*Author's Notes: Hi, anyone of those who are familar with my work. If you're not, then you really ought to read "Lost Ones" because this is a side-story to it. Now, I'd like to comment that while many of you may think this is a great waste of time (which it is), I just had to do it. The was swarming around in my head, so I had to write it, so I could be free of it. Plus, it was something fun to do in my spare time. It takes much, much more time for me to write a chapter of "Lost Ones," and a lot more care because I have to make sure I don't contradict myself or whatever. Side-stories are easier because I can just write whatever. For some reason I'm starting to favor yaoi/shounen-ai (you know, guy-guy relationships). Don't know why I'm starting to like that stuff, but now it's leaking a little into my writing. There's nothing serious, just a suggestion in here. So anyone that doesn't like that kind of stuff doesn't have to worry. If you find it weird these children are doing drugs at their age, so do I. But, it makes the story more interesting, hehe. Anyway, enjoy the story and don't kill me because I haven't written "Lost Ones" in decades. I will once I get my own computer (*grumbles*). Oh, yeah, and no, I don't really put much creativity into the titles of these side-stories, as you can tell from "Gatty and Shesta's Night Off."^_^
Gatty opened his eyes several times before his vision became clear. It took a couple of minutes to realize where he was and who the other two people were in the room. First he glanced at Shesta, lying on the floor in a sitting position against the side of a desk. He had a blanket dangling around his lap, making him look much like a homeless person sleeping on the street. Next Gatty's eyes rolled upon his leader, sprawled on the bed which Gatty was beside. Dilandau's pale arm was hanging off the side and his legs were angled in a manner that suggested that he had just collapsed on the bed. Gatty assumed it were so, considering what they were doing last night. He could swear he could still smell the remains of the drug floating in the air. As he got to his feet carefully, Gatty concluded the reason behind that could be the fact that his clothes were filled with the smoke of the weed. He would have never guessed that in sixth grade he would be introduced to pot, but he knew this would not be his first encounter with the drug either.
Gatty held his head, in hopes that he would remember more of the night clearly. Most of it was little snippets of memory; the most distinct memory he had was that of Dilandau's quirky demeanor. Dilandau was always bordering the line of terrifying; Gatty didn't find the leader of the Ryuugekitai to be as scary as when he had first met him, but he had a fear that Dilandau's devilish smile could turn into a glare at that drop of a hat. That delicate line between his amusement and fury was something that Gatty had not quite figured out. He couldn't keep score of how many times he or Shesta were slapped on a daily basis, but at least he believed he was learning from it. Neither of them were getting slapped for the same thing, though Shesta's strikes were often for not being aggressive enough.
Dilandau could be said to be extremely more pleasant when he was high than when he was in his right mind (if he ever truly was). Although Gatty was still just as cautious around Dilandau as he was when Dilandau was "normal," the chestnut-haired boy found himself more entertained by Dilandau's words. At this stage Gatty wasn't so sure if it wasn't just the effects of the drug, but Dilandau seemed to show a homosexual side to himself when he was truly high. Dilandau could, which Gatty and Shesta took as a surprise at his preteen age, use several drugs and appear to not be affected. However, when he was really into it, Dilandau would act like he were the happiest person on the planet. He tended to compliment them more, and he lost his usual tone of "let's make the world unhappy." Even when Gatty watched Dilandau halfway come on to Shesta or himself, he found that he didn't think of his leader one degree less. Given that Gatty (and he assumed Shesta as well) hadn't dealt much with those who were interested in the same sex, Gatty didn't really mind when his leader acted so. He knew it was merely the effects of the drug, and if it wasn't, then at least Gatty could be comforted in the fact that Dilandau seemed to prefer women over males, if he was indeed open to both sexes. Dilandau was involved with plenty of girls and according to Gatty's knowledge, no men. He supposed he could be, judging by the way Dilandau reacted when he was confronted by the same sex with romantic intentions. Gatty remembered, during one of their many trips around town, that Dilandau didn't seem shocked nor disgusted in the least when a boy three or four years older asked him if the three of them wanted to join him at some party. Shesta hid his surprise terribly, while Gatty just barely kept his face straight. Dilandau simply laughed and said that the three of them had plans and that was the end of it. Gatty took his lack of stating he wasn't interested in men to be an indication that Dilandau could possibly be both ways.
Gatty stepped up next to the bed and lightly shook Dilandau's dangling hand. "Dilandau-san?" he said quietly. He was a little frustrated because while he did want to wake up his leader, he didn't want to raise his voice at him. "Dilandau-san?"
