Kiss me to Springtime - 13. Chapter 13

“What did you read?” Soubi asked on a soft gasp.

Ryo trailed kisses on his chest, licking at his nipples gently, and then continued down to his stomach.

“Your story with the two lovers who end up in different continents,” Ryo said, dusting kisses on Soubi’s flat stomach. “Anyone I know?”

Soubi sunk his fingers into Ryo’s coal black hair. “It was just a story.”

“I doubt that. It felt personal. Your words were sad, wistful.” Ryo licked his navel and blew softly on the wet spot.

Soubi closed his eyes, a thrilling charge coursed through him. He adjusted his head on the pillows on Ryo’s bed. A single lamp in the corner provided the only light in the large room.

They’d stayed at the shop until nine o’clock while the locksmith worked and Kaito helped him install the alarm. After a short dinner, they all returned home ready to turn in.

“It was a story I started writing two years ago. The psychiatrist you made me see encouraged me to write it.” Soubi combed his fingers through Ryo’s hair. “She called it an escape from my pain.”

“Who are the lovers then?” Ryo laid his head on Soubi’s stomach his tone gentle. “Were you writing about Rin?”

Soubi loved the weight of Ryo on him. It felt reassuring, anchoring him to the world.

“Maybe Rin, another part could have been you. Or maybe it was my fantasy lover.”

“Your lovers end up separated, Soubi. They’re on different continents, facing marriage and obligations they can’t exactly leave behind.” Ryo shifted and propped his head on his left hand to look at him. “Don’t you think that’s sad?”

“It is,” Soubi said. “In my defense, I haven’t been anything but sad in the past few years, and the story is not finished. I don’t know what the ending is yet.”

“Are you sad now?” Ryo asked quietly, trailing fingers on Soubi’s stomach to the band of his grey briefs.

They both watched his index finger trace the elastic band.

“Obviously not with you doing that.” Soubi winked when Ryo lifted his right brow wanting an answer. “Yes, I’m happy. I’m so happy, I’m scared.”

“What’s there to be scared about?” Ryo demanded kissing his navel.

Soubi jerked when Ryo started tickling him. He started laughing as Ryo got on his knees and started tickling him in earnest. No matter how much he tried to escape Ryo’s expert fingers, he couldn’t.

“Oh my God, you have to stop now! I’m going to pee myself,” Soubi begged in between laughs.

“Not until you say uncle,” Ryo said, moving his fingers to Soubi’s armpits.

“Uncle,” he cried. “Uncle, I surrender!”

Ryo wrapped his arms around him and rolled over to his back taking Soubi with him. Soubi ended up lying on Ryo, their lips locked in a kiss. He moaned as his body woke up, demanding Ryo’s attention.

Ryo cupped his jaw and broke their kiss.

“Surrender your love to me, Soubi.”

“I do,” he replied with a small smile. He pressed a kiss on Ryo’s jaw, and another one on Ryo’s forehead. “You’re turning me into a sappy fool. Do you know that?”

“Do you hate it?”

Soubi chuckled.

“No, I love it.” He studied Ryo’s lips. “Make love to me, Ryo.”

Ryo answered with an abrupt kiss, his mouth smothering Soubi’s gasp. They were naked in minutes, rolling on burgundy sheets. Ryo did his best to drive him mad with need. He cried out Ryo’s name when Ryo took him in his mouth, sucking him to completion. His fingers dug into the sheets when Ryo slid his finger inside him and teased him again and again, until he begged for relief.

When Ryo finally took him, sliding his hot hard length into him, Soubi’s moans filled the room. Ryo gripped his hips and surged into him hard. Soubi wrapped his arms around Ryo’s shoulders, gasping, begging, until there was only Ryo in the world.

“Please,” he cried wildly. Please, Please.

“Please this?” Ryo asked roughly, his cock stroking over that magical spot inside him.

“Yes.”

Soubi trembled, his legs wrapped around Ryo’s waist as Ryo captured his ecstatic moans in his mouth. Their mouths fusing as Ryo reached a hand between them to stroke his cock. They came together, wild cries filling the room as their kiss broke and he bit Ryo’s shoulder the world coming apart.

****

Soubi woke up hours later to a dark room and the covers pulled up over his shoulders. Ryo slept under him, an arm thrown over Soubi’s shoulder possessively. He stayed still for a moment savoring their shared heat. Ryo’s quiet breathing comforting, his steady heartbeat settling his own, but not completely.

