So, here is the third chapter and the introduction of the third main character for BURNING POTATOES FOR THE GLORY OF PEACE.
A warning, there is a bit more lust written in this chapter.
.JPG)
Chapter 3 (A
friend locked away)
Keisuke
squeezed the bridge of his nose while he packed kickboxing equipment. I’m glad Ami bolted.
He and
Taisei stepped from the stuffy gym that smelled like old tube socks. The night
air was refreshing, and without Ami around pestering them about John, it was
quiet. The rush of cars. The bustling of bodies. And the laughter of men. No
pain-in-the-ass Ami to be heard or seen. Bliss.
After
cracking his knuckles, Keisuke pursed his lips. “Ami was being such a bitch
earlier.”
Taisei
chuckled. “You’re only saying that because she knocked you out.”
Keisuke
chewed on his upper-lip. “It only happened because she’s a girl.”
“No …
it only happened because she’s stronger than you … and me for that matter.”
“I
could beat her if I wanted to.” Using my
collection of bells.
Taisei
rolled his eyes. “Sure you could. … Honestly, the only one of us who could even
challenge her would be John.”
Through
gritted teeth, Keisuke scoffed.
“You
know it’s true.” Taisei jabbed Keisuke in the shoulder.
Keisuke
rubbed at his shoulder. “I guess you’re right?”
“You
guess?”
“Yeah,
yeah. … By the way, what did happen to John?”
“Your
guess is as good as mine. The only thing I’m sure of is that Ami will not like
the results.”
Keisuke spat. “Better for John. Do you
really think he would want to get roped with that monster?”
“She
is cute.”
“Ha!”
“And
the two of them like a lot of the same things. I don’t think it would be so
bad.”
“You
haven’t known her long enough then.”
Before
grinning, Taisei narrowed his eyes. “You would know since she’s —”
Keisuke
shoved Taisei and pointed at him. “Don’t finish that sentence.”
Taisei
winked. He clearly wanted to say something. It was written across his face.
While
they walked to the HUB — a chain-British pub — Keisuke made several attempts at
calling John. None were successful.
One
inside the HUB, Taisei snatched them their usual table.
Alone,
Keisuke strolled up to the bar and ordered a few pints of beer. He returned to
the table. “It feels weird without John here.”
Taisei
took his beer and raised it high. “I know … but that’s not going to stop me.”
Keisuke
laughed. “Well put.”
For
some reason, beer always tasted better after working-out.
The
sweet foam caressed Keisuke’s lips and danced across his tongue. The icy liquid
that followed sent a jolt of ecstasy from the roof of his mouth, to the tip of
his toes. By the time the beer had reached his throat, he had already melted.
This was wonderful. It was how life should be.
Taisei
nodogoshied — a gulping swallow followed by a relaxing sigh.
Keisuke
returned the gesture. “Despite the god-like taste, it still doesn’t feel right
without John.”
After
nodding, Taisei’s phone rang. He answered, and when the muffled voice on the
other end, his eyes bulged.
While
his brow furrowed, Keisuke frowned. “What is it?”
Taisei
hung up and stood. “John … .”
Don’t tell me … .
“He …
has been arrested.”
Keisuke
scrambled to his feet. “That can’t be right!”
###
Waiting,
Keisuke paced across the lobby of the Omiya Police Head Quarters. What’s taking Taisei so long to clear things
up?
The
cold, stone floor made each, aching step reminded Keisuke that he was still exhausted. His muscles were spent. The
stale air carried a sawdust-like scent.
He
swallowed, and after gagging, he stopped breathing through his nose.
Every
face in the room turned to face Keisuke. Their seats scraped against the wall
and rustled the blue curtains by the far windows. Someone coughed, but no one
spoke.
This wait is killing me! Keisuke ground
his teeth.
The
coughing man stood up and took a step forward.
Keisuke
spun towards the man and growled.
The
man started, and his head dropped. A few long moments later, he returned to his
seat.
Why am I on edge? Keisuke massaged at
his temples. It’s not like John did
anything wrong, right? This has to just be a big misunderstanding.
