Linky's Fics

By The Shore

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The sound of the waves of the beach calmed Toujou’s soul. Life had been quite difficult lately. With his nose at the grindstone, endless work to stop Dakkar. There was rarely any time for a breather.

However he didn’t regret this.

Toujou took immense pride in his work, to uphold justice and the law. Strongly believing in what he did. If given the chance to change the path he went down, he would refuse it without a second thought. Never for a moment did he regret joining the force. This was what he was meant to do.

He preferred to go by the book. There was a good reason these rules were put into place for policemen. Rules that had been written in blood. He’d follow them without fail.

Though as of late he’d reflected on how much he’d let Hayakawa do things his way over these past months. Not that there was much he could do to stop him. He’d known him for so long.

If Hayakawa was set on doing something, he’d go through with it. Regardless of what method he’d choose to use to achieve it. As much as Toujou did push back against him in these times… He could have always pushed back harder. He knew he had the capacity to. So what stopped him?

He continued to ponder on this as he walked down the sand. Leaving footprints in his wake, ones that would be washed away by the tide. As if he had never been there at all. It was a little overcast today but it wasn’t cold. Since it was still the midst of summer.

That was when he saw a figure in the distance—a man lying face down in the sand.

Toujou rushed over, the drive of protecting another person taking over him. The very same drive that made him become a cop in the first place. Even if he was off-duty, he couldn’t ever ignore this feeling whenever it surged up inside of him. That would be against his nature.

With each step closer to the body he could begin to make out who it was…

Hayakawa?!

What the hell happened to him?

This was far from the first time he’d seen him in horrible shape. Or washed up on a beach somewhere and out cold. The fact this continued to happen to him concerned Toujou. There was time to think about that later.

Right now he’d focus on rushing to his aid, that was much more urgent.

“Hayakawa, Hayakawa!!” Toujou knelt over and shook his shoulders. Hurriedly taking off any seaweed that was stuck to him and brushing off sand. Praying that he didn’t intake too much saltwater, if any.

Toujou put fingers to his neck, he still had a pulse. Hayakawa was still alive. Thank goodness.

He looked awful. Absolutely covered in bruises and wounds. Blood stained a part of his white scarf. Toujou hoped nothing was broken. His trademark hat and guitar also had washed ashore a bit further down the beach, but were still in view. Those could be taken care of later.

“Mgh…” Hayakawa began to show more signs of life. His eyes began to open and he let out a sigh.

Slowly sitting up, he started to cough. Toujou rubbed his back as Hayakawa kept hacking away. “Take it easy. I’m here now.”

After a few minutes he took a deep breath before looking up to Toujou. His pupils shook, “Toujou. Just how long have I been here?” There was a sense of urgency to his voice that was impossible to miss.

Shaking his head, “I don’t know. I only just found you.”

Deep inside Toujou was very grateful he did. He really didn’t know how long he’d been here, if left alone things could have ended horribly for Hayakawa. This beach was closed off to most of the general public. Who knows when he could have gotten any aid?

Toujou would rather not think about that outcome.

Getting Ken up off the ground, he carried him to his car. Making sure to get his hat and guitar afterwards. He knew Hayakawa wouldn’t let him hear the end of it if he lost those.

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All of Hayakawa’s wet clothes were put back into the trunk. Luckily Toujou had a spare pair of pants on him that he was able to let him wear. If he had more clothing on him, he would have gladly shared it.

Bandages were wrapped all around Hayakawa’s chest, and his arms. Toujou focused on applying one onto his left leg.

Hayakawa flinched as Toujou poured antiseptic onto a different wound. “Gah!” Biting his finger to deal with the pain. Toujou could even see his body tremble from it all.

“It looks like you got really roughed up.” Toujou tied a bandage around his hand. Slowly, carefully. He didn’t want to hurt such a delicate area.

So many of his wounds looked to have been deep. While he was good at first-aid Toujou knew he’d have to get Ken to a hospital, and soon. There was only so much he could do. A professional needed to look him over.

Whoever had done this to Hayakawa would pay. He’d make sure of that.

Toujou knew his vigilantism had always gotten him into trouble. Even back in their college days, Hayakawa had always been like this. This was far from anything new. He possessed a strong sense of justice of his own, and got himself into many fights on and off campus.

That very aspect of Hayakawa is why he had begun to suspect something about him recently… Those attacks on various Dakkar gangs by a vigilante called Zubat.

There was a chance they were connected.

It had honestly been on Toujou’s mind for some time now. But as the months progressed, this feeling had only become stronger. Harder to ignore. A nagging voice in the back of his head that started to become more prominent. More suspicious. Louder.

As much as Toujou wanted to grill Hayakawa about what happened to him, he had wounds that desperately needed to be attended to.

The waves continued to ebb and flow. Crashing into any rocks by the shore. A calming backdrop to what was such a tense and urgent moment.

With a final knot made of cloth, Hayakawa had been patched up.

Toujou gazed at him intensely. In the end he was unable to fight back the urge to interrogate, “Just what the hell happened to you?”

He only sat silently, avoiding his eyes. His body was stiff, arms and legs crossed. Minutes passed before he spoke.

“A scuffle.”

“This is more than a mere scuffle, Hayakawa.” His voice intensified, Toujou struggled to hold back his frustration. It seeped into his words despite his best efforts. “You know you can tell me.”

More silence.

Something deep within Toujou’s heart stirred in this moment. He cared for him so much, more than any other man he knew. This feeling of love and caring for Hayakawa had carried with him for multiple years by now. Always there, always present.

