Chapter Text
“Where are you going?” Draken asked, looking up from the bike he’s working on. There were a couple people in the shop right now.
“Grocery store, can I borrow a bike and your wallet?” I laughed.
“Okay.” I smiled at him and he blushed.
“The great Draken has fallen to the likes of a criminal man?” An older man said. Making me feel like garbage.
“Ya he did so what.” Inupi snapped back, dropping a wrench making extra noise.
“You too? Maybe he’s a witch and seduced you two to believe he's a good person.” The man spoke.
“Sir, leave our store right now.” Draken said with a dark voice.
“Wha-” he stuttered.
“Don’t disrespect our newest member of our family.” Inupi snapped, ushering the man to leave.
My heart hurt but felt nice with the kindness these two amazing boys have given me.
“I’ll get groceries tonight okay, Kazutora just go upstairs and relax.” Draken told me, seeing my visible upset.
I nodded and turned around going upstairs and curling up on the couch like a cat trying to calm myself down.
Falling asleep after a while and when I opened my eyes again it was dark out and food was being cooked in the kitchen.
“Kitten you really were asleep” Inupi teased walking out of the bathroom.
I nodded, “Don’t know why I wasn’t really tired” I shrugged and told them. Lying through my teeth.
“Sure you were, we’re having grilled cheese tonight while we watch a movie, do you want to choose it?” Inupi said plopping down on the couch.
“Artiscats!” I told them, I’m a sucker for cats, what can I say?
“Let me grab a blanket and then we can eat.” Inupi stood up and kissed my forehead before walking into their room.
He came back with a large blanket draping it over my legs as Draken walked into the living space with grilled cheese.
The three of us cuddled for what seems to be a short while but actually four hours, watching movie after movie.
Traditionally relationships are between two people, but how traditional do you think an ex-convict, burn victim, and boy raised in a brothel can be?
The way of life was finally settled in, some nights I slept with them, some nights I needed to be alone, I reformed relationships I believe were long gone before I knew it, it already has been three months since that day Mitsuya visited.
“What?” I heard Draken yell on the phone, before hearing a crash.
I ran out of the bathroom, half dressed, worried about him. We locked eyes, and I could tell something was wrong.
“What’s wrong?” I asked, concerned that was hurt Inupi since he was currently out with Mitsuya.
“It’s Nozomi.” Draken told me. My world seemed to shatter, he wouldn’t call Sara, Nozomi unless there's a reason behind it.
“What happened, Draken! Is Sara okay?” I started panicking, screaming at him to try to figure out something to get closure from someone who meant alot. Since moving here, I sent letters weekly, sometimes I got a response back, sometimes I didn’t. She visited twice in the beginning too.
“No.” He told me, his eyes told the story. She had died.
“Was it that asshole? A customer?” I cried, tears falling free as my breath got caught in my throat.
“No, she had undiagnosed HIV, which she managed to fight for a long time but eventually fell to it.” I fell to my knees sobbing. Draken wrapped his arms around me until I couldn’t cry any longer.
“How!” I screamed, mixing that single word cry alongside, “why” and also “no”
It’s all my fault, I should have known and got her help, I shoulder took care of her like she took care of me. It’s all my fault.
I cried until I couldn’t any longer, and the dry heaving began. Until I passed out due to lack of air.
When I awoke the boys I have learned to love were around me.
“Her funeral is Friday.” Draken told me. I nodded, staying silent. Rolling to my side on the bed in a ball.
I heard a little meow.
“We got you a kitten, since you loved the little kitten in Chifuyu’s shop, it was meant to be a surprise today but you know what happened so you can name her.” Inupi told me. They wanted to surprise me but I killed her, like I killed everyone else. I ruined their surprise.
He went out to the living room and carried in a small calico kitten.
“She’s a baby, we wanted you to name her.” He held her little paw, making it wave.
“Nozomi.” I said. I will care for this kitten the way she cared for me.
And so when Friday arrived, the three of us entered the graveyard to see all the other brothel workers past, and present there to celebrate Sara’s life. She left behind lots of love to go around and we shared her memories among each other.
By the time we left, I felt more at ease with her passing. Something in my body felt different like she was there with me still and didn’t want me to be sad.
When we arrived back at the shop and our home the kitten was waiting at the door for us.
“Hi Nozomi!” I told her, picking her up. She meowed and nuzzled my face.
And I knew I was finally home, and she would have wanted this.
So life continued, I was loved, I began volunteering with troubled youth, we became cat parents, and foster parents, moving into a house not far from the shop but big enough to be able to foster children.
As a family we spoke out about stds, sex work, and the lives our friends alongside we lived. Paying tribute to the ones we lost along the way.
Becoming a baba was something I never thought I was gonna get the opportunity but when one of the kids we were fostering had a baby and asked us to adopt him, we jumped at the opportunity.
So I became a Baba to Akira, a child who will know no suffrage as we did, his Papa and Dada will also make sure of it.
We adopted two other children, in the next 5 years, and became grandpa’s. A young girl, Yua, came with her newborn child when we began fostering her six months ago, we got cleared to adopt her and now she’s part of our family. Alongside another son Haru.
Our cat population also grew, the kids loved it. We were happy they were safe in this house. We told them stories of the people of our past who cannot be there anymore, alongside while our friends had their own set of kids and partners we all had a community in which we had lots of love.
I was liberated from my sins, and I finally got my repenting. No child should ever have to go through what we did so creating a new life for these kids was something we strived to.
Opening a school, in memory of Nozomi, Emma, and Baji for the less fortunate to finally feel safe. Life isn’t a one way street, but we can make the journey if we do it together.