Dilandau remained asleep and made no physical indication that his words or shaking him had done any good. Gatty frowned and shook Dilandau by his nearest shoulder and made sure that at least Dilandau's head began to move in the process of the shaking. Even though Dilandau's head certainly swayed when Gatty shook him this time, Dilandau was motionless when Gatty stopped shaking him. Gatty swallowed and moved his mouth near Dilandau's ear and quietly said his names a few times. He was sure that without speaking very loudly Dilandau would have to hear him this time. Yet, Dilandau continued to sleep and made not one move.
"Kuso (Shit)…" Gatty said. He sighed. Ah, the hell with this, he thought. If I get slapped for yelling or shaking him too hard, then I get slapped. I'm getting used to it, though I can't say that it doesn't hurt…
"Dilandau-san!" Gatty said. He shook him by both shoulders, enough to make Dilandau's head snap back and forth. Gatty's eyes widened when Dilandau remained limp. "Dilandau-san??"
Gatty tapped Dilandau's cheek, still cautious not to actually slap him. This too had no effect and Gatty's anxiety began to rise. It suddenly dawned upon his that Dilandau was human, not some kind of demon immune to ailment . Maybe he was the most extraordinary twelve year-old that Gatty had ever met, but he was still human and a human child at that. He should have figured that doing alcohol and the other drugs would take a greater toll on him than had it been someone of greater age. He cursed and tried one last time to revive his leader.
"Gotta wake Shesta," Gatty concluded. He kneeled in front of his friend and shook him by the shoulders. "Oi, Shesta! Shesta!"
"Iie, kaasan (No, Mom)…" Shesta murmured, eyes still closed, "I don't know how that got there… Hontou ni (Really)…"
"Okiro (Wake up)!" Gatty only allowed Shesta to sit there sleeping for about ten seconds. He slapped his fellow Ryuu across the face, instantly waking him.
"Ah, Dilandau-san, I was just-" Shesta said before he realized who was before him. "Oi, what the heck are you doing??"
"Hurry up and get to your feet," Gatty said, already on his. "I think there's something wrong with Dilandau-san."
"What do you mean?" Shesta asked. He rubbed his eyes and got up, though he seemed as though he had no real desire to do so. He glanced at their sleeping leader. "He's just sleeping."
"No, I think he may be unconscious or something," Gatty said. He and Shesta stood beside his bed observing him as if he were the corpse at a wake.
"Dilandau-san?" Shesta said. He gently shook his shoulder. "Dilandau-san?"
"He's not gonna respond," Gatty said. "Your mom's a nurse, right? Let's take him over to your house."
"What??" Shesta said. He turned to Gatty as if he suggested the two of them bury Dilandau in the backyard. "What if my mom figures out what we've been doing?? Or worse, if my little brother or baby sister-"
"Calm down, ttaku (geez)…" Gatty said. He rolled his eyes at his friend. "I still don't get why you're even in this group in the first place-"
"Oi!"
"Listen, Dilandau-san might really need some help, and if don't give it to him, then it's gonna be worse than your mom finding out we were smoking some weed last night," Gatty said.
"Demo…" Shesta said. He looked back at Dilandau for a moment before frowning. "Well…okay… What time is it?"
Gatty glanced at his wristwatch. "It's two thirty-two."
"God, we've been sleeping all day long!"
"Why are you surprised? Neither of us can recall when we actually went to sleep."
"Yeah, but still…"
"Come, on!"
"Okay!" Shesta, as a reflex, reached out for Dilandau before he stopped. "Uh…"
"Go ahead," Gatty said, nudging him.
"I don't think I can do this," Shesta said. He backed up a little as if Dilandau would suddenly jump up if he touched him. "I think you should do it."
"…" Gatty moved his hand as if he intended to lift his leader, but he too felt wary of moving Dilandau. "No, you should do it."
"You do it!"
"No, you do it!"
"It was your idea!"
Gatty held up a finger. "Okay, we're both gonna have to do this," he said. "I mean, I don't think just one of us can carry him anyway, right?"
"Right," Shesta said. He began laughing as if someone had pressured him with a gun.
"You get his right arm and I'll get the other," Gatty said. Though Shesta nodded, neither of them moved immediately.
"Ano (Um)…" Shesta said.
"Right-let's do this," Gatty said.
The two exchanged glances before they finally let go of their cautious nature and grasped their designated arm of their leader. Neither looked very comfortable with Dilandau's arm hanging over their shoulders, but such was to be expected. Slowly, as if Dilandau had truly become a corpse, the two carried Dilandau out of the bed and out of the room. Dilandau was a bit taller than them, so his feet slid on the floor as they walked.