It’s why seeing him get into fights always worried Toujou. No matter how skilled of a fighter he’d always been.

There was something different about this fight. These wounds.

And not in only this instance either. He was getting beaten up more than he ever had in the past too.

Ever since Dakkar and their many gangs entered the scene, a different air had surrounded Hayakawa. As time passed on, it became even more potent. Then there was the mysterious vigilante known only as Zubat. Who appeared onto the scene as soon as something about Hayakawa shifted.

Zubat had proven to be a real thorn in the force’s side. While it looked as if he was fighting for the greater good, his superiors warned Toujou and everyone else that they could truly never know for certain.

Such as the nature of any lone vigilante. This was one of the first things someone learned when becoming a cop.

Despite this, something about Zubat had eventually won him over. Silently. Begrudgingly too. As much as his superiors would scold him for even thinking this: Without Zubat’s interference, who would have known when these dastardly men would get caught?

After a point, a lingering thought had crept its way into his head: Was Hayakawa secretly Zubat?

At first it felt preposterous to speculate on this matter. Then the connections continued to pile up.

Not to mention how gung-ho Hayakawa was about fighting all of these gangs and various hired men. One could just say it had to do with his sense of justice.

And there was an intensity to his drive to fight that Toujou had never seen before in all the time he’d known him. Hayakawa continued to butt his nose into the force’s cases too. Even against Toujou’s constant wishes.

It was beyond dangerous to fight against these gangs. He would never forgive himself if Hayakawa ever was killed by them.

He already didn’t forgive himself for letting Hayakawa push his way forward in the first place. Getting into these fights so consistently, and ending up like this. He had to have fought against one of them yet again. Where else would someone get beaten up so brutally?

Toujou had a strong hunch. But clearly Hayakawa wouldn’t budge, right now at least.

Since this attempt at a conversation was a bust, Toujou went to the trunk to pick up Hayakawa’s guitar. Making sure it didn’t take any extreme damage that would ruin its ability to play.

This was his first time holding it in his own hands. Even though it was an item he’d seen countless times. Already it felt extremely different compared to any other instrument he’d handled before. Whatever it was made of, it was so durable. While there were a couple minor scratches here and there, that was only visible if you paid close attention.

He turned it over to check the other side—

A door on the back…? How long had this been there? Toujou couldn’t recall if he’d ever noticed it before.

Hayakawa got to his feet, groaning the entire way up. Seeing Toujou examine the guitar made his eyes widen in fear.

“Wait, Toujou—!” He reached forward. Before gasping and wincing in pain. Preventing him from moving any farther.

Toujou dropped the guitar in shock, and the door flung right open. An all too familiar red suit was hidden inside, pouring out of the guitar and onto the ground below.

It was Zubat’s suit!

Everything then clicked together for Toujou. All of these pieces fit perfectly into place. Re-contextualizing so many moments. Too many for him to count.

He had been right all along. For once, he wished he wasn’t.

Within an instant Toujou’s heart sank. To think about how much Hayakawa had been risking his life as Zubat… His heart could barely take it.

Slowly he looked to Hayakawa, both of them unable to say a single word. Only able to hear the gentle breeze, and the waves of the nearby beach. Small rays of sun peeked through the cracks of the clouds overhead.

“…I knew it.” Toujou muttered. Audibly choked up.

“Toujou…”

He could see the heartbreak in Hayakawa’s eyes. And Toujou could feel his very own heartbreak that paired alongside. It was all too much.

Hayakawa tried to limp over to him, before Toujou guided him back to the seat in the car. “You’re not moving while injured.”

The pair then sat in silence. Ocean waves continued to crash, those small rays of sun became shrouded by the clouds once again.

Toujou wanted to sob and yell at Hayakawa. To put his life on the line like this, for carrying such a heavy burden all on his own. Who knew what he’d been going through all this time? Fighting such dangerous enemies and constantly being beaten to a pulp.

It was a goddamn miracle he was still even alive after all these months.

He loved Hayakawa. Losing him was a fear he had even back in college, but those were ordinary people he’d fight. These were not ordinary men he was going up against. These were horrible organized gangs, full of men who would do the most horrific acts to further their twisted goals.

Knowing that Hayakawa was consistently fighting them as Zubat… His fear had only grown tenfold.

Toujou gazed at Hayakawa again. He could see so much of what Hayakawa wanted to say to him, swirling in those beautiful eyes. Struggling to speak, Toujou only hoped what he felt deep inside was being conveyed right back to him.

Carefully, Toujou took Hayakawa’s hands into his. Mustering all he could in order to bring out any words, “You’re not alone in this fight. Please remember that.” His grip tightened, and Toujou could see tears well up in his eyes.

However, they were not ones from sadness.

It looked like Hayakawa really needed to hear that.

Leaning forward, Toujou gave him a gentle kiss. Still holding Hayakawa’s hands. Firmly, though not too firm on account of all the bruises.

He wouldn’t ever let go.

And to Toujou’s surprise and delight, he returned this kiss. As they came up for air the two men began to smile. Lovingly gazing into each other’s eyes. Toujou’s heart felt full, and it looked the same for Hayakawa.

“Thank you Toujou.” He leaned forward to give Toujou a kiss of his own, this one being on his forehead. Then pressing his forehead against his too. In comfortable silence they listened to the waves, everything they wanted to say to the other could be felt inside.

“Let’s get you to the hospital now.” Toujou whispered. “We can figure out what action to take next once your wounds are healed.”

Hayakawa simply nodded in agreement.

Driving off into the distance, little did they both know that the final battle was just ahead.

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