The
door to the back room creaked open.
Before
turning to the door, Keisuke knuckled his forehead. I mean, he is always so careful and never does anything to get himself
into trouble. He licked his lips. Unless
… he suddenly awa—
The
female police officer coming through the door clapped her hands. “Mr Keisuke?
Are you listening to me?”
With
great difficulty, he shook his thoughts off. “Yes … of course. … What did you
say again?”
She
groaned. “You may come into the back now.”
“Ah.”
Keisuke took a deep breath before rushing forward and pushing past the female
police officer. I’m not nervous. If John
would have awakened, I would have known about it. He wouldn’t do anything
stupid. I mean, he’s not Ami.
The
compact, office-like room had less of a walking space and more of a
balance-beam-sized opening between desks. Between mountains of paperwork,
ancient computers buzzed and heated the sawdust air to the point that it could
be tasted.
Vomit
rolled into the back of Keisuke’s mouth, and his knee crashed into one of the
small desks. He screamed while he stumbled forward. His hands flailed, and
paper filled the air. Several hops later, he caught himself. “Fuck!” He rubbed
at his knee. “That hurt!”
Several
of the police officers turned to stare at him.
“Sorry.”
Keisuke took a deep breath and scanned the room.
Taisei’s
yelling voice erupted from the back of the room.
Keisuke
shuffled towards Taisei, making sure to watch the path ahead of him. He didn’t
want to perform another paper-throwing
ballet in such a short span of time.
After
grunting, Taisei slammed the door to the back room and spun on his heels. His
face was red, and he huffed with his teeth bared.
Keisuke’s
heart pounded, jumbling his thoughts. He proceeded forward, unsure what to say.
Taisei
waved, though it seemed agitated while it jerked back and forth.
When
Keisuke reached Taisei, he had gathered his thoughts. “So … what’s going on?”
After
unclenching his fists, Taisei sighed. “Apparently, they caught John in the act
of robbing a securities firm.”
Keisuke’s
heart fell into his stomach. His chest heaved. Gold … . “That can’t be right … I mean, why would John try to steal
gold?” Unless he had awakened. … But how
would he have even known about gold?
“I
know … .”
“Besides
all that, that’s just not the kind of person John is.”
Taisei
nodded. “I tried to explain that to then, but … .”
“But
what?”
“Well,
most of my coworkers are … a bit racist.”
Keisuke
arched an eyebrow.
After
clicking his tongue, Taisei glanced about the room. “Well … they’re actually
bigots to the extreme with no redeeming qualities.”
“Oh.”
Keisuke chewed on his tongue. “So, what do they have on him?”
“From
what I can tell … a lot.”
“Oof.”
“My
thoughts exactly.”
“Is
there anything we can do for him?”
Taisei
wrung his hands together. “Get him a good lawyer.”
“Anything
else?”
After
shrugging, Taisei turned away from Keisuke. “It depends on what all happened
and where the missing gold went to.”
“Missing
gold?”
“Yeah.
From what I was told, there was a large chunk of gold missing from the vault.”
Keisuke’s
brow scrunched. “Yet John was trapped inside when the police arrived?”
“I
know … it doesn’t make any sense at all.” Taisei motioned towards the door on
the left wall. “Let’s figure out what happened first.”
“That
sounds like a plan.” While Keisuke followed, he tried to avoid thinking about
the why of the situation.
###
John
sat in the corner of the common cell, refusing to even acknowledge the insults
shot him way from the other prisoners. He continued to weep, but his tears had
stopped flowing long ago. This has to be
a dream or something. After licking his salty lips, he pinched his arm. He
yelped. No … not a dream. His mouth
dried. Was I drugged again like that
night with Haru?
The
stink of piss and shit hung heavy in the cramped cell. The bars were grimy, and
the floor did more than cling to his skin. The grunts and jockeying by the
other prisoners made it hard to concentrate or even despair.
With
his patience running thin, John stood up. “Why can’t the lot of you just shut
up?”
A
group of the loudest prisoners turned towards John. They were clearly preparing
to extend their jabbering in his direction. The biggest one opened his mouth.