"There's gotta be something I can tell my mom," Shesta said. "I mean, I can't tell her what we were really doing."
"Any lie will do," Gatty said. He didn't really want to talk at the moment. Carrying Dilandau made him extremely anxious, similar to one knowing that danger was just around the corner.
"Demo!" Shesta said. He was breathing a little too hard. "I mean, if she finds out, what if that makes Dilandau-san angry? He has this thing about not letting anyone find out about what we do."
"Well, I don't think he's that great at it," Gatty muttered. The two of them stopped at the stairs. "I wonder if it'll be all right to go down like this?"
"Yeah…these stairs are wide enough and if we go slow enough, Dilandau-san's feet won't hit the stairs as hard," Shesta said.
"Why the hell are we worried about that?" Gatty asked. "Dilandau-san's out cold. I bet if we just tossed him down the stairs, he wouldn't know the difference."
"I'm not willing to try that," Shesta said. He was perspiring as if Gatty really had the nerve to do so.
Gatty sighed and at his discretion, the two (three, rather) of them began to descend the stairs. Even though what Gatty had said was true, both of them took caution not to simply treat Dilandau like he was a doll. Apparently they had both been edgy going down the stairs because they simultaneously exhaled rather loudly when they descended the final steps. They glanced at each other and shared crooked smiles.
"We're gonna have to walk three blocks with Dilandau-san like this?" Shesta asked. "What'll the neighbors say?"
"The hell with our neighbors," Gatty said. The two of them began moving again. "We'll just tell them we're playing a game." Shesta seemed to accept that idea well and displayed his relief by keeping quiet.
Dilandau's head bopping at a rhythm slowly began to bring him back to consciousness. The first thing he noticed was the hard floor moving by as he was carried. The next thing he observed was his two friends' faces. Dilandau wasn't quite awake enough to comprehend what was going on, but at the moment he wasn't angry.
"Omae-ra…nani shiteru (What are you two doing)?"
Gatty and Shesta had the same reaction: shout and drop Dilandau as if he had been dead and suddenly came back to life.
Dilandau landed on his back and his head slammed down into the hard floor. If the two's shock before had been merely surprise, then their second reaction when they realized they had dropped Dilandau so carelessly was panic. Shesta's mouth was trembling as if he wanted to apologize, but couldn't, and Gatty just stood there staring as if the whole thing was a nightmare. Meanwhile, Dilandau was lying on his back muttering curses. When Dilandau sat up and held onto his head for a minute or two, Shesta and Gatty were able to get over their initial shock.
"Dilandau-san, we-" Shesta said.
"We just-" Gatty couldn't bring himself to finish either.
"What the hell were you two doing??" Dilandau said, not at all like the first time. The first time he had actually sounded as if he just wondered; now he sounded as if the answer would either save them or kill them.
"We were just-" Shesta started again.
"That hurt, you know!" Dilandau said. For someone who had just woken up (though the knock to his head might have woken him up completely), Dilandau could move incredibly fast. Not five seconds after he had declared their actions had hurt him did he get to his feet and slap both of them across the face. Gatty, the first one to be hit within the two seconds Dilandau swung, was expecting it and managed to keep himself from falling. Shesta was either less expectant or lacking balance because he felt right onto his back. Gatty couldn't really say that he blamed Shesta, however. Yes, Gatty was expecting the slap, but that didn't mean he didn't stumble back when Dilandau's hand met his face. He held his cheek and wondered how much worse it would have hurt if Dilandau had punched him.
"Well?" Dilandau said. His arms were folded across his chest now and it seemed that the two had recovered from the slap. "Is one of you going to tell me what the hell you were doing?"
Shesta gave Gatty a look that suggested if the blonde took it upon himself to answer Dilandau, he would most likely say something that would get them slapped a second time. Gatty cursed Shesta silently and cleared his throat. "Um, we thought you were unconscious, so we were…going to take you to Shesta's…" he said.
"Nani?"
Shesta was standing on the other side of Dilandau as if he expected them to get slapped at any moment; Gatty, being slightly more familiar with the tone Dilandau had just used, realized that Dilandau was curious, not outraged. "I tried waking you, but I didn't get a response and…" Gatty said. He ran his hands through his messy hair. "Well, we were doing a lot last night and we thought-"
Dilandau's laughter stopped him, which Shesta mistook as a bad sign. Gatty didn't dare smile with Dilandau (afraid his amusement would disappear), but knew that it was a good sign he thought that was funny. Obviously Dilandau's reaction to being dropped scared Shesta too much to notice that Dilandau wasn't angry at Gatty's explanation.
