The Tyrant's Forgotten Memories
Chapter 1
It was a Sunday morning and neither Morinaga nor Souichi had university, in fact they didn't really have anything to do today. After finishing breakfast Morinaga washed the used dishes and went to the living room to join his Senpai on the sofa. Souichi was calmly immersed in some work he was completing on his laptop. Morinaga took a moment to silently admire his beautiful Senpai. His gorgeous ash blonde hair, which reached down to the small of his back, was tied in a messy ponytail and the image of his laptop's screen reflected off his thick, round glasses. His posture was slack, and his long, slender fingers typed rapidly only halting when the need to look over or analyze data hindered his work.
'Only Senpai could find work to do on a Sunday,' Morinaga thought as he allowed a loving smile to grace his features. But Morinaga loved the part of his Senpai that could be so happily engrossed in his research. Then suddenly Souichi wavered from his work; startled, Morinaga reached for the remote and turned on the TV not wanting his Senpai to notice his longing stare.
"Achoo!" Souichi flinched, reflexively raising his elbow over his mouth as he sneezed. "Damn, I guess I must be getting a cold," Souchi said still rubbing his nose.
Relieved that Senpai hadn't noticed him, Morinaga obliviously let a sly smile stretch across his face and said, "Or maybe someone is just thinking of you." Souichi shot a raised eyebrow at his dreamy-eyed kouhai for a moment, both suspicious and confused over his strange comment, before dismissing it and turning back to his laptop only to be interrupted once again by a knock on their apartment door.
"I'll get it," Morinaga said as he got up from his seat and made his way toward the door. Souichi's eyes followed him curious to see who would disturb them on a Sunday, and unannounced no less. When Morinaga opened the door he saw two familiar faces standing before him.
"Hello Morinaga-san! Oh, and hello Nii-san!" chimed Kanako as she leaned slightly to greet her older brother who was situated on the sofa behind Morinaga.
"Good morning. I hope we aren't troubling you two this morning," Matsuda-san greeted.
"Oh no, it fine. We were just relaxing in the living room," Morinaga replied with a kind smile.
"Well we just came to drop something off," Kanako said presenting the box she held in her arms. "We finally got around to rummaging through the things that were saved in the fire and I thought you'd like to see this Nii-san," said Kanako looking up at Souichi who was now standing beside Morinaga at the door; his hands extended to take the rather heavy box from his little sister.
"What is it?" Souichi asked looking down at the object he was holding.
"You'll just have to see for yourself. Matsuda-san and I have to go grocery shopping," Kanako replied as she tugged on Matsuda-san's sleeve clearly ready to leave.
"Well I guess we'll be going now. Have a good day and please take care," Matsuda-san said before walking away with Kanako.
"Don't worry we will," Morinaga called behind them. He closed the door and turned to find his Senpai once again on the sofa looking through the box set before him. Morinaga moved to take his seat beside his Senpai and asked, "What's in there Senpai?"
"I'm not really su-," Souichi's reply was cut short by a sharp jolt before he picked up the box and bolted towards his room locking the door behind him.
Morinaga blinked hard for a moment, not quite sure of what had just happened, before jumping from his seat and heading toward his Senpai's room. Morinaga, practically plastered to his Senpai's door, asked worried, "What's wrong Senpai?"
"Nothing's wrong. Just leave me alone," Souichi replied sternly.
"But Senpai, why did you lock yourself in you room?" Morinaga almost whimpered his words; his head pressed against the door.
"I said leave me alone!" Souichi barked obviously irritated with the younger man.
"But Senpai!" Morinaga whined. Receiving no reply Morinaga dragged his feet on his way back to the sofa and slumped into his seat. 'What's wrong with Senpai? Did I do something to make him angry? No, that's not possible! I took special care not to do anything to upset him all morning. Then what is it?' Morinaga searched though his thoughts trying to find a logical reason for his Senpai's sudden outburst, only to be greeted with a blank mind. In his frustration, he threw his head back, letting it rest on the top of the sofa. Then it hit him. 'Does it have something to do with that box? But what would Senpai not want me to see? And why would he need to hide it from me?' "Ugh!" Morinaga groaned; left with yet another set of unanswered questions.
…
It was noon before Souichi came out of his room. Once outside he found his kouhai sitting on the farthest edge of the sofa, closest the window, staring out at the dark, cloudy sky. Souichi quietly crept toward the kitchen to grab a beer from the refrigerator; trying his best not to catch the attention of his annoying, little kouhai. But his attempts failed and Morinaga turned to face him; leaving Souichi momentarily frozen.
"Finally you decide to come out of you room," Morinaga spoke, his expression less than amused and voice showing slight anger.
Ignoring his kouhai, Souichi once again moved toward the kitchen returning to the living room, beer in hand, to retrieve his laptop from the small table between the sofa and TV to finish his work. With his laptop obtained Souichi turned back toward his room, but was stopped by Morinaga's hand wrapped around his wrist, leaving him dead in his tracks.