John’s
rage flared to life, thinking about how terrible this day had been. He clenched
his fists and gritted his teeth. “I said —”
The
door to the cell swung open with a crack, and two police officers stepped in.
After
John killed his rage, he sunk back down into his corner. Today was the worst
day of his life. Well … the second worst.
The
old bigot officer from earlier snapped his fingers. “Foreigner!”
John
ignored him. He balled himself up and buried his face in his arms.
“Can
you hear me, you dirty foreigner?” Loud, clacking footsteps announced the
bigot’s approach.
John
continued to ignore him.
A
sharp pain shot through John’s side.
Before
writhing about on the floor, John clutched at his side. He looked up.
“Bastard.”
The
bigot knelt beside John. “If you don’t get up, I’m going to kick you again and
again until we have to pull you out in a wheelchair.”
Coughing,
John nodded. “Fine.”
“Good
pig.”
John
growled, but he held his tongue. After pushing himself to his feet, he followed
the two police officers from the cell and into a nearby office.
The
bright, white lights that beamed in the room filled John’s eyes with spots. It
was hard to see anything. A large mirror — probably a two-way mirror — spanned
across the whole right wall. Potted plants lined the left, and a nondescript
door, akin to the one John had just come through, stood across from him. A
heavy-looking, rectangular table sat in the center of the room with two figures
on the other side of it. The door behind John slammed shut.
While
blinking, John rubbed at his eyes. “Am I here to get interrogated again?”
“In a
way,” a pair of voices, on the
edge of familiarity, said.
“What?”
John’s vision cleared.
Taisei
and Keisuke sat at the table, both smiling, though those smiles never reached
their eyes.
“Are
the two of you here to get me out?” John approached the table and took the seat
across from them.
Keisuke
shook his head. “I wish.”
With a
frown marring his features, John scoffed. “I should have figured as much from
the do nothing duo.” Why am I taking out
my anger on my friends?
“You
sound like Ami.” Keisuke smirked.
“Sorry.”
John places his head on the table. “It’s just that this whole situation doesn’t
make any sense.”
“That’s
why we’re here,” Taisei said, “to help you sort this out and get this whole
mess cleaned up.”
“What’s
there to sort out?” After sitting up straight, John shrugged. “I went to work,
met —” I should keep the magic
bullshit to myself or even my own friends
may commit me to a crazy house … or drug rehab clinic at the very least.
“— a guy and ended up here.”
Keisuke
arched an eyebrow. “How did meeting a guy
land you in jail?”
Taisei
cleared his throat.
“I
mean,” Keisuke said, “what did this guy do to you, to get you to attempt to rob
a securities firm?”
Tell me the truth of my existence.
Before the thought could come to words, John killed it. He looked up and to the
left. “He … threatened me with a long, jagged knife, and … his friend
threatened one of my students … so I didn’t fight back.” That sounded awful.
Keisuke
sighed as if in relief. “That makes sense.”
Really? John narrowed his eyes. “Why did
you sigh?”
“Oh …
that wasn’t a sigh … it was a … I mean, I’m just happy you decide to embark
into a life of crime.”
Taisei
clenched his fists. “Are your students okay?”
“I
hope so.” Before scratching the tip of his nose, John bit into his lower-lip.
“He promised me that he’d leave them alone before abandoning me in the vault.”
“So,”
Taisei said, “he’s the one with the gold.”
John
nodded. “Of course.”
Taisei
stood and motioned for Keisuke, to
do the same. “Just relax and keep your head, John. We’re going to get you out
of here.”
John
swallowed, guilt hitting him in the gut like a brick. “Thanks.”
Keisuke
and Taisei walked from the room, nodding to a pair of guards when they stepped
outside.
Before
rising out of his seat, John groaned. Lying to his friends had left a bad taste
in his mouth, but it couldn’t be helped. I’ll
never get my peace back if everyone thinks I’m crazy. He turned away from
the table.
Moments
later, the bigot officer and his overweight friend came in from the back door.
The lecherous smiles that decorated their faces said that they expected John to
resist.
