Only The Ring Finger Knows Fan Fiction ❯ Naked ❯ 2: Consequences of the Affliction ( Chapter 2 )

Naked Sequel to:  “Affliction” Written by:chochowilliams Disclaimer:I do not own Only the Ring Finger Knowsor the characters from it.  I do not make any money from the writing of this story. Summary:  Once again, a growing conspiracy surrounds Wataru and Yuichi’s relationship.  Can they make it through this latest scheme unscathed? Chapter Summary:  Yuichi returns home and discovers Wataru’s done something unforgivable. Warning:M/M, OOC, hentai, implied self-mutilation Inserts:  A/N:  Thank you to elizauida, Acherona, takara94, Kasumi Hayashibara for your reviews.  Thank you to those who favored me and placed me on their alert list.  And yes, chapter one was a rewriting of “Affliction”.  Call this “Affliction 2.0”.  And let the story commence!   +---+---+---+   (Last Time)   (Early the Next Day – Tokyo, Japan)   Yuichi stared out the cab window, watching as the city sped by in a blur of color.   Turning his hand over as he lifted it out of his lap, he unfurled his fingers.  The rising sun shone through the window to glisten upon a silver ring with a thin gold band encircling it.   Yuichi knew it was foolish to try to gain his brother’s blessing.  It was not so much as trying to save Wataru and himself from a lifetime of hellish misery so much as getting his brother to accept him as he was.  Whether Shohei wanted to accept it or not, Wataru was a part of Yuichi life’s.  Now and forever.   Yuichi clenched his hand around the ring.   “We’re here, Sir,” the cabdriver announced as the cab slowed to a halt.   Yuichi glanced out the window at Touko’s jewelry shop.  “Wait here,” he told the man as he slid out of the cab.  He hoped his order was ready.   +---+---+   (Asaka Residence – Same Time)   Lounging on his bed with one arm folded behind his head, Masanobu read and reread the letter Wataru had left for him.  One part in particular.   “…I know I should have waited to tell you this in person rather than in a letter…but I will tell you the same thing Kazuki told Mai, ‘My lover is…someone people would find difficult to accept.  But, that person is the only one in my eyes.  Even if no one understands, as long as that person is there I can go on living.  That’s how strong my love is.  To me, it’s someone dear, important, and irreplaceable…I’ll say it forever.  No matter how much you feel for me, I can’t return it.’  But I would like for us to remain friends if you will have me.  If not, that I guess that this is goodbye…”   Friends?   Masanobu dropped his arm.  The grip loosened.  The letter fluttered from his hand and sailed across the room to land besides the trash can underneath his desk.   “Then I guess this is goodbye,” he whispered.   +---+---+   A silver ring with a thin gold band glistened under the bathroom lights as it lay on the tiled shelf above the faucet.   Turning around, Wataru tilted his head back and let the warm spray rain down around him as a smile graced his lips.   +---+---+   Chapter 2: Consequences of the Affliction   Present - Yuichi Kazuki’s Apartment - Japan   As soon as he pushed open his apartment door, the sounds of the shower greeted him.   “Wataru,” Yuichi whispered with a smile.  Something akin to nostalgia swept though him.   Stepping through the door and into his apartment, Yuichi Kazuki wheeled his luggage inside behind him and set it against the wall.  He closed the door and made sure it was locked.  Pocketing his keys, he slipped out of his coat and hung it up in the closet besides Wataru’s.  Yuichi ran his hands over the tweed navy blue coat.  He bought it for Wataru for his birthday after Wataru complained about needing a new winter coat since the washer ate his old one.   “Next time, try reading the tag,” he told his younger lover.   “I did,” Wataru protested.   “Obviously not since it says ‘dry clean only’.”   Wataru was cute when he looked sheepish.   Propping himself against the doorjamb, Yuichi toed his sneakers off and slipped into his house slippers.  After placing his sneakers neatly besides Wataru’s clunky high-tops, he closed the closet door firmly before making his way purposefully across the studio apartment towards the dressing room.  He quietly slipped inside and shut the door softly behind him.  Crossing towards the bathroom, he halted before the door.  The sounds of the shower had grown louder.  He laid his hand against the wooden pocket door then dropped his head forward until his forehead was resting against the door.   “Wataru,” he whispered.   They had a lot to talk about.  A lot happened in such a short amount of time.  Including the mix-up with their rings.  A surge of anger washed through him.  His fingers clawed at the wood as he fisted his hand.  Shohei better hope he did not see him anytime soon, because Yuichi swore that he would kill him!  His older brother had meddled one time too many.   +---+---+   Same Time – Mizuho’s Residence - United States   The phone continued to ring.  It echoed shrilly out of the butler’s pantry and into the kitchen.  Through the formal dining room and down the hall towards the drawing room, what was once known as the smoking room, then the sitting room and living room.  Through the powder room and into the library and then the conservatory.  Downstairs into the finished basement where the TV room, study and laundry rooms were located.  Then up the French oak spiral staircase to the bedrooms, bouncing off the granite tiles of the bathrooms.  It slipped under the closed door of the guest room.  Now empty and void of life.   +---+---+   St. Philomena Hospital (1)   Mizuho pulled the phone away from her ear.  