"Senpai, is there something in that box you don't want me to see?" Morinaga asked, his words filled with understanding and warmth; a complete contrast to his manner just a few moments ago.
Souichi was surprised by the drastic change of tone in Morinaga's voice and he was frightened at how accurate his accusation had been, leaving him red in the face.
Having no reply Morinaga called, "Senpai?"
His thoughts still partially frozen, Souichi let out shakily, "N-no! And even if there was it's none of your business!"
Trying to keep calm Souichi yanked his hand out of Morinaga's grasp and took a quick step toward his room. But Morinaga stood swiftly, grabbing his shoulder and turning his Senpai to face him. Morinaga now had both of Senpai's arms pinned to his sides, gripping them tightly ensuring that his Senpai wouldn't escape.
"Well, I guess I'll just have to force it out of you then," Morinaga said as he stared into his Senpai's eyes with a frightening gleam in his own and a mischievous smirk.
As Morinaga leaned forward, closing the gap between them, the meaning of his words came to Souichi and his blush deepened. "Wha-What! Mmph!" Souichi managed before his kouhai's lips pressed onto his, silencing him.
He struggled to get away, but Morinaga could be a lot stronger than Souichi when he wanted to be. Morinaga only kissed his Senpai tenderly, occasionally pulling on the older man's lower lip with his own. Souichi, long done trying to get away, had his eyes clenched shut; only making the soft, warm sensation on his lips feel even more intense. He tightened his hold on the objects in his hands and he could feel his knees becoming weaker by the second. Souichi was enraged at the fact that he couldn't shake off the moron kissing him, but he was determined not to succumb to Morinaga's torture.
Morinaga let his eyes drift open to catch a glimpse of his Senpai's face. He was disappointed to find that his eyes were closed tight, making it impossible to look into his dazzling amber eyes, but he almost giggled when he saw his Senpai's face red all the way up to his ears and how absolutely adorable it made him look. He knew that this was just a complex excuse to kiss his violent love, but he also found that Senpai wasn't trying to answer his question, so he thought he'd push him a bit further.
With this in mind Morinaga lightly bit down on Souichi's lower lip receiving a small gasp in return. Souichi felt an aggravating shiver run up his spine and his whole body shuddered visibly. Feeing his mind go blank, Souichi was at his absolute limit to his tolerance level for the idiot in front of him. Again he tried to escape from his kouhai's arms; jerking violently, but all was in vain.
'You could just turn your head away from me Senpai. I mean really it's not like I have a hold of your face, and my arms are full at the moment… hmm, I wonder, do you really hate it when I kiss you?' Morinaga thought, desperately fighting a grin.
But with his dwindling self control Morinaga decided he need to end this, and finally make his Senpai confess. He let the tip of his tongue slide out of his mouth, and lightly grazed Souichi's lips, and yet again Morinaga earned a gasp from his Senpai; this one containing more than just surprise.
And that was it; the situation had gotten to dangerous for Souichi to control. With his mind in a frenzied panic Souichi kneed Morinaga in the gut as hard as his weakened muscles allowed him.
Morinaga immediately let go of his Senpai to hold his aching stomach; hunching over from the pain, only to be met with a punishing fist to the side of his face. "Uwah!" Morinaga yelped, but the assault wasn't over. With beer and laptop still in hand Souichi sent a foot straight into Morinaga's face; hitting him right in to nose. The kick sent Morinaga stumbling backward; tripping over his own feet, and landing flat on his back onto the small table behind him.
"Fuck off!" Souichi roared, and then turned to go back to his room yet again.
Morinaga rolled off the table and this time ended up flat on his face on their apartment floor. Still struggling to catch his breath after having the wind knocked out of him Morinaga held his abdomen; the pain so intense he could swear Senpai had broken one of his ribs, though obviously over reacting. "Ouch, ouch, ouch," he mumbled as he lay on the floor.
Unfortunately Souichi's conscience got the better of him and he stopped in the door way of his room. He could almost feel Morinaga's puppy dog eyes burning a whole through the back of his skull. Turning around he was horrified to find that his assumptions were correct, and Morinaga was wearing those puppy dog eyes he wore so well. Feeling a small pain in chest Souichi was reminded of how much he hated how soft he had gotten to those eyes of his. He let out a defeated sigh and said; against all his discontent of letting Morinaga see what was in the box, "Fine. If you really want to see what's in the box then get over here. Now hurry up before I change my mind!"
Morinaga's expression changed to that of child-like joy, and forgetting all of his pain, he exclaimed, "Oh, thank you Senpai!"
…
Morinaga bounced on his Senpai's bed like an impatient child; his wavy, black hair flowing along with every movement; and a grin from ear to ear sprawled across his face. He stared intently at Souichi's hands opening up the box, but exasperated with his kouhai's bouncing Souichi hissed, "Would you stop that you idiot!"
Morinaga obeyed like a trained puppy, excitement still glistening in his emerald eyes. "Oops!" Morinaga exclaimed faintly as he caught a drop of blood that fell from his nose.
"Idiot! Don't get blood all over my bed!" Souichi yelled.