“Or revenge,” a small, gravelly voice —
different from John’s — said in the back of his head.
John
ignored the intrusive thought, and without protesting, allowed the police
officers to drag him from the room.
###
Keisuke
gulped down the lukewarm water that tasted like rust and tossed the tiny, paper
cup into the trash can. I can’t believe
that he could lie like that with a straight face, but at least he didn’t tell
an outsider about our powers.
After
Taisei had explained the situation and devised a plan with the other police
officers, the discussion room beside the interrogation room had emptied out
save for Taisei and Keisuke himself. Now it was quiet. Too quiet considering
Taisei’s frantic pacing on the other side of the room. The thick fog of tobacco
still clouded the air, stinking and making it hard to breathe.
Rubbing
at his eyes, Keisuke coughed. How can so
few people smoke so much in such a short amount of time?
Taisei
clicked his phone closed and groaned.
Keisuke
refrained from smirking. No luck?”
“Unlike
earlier, no matter how many times I call, it just goes straight to voicemail.”
“That’s
too bad.”
“No,
it’s frustrating.”
“I can
imagine.”
Taisei
stared at his phone. “This piece of junk has been giving me problems ever since
I got it, and now, it’s like five years old.”
Keisuke
laughed.
“It’s
not funny.” Taisei locked eyes with Keisuke. “Now you have to call Ami.”
“Whoa,
whoa, whoa. Slow your roll.”
“She
has to know.”
After
considering it for the briefest of seconds, Keisuke shook his head. “No, she
doesn’t.”
“Yes …
she does.”
“Why?”
“Because
despite how you feel about her, she
is one of John’s closest friends.”
“Only
because —” Moe ordered us to watch him.
“— she wants to get in his pants.”
Taisei
slapped himself in the forehead. “Just fucking call her!”
“Fine!”
Keisuke pulled out his smartphone and wondered why he had never deleted Ami’s
number. Because Moe relays her orders
through me … .
The
first attempt to call Ami took forever to connect, but when it did, it went
straight to voicemail.
After
several more tries to the same end, Keisuke shoved his smartphone into his
pocket. “Same results. Her phone must be off.”
Taisei
chewed on his upper-lip. “Okay … one second, and I’ll give you a ride home.”
“Thanks.”
I’ll discuss this with Moe when I get
home.
After
turning on his heels, Taisei stepped from the room.
Keisuke
waited, trying to come up with a way to explain the shit-storm that had went
down.
###
Ami
huffed while she ran towards the Omiya Police Department Head Quarters. How could this happen?
Despite
the hour, people still crowded the sidewalks by Omiya station as she made her
way to the other side. The stench of rotten eggs buffeted her in the face.
Gagging
as she slowed, Ami spun around the fat man responsible. “Fuck-tard! Hold that
in!”
Fatty
grunted and rubbed the back of his head. “Sorry.” Despite his words, he didn’t
appear the least bit abashed.
Ami
bared her teeth but held in her desire to flay the fat pig. “Eat shit and die,
Fatty!”
He
opened his mouth.
I have wasted too much time as it is!
Before any words crossed his fat lips, Ami increased her pace and dashed
towards the exit.
School
children packed the stairs down and out of the station, moving slower than
Keisuke in a sparring match. They conversed about video games, anime and other
sports, the variety creating a cacophony of noise.
Ami
growled and rapped one of the children on the back of the head. “What do the
lot of you think you are doing! Not only is it past your bedtimes, but these
are the stairs out of the station. Move aside!”
The
child she had hit began to cry. Neither he nor his friends budged.
After
leaning in close to the child — face to face — she cracked her knuckles. “If
you want to cry, I can give you something to cry about.”
He
yelped and scurried to the side. His friends soon followed suit.
Once
she made back out into the open, she hauled ass, thinking about John with every
spine rattling step. From the way Taisei
put it, they have enough evidence to put John away for a long time. She
swallowed before turning a corner. Should
I break him out?
The
thought lifted weights in her head. She would do it. If there was no other
option, she would use gold and rescue him from jail. But then what?