The endless ringing continued.   “What’s the matter dear?  No answer?” asked the female voice in Japanese.   Confused and a little worried, Mizuho shook her head.  She handed the receiver to her mother, who took it from her.  Mizuho wondered if everything was alright.  Yuichi did not come to the hospital today at all.  He said he would because she was finally being released and he promised they would go home together.  Her surgery went as planned.  For all intents and purposes, it was a successful operation, but apparently, the doctors were not satisfied with the progress she was making.  In other words, they were dissatisfied with her lack of progress and decided to keep her at the hospital for longer than they expected in order to run a few tests and for observational purposes.  Eventually, they came to a consensus and decided to increase the dosage of her medicine.  That was a week ago and finally, she was making enough significant progress that she was finally being released.  She could not wait to get back home.   “I wouldn’t worry about it, dear,” her mother cajoled, snapping her daughter out of her thoughts.   “But mother,” Mizuho protested.   “Yuichi is probably just getting the house ready for your return.  That’s all.”   Mizuho mulled that over and decided that she liked the sound of that.  A warm feeling enveloped her.  That had to be it.  She knew that Yuichi cared about her.  He had to.  Otherwise, why would he fly halfway around the world just to be by her side while she underwent surgery?  Breaking up with him all those years ago was the biggest mistake of her life and she vowed to make up for it.  She nodded.  “Yeah, you’re right.”   “A surprise welcome home party,” her mother sighed.  “He sure is a good catch, Mizuho.”   Mizuho smiled.  Yes.  Yes, he was.   +---+---+   (Yuichi Kazuki’s Apartment - Japan)   Lowering the toilet seat and then the lid, Yuichi sat down.  He slipped off his slippers and then his socks.  He stuffed his socks into the toes of his slippers and stood up.  Again facing the wooden pocket door that separated the dressing room from the bathroom, Yuichi reached for the door and slid it open as quietly as he could.  He stepped into the steam-filled bathroom and shut the door behind him.  Wow.  Did it feel like a sauna in here!  Turning around, he caught sight of Wataru standing with his back to him under the shower not more than five feet from him.  His heart swelled at the sight of his naked, wet lover.  Yuichi let his gaze roam freely over Wataru’s backside.  The tight, round globes of his ass.  Firm thighs.  Muscled calves.  Peek of testes nestled amongst a nest of coarse black hair.  Then back up to his narrow waist.  The long, lean line of his back slightly hunched over.  Raven black hair that tickled his wide set shoulders.  What Wataru called his “short pudgy fingers” that were splayed against the cold wet tiles in front of him.  This was it.  This was what he has been missing.  This was where he should have been the last three weeks.  This was home.   +---+---+   Pushing away from the wall, Wataru reached for the water dials and twisted them.  The water raining down on him slowed and then stopped all together.  He let his gaze roam to his hands that gripped the chrome dials.  His chest ached as he stared down at his bare ring finger.  The ring he exchanged with Yuichi a year and a half ago caught his attention as it glittered in the light shining down from the ceiling.  Straightening, Wataru snatched the ring off the lip that ran along the wall.   As it sat cupped in the palm of his hand, Wataru stared down at it.  He could not help but think that their paired rings had brought nothing but bad luck to them since they exchanged them.  Though, he would never trade them for all the money in the world for it was these rings that brought Yuichi and him together in the first place.   His ears perked as a noise sounded behind him.   Before he could turn around, a voice he knew all too well spoke up.  “Isn’t that my ring, Wataru?”   Wataru went still.  Obsidian eyes slowly grew wide.  “Ka…Ka…zu…ki,” he whispered.  The pale blue subway tiled wall before him blurred behind a veil of tears.  An ache tightened his chest.  His throat closed around a sudden sob.   Amused, Yuichi silently crept forward.   Wataru’s heart started racing as he heard the evenly space splashing sounds coming towards him.  Closer and closer.  He could feel himself start to shake.  Whether from fear or something else all together, he was not sure.   Yuichi halted a hair’s breadth away from Wataru.   He was so close; Wataru could feel the heat radiating against his back.  He could feel Yuichi’s hot breath against his neck.  He shuddered.   Yuichi reached around Wataru and plucked the ring from his hand.  Deliberately, he let his arm brush Wataru’s arm and let his fingers linger a second too long.  He smiled when he felt Wataru shiver in reaction.  Stepping back, he held his left hand up before him and slipped the ring onto his ring finger right where it belonged.  He splayed his fingers and peered at the back of Wataru’s head.  Reaching out and fingered a strand of his damp raven hair off Wataru’s shoulder.  The ring twinkled in the light.   His gaze shifted.  The smile on his face froze.  “Wataru,” Yuichi spoke slowly.  “What happened to your wrist?”   Wataru went still and this time for a completely different reason.   Yuichi’s eyes narrowed.  “You better answer me Wataru Fujii.  What…did…you…do?”  His voice dropped dangerously with each word.   What could he say?  There was nothing Wataru could say that would not make Yuichi angry with him.  He could always say it was an accident.  