"Sorry Senpai. But it's not really my fault," Morinaga said; the corners of his mouth still curved into that child-like smile.
"Ugh! Wait here," Souichi sighed; leaving the room; returning a minute later with a damp cloth, and handing it to Morinaga. "It's what you deserve for pulling that shit again anyway," Souichi said as he sat back onto his bed and pushed the box to the injured man.
Morinaga quickly grabbed the box letting his eye's gaze skim over the contents within, but before he could look more closely his Senpai's finger flew toward his face stopping to point straight at his nose. "Trust me! If you ever do that again you won't get away with just a few bruises!" Senpai exclaimed making it perfectly clear just how much he hated what Morinaga had done.
Morinaga flinched at his Senpai's guarantee; then replied reassuringly, "I won't! I won't do that again Senpai… unless I have to." Morinaga said those last four words quickly and playfully; not completely certain of the reaction they would lure out of Souichi.
"What the hell did you just say!?" Souichi demanded; his hand with a pointed finger at his kouhai was now balled into a fist; shaking furiously.
"Just kidding! Just kidding! I won't ever do that again! Please don't hit me again!" Morinaga pleaded; his hands pressed together in front of his face in an apologetic gesture; as if begging his fuming Senpai to spare his life.
"That's what I fucking thought!" Souichi said lowering his fist.
Morinaga stared at his Senpai, waiting for him to spout another threat or complaint, but heard nothing. Souichi just stared back at him; his arms crossed at his chest, and his features scrunched into a scowl that reflected every bit of displeasure he felt at the moment.
"What are you waiting for? If you don't want to look in the box after all, I'll gladly take it back," Souichi said, reaching for the box.
"No!" Morinaga yelled, picking it up and pulling it into his chest.
"Then hurry up!" Souichi growled, annoyed with the situation.
With his Senpai's half-hearted consent, Morinaga placed the box back on the bed; taking out its contents one by one to better examine them. He first took out a black T-shirt and green khaki pants; laying them neatly on the bed beside him. Determined by the size of the garments, they seemed to be children's clothing; making Morinaga curious as to who they may have belonged to.
He then pulled out what looked to be a transparent box; opening it to find that inside rest brilliant white sand laden with dozens of beautiful small shells. Laying this too on the bed, he turned his attention back to the box and pulled out a small frame. But Morinaga did not find a photo in the frame. Instead he found what appeared to be a pressed white flower; slightly browned on the edges of the petals form its age.
The next thing he pulled out seemed to be a textbook of some kind; on closer inspection Morinaga found it was an agricultural science book. All throughout the book were dozens of bookmarks and small notes written on now yellowed scraps of paper. Placing it down with the rest of the items, he reached into the box to take out the last item that lay within.
As the item emerged from its confines of the box and came to clear view Souichi turned away quickly; his figure tensed; his ponytail swayed onto his shoulder by the swift movement, and a slight blush was hidden by the dark venue of his room.
In Morinaga's hands lay a photo album; the corners of which were torn and ragged, and its cover was elaborately decorated with stickers depicting space ships and planets, shells that seemed to have been glued on, and white glitter resembling the white sand in the plastic box.
A smile grew across Morinaga's face; surprised at how unbelievably cute it was that Senpai would try to hide something so innocent from him. The box and its contents were a time capsule of sorts that illustrated a memory that Souichi clearly treasured if he had chosen to keep them all safe for all this time.
He flipped open the album and stared at the first page. There scribbled in an unknown utensil with a deep burgundy hue was, 'Best Friends'. Still smiling, he turned the page and found the first picture in the album. It showed a young boy with ash blonde hair, down to his shoulders, that seemed to be plastered to his face and forehead. The child's eyes were wide, as if surprised by the picture, and a glare from the flash shone off the small broken glasses that lay crooked on his face.
Morinaga squinted finding the boy's petite face to be very familiar. Then, suddenly his eyes went wide and he turned to his Senpai, and asked, "Senpai, is this you!?"
"Y-yeah," Souichi admitted hesitantly.
"Aww! You were so cute! Well, you still are," Morinaga complimented.
"Don't call me cute!" Souichi barked; his face flushed crimson.
Morinaga chuckled at his Senpai's evident bashfulness and anxiety over letting him see such an embarrassing picture, and then turned to the next page. There he found a picture of the same boy. Young Souichi wore his hair loose, a white lily behind his right ear, and the black shirt and green pants found in the box. He scowled shyly with a blush, and his head slightly turned out of the view of the camera.
But standing beside his Senpai in the picture, Morinaga noticed a dark haired boy. This boy had wavy hair that neatly framed his face, big, almost girly eyes; he wore a huge goofy smile and a yellow-white lily matching the boy beside him. Morinaga gasped and his eyes went comically wide as a sudden realization hit him. "Senpai, that's me!" he exclaimed, pointing at the dark haired boy in the picture.
Souichi's expression now comparably as astonished as his kouhai's, shook the shock from his face and screamed defiantly, "No way! Prove it!"