He frowned.

A foreign sound had disrupted his sleep. He untangled their legs pushing hair out of his face as he moved Ryo’s hand slowly.

He wasn’t sure what had woken him but—,

Ryo rubbed his nose and shifted to the side seeking him out. Soubi caressed Ryo’s shadowed jaw, and watched him settle. Pulling the covers higher over Ryo, Soubi wondered what had woken him.

He reached for Ryo’s robe hanging carelessly over the edge of the bed. Pulling it on, he sat on the edge of the bed and breathed in Ryo’s lingering scent. Taking a rubber band from the bedside table, he tied his hair up in a ponytail and strode out of their bedroom on bare feet.

The house was silent save for the hum of the refrigerator. The microwave in the kitchen told him it was almost four o’clock in the morning. Nothing seemed out of place, shrugging off his worry, he decided to drink some water and go back to bed.

Soubi got a glass from the rack and was just about to fill it with water when a soft sound on the kitchen door startled him. The glass dropped into the sink with a thud and he froze where he stood. Thoughts of the burglars at the Furiroda shop filled his head. Heart pounding, he wondered if he shouldn’t call out for Ryo and Kaito.

Soubi bit back fear and took a step toward the door in case he was going nuts. Who would be knocking on the door at four o’clock in the morning? He pushed the blinds up and a loud gasp escaped when a dark figure filled the doorway on the other side. He choked on a scream staring at the figure pressing against the door.

He hit the security light with trembling fingers, his body frozen in place. It took a few more minutes to recognize Tohaku Asada staring at him, dark eyes dazed.

“Open the door, Soubi,” Tohaku said, his voice low, his skin pale.

Soubi reached for the lock on the door, turning it slowly, he opened the door.

“Tohaku-san,” he managed, his heart beating wildly. He pushed the door open and moved to allow Tohaku into the kitchen. Turning on the overhead lights. “I’ll get Ryo.”

Tohaku was in a heavy black jacket and a black wool hat pulled down over his forehead. His right hand pressed to his stomach, gloved fingers clamped tight.

Soubi started to turn expecting Tohaku to follow him. He jumped when Tohaku grabbed his shoulder and started falling. Surprised, Soubi wrapped tight arms around Tohaku and tried to hold him up. He couldn’t manage the dead weight, especially when Tohaku closed his eyes in a dead faint. Soubi gave a sharp cry when they hit the wooden floor hard.

“Soubi,” Ryo said, running into the room. “Are you alright?”

“I need help with your brother.”

Ryo came around the kitchen table and gasped when he saw them on the floor.

“What the hell?” Ryo came to kneel beside them and pulled off Tohaku’s black wool hat, tapping Tohaku’s jaw gently. “Nii-chan, wake up.”

“He just fell on me when I opened the door.” Soubi settled Tohaku’s head on his lap and brushed dark hair from Tohaku’s face. He pressed a palm to Tohaku’s forehead. “He’s running a fever.”

Ryo glared at Soubi as he started unzipping Tohaku’s jacket.

“You should have woken me if you heard a knock. How can you come down here alone?”

“I didn’t want to wake you for nothing.”

Soubi frowned as he noted that Tohaku’s right glove was wet. He reached out to touch the fabric and gasped when his fingers came away with blood.

“Ryo, he’s bleeding.”

Ryo cursed under his breath and pulled the jacket zipper open. They both gasped at the considerable patch of red on Tohaku’s white shirt. Ryo grabbed the fabric, pulling it up to reveal two stab wounds on Tohaku’s left lower stomach, blood trickled down from the wounds.

“Shit.” Ryo cursed, staring at the wounds. “What the hell is going on with you Tohaku?”

Soubi carefully rested Tohaku’s head on the floor and got to his feet.

“We need to call for help. He’s going to bleed out.”

Soubi rushed out of the kitchen, hurrying up the stairs. He threw open the linen closet and grabbed a bunch of clean towels. He hoped they’d be enough. Running down the corridor, he knocked on Kaito’s door.

“Kaito, we need help. Wake up.”

Soubi didn’t wait to find out if Kaito was awake. He ran to the bathroom, and dragged out a first aid kit from the cupboard. He ran back down the hall.

“What’s with all the noise?” Kaito said appearing at his door.

“Call 119, we need an ambulance. Tohaku’s bleeding out on the kitchen floor.”