That while washing dishes, he cut himself on a shattered wine glass.  It happened to Karin when she was in middle school, but Wataru knew he could never lie to Yuichi.  If Yuichi ever found out he was lied to, he would never trust Wataru again and Wataru would not be able to stand that.  For without trust, what kind of relationship would they have?   …But, he couldn’t tell Yuichi the truth either.  He couldn’t tell him that in a moment of weakness, he’d…   He did not want to see the disgust on Yuichi’s face.  The pity.  The sorrow.  The anger.  But he could not not answer him.  If Yuichi told him to do something, then he had no other option than to obey.   A firm grip appeared on his shoulder.   “Don’t you ignore me, Wataru Fujii,” Yuichi commanded harshly.  “Answer me.  What…did…you…do?”  For with each moment that passed and Wataru remained silent, a sickening feeling grew within Yuichi.  He did not want to believe that Wataru would do something so stupid, but the proof was there in front of him.  What angered Yuichi the most was not that Wataru would do something that was so out of character, but that if he would never have gone to the States to be with Mizuho during her surgery, Wataru and he would not be in the position they were currently in.   Unable to say anything, for he was unsure what to say, Wataru merely shook his head.  He did not want to see or be seen by Yuichi.  He was so ashamed at showing such weakness in front of the man he loved more than life itself.   He did not like to be ignored.  Growling, Yuichi’s hand snapped forward and latched into Wataru’s wrist.  He spun Wataru around forcibly.   “Ow,” Wataru cried.  “Kazuki!  You’re hurting me!”   “Shut up,” Yuichi commanded with a bark.   Wataru cowered under the harsh tone.   Yuichi was in a state of shock.  Unable to believe what was right before his eyes, Yuichi lightly traced the multitude of scars that decorated his beloved’s pale wrist.  There had to be at least half a dozen of them, but it was hard to tell.  At least two-inch long scabs, they created a checkerboard pattern, interlocking and intertwining, which made it impossible to tell where one ended and another began.  “Wataru…why?”  He had never known anyone personally, that he was aware of, that cut themselves.  At least deliberately.  It was featured prominently in a variety of television shows and movies and he read about it in books so he knew all about the disorder, about how cutting was said to release endorphins or something that calmed a person down.  But never had he seen it in real life.  He just could not fathom why someone would do something like this.  How could people see no other alternative than to mutilate their bodies like this?  It baffled him to no end.   Tears prickled Wataru’s eyes.  He could only shake his head.  If he had an answer he would, but he did not.  The fact of the matter was he had been so overwhelmed.  A thousand different emotions had been born at once within him.  His whole world had come crashing down around him.  Everything he used to believe in had been taken from him.  At the time, he believed that he had been dumped, exchanged for some woman halfway around the world.  Was he not good enough?  Was he too fat?  Too ugly?  Too short?  Was he not worthy enough of Yuichi’s affection?  Was he good enough for nothing more than a brief fling before his lover returned home to his lovely wife and beautiful children?   “Why the hell would you do something so stupid?” Yuichi exploded.   Wataru winced as Yuichi grip on him tightened.   “…Why?”  Yuichi’s tight, angry voice descended into sobs.   A tear slipped down Wataru’s cheek as he pried open an eye cautiously.  His dark eyes went wide.  “Wha…?  Ka-Kazuki?!”  Yuichi was crying!  He never saw him cry before.  Never.  Wataru was unsure what to do.  He had never been in this position.  Usually it was the other way around.  Wataru did not like to admit it, but he shed many a tear in front of Yuichi in the past, but Yuichi had always been there to comfort him.  This was new ground.   A startled gasp escaped into the confines of the bathroom.  Neither was sure from whom it came.   Wataru lifted a hand slowly to his face.  He touched his cheek tentatively and winced.  A renewal of tears prickled his eyes.   Yuichi lifted his hand up and stared at it in a horrified stupor.  It was red and throbbing.  He could not belief he just did that!   Tears flowed freely down Wataru’s face.  Yuichi…just hit him!  Stunned, Wataru turned to stare wide-eyed at Yuichi.   “Wataru…I-”   With a sob, Wataru threw himself at Yuichi, who staggered backwards beneath the impact.  Wataru hugged his arms tightly around Yuichi and burying his face in Yuichi’s shirt, sobbed quietly.  “I’m sorry!  I’m sorry,” he cried over and over again.  “I’m sorry.”   Yuichi could feel Wataru’s tears soaking through his shirt, but didn’t much care.  Nor did he care that the hem of his pants were damp from the remnants of Wataru’s shower.  He just buried his face in Wataru’s hair and held the boy as he cried.  The only thing that mattered was having Wataru in his arms again.   ---TBC---   (1) “St. Philomena” is my saint name.  For those who don’t know what that means, she is the saint I chose for my Confirmation (I was born and raised Roman Catholic, but consider myself to be borderline Spiritual/Agnostic nowadays).   A/N:  How was it?  Like it?  Love it?  Hate it?  Be honest now.  This was originally supposed to be a one-shot sequel, but it’s turning out to be nothing like I originally foresaw it.  Surprise.  Surprise.  Oh and just a little warning.  There will be a little bit of a lemon in the next chapter.  Yeah!