Chapter Text
When Kazuki Kurusu sees Shigeki Suwa sitting on his couch, his heart nearly stops in his chest. The man is sitting back and relaxed, like he owns the place, which Kazuki supposes he does. Still, the sight of Rei’s father in their shared apartment - their living space, their home - is so jarringly out of place. Kazuki tenses and narrows his eyes.
From behind him, Miri gasps at the sight of her grandfather sitting on the couch. “Kazuki-papa, who is that?” She wonders aloud, her golden brown eyes wide with curiosity.
Ignoring Miri for the moment, Kazuki steps further into the apartment. He had left Rei at home, to go pick up Miri from daycare, but now Rei is nowhere to be found. A quick glance around the first floor of the apartment reveals one other figure besides the Suwa boss - a grim-looking man with black hair and an intense expression. This other man, presumably another member of the organization, stands in the kitchen with his gaze fixed onto Kazuki.
“Where’s Rei?” Kazuki snaps at Suwa.
Rei’s father looks surprised for a moment, before his expression cools back into one of firm neutrality. “That’s none of your concern,” Suwa says. His voice is deeper and rougher than Kazuki had imagined. “You should be more worried about yourself, Kurusu.”
Kazuki’s heart skips a few beats. His eyes widen, and he can’t stop the shiver that runs down his spine. “Are you threatening us?” His voice shakes slightly, and he curses himself for his weakness. He should have been more prepared - Rei had warned him about this possibility, after all.
Before Suwa can respond, Miri steps forward and tugs on Kazuki’s pant leg. She pouts, and looks up at Kazuki with beautiful, big eyes. “Kazuki-papa, I wanna know! Answer my question!” She whines.
“No, Miri! Stay back and wait by the front door!” Kazuki snaps.
His heart breaks to see her flinch, but he can’t control his tone right now. Not when they both might be in serious danger. He’s anxious; his protective instincts are flying into high gear.
“Nonsense,” Rei’s father chimes in. “I’m here to meet my granddaughter.”
“Huh?” Kazuki turns back to Suwa, a confused expression on his face.
Miri tilts her head to the side. She looks closely at Suwa, with narrowed and critical eyes. There are wheels turning round and round in her brain; Kazuki can practically see them. “Grandpapa?” She wonders aloud.
Suwa beckons to her with his hand. “Come here, child,” he demands roughly. “Let me have a closer look at you.”
Kazuki tries to stop her, but the other man - the one from the kitchen - invades his personal bubble and intimidates Kazuki with his physical presence. Looming way too close for comfort, the other man threatens Kazuki with a mere look.
“Thank you, Ogino,” Suwa says, nodding at the man.
Meanwhile, Miri stumbles forward, approaching the couch. She pulls herself up onto the cushions, settling down next to her grandfather. Her wide, innocent eyes stare up at the older man.
“Miri…” Kazuki mutters under his breath. His heart beats fiercely in his chest, and a single bead of sweat rolls down his face.
Suwa pets Miri’s head in the same way one might pet a dog or a cat.
“Are you Rei-papa’s papa?”
Suwa smiles, although there is no warmth in his gaze. “Yes, clever child,” he says, “I am Rei’s father.”
As they talk, Ogino pats Kazuki down. “Arms up,” he instructs, and Kazuki mindlessly obeys. He doesn’t even register Ogino’s hands pressing into him; Kazuki’s mind is consumed with thoughts of Miri, how to protect her, how to get them both out of this situation.
When Ogino finishes checking Kazuki for weapons, he nods at Suwa.
Once Miri settles into her usual spot on the couch, eyes glued to the television, Suwa pulls Kazuki into the kitchen by his arm. Kazuki feels deeply unsettled at the idea of leaving Miri in the living room with Ogino looking after her, but he has no other choice. At least they have an open concept living space, so he can keep an eye on Miri and Ogino over Suwa’s shoulder as they talk.
“What do you want?” Kazuki snaps, before Suwa can even open his mouth.
Suwa’s grip on Kazuki’s arm tightens dangerously, and the younger man holds back a cry of distress. He can’t let Miri hear him in pain. He has to be strong, for her sake. His eyes tear up, but he grits his teeth and doesn’t make a single sound.
“You’re ill-mannered,” Suwa observes, looking Kazuki up and down. “Your file says you’re an orphan from a young age, so you likely had no one to teach you respect as a child. Someone like that is hardly qualified to raise a child, hm?”
Kazuki glares fiercely. “That’s none of your concern,” he says, mirroring Suwa’s words from earlier. “What does it matter to you, old man?”
Instead of answering him, Suwa makes a little show of glancing around the apartment. “Clean dishes, freshly washed and neatly folded laundry, spotless carpet, well-stocked kitchen,” he states aloud. “I doubt my son is responsible for any of these things. You make a useful little housewife, don’t you?”
Blushing a dark shade of pink, Kazuki finally gathers the strength to tear his arm out of Suwa’s grip. “Don’t touch me,” he snarls, low enough that Miri won’t hear him over her cartoon. “Get out of my home.”