Kaito rushed back into his room.

Soubi ran down the stairs and into the kitchen to find Ryo pressing a kitchen towel into Tohaku’s wounds.

“Wake up, you bastard,” Ryo was saying, using one hand to shake his brother’s shoulder. “You have to tell me who did this. I’m going to kill them. I’m going to fucking kill them.”

Tohaku coughed, his head rolling to the side. Soubi placed one of the thick towels under Tohaku’s head. Ryo’s hands were covered with blood. Dark eyes frantic with worry, Ryo reached up to touch Tohaku’s shoulder.

“Please, wake up, Tohaku. I need to know how this happened.”

“We need to keep pressure on the wounds. Kaito is calling for help.”

Soubi opened the first aid kit looking for the bandages he’d bought a few days ago. It paid to keep up a first aid kit, but he wasn’t equipped to deal with these kinds of wounds. He ripped the white bandages open, as Ryo took away the kitchen towel. Fresh blood flowed out as Tohaku coughed and Soubi pressed bandages to the raw wounds. The blood soaking them fast, he added more, and when he ran out, he added the towels, urging Ryo to add pressure.

Kaito came running into the kitchen.

“The ambulance is on its way. They’re five minutes away, what happened?”

“I don’t know,” Soubi said, taking over from Ryo when he tried to wake Tohaku again. “I opened the door, and he was just standing there.”

“Tohaku,” Ryo tapped his brother’s jaw, his fingers leaving blood marks on Tohaku’s jaw. “Come on wake up, Nii-chan, please.”

Tohaku coughed again and Soubi worriedly glanced at Kaito. Ryo cradled his brother’s head when Tohaku opened his eyes.

“Ryo,” Tohaku whispered. “I’m so glad to see your face.”

Ryo’s voice shook as he spoke.

“What happened? Who did this to you?”

Kaito came to kneel beside Ryo, placing a reassuring hand on Ryo’s shoulder. They all watched as Tohaku sucked in air, fighting through pain. Soubi kept pressure against Tohaku’s stomach, worried about the blood already soaking the towel.

“I wanted to fix it. I didn’t want them to look for you, Ryo.” Tohaku lifted his hand trying to touch Ryo’s jaw. “I’m sorry.”

“Who did it?” Ryo demanded, his jaw clenched, he turned to Kaito. “Where’s the fucking ambulance, tell them to hurry!”

“I’m not going to make it.” Tohaku closed his eyes and Soubi felt his stomach dip in fear. “I waited too long, had to make sure I got them all.”

“What are you talking about?” Ryo asked, his voice tinged with panic. “You’re going to be fine.”

Tohaku chuckled, only it wasn’t a chuckle, it sounded like another cough.

“Now you’re lying to me. Those bastards got me good, I can feel it. It took me hours to drive here.”

Ryo stroked his brother’s jaw.

“Rest, Nii-chan, the ambulance is almost here. We’ll get you fixed up and you can tell the police this story. We’re going to get them.”

Tohaku took in a deep breath, his hand dropping to the floor.

“You were always stronger than me, Ryo,” Tohaku said. “I’m sorry.”

“What are you sorry about?” Ryo chastised his grip on his brother’s shoulders tight. “Stop talking already, you need to preserve your strength. Where the hell is this ambulance?”

Soubi reached for more towels, praying hard as he pressed them over the soaked one as hard as he could. As long as he kept up pressure, the blood was supposed to clot and stop the bleeding. His gown was stained red from kneeling on Tohaku’s bloody jacket. Obviously, Tohaku had been bleeding long before he got to the house.

Ryo was murmuring nonsense to his brother, urging him to hold on. The ambulance sirens broke into Soubi’s focus and he almost breathed a sigh of relief. Kaito came running in a few minutes later followed by two medics. They took over and Soubi got to his feet. Ryo refused to move from Tohaku who was now unconscious again.

“We need Ryo’s wallet.” Kaito urged, touching Soubi’s shoulder. “All the insurance documents are in his wallet. Go get them. Change, Soubi, we need to follow the ambulance.”

Soubi couldn’t move as the medics kept working over Tohaku. They were cutting off Tohaku’s shirt, they tried to push Ryo out of the way, but he was refusing to move.

“Go,” Kaito ordered, giving Soubi a hard shake. “Dress Soubi. Get Ryo’s wallet, keep it together.”