Ami
wrestled with the idea until she reached the police station. We will run away together. She found
herself smiling. Go somewhere far, far
away. Just the two of us. After taking a deep breath, she marched up the
stairs. We will be happy where no one —
especially Keisuke — will be able to bother us.
Inside
the police station, few people remained. Regardless, it still smelled like
vomit and piss. On top of it all, the TVs blared the baseball game replay. The
older man behind the reception desk stood when she approached.
While
trying to appear confident, Ami nodded towards the back room. “I am here to
John.”
The
older police officer scoffed, and
a frown flashed across his face. “Visiting hours are over.”
“I was
told there would be an exception.”
“No
exceptions.”
Ami
placed her hands on her hips and stopped herself from assaulting the officer
with the narrowest of margins. “Let me speak with your supervisor.” I should just burn and walk past him.
“I am
the supervisor.”
Screaming,
Ami’s frustration overwhelmed her. “If you do not stop playing games with me, I
will make you regret it.”
“Oh
really?” The elderly man arched an eyebrow.
“Two
phone calls.”
The
old man blinked.
If Moe would actually get off of her
lazy ass … . “One to Taisei to learn your name and the name of whoever is
in charge. Then one to my company which has ties to DIET.”
“Oh …
you’re the one that Taisei said would come.”
“Yes …
.” Ami ground her teeth, using every last gram of her strength to avoid
throttling this man. “I am.”
The
man waved his hand. “Then go right in.”
“Thank
you.” After shoving past the old police officer, she maneuvered through the
narrow walkway of desks.
A sign
on pointed to the far left door. It said, “This way to the prisoner conference
rooms.”
Ami gathered
her confidence and strolled into a conference room. I hope this is the right —
The
far door opened, and John stumbled into the room as if shoved.
Ami’s
heart skipped a beat. Her mouth dried.
John’s
puffy, bloodshot eyes and disheveled, green-tipped hair shouted for her to dash
across the room and embrace him.
With great difficulty, she restrained
herself. In truth, Ami’s nerves were frozen. Her heart raced, and her hands
trembled. “John?”
John
blinked, and only then, seemed to notice her. “Ami? Is that you?”
Ami
forced herself to smile. “Yes.” She rose on wobbly legs and walked over to
John. “Are you alright?”
After
shaking his head, tears formed in John’s crimson-colored eyes. “I —”
You can do this! Ami wrapped her arms
around John and squeezed him in a tight hug. Come on, this is your chance to kiss him! She patted him on the
back. “It’s okay. I am here.” Stupid! I
am so stupid!
“Thank
you, Ami.”
A
shiver shot down her spine when his breath brushed past her neck. You love him! Kiss him now! “You know I
am always her for you.”
John
sniffled.
“I
know what happened.” Ami ran her fingers through his soft hair. A heat rushed
between her legs, and she found herself panting. “John … .”
“I …
.” John hugged Ami back, holding onto her as if his life depended on it.
A moan
slipped through her lips, and Ami hoped that he had not heard it. “I have
something I want to ask you.”
“What
is it?”
Will you be my boyfriend and love me
forever? Ami could not force the words to come out.
“Ami?”
Disappointed
in herself, she rubbed her cheek against the side of his head. She kissed at
the side of his head, sure he could not feel it. Why could she not just confess
to him? Why could she not just place her lips to his? If his soft skin were any
indicator, his lips would be delicious. Images and desires danced through her
head. Silently counting to three, she pulled back and locked eyes with John.
Now was the time to kiss him.
“What
did you want to ask me?” John’s eyes appeared hollow while he spoke, and his voice sounded as if his spirit
had been broken.
Ami
eased forward and froze just before her nose touched his. Kiss him now! “Who was the man that you told Taisei about?”
John
frowned. “I didn’t mention his name?”
Before
pulling back, Ami shook her head and allowed her nose to brush across his. The
contact caused her face to blush, but it was the best she could manage. “No …
.”
“It
was an odd guy named Hyuga.”
Ami’s
heart skipped a beat. “What did you say?”
“I
said his name was Hyuga.”
