored to be stoic and heartless. He sat back in his chair. “Tell me, Mr. Romance-Man-“

Eiri cringed and gritted his teeth. He absolutely hated being called that. Condescending idiot.

“What were you doing outside an abortion clinic?”

Eiri’s head snapped around. He stared wide eyed at the detective. An abortion clinic?

“I suggest you leave,” he growled. “Now. Before I change my mind and skin your ass alive.”

“Oh, no,” Taki shook his head. “Not until I get some answers!”

Eiri glanced at his lithe lover out of the corner of his eyes when he felt him tense. Shuichi’s hold on his shirt tightened. It was almost as if he were holding on for dear life. Letting go of Shuichi, Eiri started towards Taki, but Taki stood his ground. “I. Said. Get. Lost,” he hissed through clenched teeth.

Taki stood nose to nose with the blond haired, golden eyes romance author. “Not until he tells me why the hell he was heading into an abortion clinic,” he hissed right back.

“What?” Eiri heard Tatsuha gasped.

Shock and disbelief crossed Eiri’s face, pausing his irate march towards the dead man walking. Shuichi? An abortion clinic? What the hell was he talking about?

God! He had completely forgotten about that in the face of his blind anger and hatred for Taki, the accident and Shuichi collapsing.

“Mr. Uesugi?”

What had Shuichi been doing there anyway? He could remember Taki screaming, “If he’s pregnant I have the right to know...If he’s far enough along that he’s thinking of getting an abortion, than that rules you out as the father, Romance Man,” he snapped, poking a finger into Eiri’s chest.

Oh, my God! Shuichi…was pregnant? Was it possible? Why? How? Eiri felt numb with shock. He collapsed back into the chair, sagging with disbelief. How was it possible? Shuichi was a…a…Guy? No. If the kind really was pregnant then that meant Shuichi was a…neutral. All his earlier suspicions were now confirmed. He was not sure how he felt about that.

He knew he loved Shuichi, had since he first laid eyes on him a year ago in that bar singing. Was the fact that the love of his life was now what some people called a freak of nature instead of a normal male going to stop him from being happy, from spending the rest of his life with someone that made his heart skip a beat, his pulse race and his mouth go dry every time he was in the room?

Eiri jumped when a loud fleshy slap silenced the silence.

“Mr. Uesugi…”

“Uh?” He blinked. Oh, that was right. The nice detective had asked him a question. Now, what had it…Ah, yes! What had he been doing there outside the clinic? Trying to strangle Aizawa, but out loud he said, “I was on my way home from my father’s when I saw that bastard harassing Shuichi. Again.” His eyes were hard, his body tensed with his hatred.

“There’re people who can confirm this?”

“Unfortunately.”

The detective regarded him with a raised eyebrow.

“My family runs a temple and I was going there to meditate. I don’t exactly get along with them and was not in the mood to hear a lecture about my looks or marital status,” or lack thereof, he added silently, “but I ran into my grandmother, two aunts and this chick my father wants me to marry.”

The detective nodded. “Alright. We’ll just have one of the detectives confirm this. In the meantime, tell me what happened today.”

Eiri sighed. This was getting so tedious. All he wanted was to get the hell out of there. So, like a prerecorded message, he told the nice detective to the best of his ability what had happened earlier.

Detective Hirano listened intently and began putting two and two together. When Eiri finished explaining what had taken place, he said point blankly, “You’re obviously very close to Mr. Shindou and have a lot of affection for him.” If he had not been looking for it, he would have missed it. The younger man’s eyes twitched and his already pale complexion lost a little color, but he recovered so quickly that most people would not have noticed it at all. Bingo, he thought. “What’s your relationship to Mr. Shindou?”

Without even having to think about it, Eiri said, “My brother is married to his half-brother.”

Detective Hirano nodded. He had expected him to say as much, but that was not what he was after. “I said ‘relationship’, Mr. Uesugi, not ‘relation’.”

Eiri paled and gulped. He rubbed sweaty palms on his pant legs.

“How old are you, Mr. Uesugi?” the detective asked, helping the sweating author.

“Twenty-two.”

“Umm.” He nodded and leaned forward. “And Mr. Shindou is…?”

“Sixteen. Seventeen in April.”

“Uh, huh. Making him a minor, correct?”

Eiri gulped. Yes, Shuichi was technically a minor. He was six years younger than him and that was what scared him the most. Because Shu was so young, there was a possibility that he would grow out of love with him; that their relationship was not what Eiri thought it was; that the love Shuichi felt was just puppy love, the love of a first crush and not meant to be.

But…but…Ah! Who gave a rat’s ass! He loved the pink haired freak! He did not care what the kid was or was not, if it was true love or not. He, Eiri Uesugi, was totally and inexplicably in love with one, Shuichi Shindou and he did not care about anything else.

He sat up straight in the chair and glared at the detective. Who was this guy to dictate who he could or could not see? Love was love. It was not his fault if the person he happened to fall for was not only a guy but sixteen years old.

Detective Hirano studied the man closely. With a smirk, he shook his head. “Ya know, Mr. Uesugi, it is illegal to have sex with a minor-“

Eiri tensed.

“-but there is nothing that says it’s illegal to fall in love or date a minor.”

Eiri felt all the tension flow out of him in one fowl swoop. He sagged back in the chair and studied the detective in confusion. Why was this guy helping him? It was obvious that he knew the truth about his and Shuichi’s relationship. This guy was no push over and was too sharp and smart to be this dumb.

He opened his mouth to ask him just what the hell was he playing at when the detective pushed back his chair and stood up suddenly. He flipped the file closed and said, “It’s clear that this was just a really horrible and unfortunate accident. You are free to go, Mr. Uesugi.”

Eiri was left speechless. He blinked. “That’s it?”

“Yes, that’s it.” The detective walked to the door and held it open for the writer. “Sorry about any inconvenience.”

Part of Eiri thought this was just some horrible joke, a trick to get him to incriminate himself. The other part said, “Fuck it”. That part won out. He grabbed his cigarettes, matches and got the hell out of the jailhouse as fast as he could. He had to get back to Shuichi. They had a lot they had to talk about.

***