Soubi jerked his head back to Kaito, and then with a small nod, he rushed out of the kitchen. Upstairs in their room, he ignored the rumpled covers, wondering why he hadn’t heard the knock earlier. Why hadn’t he just opened the door faster—,

He tried to think why Kaito had sent him up here.

Soubi pulled off the gown and grabbed his jeans and a t-shirt from the floor. His hands were shaking as he reached for Ryo’s wallet on the table by the window. He stuffed that into his pocket and took Ryo’s cell phone and his too.

He looked around for his jacket. Where the hell had he put his jacket?

“Soubi,” Kaito called from downstairs.

He gave up on the jacket and instead grabbed the t-shirt on the armchair. Ryo was going to need one. He left the bedroom running down the stairs and headed to the kitchen. Kaito was standing outside holding the car keys.

“Ryo’s gone with the ambulance. We’ll follow in Ryo’s car.”

***

“Who was Tohaku with when he was stabbed?” the Police Inspector asked again.

“I don’t know.” Ryo shook his head. “I’ve told you, my boyfriend opened the kitchen door and he was standing there. We were asleep. I haven’t seen my brother in a while.”

“Soubi Tanaka was the first one to see your brother?” the Inspector asked. “Could he have—

“Soubi has nothing to do with my brother’s stabbing. They haven’t even met formally. Why are you wasting time asking me questions?”

Ryo stood up from the hospital chair to glare at the inspector.

“You should be out there, finding out who did this. My brother is fighting for his life because of a bastard out there.”

“I’m trying to clear you and your housemates.” The Inspector assured him. “I think we’re done for now. Your brother’s car was found in your driveway. There was blood on the driver’s seat and the backseat. He obviously had a passenger. I’ll keep you posted as we learn more.”

Ryo sighed and ran fingers through his hair. He left the small waiting room, worried that he might have missed an update on his brother. Down the quiet hospital halls, he found the room they’d been asked to wait in. He found Kaito pacing the length of the room, and Soubi standing in the corner staring out the windows.

“Ryo,” Sei Asada cried, making him turn to find his mother seated at one of the blue wide couches. She hurried to his side pulling him into a tight hug. “I heard you were with the police, your brother is still in surgery.”

“Mother,” Ryo murmured, his gaze on Soubi over her shoulder.

They hadn’t had a moment alone since they’d reached the hospital. The whirlwind of hospital paperwork, questions from nurses about Tohaku’s medical history, and then the police had arrived soon after to ask questions.

Soubi had brought him a t-shirt, and flat leather sandals. At some point when the police arrived, Soubi pressed a cup of coffee into his hands.

“Your hands,” Sei said as she pulled back. “Are you hurt too?”

Ryo frowned not wanting to let go of Soubi’s gaze. He glanced at his hands reluctantly to find dry blood on them. He hadn’t gotten the chance to wash Tohaku’s blood off.

“It’s not mine.”

Sei nodded. She pulled him to the couch she’d vacated and urged him to sit beside her as they waited. Soubi leaned on the windows, holding his gaze, giving him strength to keep holding his mother’s hand.

His father walked in just as the doctor arrived. Kaito moved to stand beside Soubi in the corner and Ryo stood beside his mother as they bowed in greeting to Katsuro Asada.

“Mr. Asada.” The doctor started his tone solemn. “I’m sorry to inform you that your son didn’t make it—

Sei shook her head in denial. “No!”

Katsuro moved to take Sei into his arms as she started trembling.

“I’m so sorry for your loss.” The doctor tried to explain, but his mother got hysterical, breaking down in Katsuro’s arms.

Ryo bit back his own scream as grief slammed him and a slender hand slid into his. He turned to find Soubi standing beside him. Letting out a harsh breath, he drew strength from Soubi’s warmth.

“What happened?” Ryo asked the doctor, his voice hoarse.

“Your brother had severe internal bleeding, he went into shock and we couldn’t resuscitate him.”

Soubi’s arm around his waist held him together as his heart crushed to pieces. Tears burned the back of his eyes, the image of Tohaku lying on his kitchen floor filling his thoughts. They’d talked just yesterday, Ryo might have been angry, but they’d talked. He bit his lip as tears filled his eyes.

“I’ll give your family a moment,” the doctor said kindly, and left the waiting room.

