Notes – Finally decided to write out the pairing combination that won that poll I posted almost forever ago. I've got to admit that I've been stalling doing so because I didn't have many ideas about what to do with it. For a fair few of the other options I had ideas about how to work with the two pairings listed, but with this one I only put them both together because of liking them both, guiltily. They're probably not the easiest of ships to use at the same point in the timeline, but I gave it a shot. This is set after season two but just before season three, assuming that Saiou is in some sort of rehab like Tag Force 3 said that he was.
It had not been so much a visit as an accusation trip.
The doctors had advised Saiou not to have contact with anyone who had been involved in last year's… little event, for obvious reasons. In turn, Saiou found himself too mentally drained to want to deal with any of them anyway, so he had every desire to oblige to their wishes.
However, he didn't have a 'does not accept visitors' tag attached, so it wasn't as if he could stop people from coming to see him. Such was the case with this person in particular.
During his time possessed by the Light, Saiou had never tried to get Fubuki Tenjoin to join with it. There was a very good reason for that. Fubuki had been tainted by Darkness and the whole thing seemed more bother than it was worth. But Fubuki had a sister who had most definitely joined the Light, giving the student a reason to be here.
Everyone knew that what happened wasn't the fault of Saiou as an individual. Considering all that he had done to them they mostly seemed ready to accept that he had been possessed and wasn't in control of his own actions.
Regardless, Fubuki wanted a better look at the person who had taken his sister away.
After several minutes of sitting, staring across at him in a way that made Saiou feel like he was a circus animal in from of an audience, Fubuki said, "So what did she do in that White Dorm?"
Saiou sighed.
"She performed tasks set about by the Light, went about her daily activities under the influence of its purity and converted others to let it into them. Your sister was good at converting others," he said.
"Yeah, everyone likes Asuka," Fubuki said dismissively, "But did you hurt her at all?"
"No. Why would I have any need to?" replied Saiou quietly.
Though Fubuki opened his mouth to reply he was thankfully cut off by the door opening again.
"What are you doing here, Tenjoin?" asked a disgruntled Edo, stepping through as if he owned the place.
"Is there a law against coming to visit someone in hospital?" Fubuki countered, in a tone of equal annoyance.
"There is when you hardly know them," Edo said, "But then Hell Kaiser implies that you're known for stalking, so I shouldn't be too surprised."
"For your information I was asking him about my sister and Ryo doesn't know everything about me," Fubuki returned. That last part was added as an afterthought.
Tutting, Edo said, "Well I'm sure you've got your answers now, so if you'd like to leave…"
"Why are you here?" Fubuki asked, more on impulse than actually wanting to know.
That was a can of worms that was better off not opened. Edo was probably the only reason that Saiou hadn't cut himself off from having visitors. Each day he hoped that the boy would come, knowing that his career came first, making it unlikely he would show up, but there was rarely a week that went by without him stopping in at least once. The visits were always quiet affairs, Edo seeming to relax now, knowing that Saiou was finally free, in a way he couldn't relax around anyone else. There didn't need to be a lot of words, there just needed to be them. And that was how Saiou liked it.
Right now he was witnessing the more common side of Edo Phoenix that he had put out of his mind for too long. The defensive celebrity side with all his arrogance and snark in tact. He realised that part of him had missed that side of him from when he'd been his manager. But right now he was tired of sitting between two boys throwing their egos around.
"Edo is a friend of mine and visits to monitor my progress," he cut in, making them both stop to look at him, "There is nothing wrong with that, surely."
"Of course not," Fubuki mumbled, trailing off on the awkward feeling that he might have touched a wrong subject.
But awkward hadn't finished with them yet, as a glance at Edo saw Fubuki's eyes fix on the present that he had brought. Flowers. Today's batch in varying shades of purple and blue. In general Edo seemed to bring any colour of them that wasn't white, something that Saiou had noticed even if Edo had not. They were brought to replace the ones from last week, which were now drooping due to the lack of care from the nurses, who didn't consider watering them to be part of their job.
"Is it any of your business what I bring my friend?" Edo snapped, seeing where he was looking.
"No, they just don't seem like something you of all people would give someone," Fubuki admitted, trying not to smirk too much.
"As if you can talk! It's really annoying trying to talk with Hell Kaiser before a Pro League match only for a swamp of lame Hawaiian flowers to be dropped off. How do you always know where he's going to be duelling? And can't you take a hint?" snapped Edo, flowers being waved in front of him defensively.
"Hints are too subtle, direct is my sort of approach," purred Fubuki.
"Then how much more direct does that guy need to be than blatantly ignoring you?" pressed Edo.
"Stop baiting him, Edo," Saiou said sharply.
