Red West II.

Chapter nine - A matter of trust

Jin could not figure out what was causing his uneasiness. They had left more than enough gang members behind to deal with any possible pursuers and Leo seemed to be quite sure they could continue in their way back to the safe cottage undisturbed. He considered the Black Riders being able to get rid of anyone who was stupid enough to track them as well, but still... That anxious urge didn't ease up until Jin proposed to go back to make sure that they were not pursued anymore and there were no more enemies hiding, and Leo reluctantly let him go.

Kuro carried him back through the woods patiently and fast, sensing his master's compulsion to rush. Jin knew he should have kept his senses on full alert, but he was weirdly distracted. So much that one low-hanging branch would hit him over the head, if he didn't notice it in the last second and crouched in the saddle.

It took less time than Jin had expected, before he noticed the yellow lights in the otherwise already completely dark forest. He was afraid that he was too far from the spot where they had split up, but Jin's nervousness was playing with his perception of time, so he actually found the rest of the gang quite quickly. The shining eyes of kerosene lanterns led him directly to the right place.

The gang was gathered in the small circle around a high tree, and only when Jin got to just a few meters from them, he noticed why – it seemed that one of the search groups succeeded. Nobody noticed Jin's arrival, since they were all focused on the young man, to whom they decided to give a lesson in interrogation. Their captive cowering under the shower of hits seemed somehow familiar to Jin and he rode closer to have a better look.

Then Ryo and Patrick pulled the youngster up and the light fell on the handsome face, which features were contorted in pain. Jin's heart skipped a beat.

After all those weeks of faint hopes and no solid proof that his dear friend was on his way south as he had promised, that place and that time were the least expected circumstances under which Jin had imagined too see Kazuya again.

"You won't believe me even if I tell the truth!"

He could not mistake that desperate voice with anyone else's.

Three Riders jumped at their young captive again and immobilized him, while Esler swung with his fist, definitely not for the first time, as Jin could see some blood and bruises on Kame's face. He didn't remember dismounting Kuro or the number of steps which took him to the group. He was just right there, grabbing Esler's wrist, before the man could hit Kame again.

"What the...!" Esler turned to him angrily, but he was definitely not as angry as the older one of the Akanishi's brothers at that moment.

Jin was looking forward to meet with the former bartender for eight damn-long weeks and now, when Kame was finally there, he found him beaten up? He faintly realized that the Riders, who stared at his appearance wordlessly, didn't know Kame, and that was what held him back from punching the gunman right in his face.

"Hands off, Esler," he hissed resolutely.

The older man tried to slip from Jin's grip, but didn't succeed at all, which he noted with a surprise.

"Let him go," Jin repeated, gritting the words through his teeth. "Now."

Esler repaid Jin's fierce stare for a while, the dark frown all over his forehead, before he finally stopped squeezing the young man's hair and retreated. Only then Jin let the gunman's wrist go as well, but remained on alert, ready to fight them all if necessary.

"What's your fucking problem, Akanishi?!" Esler exclaimed more than upset.

The others observed him confusedly as well; just Ryo was guarding their captive with stabbing look, not paying attention to the rupture. Except the Riders, Jin felt the warm eyes upon himself, but he didn't dare to repay Kazuya's look, not yet. He had to deal with everybody else first.