Jun had never been late returning the books, so he thought that the control office really was where the employee said and he followed him quietly. The man turned in another corridor and went to a door at the end of that. He opened the door and had Jun enter. The boy looked around stupefied: The room wasn't an office but a storeroom full of big cardboard boxes. He was about to turn and ask for an explanation, when he felt someone press something in his face. He detected a sharp scent and lost consciousness.
Three men wearing coveralls bodily lifted him and put him in a wooden box that they closed and secured with two plastic ribbon wrappers, then with the lift they went to the underground entrance. Here a transports agency delivery van was waiting and the wooden box was loaded inside. The van went out through the University gate and stopped one moment in front of Jun's bodyguards' car, and as soon as traffic allowed, entered the road and quietly drove away.
Around one o'clock the body guards, astonished at Jun's unusual delay, tried to call him on the cellular, but there was no answer. They guessed that something must have happened and rushed inside to look for him. The first place they went of course was the Library. Here they saw the jacket and the boy's case. They talked to other students.
"He went out about two hours ago with an employee that came to talk to him. But I have no idea where they went." one of the boys said.
The men, bewildered, called Soda, who called Kazunari, and immediately the search for Jun started. It soon became evident that the boy had been kidnapped. The employee that several boys had seen talking with Jun, and that worked at the University for twenty years, left his work place without saying anything to anybody. And when they went to look for him at his address, they were informed that all the family had moved about one week before. Nobody knew where.
The body guards had noticed the van and remembered the transport agency logo. The agency belonged to the Yamaguchi's and had been stolen the day before. It was found abandoned on the state road. Kazunari was furious. Who had kidnapped Jun, and why? He put the family to work. They had to search the entire town and find the boy at any price, and alive if they knew what was good for them.
Michiko called her son:
"Kazunari, everything possible will be done to find Jun. But you cannot get angry with our men. They couldn't possibly be glued to him inside the University, you know that very well. They did their duty. And everybody will, you can be sure."
"I cannot get angry? Jun has been taken away under their eyes and I am not supposed to be angry? Jun has been kidnapped and I've not to be mad? You say so just because it is not one of your children that has been kidnapped! You don't give a shit for my Jun, right?" he shouted upset.
Michiko gave him a loud slap. "Don't dare to talk that way to your mother! I became fond of that boy, whatever you think. As, unhappy as I am that you are that way, you couldn't find anyone better than him. To me, anyway, even if I never said that, Jun is not different from Ryuta or from Keiko, do you understand? We will do everything to have him back safe and sound. But you have to calm down and be reasonable if you really want to be useful to that poor boy. You made him undergo all that, don't forget it. I know that you don't want to hear that, but..." his mother said severely.
"I? I made him undergo all that? You are raving. I did everything possible to protect him. Because he, to me, is the reason for life, don't you understand?" the young man upset shouted.
"Your reason for life? It doesn't really seem so, as you preferred to continue to tend the family business even at the price of his happiness. Your reason for life is the family, not that boy. At least, don't lie to yourself!"
"And you reproach me for that? You, that drove the family with an iron fist? It is not really you loving the family more than each one of us?" the young man flung in her face furiously.
"I think this is not the right moment to quarrel,." Michiko cut him short, "We have more important things to do, if we want to find Jun. Who could have kidnapped him, first of all?"
"Some fool wanting money?" Hiroshi, who had listening in silence, ventured.
"No, I don't think so. Rather... the Oshimas. They feel the ground slipping away from under their feet. They have been reduced to a secondary role since the Tokyo meeting. They are afraid of disappearing and perhaps they are trying to give a last tail stroke." Michiko thoughtfully said.
"But, what for? Why Jun and not one of us?"
"Because they know I'm close to handing over the family reins to you, and they evidently know that Jun is very important to you. Hitting the boy, they try to hit you, it's evident. If it is really them, you will see that they will turn up soon."
" If it is so, I'll crush them, I'll eliminate them. I'll make them disappear from this world!" Kazunari said ferociously.