"Naru hodo (I see)," Dilandau said. He rested his hand underneath the left side of his hair. "You two were worried about me, is that it?"
"Uhn (Yeah)…" Shesta said. He was starting to calm down as if he had finally noticed that Dilandau wasn't angry. Gatty nodded.
"Hmph, baka (idiots)," Dilandau said. "I'm a lot stronger than that. I would think you two would know that by now."
"Demo, we all are…" Shesta trailed off. He stiffened when Dilandau glanced at him. "I…Iie (Ne…Never mind)…"
"Ii yo (It's all right), Shesta," Dilandau said. He snorted and stepped up to him. "I know what you were trying to say. We're all just twelve, deshou (right)?"
"U…Uhn…" Shesta said. He swallowed as if he had sealed his fate.
Dilandau put his hand on Shesta's shoulder. "That's the kind of thinking we need to get away from," he said as if scolding him. "We're the Ryuugekitai-don't forget that. We can't start a gang with thoughts like 'we're just twelve.'"
"I don't really feel twelve anymore…" Gatty said.
"Whatever age we are, we're still the Ryuugekitai," Dilandau said. He removed his hand from Shesta's shoulder and shrugged. "Why should we let something like age hold us back? If you're determined to do something, it doesn't matter what age you are, you can do it." Shesta nodded, as if he was obligated to, while Gatty stood there silently.
Dilandau, turning his back on Shesta, looked straight at Gatty. "Am I wrong?" he asked.
"I…Iie…" Gatty said. He didn't care what the subject was-Dilandau was right about it [1].
"Sate (Now then), now that that's been settled, let's get some breakfast," Dilandau said. He turned, his back to both of them now.
"Eto (Uh)…it's past two o'clock, Dilandau-san…" Shesta said.
"Maa ii (Whatever), let's just eat something," Dilandau said. He was walking toward the kitchen. "Allen made sure he went to the store before he left for this weekend. Hmph…I guess he didn't want me to starve."
"Ne, Dilandau-san…what are our plans for today?" Shesta asked. He and Gatty began to follow him.
Gatty and Shesta were reminded of how much Dilandau sounded like a villain from a movie or something when he laughed. "Maa (Well), I'll just let that be a surprise for the two of you," he said.
Shesta and Gatty grimaced, while Dilandau seemed to be in a particularly good mood. It was strange to see him thus, especially after the manner he had been woken. Gatty wondered if it was the convenience of his siblings being gone for the weekend or if it was something else. Shesta assumed his good mood was related to whatever their plans were for the day, which he was convinced would be entirely something up to no good. Still, Shesta knew he was going to do whatever Dilandau wanted him to do; even though he hadn't been part of the Ryuugekitai for even a year, he knew that his decision to join this newly formed gang was absolute. Even if he didn't like what they were doing, he felt compelled to do it regardless of his feelings.
"It's gonna be a real fun day, omae-ra (you two)…" Dilandau commented as he went searching through the refrigerator. "Hontou ni (Really)…" He didn't seem to notice that his friends were much less enthusiastic about his secret plans than he was.
Shesta and Gatty sat at the table while Dilandau continued to rummage for food. It wasn't that they weren't hungry that caused them to leave all the food decisions to Dilandau; they were both just a little preoccupied with the events of last night to concern themselves with what they were going to eat. Gatty and Shesta met eyes, both understanding what the other was thinking. Dilandau didn't notice since he was moving things out of a cupboard now.
"That was really weird last night," Shesta said quietly.
"Every night with Dilandau-san is weird," Gatty said, his tone barely above a mutter. He was smirking, however. "I thought it was kinda funny, though."
"I didn't!" Shesta looked behind him to see if Dilandau had heard his statement that bordered on whisper and audible tone. He turned back to Gatty relieved when Dilandau was still digging through cabinets. "Not only is Dilandau horribly wicked for someone his age, but he's also…also…"
"Well, if he is truly gay, then he must not want to let the population know about it," Gatty said. He glanced at his leader's back, the side of which one of his hands rested. "Dilandau-san doesn't seem like the type to be afraid to admit something about himself. He's pretty damn open."
"Yeah, but this isn't like him admitting he does drugs or drinks, it's…"
Gatty raised a brow at the blonde. "You have really lived a sheltered life, haven't you?" he asked.
Shesta blushed, glaring at him. "Don't try to tell me that you've been around guys our age who suggest they like boys over girls."