"What? Oh, fine…" Edo muttered, resigning to walk over to the vase and start replacing last week's flowers with the new ones.
"It's my fault as much as his," Fubuki said, "Arguing with people is just too tempting sometimes. But anyway, I should leave you both now. Thanks for confirming, um, about Asuka for me."
"It was no trouble," Saiou replied, nodding.
Edo didn't turn back from the vase until he was sure that Fubuki had left.
"What do they think they're playing at, asking you about things like that?" he snapped, looking over at Saiou now, "As if they don't know that it wasn't you in control during all that."
"She is his family and he was worried about her," Saiou answered, "That at least I can understand. It can be concerning when your family may not be telling you everything about what they've been through."
"You can stop looking at me like that, I get the point," Edo said.
"But anyway, no one in the society hurt Asuka in the way he was worried about and I hope that his mind has been put to rest about it," Saiou concluded.
"It's Fubuki. His mind is rarely focused on anything for more than a few minutes," said Edo.
"You seem to know a lot about him considering how unfamiliar I assumed you both were," Saiou commented.
"As I said before, he doesn't leave Hell Kaiser alone. If I was that guy I'd have a restraining order put on him," he answered.
"Perhaps its best not to pry into their affairs," Saiou said, slightly amused by Edo's temper.
"Didn't stop him from prying into ours…" came the response. Saiou hadn't needed to see into the future to see that one coming.
He reached forward, touching at Edo's sleeve. The motion made Edo walk closer to put less strain on his former manager.
"What is there to pry upon, really? You are as close to me as the only family I've ever had," Saiou said, referring to his sister Mizuchi, "You're helping me through this ordeal and though I know you can't be here all the time I appreciate any time you put a side for me."
Edo didn't respond. Veiled sarcasm was something he found easy to work with, but genuine expressions of gratitude were much harder for him. He nodded slightly.
Deciding to make it easier for him, Saiou reached over to hug the other, feeling content as Edo's arms wrap around his back. This moment was all he needed right now.
"I can stay for a while, I only got a lift here and will be making my own way back," Edo murmured into Saiou's shoulder.
"How did you get here anyway?" Saiou questioned, out of curiosity.
"Hell Kaiser gave me a lift in. He was passing by anyway and- …oh, damn."
Outside of the hospital the stalker in the Hawaiian shirt swiftly approached his leather-bound pray.
"Ryo! Didn't expect to see you here," Fubuki chimed, stopping outside of the car before the door could be closed.
"And I… definitely didn't expect to see you either," replied Ryo, and he meant it.
"You know me, just popping in to visit Saiou and check up on him," Fubuki lied.
"He seems to be popular today," said Ryo indifferently.
"Yeah, well it's a long walk back home so you can give me a lift," replied Fubuki, walking around to get into the other side of the car. It was one of those limos that Pro League duellists seemed to conjure up out of the success of their career. The driver gave Ryo an odd look, but was nodded to just go with it.
"I suppose it isn't too far out of my way," Ryo answered as Fubuki seated himself.
"You're so kind," said Fubuki, "Do you like the flowers I've been sending you, by the way?"
"No, they're hideous," answered Ryo.
"You're not an easy guy to match with flowers," argued Fubuki, "They don't come in leather. But that is an idea for the future – custom made leather flowers."
"Please don't."
"All right, fine, but I'll find something that'll knock you off your feet one of these days," Fubuki laughed, as the limo pulled away.
"Floral decoration might not be the way to do that…" Ryo said quietly.
"What was that?" Fubuki asked loudly.
"Never mind," was the quick response.
The car was turning the corner out of sight by the time Edo had released his grip on Saiou and looked out of the window.
"I can't believe that guy, how much more blunt does someone need to be with him?" snapped Edo, walking back over.
"Some people don't pick up on hints that easily," Saiou hummed.
"You better not be referring to me, I'm really not in the mood for it," warned Edo, taking a seat on the edge of the bed. He then lent against Saiou, silently daring him to question why.
Instead, Saiou settled on, "They're nice flowers this week."
"Mm, I never quite know what to get," Edo said.
"Anything is fine, I'm not fussy," Saiou confirmed.
"You don't need to be, apparently I'm fussy enough for us both," Edo replied.
"I like you that way though," he mused.
"It's probably your fault that I am," accused Edo.
"Probably."
"Stop laughing, that isn't funny!"
"From where I'm sitting it is," Saiou reasoned, smiling down at the boy whose head was now slumped against his shoulder.
The silence between them now was filled with unspoken bickering that Edo was too tired to go into. It was different from their usual silence, but Saiou liked this kind too.
The flowers watched quietly from the vase on the windowsill. A week may be a short time to live, but like Saiou they made the most of the little time they had.