A brief pause, as Kazuki glares but internally regrets his words, and Suwa stares at him in shock. Then, a booming laugh leaves Suwa’s mouth, loud enough to draw attention from Miri and Ogino. Suwa closes his eyes and tilts his head back as the laugh consumes him. As the laugh fades into low chuckles, Suwa’s eyes return to Kazuki’s nervous expression.
“Your home? Oh, you foolish peasant,” Suwa says, stepping even further into Kazuki’s personal space. “You may cook and clean as much as you like, but this will never be your home. This is my home. I pay for this space, I own this apartment.”
Kazuki backs away, retreating further into the kitchen, but Suwa follows him with a cold expression on his face. His eyes are icy and cruel, nothing like Rei’s deep blue ones. Although Kazuki is not a small man, landing on the tall side of average and being rather stocky, he’s still a bit shorter and smaller than Rei’s father. Kazuki isn’t entirely sure if he can take Suwa in a one-on-one fight.
From the living room, Kazuki hears Miri call out for him. She doesn’t sound pained or scared, just worried. Yeah, he’s worried for himself too.
Suwa continues. “You’re an ungrateful peasant, living under my roof and corrupting my son,” he growls darkly.
Kazuki feels the wall press against his back. He’s trapped between the wall and Rei’s terrifying father, a huge man with deadly skill. The man is keeping him from Miri, his beloved daughter. The man is keeping him from the door, and any other possible escape route. There’s only one option left.
In a fluid motion, without hesitating or thinking twice, Kazuki grabs a kitchen knife from a nearby knife block and swings it towards Suwa’s neck.
Before the attack connects, Suwa’s large hand flys up and grips Kazuki’s wrist. He squeezes without mercy, and Kazuki cries out, dropping the knife. Using the momentum of Kazuki’s attack, Suwa spins him around and pushes him into the wall.
As Kazuki slams into the wall, he wonders how Rei’s dad is still so strong in his old age.
Somewhere in the living room, Miri cries out for him again. “Kazuki-papa! Kazuki-papa!” She screams again and again. Sounds like a struggle, and then her voice cries out again, but more muffled, like someone is holding a hand over her mouth.
Suwa holds Kazuki against the wall, pinning him there by his neck. As much as Kazuki struggles, Suwa’s grip is firm and unyielding. Kazuki feels the elder Suwa lean closer, pressing against his back. Warm breath brushes past Kazuki’s ear.
“Stop struggling, Kurusu,” Suwa’s voice roughly demands. “I don’t intend to harm you or the girl.”
Despite himself, Kazuki can’t stop the tears from forming in his eyes. He hates feeling so powerless. “Why are you doing this?”
“I learned a long time ago that breaking Rei’s toys doesn’t get me anywhere. But I wonder what might happen if I stole them from right under his nose?”
Kazuki freezes, and ice creeps into his veins. “What?” He asks, breathless.
“I want you and the girl to come with me, calmly and quietly,” Suwa demands. “It’s about time I got to know Rei’s little family.”
“You’re an idiot if you think we’ll come with you willingly,” Kazuki snaps.
“Now, who said anything about being willing? You’ll come with me, Kurusu, if you don’t want anything terrible to happen to that pretty college student - what’s her name? Izumi?”
Karin. Suwa is threatening Karin, and Kazuki knows there’s nothing he can do to stop the might, power, and influence of the Suwa organization. If Suwa wants Karin dead, he can arrange that. If Kazuki wants to keep her alive, he has to obey.
Kazuki stops struggling.
“Good,” Suwa praises, and Kazuki can hear the smug grin in his voice. He feels the pressure against his back disappear, and Kazuki peels himself away from the wall.
Suddenly, Miri is upon him. Surprised, he stumbles a bit before adjusting to her weight and looking down at her. She clings to his leg, and stares up at him with tears in her eyes. “Papa, what’s happening?” Kazuki picks her up, and holds her close. She sticks her face into the side of his neck, sniffling dramatically. “The bad man wouldn’t let me go save you from grandpapa, Kazuki-papa,” she whines.
Suwa and Ogino are both in the kitchen now, and Kazuki is acutely aware of their eyes on him and his daughter. Over Miri’s shoulder, he glares at the two of them. “We’re in a bad situation, Miri,” he explains to her. He’s not gonna lie to her. She wouldn’t believe him if he did. “We need to go with your grandfather now, and listen to everything he says.”
Miri stops sniffling, and Kazuki feels her tiny head nod in understanding. “Okay, Kazuki-papa,” she mumbles softly.
“Well, isn’t that a pretty picture?” Ogino comments, mocking. A sick, twisted smile forms on his ugly face.
Beneath the surface of his skin, Kazuki’s blood boils in anger.
Suwa nods towards the door of the apartment. “Let’s go,” he orders, and Kazuki has no choice but to obey.
Holding Miri in his arms, Kazuki exits the apartment with Ogino and Rei’s father. He wonders when he’ll see Rei again, if ever.