"The problem is that you cannot. Not one of the families would justify a war for that boy. If it was your wife, it would be different. But they have played their cards well. It is for you, as if they had kidnapped your wife; but to the other families it is as if they kidnapped just a hustler. Don't you understand? If you start a war for Jun, we will have all the other families against us, that's for sure. No, admit I'm right, we have to do something else to rescue the boy, not a war."
"And what else?" the young man asked, understanding that his mother's analysis was mercilessly right.
"First thing, we have to know if it was really the Oshimas. Then, to learn where they could keep the boy. Anyway, whoever kidnapped him, I think that he will turn up. I don't think they will harm him, they would not gain anything at all by doing that."
"Harm him? Why would they harm him?" Kazunari asked, alarmed.
"I don't think so, as I said, but remember, through him they want to harm you. If you appear weak, too ready to negotiate, the only one to lose will be Jun." the mother said gravely.
Kazunari, even if he didn't show it, was a broken man. Yes, they had hit him where he was most vulnerable. And how was Jun now? How were they treating him? Was he scared? Did he feel lost? Did the boy guess that they were doing everything possible to rescue him? His Jun, mild and gentle, in the hands of wolves! And he, powerless. Yes, his mother was right, it was his fault if Jun was now in danger. He had to save the boy at any price, even at the price of his own life. Because Jun was his life.
If Kazunari could have seen Jun's reaction, he would have been proud of him. When the boy recovered consciousness, he found himself tied in a small room. He understood at once what happened; he had been kidnapped to hurt Kazunari.
When one of his jailers turned up bringing him something to eat, he kept silent. He ate in silence. When he finished eating, the man, who had been observing him for all that time, said, "So, little queen, what do you think? What will your man be ready to do to rescue you?"
"Who, the boss?" Jun asked quietly.
"Ah, do you call him boss? Yes, him, Yamaguchi."
"Nothing. What does he have to do? I'm just a toy, to him. As long as I'm not too expensive, he keeps me. That changes and he will find a thousand other boys ready to please him. What do you presume to gain using me?"
"Who do you think will swallow that? It's two years since he fucked anyone but you. Before that he used to take half of the boys in the city to his bed, but now just you, little queen. Do you think we are not well informed?"
"Because I was more shrewd than the others. I ask nothing of him so I obtained everything, or almost. And I'm not fooling myself that it will last forever."
"Ah, so? And you think I can swallow the fact he provided you with two body guards, if he really doesn't care about you?"
"I didn't say he doesn't care about me: I am his belonging and he protects his things, like he does his car. Moreover, he wants to watch me so I don't go with others as long as he feels I'm good for him. He will find another. He likes young meat, I'm already twenty two. How long can it last?"
"All right. But don't you understand that if we made a mistake taking you, you will come to a bad end? If you are useless, we can just kill you?"
"Sure I understand that. I'm not a complete idiot. But I can't help. The boss will do little if nothing for me. And you, I don't expect very much from you. Unless..."
"Unless?" the man asked, curious.
"Well, unless I could be interesting to some one of you." Jun said boldly, then added: "I'm very skilled doing some things..."
The man, amused, laughed: "There are no homosexuals among us. But, anyway, if you really are so skilled in making a male rejoice, we could even amuse ourselves a little with you before killing you."
"Eh, no! If you don't grant me at least my life, nobody can amuse himself with me."
"You are tied, defenceless. If I wanted, I could rape you now."
"Sure, I know. But I was talking about amusing yourself, not just taking your fill. Unless you like to rape males. If that's the case, help yourself, anyway, as you said, I for sure cannot object."
"Shut up, you little piece of shit. I'm for sure not interested in you. I told you, I'm not a fag like your boss."
"The fag, eventually, is me. The boss likes only to fuck."
"And you like being fucked?"
"No, but I got used to it. As in exchange he keeps me. You get used to sucking it, to taking it in your ass. You get used to everything, when you have nobody else to keep you."
"And he pays for your University studies?"
"I was studying before meeting him, and I want to continue. And he doesn't give a shit what I do, he allows me to do it."
