Spiderwebs

Spiderwebs Chapter Four

Katsuki wasn't sure what worried him more as the day wore on. The lack of appearance by Jin, or the fact that Tane hadn't called him again. He'd been surprised to find no messages on his voicemail from his brother when he'd finally turned the phone back on that morning. It wasn't like him to give up so easily. Would Tane go to his apartment? Surely he wouldn't be that stupid knowing the police were already involved. But, then again, it was Tane.

And where was Jin? Both Mitoki and Amagai had been certain the host would approach him about what was going on. But he hadn't seen him since the night he'd left his room to go meet Tane. If he'd been busy he wouldn't have bothered Mitoki the previous evening. So where was he? He was both relieved and disappointed when he left the B&B without once running into his lover.

The dark of the night seemed to close in around him, reminding him of the night before when it seemed like someone had followed him. Or perhaps been waiting for him. He strained his ears, but heard only the normal sounds of the city around him. There was no reason for it to be otherwise, no reason for anyone to seek him out. Hyouga had said it was Tane's own people after him. He hadn't recognized the man who'd called off Tane's attackers, but then he didn't know many of Tane's associates. He hadn't lied to the cops on that respect. He had nothing to do with his brother's activities. Wasn't even sure what the current warrant for Tane's arrest was for. Robbery? Trafficking?

It didn't really matter. His brother had been arrested before. He'd even payed his bail once a few years back. He'd never been convicted, though. Not once. When he was younger he'd wondered if that meant Tane was good at whatever he did for the organizations he worked for. Or was the fact he was arrested at all proof that he wasn't very good at it?

It seemed a long time since he'd wondered such things. He'd done his best to seperate himself from his brother's troubles. To rise to a level in society well above his brother's station. Or that had been the ideal, once. He wasn't so sure he'd succeeded, or if it even mattered anymore. Just as long as Tane's troubles didn't ruin what he did have.

The surest way to insure that, as always, was to pay off Tane's debt. There was no way to do that, though. Not with how much his brother needed. What else had Hyouga said? That Tane had lost some merchandise? What sort of merchandise? And how exactly had he lost it? He'd rather not know the answers to those questions. But under the circumstances...

His wander thoughts were cut off when he saw the door to his apartment hung open. For a minute all he could do was stare at the open door. Who? The police? No, they would have left a notice. Tane? No, he would have closed and locked the door behind him. Jin? No lights.

He took a step toward the door, listening. No sounds came from within. Another step. Another. He reached out to push the door fully open. It did so on silent hinges he almost felt should be creaking like in some cheap slasher film. It was too dark to see clearly. He reached up to turn on the lights, pausing momentarily when he realized his hand was shaking.

Once again all he could do was stare. He couldn't put a word to the disaster that had been his apartment. Furniture was overturned. Paperwork and broken glass littered the floor. Even as he stepped further inside, cracking pieces of the hallway mirror under his shoes and kneeling down to pick up a piece of paper which turned out to be a letter from Amagai which should have been in a box in his bedroom, he couldn't quite wrap his mind around what he was seeing.

Someone had torn through his apartment. Broken his things; read his letters. Searching for something. But what? And who? Not Tane's group. They would know he wouldn't hide anything for Tane. So someone else was involved. Had Hyouga lied? Or just not known?

He reached out to pick up a large piece of glass, realizing it was the remains of a vase - a house warming gift from Mitoki. He froze again, still trying to digest what had happened.

Mitoki's vase was broken. Amagai's letter had been read by someone else. His furniture was overturned. Some of it looked broken. He remembered talking to Touma not long ago about the novelty of owning his own place. His own things...

He was still too dazed to be frightened when a hand took ahold of his arm, and pulled him gently to his feet. He blinked when he saw it was Jin. His face was unreadable as he kicked a chair upright and sat him in it firmly. He headed off into the kitchen and Katsuki found his eyes wandering back to the broken vase piece.

And for a moment the glass looked like another broken piece of glass. And the room was another room - smaller but no less destroyed. Overturned furniture. Broken glass. Mud. Water.

He lept up, dropping the vase piece and knocking over the chair. The letter crinkled in his hand as he brought his hands up to clench in his hair, squeezing his eyes shut - willing the phantom image away.

"Katsuki?" Jin's voice broke in.

He opened his eyes to find him next to him. It still hurt to see his apartment destroyed, but it was better than the image his mind had called up. He lowered his hands, wincing when he saw a tear in Amagai's letter. He didn't fight when Jin took it off him, setting it aside and pressing a liquor bottle into his hand.

"Drink."

It wasn't a request, not that Katsuki had any objections. He drank deeply as Jin picked the chair up again. He sank into the chair gladly this time. He felt less dazed now. Pain and anger began to take it's place. He took another long drink of the liquor. A bottle he'd gotten from Touma, he recalled. He'd been saving it for his birthday. For some reason the though made him start laughing, and he choked a little on the drink. Jin raised his eyebrows, but said nothing. When he went to move away, though, Katsuki grabbed at his arm - a panicked thought hitting. "Don't call the police. I don't want them to know. If this is connected to Tane somehow..." He trailed off at the frown Jin gave him. He released his arm, not sure if he had said too little or too much.