Swallowing,
Ami released John. “I … .” Her teeth chattered despite her best efforts to
still them. She found her breaths coming in ragged gasps. “I will get you out
of here. I promise.” The terror coursing through her veins fogged her vision.
Before John could say another word, she stepped from the room and pulled out
her cellphone.
###
Keisuke
groaned when his smartphone began to ring. Who
the fuck is calling me at this hour?
The
boisterous rap music, flashing lights and vibrations had the smartphone dancing
on the small table next to his bed. The sudden light that filled the room sent
pain coursing from his eyes, to his lower-back. Moe rolled over and jabbed
Keisuke in the ribs.
Grunting
in agony, Keisuke clutched at his side. “What was that for?”
Moe
opened her eyes then squinted. “Take your damn phone and answer it in the other
room.”
She is rather beautiful when she’s not
wearing a stitch of clothing. Blood rushed down between his legs, and Keisuke became erect despite having
had sex not thirty minutes ago. “I have a better idea … .”
“No.”
Moe rolled back over and put a pillow atop her head. “We have already fucked
four times tonight. No more until I get some sleep.”
“Fine.”
That’s too bad. Keisuke closed his
eyes once his smartphone stopped ringing.
When
his smartphone started going off again, a rustling noise preceded an eye
bulging punch to the gut.
Keisuke
gasped for air.
Moe
reached over Keisuke, rubbing her soft breasts across his face.
Ignoring
the pain, Keisuke gathered himself and brushed his tongue across Moe’s nipple.
He pulled it into his mouth and sucked on it until it became as hard as his
dick.
While
moaning, Moe grabbed his smartphone. “What did I just tell you?” She pulled her
breast out of his mouth and slapped his smartphone down onto his chest. “Take
your hard penis and your phone into the other room and deal with them by
yourself.”
“Awww,
you know you want to.”
“Go!”
Keisuke
sighed before climbing from the bed and moving into the living room. He turned
on a light then gawked at his phone.
Ami
was calling him.
“What
the fuck does she want?” His voice rang louder than he had expected it to.
“Quiet!”
Moe sounded like she was getting rather pissed.
This
made Keisuke even hornier. She always fucked him harder when she was pissed
off. After repressing his urges, he answered the phone. “What the fuck do you
want?”
“Keisuke?”
Ami’s voice cracked, and it sounded like she was trembling.
“Yes,
Ami?”
“I …
.”
“Spit
it out.”
“I
just spoke with John.”
Is that what this is about? Keisuke
chuckled. “I told you that John wouldn’t love you back.”
Ami
inhaled sharply. “I will kill you.”
“Not
in a fair fight.”
“I
will kill you in your sleep. With a knife. Or a spoon.”
A spoon?
After
taking several labored breaths, Ami yelled into her phone.
Keisuke
yelped before pulling his smartphone away from his ears. He rubbed at his ear
before returning his smartphone to it. “If you ever do that again, I’ll —”
“Just
shut up and listen.”
“I
don’t want to hear your sob story about how John didn’t want to date you.”
“Unfortunately,
I was unable to confess to him when he was alone.”
“Ha!”
“Fuck
you. Although … I did learn who led him into that securities firm.”
Keisuke
rolled his eyes. “And why did you call me? You should have told the police.”
“There
is nothing they could do.”
“What?
Why?”
“It
was Hyuga.”
Keisuke
moved his smartphone to his other ear. “I’m sorry. … I must have misheard you.
I thought you said, Hyuga was the one
who dragged John into a vault full of gold.”
“You
didn’t mishear.”
After
brushing his tongue across his teeth, Keisuke swallowed. “Meet me by the
station in the morning. I’ll tell Moe now.”
“I
figured the two of you were fucking tonight. I hope I interrupted.”
Keisuke
couldn’t help but to chuckle. “Bye.” Once he hung up the phone, he rushed back
into the bedroom. “Moe, wake up!”
Moe
growled. “I swear to the heavens … .”
“It’s
Hyuga.” Keisuke’s voice squeaked. “He’s returned to Japan.”
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