It was evident that the man was perplexed and starting to believe him. But after a while he asked, "And then, why did he even introduce you to his dear mum?"
"She wanted to meet me, to control me, as I succeeded in not being let go by her son. She is the one that keeps all under control, in there."
"Well, that's right. She is the real man of the house. We know that perfectly well. She has the balls, for sure, not her son. Anyway... we will see if we are right, or you are. I hope we are right, anyway, for your sake."
"My sake? It was over when you took the pains to kidnap me, I think. I'm just annoyed you made a blunder. For me, not for you." Jun said it as if he was bored, and laid down and closed his eyes.
The man observed him a little more, then picked up the tray and left the room, shutting the door with a key.
Jun was not scared. This time they had hit on him, not on his man. He didn't care. He just hoped that, not so much Kazunari, who probably was upset for him, but Michiko, played her cards well so that she didn't contradict him. She had to not surrender to their demands. Anyway, he knew that he could do nothing more than wait, and hope to see, even if just for one last time, his Kazunari. Was his man suffering? Yes, he could feel that, he certainly was suffering. As he suffered when Kazunari was shot. The man was surely thinking of him. It's a pity we are not telepathic, he thought.
His eyes closed and he recalled the image of his man when he presented himself clothed only in his tattoo. The snake rising its head.... playfully, Kazu had called Jun "my snake charmer" and the boy invariably answered that he was the one charmed by that snake. Yes, that tattoo that had at first scared him so much, now really fascinated him. He loved it. It was part of his wonderful man.
When could he see him again? Would he see him again?
His jailer came again with food. While the boy was eating, the man said: "He ordered a search for you. You see, he wants you back."
"He would order a search also for his car, if it was stolen," Jun answered shrugging his shoulders.
"But he didn't look for another hustler." the man insisted.
"And neither would he buy another car, as long as he hopes to find his own."
"Did he fuck you every night?" the man suddenly asked with evident curiosity.
"Night or day, every time he had a hard on. He just said: Jun, undress, I need to fuck." Jun calm answered. Then added: "Anyway, I knew how to make him really happy, just as he liked, that's why he hadn't let me go yet."
"What did he like to do?"
"Fuck my mouth and my ass until he sated his desires."
"And he, did he take it in his ass?"
"Are you joking? Him?" Jun said pretending to be amazed at such an idea. "He is all male!"
"And yet you don't have any effeminate aspects, you too seem to be all male."
"Sure, and that's why he enjoyed more running over me. He likes to subdue real males. Anyway, I also am able to give better blow jobs than most girls."
The man looked at him with interest: "Wouldn't you show me how skilled you are, then?" he asked with a lustful smile, caressing the basket between his legs that was visibly swelling.
"And what's do I gain?" the boy boldly asked.
"Well, you are used, what does it cost you to do it one more time?"
"I never did it in exchange for nothing. What can you give me in exchange? Can you promise me you would not kill me?"
"Well, why not. Give me a good blow job, now." the man repeated, evidently aroused.
"And how can I believe your promise? You aren't the boss."
"I can always force you..." the man sneeringly said, grasping the boy by the ropes that tied him.
"Surely not for me to give you head: I can bite it!"
"But I can always lower your trousers and dump it in your ass, right?" the man said caressing his cheek with his pistol.
"So? If you enjoying fucking a man, do it. You don't need to ask me, right?" the boy said in a challenging tone.
"To me? Males? I'm absolutely not attracted by males, for sure." the frowning man answered.
"But you got a hard on, just thinking of it..." the boy scoffingly.
"Well, some nice mouth work, just for once, could have been interesting, but... forget it. I prefer to find a female whore, tonight. I don't need a male whore like you."
Jun gave a silent sigh of relief inside himself: he knew he was playing a dangerous game, but he had to play the part of a hustler, not of a lover. He couldn't do anything different and he had to try to be convincing. If they believed him, they possibly would think they had no power over Kazunari.
When he was alone again, he thought intensely about his beloved Kazunari and asked himself if, and when, he would see his man again. Some days had elapsed, how many more days would still pass? How would all this end? Would he ever meet his man again?