Jin picked up another chair, and seated himself across from him. "He get you into this kind of trouble often?" He guestured to the destroyed apartment.

Katsuki shook his head. "No, nothing like this." He glanced around, and immediately wished he hadn't. He gulped from the bottle.

"The man's a wanted criminal. Why didn't you cut your ties long before this? Were you honestly stupid enough to think you could pay off his monetary debts and not have something like this eventually happen?"

Katsuki winced at his words. "I...it's always been the easiest way. Better than having police badgering me about his whereabouts. Or his...associates asking if I've seen him Give him the money he needs and let him go on his way."

"Until the next time?" Jin pointed out.

"...it wasn't supposed to be this way. It was supposed to be a one time thing."

"So what happened?"

"He kept coming back."

"No one ever teach you the word no?"

Katsuki glared. "I told you - it was easier!"

"And, of course, you never thought of the consequences. Of the fact the kind of people he was involved with wouldn't look at things the same way."

Katsuki lowered his gaze to the bottle. "I know how tthey look at it. I'm Tane's piggybank.:"

Jin's fingers seized his chin, tilting his face up to him as he stood. "Not anymore. And you better make that clear. Or I will."


The alley was full of garbage. Cockroaches skittered at the approach of feet. Ignoring the stickiness on the wall that could have been any number of questionable substances, Tane pressed into the stone - hidden behind the overflowing garbage bins.

"You here, Ugly, or am I wasting my time?" A voice asked.

Tane peered around the obstacle at the thin figure dressed in a trench coat. The lower half of their face was covered by a scarf, and their eyes were shadowed by a hat worn low on their brow. "Who's wasting whose time is questionable." He told them.

"Got a hot date?"

"I'll settle for a hot bath after this filth."

"So spoiled."

"I'm the one covered in bruised and nursing cracked ribs for this little venture of yours. I'd say spoiled is a relative term here."

"Could have walked away at any time."

"Still could."

The figure only chuckled. "Empy threats, Ugly. Why do you bother?"

"Keeps things interesting." Tane grinned. "You have news, or did you just miss me?"

"There's...complications."

"Not the news I wanted to hear."

"Not the news I want to deliver."

"You know, this is no picnic. The cops are on my trail. Goto's men aren't far behind. Tadeo even sent some men to teach me a lesson about failing him."

"I don't know which one of us that makes more popular." The figure mused.

"Funny. What if Tadeo decides to pay?"

"It's your job to make sure he doesn't."

"When will there be better news?"

"A day or two, with luck."

"I don't believe in luck."

"Neither do I. Try to lie low." The figure started to turn away, but paused. "You might want to check on your piggybank. My contact says some of Goto's boys were poking around his place."

Tane shrugged. "Kid's an old hat at looking out for himself.

The figure clucked their tongue at him. "Your concern is touching."

"Did I ever claim to care about what happened to him?"

"No. But you've never disclaimed it, either. And that's quite telling on its own."

Tane narrowed his eyes as the figure turned and left the alley.


Katsuki tossed a garbage bag into the apartment bin, wincing at the sound of glass crashing and cracking inside of it. Cleaning up his apartment had already taken a good portion of the day. And he was nowhere near finished. Some things - like the broken mirror in the hallway and the broken dishes in the kitchen - had seemed to be broken more out of spite more than anything. The loss of his things pained him in a way he'd long forgotten. This was why for years he'd avoided keeping anything more than he could throw in a bag and carry with him. What was the point if it could be taken away so easily?


"What's this?" He'd asked Mitoki.

"A vase?" The younger pageboy had suggested. "It's a house warming gift. For your new apartment."

"I don't really decorate my apartment." He'd tried to tell him.

"He doesn't even have furniture." Touma had put in.

"I have furniture."

"The bed doesn't count."

He'd glared at him. "I have a couch and chairs and...a shelf."

"You have a shelf?" Touma had seemed genuinely surprised.

"I gave it to him." Amagai had supplied.

"Oh. That explains it."

He'd rolled his eyes. "It was a nice thought." He'd told Mitoki, ignoring his older friends.

"I'm sure it'll look nice." Mitoki had said, his tone hopeful.

"I'll pick flowers up for it on the way home." He'd promised.

"And a table to put it on?" Touma had suggested. He'd glared at the ex-host, but the barkeep had only laughed.

He smiled slightly at the memory, but scowled when he remembered the vase was one of the things whoever had wrecked his home had broken. After Jin had left the previous night, he'd gathered the cushions of the couch from where they'd been tossed and fallen into an uneasy sleep in the living room of his apartment - not bothering to change clothes or turn off the lights.

Morning had not made the mess that been left for him look any bleaker. Changing clothes, he'd set to work trying to sort out what was salvageable and what wasn't. How much wasn't was discouraging.

Lost in thought, he might have passed his apartment if someone hadn't coughted, attracting his attention. He paused when he saw the man on his doorstep. He was dressed in a pressed business suit, and his hair was brushed neatly back. "Good afternoon, Katsuki-san." He bowed in greeting.

"...Tadeo-san."


To Be Continued...