Shattered Bonds-Okuyasu & Josuke

Salt On The Wound-Part 11

Josuke and Okuyasu trudged back through the forest, their clothes soaked and their bodies aching from exhaustion. Josuke's hand was wrapped firmly around Okuyasu's, whilst he fantasizes that Josuke loves him again, and that everything was going to be okay. But as they neared the edge of the woods, the comforting quiet was shattered by the sound of raised voices.

They both exchanged a glance before hurrying toward the noise, their pace quickening as they emerged from the tree line. The sight that greeted them made Okuyasu's heart sink.

On the front porch of Josuke's house, Okuyasu's dad, Mansaku, was standing toe-to-toe with Josuke's parents, his face flushed with anger. He was shouting, his voice filled with rage and frustration, whilst the other parents, Tomoko and Joseph, stood their ground, refusing to back down.

"You were supposed to be taking care of him!" Mansaku roared; his hands clenched into fists. "I trusted you with my son and look what happened! You let him wander off into the damn woods in the middle of the night! He could've been killed!"

Tomoko's voice was firm as she responded, "We did everything we could, Mansaku. You're the one who threw him out, who forced him into this situation! If you hadn't been so—"

"So what?" Mansaku snapped, his voice dripping with venom. "So, I didn't want my son living with a bunch of people who encourage his... his illness? So, I wanted him to be safe, to be normal?"

"Normal?" Joseph echoed; his voice filled with disbelief. "You mean to force him to be someone he's not? You threw him out because he's gay, Saku! Because you couldn't accept your own son for who he is. And now you're blaming us for trying to give him a place to stay?!"

Okuyasu stood frozen at the edge of the yard, his heart pounding in his chest as he listened to the argument. Every word felt like a knife twisting in his gut, reopening wounds that had barely begun to heal. He didn't want this—to be the cause of more conflict, to be the reason his father and Josuke's parents were at each other's throats.

Josuke squeezed his hand, a silent reassurance that it was going to be alright. But as they stepped forward, trying to intervene, Mansaku's eyes landed on his son, and his expression softened slightly, though his anger was still evident.

"Yasu," Mansaku said, his voice low and strained. "I'm taking you home. This was a mistake. You don't belong here, with these people who... who don't have your best interests at heart. You're coming back with me."

Okuyasu's blood ran cold. He had dreaded this moment, the inevitable confrontation with his father, the pressure to return to the home he had been so brutally cast out of. But what made his heart truly sink was the thought of leaving Josuke behind. 'Not after I just got him back' Okuyasu thought, still blind and in belief that they are back together.

He opened his mouth to protest, but before he could say anything, Josuke spoke up.

"Maybe... maybe he should go back with you, Mr. Nijimura," Josuke spoke out, his voice firm.

Okuyasu's heart stopped. He turned to Josuke slowly, his eyes wide with shock, unable to comprehend what he had just heard. "Jojo... what are you saying?"

Josuke looked back at him, his face blank, an unreadable expression written all over his face. "I just think it's for the best if you go back home. Your dad is worried, and maybe you two can work things out. You shouldn't be avoiding a situation this important."

The words hit Okuyasu like a physical blow, the weight of them crushing his already fragile heart. He felt the ground beneath him sway, the world narrowing to just him and Josuke as everything else faded into the background.

Okuyasu voice was barely a whisper, trembling with hurt. "You want me to go back?"

Josuke, face still unclear, puts his hand gently on Okuyasu's shoulder and coldly says "I know it's hard, but it is best that you sort out this problem, rather than running away from it. Besides, you might move on from me easier if we were distanced."

Move on from you? Distance? What?

Okuyasu shook his head, disbelief and pain mixing a storm in his chest. He felt like he was drowning, the air thick and suffocating as he tried to process what was happening. Josuke, the person who Okuyasu couldn't live without, his lifeline and hope, was telling him to go back to the place that had nearly destroyed him.

Mansaku stepped forward, sensing his opening. "Come on, son. Let's go home."

Okuyasu looked between his father and Josuke, his mind reeling. He felt torn, caught between two worlds, neither of which seemed safe anymore. But the betrayal he felt from Josuke cut the deepest.

"Alright," Okuyasu finally said, his voice breaking as he pulled away from Josuke's side. "Let's go."

But as he turned to follow his father, the tears he had been holding back finally spilled over, and he couldn't stop them.