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The Escape King and The Pirate
With a scowling face, Shiraishi was sitting in the bedroom of a brothel in Sapporo's red-light district. From the corner of his eye, he watched Boutarou relish emptying a drink of sake. As the groups moved to their positions to apprehend the tattooed convict who was rampaging through the slums of the city, he had seen the pirate discreetly leave. Intrigued, he followed him for a bit before approaching him to ask what he was doing. Boutarou replied that he had better things to do in the gold hunt than collecting tattooed skins and that if he wanted to know what he was up to; Shiraishi should follow him.
Distrustful of the pirate, Shiraishi had followed him to make sure he got in the last word. He knew Boutarou well and did not trust him. His ‘alliance’ with Sugimoto had been forced and he had his own plans.
Shiraishi adressed Boutarou curtly, “So, what do you have to do that is more important than to help capture a tattooed convict? Why are we here? What does this have to do with the gold hunt?”
“That's a lot of questions... Here, have some sake,” replied the pirate nonchalantly.
Shiraishi refused the bottle offered from Boutarou’s outstretched hand. He reminded him in a dry tone, “I asked you a question.”
“Several, actually,” pointed out to him by Bourarou with an amused smile.
Shiraishi gets annoyed, “Answer! What are you playing at?”.
“I could ask you the same question again; I've never seen you refuse sake and be so involved in anything,” said Boutarou with a teasing and snide look. “Usually you're the kind of person who runs away when things start to get rough and it can be a disservice to you.”
Shiraishi was taken aback by how close to the mark th pirate’s shot was. Yes, this wasn't like him. How long has it been since he changed? Not knowing how to answer, he decided to counter-attack, he exclamed, “You, in any case, you're still the same!”
“So, what? You don't like it anymore?” asked Boutarou bringing his face closer to his, a naughty smile on his lips.
Shiraishi, looking him straight in the eyes, replied stoically, “There was a time when I didn't dislike it, but that's in the past, LIKE US, I have other priorities now.”
“Really?! Like being treated like a mop by a moron who thinks he's better than everyone else and a kid blinded by her crush?” questioned Boutarou, tauntingly. Then he added by waving his index finger while moving backwards “No, frankly, you deserve better!”
“Someone like you?” asked Shiraishi sarcastically.
“Absolutely! Someone like me!” The pirate stood up, spread his arms, while continuing to answer emphatically, “If you were with me, I would treat you like a prince! You would be treated with respect; appreciated for your true value! We could live in luxury for the rest of our lives!”
“Like the king and his official lover? You see, that's exactly why it didn't work out between us!” said Shirasishi exasperated. “You think that your dreams of greatness are also mine! Always deciding for me!”
Boutarou leaned against one of the walls of the room and crossed his arms. He stared at Shiraishi with a serious look for a while, and then asked, “Ok; what do you want?”
Shiraishi did not answer. Boutarou insisted, “So?”
“What do I know?! You're just asking me like that... I don't know!” exclaimed Shiraishi as he stood up,
“That's exactly why I've always had to think for both of us,” explained Boutarou with calm and confidence. “You never know what you want. You complain that I decide for you, but you are unable to know exactly what YOU want. The proof is that you hang out with people who don't expect anything from you. In fact, you are always looking for the easy way out.”
The words was like a slap to the face and Shiraishi grabs the bottle of sake, about to empty it in one gulp.
Boutarou reached out to intercept the trajectory of the bottle to Shiraishi’s mouth and grabbed his wrist, and with a mocking tone he said, “In the end, you haven't really changed that much. Always throwing yourself towards alcohol whenever I corner you.” Then more seriously, he asked, “What will you do after you've drank yourself into a stupor? You're going to shake around and say clichéd quarrel phrases to drown out the conversation, JUST LIKE IN THE OLD GOOD DAYS???”
All these events took a turn that Shiraishi did not like. He broke free from Boutarou's grip and walked away; with his back turned to him, he took a breath to calm down. He was here to find out what the pirate was up to, he reminds himself.
Having regained some of his composure, Shiraishi turned to face Boutarou and questioned him, “Let's go back to the original topic. What are you planning?”
Impassive, Boutarou replied, “Me, nothing.”
“Really?” asked Shiraishi ironically.
Boutarou rolled his eyes in sighing and repeated, “Nothing! Really!” However, he specified, “Well, not immediately. So nothing to fear from me at the moment. I prefer to stay in the background for the moment, I don't want to get involved in a plan and a convicts hunt that I don't believe in – I will find the gold with my own means. You know very well that the other moron left me no choice when he ‘proposed’ that I ally myself with him!” The pirate crossed the room to sit on the ledge in front of the only window in the bedroom while continuing to talk, “I owe nothing to him and nothing to Hijikata either. And neither do you”. Tired, he added, “Frankly, I don't understand why you're making such a big deal out of it.”
Shiraishi stared at Boutarou, what he said made sense. He knew him well enough to know that what he was saying could be the truth. Boutarou didn't like having ‘choices’ imposed on him other than his own. Shiraishi was the same way. The difference was that he ran off at the first opportunity to do so, while Boutarou would wait for the right time to leave quietly. Since when had he stopped running off? Shiraishi looked away. Boutarou was not wrong, Sugimoto and Asirpa treated him like a third wheel. They never missed an opportunity to ridicule him, Shiraishi thought. He had begun to follow them out of fear of Sugimoto and then also a small charm of the possible the gain from the hunt. Then, in Abashiri, Sugimoto had made him promise to look after Asirpa. It was a task he had accomplished, always out of fear of Sugimoto at firstand, and out of affection for Asirpa afterwards.
But there had also been Kiroranke; his friendly presence had been a true support for him. Yes, he had lied about his objective, but he had done it for a cause he felt was right, trying to do as little collateral damage as possible unlike others. Throughout their journey in Karafuto, he had done everything to avoid the dangers along the way. He had been a true team leader, valuing everyone's skills at the right time. How he missed Kiro!
Basically, Boutarou was right, Shiraishi owed nothing to no one. In fact, he was just with Sugimoto and the others out of habit, not out of real will.
Still standing, Shiraishi let himself fall to the floor, sitting down. He raised the bottle of sake, which was still in his hand, towards Boutarou, and said, “Sad alcohol.”
Boutarou joined him, sat down next to him. He grabbed the bottle and explained, “In that case, it's better to avoid drinking.” And he drank the bottle in a single motion.
Shiraishi glanced at him with dark eyes.
“What?” asked the pirate, falsely offended. Then he emphasised theatrically with his hand on his heart, “It's you who is sad, not me. If you want to taste alcohol in your condition, there's a better solution.”
Boutarou put his left arm around Shiraishi's shoulders and bent down to kiss him. His kiss has an unexpected sweetness mixed with the slight burn from the cheap alcohol.
Shiraishi sighed as Boutarou pulled back slightly from him. At this game, le pirate would always win. Defeated, yet again, he though he might as well make the most of this situation. Shiraishi had already left the others far behind and he was in the red-light district after all.
The End