A pair of wide, round green eyes blinked childishly.
He took a look at the living room in front of him; it was a strange thing that Karu didn't appeared suddenly as usual in there. He usually drank a cup of tea and ate biscuits at time like this, sitting on the wooden chair alone and asked sarcastically what's Teito doing by peeping from behind the door.
"Hey, Kurena?"
The mute servant turned to look him. Her eyes said, "What's wrong?" silently.
The brown haired boy checked the situation again before asking, "I don't see Karu anywhere. Where's he?" with curious gleam on his eyes.
Kurena blinked her eyes. She was apparently surprised too—she just realized that the bandaged man disappeared from the mansion that afternoon. She shook her head, and then continued her work with question mark grew bigger in her mind.
"I wonder where he is…" The little boy muttered softly before ran to his room to take a rest again.
.
Far, far away from where they were, a dark-haired man with bandage over his eyes was riding a hawkzille alone to a place he knew the most.
Oo—O—oO
Tea Time
Oo—O—oO
Genre: Friendship – Hurt/Comfort
Rate: T
Warning: half-shonen ai, oneshot, a bit of alternate reality, grammar mistake and typos playing hide-and-seek.
Disclaimer: 07 Ghost belongs to Yukino Ichihara & Yuki Amemiya
Inspired from: Falling leaves I saw on campsite, though there's no autumn in country I live at. #sulk
Oo—O—oO
I'm trapped in memories of you, no
Please hold onto my hand, so that I can wake up
Please don't go
[Coma-B.A.P]
Oo—O—oO
It was a peaceful evening at Barsburg Great Church.
Just like usual; Ea was reading a book in library silently. He ignored the other visitor's curious stare, focused his attention only at the book in front of him.
That, until a certain teen appeared suddenly and hugged him tightly from behind while yelling his name as loud as he can.
He's Landkarte, of course—who else dared to do that without caring people's thought of them?
"Would you please—please—stop hugging me from behind, you loafer?!"
"Eeh? But Ea doesn't want me to hug him from front too, while he need to be hugged!"
"Who the hell need to be—?!"
Landkarte blinked innocently. "Your stoic-yet-lonely face has said it all, you know?"
A minute full of silence. Sisters' giggles broke it and Ea's cheek grew redder slowly. "…pardon me?"
"Well, just as I said before; your stoic-yet-lonely face tells me that you need to be hugged. Not to mention your eyes too—they looks like they're going to cry! Do you feel lonely when I went away, Ea?" The Extinguishing Spirit asked childishly, didn't realizing that the dark-haired boy in front of him was ashamed because of that—especially for the last question.
If only Landkarte's ability to detect people's aura didn't decrease, he'll be saved from Ea's deadly punch right on his cheek several moments later.
.
"Quit making me ashamed, will you?"
"I'm not! I'm just telling you the truth!"
Ea sighed mentally. Knowing that he'll not win against this child-in-teen-form, he chose to be silent and boiled the water quietly.
"You know, Ea?"
"What?" Ea replied bluntly, not even looking at the one who was speaking. He didn't see a sad smile was forming itself on the light-haired teen's lip because of that.
"You should've opened yourself more to other people."
Ea's forehead furrowed; he didn't like the way Landkarte's speaking. That Ghost made it sounded like it's an easy thing to do. "You don't know what kind of life I've been when I still living, do you?"
Landkarte shook his head slowly. "Nope. I don't. But I think I do know the feeling of being betrayed by your own family—"
"What kind of family who wanted its member to be dead so they could gain the position he has, huh?"
"—would you please, listen to me for once? I've not finished my sentence yet," Landkarte said with a calm smile on his face. He looked like Profe now; side effects from being taken care by the longhaired woman since God know when, maybe. "I wanted to say that I think I do know your feeling, Ea. I've told you about my past too, haven't I?"
"I'm not forgetful like Zehel, Landkarte."
"Good. I'm glad to hear that, since it'll be a big trouble if you forgot people's soul number and—"
"—could you please, go straight to the main topic?"
Getting a glare from his closest partner, Landkarte laughed nervously. Other than Profe's wrath or Vertrag's nephew's cooking, a pissed-off Ea was something he wanted to avoid as much as he can. "I just want to say that I think I do know your feeling, since there're people who wanted me to be dead too so they can live peacefully."
Ea's glare softened. He knew that this Ghost's cause of death since a long time ago, but his chest still felt painful when he remembers it. Imagining that everyone—not only your own family, but everyone in the district you've been living since you was born—wanted you to be dead so they could live their own live in tranquility…
…he couldn't help but sympathizing the owner of those childish bright green eyes mentally.
"Oh. And by the way, Ea?"
"Hmm?"
"It seems like the water was boiled perfectly now. If you don't turn off the stove, I'm afraid that the hot water will overflow—"
"COULD YOU PLEASE TELL ME THAT SOONER?!"
Watching the other youngest Ghost in this generation turned off the stove with a rare panic expression on his face, Landkarte could only laughed amusedly without any intention to help him at anytime in this rate.
What Ea didn't know at that time was something in his comrade's heart; something dark, sinful, and trying to eat him from inside slowly.
.
.
"Ea~! Let's go to somewhere else to picnic! You need to get fresh air before your wrinkles on forehead become deeper than bef—OUCH!"