Soubi pulled him into a tight hug and Ryo held on, fighting hysteria. Tohaku couldn’t be dead. It wasn’t possible. He closed his eyes and buried his face into Soubi’s shoulder.

It couldn’t be true.

***

“You did this,” Sei screamed at her ex-husband, punching his chest as she sobbed. “You took him from me. You took my son from me. He did this because of you!”

“Calm down, Sei,” Katsuro tried to soothe her but she wouldn’t stop crying.

Her sobs were raw, the emotion tangible.

Soubi could barely breathe as Ryo trembled in his arms. He held Ryo tightly, his heart clenching with grief as Ryo clung to him.

“You must promise to protect Ryosuke.” Sei was telling her husband as she cried into his shoulder. “You must protect him, Katsuro. He’s the only one I have left.”

Soubi held on to Ryo afraid of Sei’s words. He didn’t know what she meant by that but he wasn’t letting go of Ryo, not ever. Not now when they’d just found each other.

Katsuro glanced at him then and the look in his eyes made Soubi hug Ryo tighter. A few minutes later, Ryo’s parents got up from the couches with Sei weeping into her handkerchief.

Katsuro motioned toward a man standing at the waiting room door. The man walked out and returned with two men in dark suits.

Ryo’s arms around Soubi tightened and he felt fear take over as the men approached them.

“Ryosuke, we must plan your brother’s funeral,” Katsuro ordered.

Katsuro’s men stopped a few feet away. Ryo tensed in his arms and Soubi realized what Katsuro meant. They were taking Ryo with them.

“Soubi,” Ryo said pulling back to kiss him on his cheek. “I’ll come back soon.”

Soubi fought tears as Ryo stepped away from him. He tried to be strong for Ryo, but watching him walk away from him hurt. His gaze fell on Sei as Ryo headed for the door. She gave Soubi a smug glance and he realized she was going to do all she could to keep Ryo at the family estate.

She would win. With Tohaku gone—

Soubi dropped to his knees and begged Katsuro Asada.

“Please let Ryo stay in Shimokitazawa.”

Katsuro Asada spared him one glance, but didn’t say a word as he and Sei followed Ryo out of the private waiting room. Ignoring him and his little plea. Tears filled Soubi’s eyes and he bit his lip hard until Kaito helped him up.

The sun was up by the time they got to the house.

Kaito dropped into a couch in the living room with a loud sigh. Soubi stood in the middle of the hallway feeling like he’d ran through hell. He dropped the jacket Kaito had placed over his shoulders on the floor and headed to the kitchen. He pushed open the kitchen door and froze, his gaze riveted on the bloody towels the medics had left on the floor.

***

Kaito walked into the kitchen looking for coffee. He hoped Soubi had gone upstairs to sleep, but that didn’t seem likely. The next week was going to be a difficult one especially with Ryo held up at the Asada estate in Minakami. He was going to need a tub of coffee to get through the grief.

A soft sob made him pause and he looked around the room for a moment before it came again. He went around the kitchen table to find Soubi on his knees scrubbing blood off the wooden floor. Tears streaked down Soubi’s cheeks as he viciously scrubbed the stains.

“Oh my goodness, Soubi,” Kaito gasped. “Leave that for later, we can replace the tiles.”

“I have to get the blood off.” Soubi wiped his tears with the back of his arm, as he mopped bloody water off the floor. “I can’t leave Tohaku’s blood on the floor. It wouldn’t be right for Ryo to come home and find it—,”

A sob cut off his words.

Kaito watched Soubi clean for a few seconds before he turned and went to a kitchen closet in the corner. He found floor rugs and returned to help Soubi finish the job. When they were done, Kaito took the trash bags out and tried to get Soubi to have something to eat. When that didn’t work, he insisted Soubi take a quick shower.

“I have to make sure Ryo is fine,” Soubi said, thirty minutes later as he settled on the bed. “I can’t stay here while he’s over there planning his brother’s funeral. I can’t, Kaito.”

“I know,” Kaito soothed climbing on to the bed behind Soubi hoping to offer comfort. “You need sleep first, and then we can figure out what to do next.”

“Promise you’ll take me to Minakami ,” Soubi insisted clutching a pillow to his nose. His eyes were red from crying so much. “Promise me, Kaito.”

“I’ll take you.” Kaito smoothed Soubi’s hair back. “Now sleep, you’ll be of no help to Ryo if you’re tired too. He’s going to need all the strength we can get.”

***