It was an usual scene for Profe; Landkarte asking Ea to do something, he said something in reality that made Ea annoyed, and he got a punch right on his cheek as a present from his beloved partner for saying that. Simple yet humorous scene that'll never be happened if one of them went away in short or long time. And just as usual too, she didn't do anything besides chuckling amusedly while making some teas for three of them.
"Do you find an awesome place to go to, my Dear?" Profe asked gently, like a mother to her son. Landkarte nodded happily like a child, then hug Ea just like the days before. "But I just wanted to show it to Ea only! Sorry for can't taking you too, Profe~"
"Aah. I understand now. Are you planning to go on a date with him?"
Ea's eyes widened, Relikt (who was unintentionally passing them to go to front gate) dropped his books, Landkarte laughed childishly, and Profe smiling mysteriously.
"Kinda. So, will you let two of us go alone, Profe?"
"As you wish, my Dear~"
Relikt shot a pitiful stare at the youngest Ghost before he and Landkarte gone in a blink of eyes. "Don't you think that you're too spoiling him, Profe?"
"Oh, Relikt. Since when did you're there?"
"Just a minute ago."
"Hm… Can't help myself to do it since they're so cute together, Relikt," She answered innocently, smiling happily and drank her own tea casually.
Relikt sighed loudly, then gathered his books by himself and continued his journey to the front gate with sweats hanging on his head.
.
When Ea opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was Landkarte's cheerful face. Then, he realized that he—scratch, they—'re not at Church anymore.
"Where is this, Landkarte?" His amethyst eyes looked his surrounding like a curious cat. The scenery his eyes caught was a strange one for him; it's a place where leaves turned yellow and brown, some even red, and flowers (normal one, not the 'wonderful' one like Profe's) blossoming beautifully.
Simply put, that was the most beautiful place Ea ever visited in his life—he never got out from Hohburg Fortress in his first life as Karu, anyway.
"Beautiful, isn't it? Found it two days ago; when I was taking a walk around after purified someone's soul. And here is your tea, I brought it before we gone." Ea accepted the warm tea Landkarte gave. Muttering a thank you, he turned his head again to take a look at the beautiful scenery in front of him. "It's a good place to eradicate the annoying wrinkles on your forehead too, since the wind's good for refreshing." For the second time in that afternoon, Ea gave Landkarte a 'sweet' punch as a payment for mentioning wrinkles on his face right on his cheek.
Rubbing his reddening cheek, Landkarte chuckled then said, "And it's a good place to heal a wounded heart, after all."
Ea fell silent. He grabbed his chest slowly, feeling the wound that was there disappeared magically.
Landkarte really knew the trick of making people smiling, didn't he?
"…you."
Raising his left eyebrow, Landkarte drank his tea carefully. "What did you say, Ea?"
Ea repeated his words again, but still the owner of asymmetrical bangs didn't hear what the dark-haired teen said. "Um, pardon me, Ea? Your voice is too small to be heard by someone like me. Could you please say it louder?"
"Just forget it already!"
Surprised, Landkarte almost spilled his tea when Ea yelled suddenly. The look on the boy with scarf told him something that he didn't expect to be said from Ea he knew, but Landkarte smiled gratefully still. His hand reached Ea's dark hair, messed it gently—ignoring the protest he got, of course.
"You're welcome, Ea."
Breeze blew softly and gently; making colorful leaves fell beautifully on that autumn afternoon as the sunset. Those two youngest Ghosts sat on their place, drank their tea while enjoying the most beautiful scenery they ever saw.
But still…
"Hey, Landkarte?"
"Yes~?"
…still…
"Let's go to this place again next time."
"My pleasure, then."
…nobody realized something was trying to eat one of them, slowly from inside, unconsciously.
#
He stood alone on the withered grass; it's not green anymore, like the last time he came here. They've been turned gray, died after being destroyed by war several years ago. His closed eyes behind those bandages couldn't see anything but darkness, yet he still could felt the small amount of warmth he ever felt here at past.
But the one who showed him this place wasn't there anymore.
The one who made him knew what a 'comrade' was have been gone since a long time ago.
He couldn't see the scenery again—he wouldn't see it again for a lifetime. Bombs and shots have destroyed this place several years ago, and his blinded eyes couldn't see anything. There'll be no more colorful leaves, no more beautiful sunset, and no more autumn scenery he liked the most since that man showed him at past. He wouldn't drink Profe's handmade tea again with his first comrade like before.
Landkarte and him wouldn't fulfill their promise to come here together now.
Ea took a deep breath, then turned and walked casually with hands in his coat's pocket.
/In the end, he broke his promise again./
He continued to walk until he found the hawkzille he used to go here without looking back again. He took out a canned tea from his pocket, sitting alone on his hawkzille, and then drank the tea after he opened the can.
"Doesn't tasty like her handmade one, but still edible."
.
A bit far from Ea's place, a shadow chuckling amusedly after hearing that comment came out from his mouth. He left his hiding place (behind a dead tree) silently with an amused smile plastered on his lip.
He couldn't meet that man again after he dirtied his hands with their comrades' blood several years ago, anyway.
And honestly, watching that bandaged man sat alone (just like what he often did a long time ago) while drinking tea was a fun thing to do.
.
.
The End.