"No, but…" Gatty frowned. "Hey, I'm just saying that's one of Dilandau-san's quirks. If you can't handle that, then get out of the gang."
"Urusai (Shut up)," Shesta said. "I didn't say I couldn't handle it. I just thought it was weird that he only does this kind of thing when he gets really high…"
Gatty shrugged and smiled at Shesta, though his friend did not return the smile. Soon the two had stopped talking, on account Dilandau had asked them about something, but that didn't stop their thoughts of the previous night. When Dilandau had stopped questioning them again, the two found themselves picturing that event in question…
*******
Shesta was glad that Dilandau had stopped pressuring him to take extra puffs from the joint he held between his fingers. He had done it a couple of times, though not as often as Gatty had. It took Shesta a while to stop coughing, and he had felt cloudy like someone was fogging up his mind. Gatty was faring better, despite his willingness to accept Dilandau's offer, and was leaning against the bed below Dilandau. It was then that Shesta noticed that Dilandau's unnatural smile was place upon him, and the red-eyed boy seemed to be considering something. Shesta smiled and looked back at him earnestly, but was in no state of mind to try to guess what Dilandau was thinking about. Dilandau chuckled, placed the blunt in an astray beside him, and lightly rapped Gatty on his shoulder. Gatty tilted his head back until it rested on the bed.
"Oi, Gatty, you asked me once why I let Shesta join the Ryuugekitai, deshou (right)?" Dilandau said.
"Aa (Yeah)," Gatty said. He sounded as if he would have said that no matter what Dilandau had said.
"I'll tell you the reason now," Dilandau said. He smirked at Shesta as if he were going to tell a great joke. "I let him join because I thought he was cute."
Shesta, though the room was filled was smoke, was not inebriated enough to not understand what Dilandau was saying. "Hu…Huh??" he said. It was strange that weed had a relaxing effect, yet Dilandau's words had completely taken that away. Gatty laughed and Shesta did his best to frown at him.
"Hontou ni (Really)?" Gatty asked. Shesta wasn't entirely sure at the time whether or not Gatty was processing what Dilandau had said, but Shesta didn't really care either way. He was mocking him, and they had only recently gotten on friendly terms with each other.
"Dilandau-san…" Shesta said, blushing furiously, "you don't know…what you're saying…"
"Hmph," Dilandau said, weaving his fingers in and out of his hair. "Why would I lie about a thing like that? When I first saw you I thought, 'tenshi mitai ne (He looks like an angel)… No one would suspect someone like him to be up to no good.' I liked the way you looked, so I offered to let you in."
"He's no angel," Gatty muttered. His eyes were closed now.
Shesta glared at him again and knew that Gatty wasn't just passively listening; Gatty often pointed out that Shesta's looks were deceiving.
"Well, if Shesta was as innocent as he looked, then I'd have no use for him," Dilandau said. "I just liked that he looked like one…but really wasn't."
"Dilandau-san…" Shesta hated that he kept alternating between blushing and glaring. Now his face was hot again. "If that's true, then you didn't let me in because you just thought I was cute… It was because you thought I could do something for you…"
"Iie…I thought you were cute, so I decided I'd watch you for a week and see what I could use you for," Dilandau said. It was hard to think he was convincing because he laughed after his sentence and kept a large smile on his face. "I didn't want to make someone like you one of my victims." He chuckled when Shesta's face turned completely red. "It's true… The same applies for Gatty."
Gatty's eyes shot open. "Na…nani…?" he said. Dilandau had said some suggestively homosexual things to him before, but this was unlike anything else.
"Aa," Dilandau said. He was laughing as if he were giddy. "Gatty looked like one of those puppies you find beaten up on the side of the road… I couldn't stand back and do nothing. Fortunately, Gatty was useful to me too."
Gatty looked especially unsettled. "If you're joking, that's not very funny," he muttered.
Dilandau laughed, suggesting he could either be serious or just teasing them. "I'm really lucky, deshou?" he said. "I get to have two good-looking accessories by my side."
"I don't know which is worse…being called an accessory or good-looking by a guy…"
Shesta felt the same way Gatty had, but hadn't verbally expressed it as his friend had. Dilandau either didn't mind what Gatty was saying or didn't hear him because he gave no response. Shesta wasn't sure when he had stopped blushing, nor when the conversation had moved on to something more comfortable, but Gatty had seemed to brush it off sooner than he had. Dilandau had made other such questionable comments that night, but that particular moment was the pinnacle of it all…
*******
"What's with those looks on your faces?" Dilandau asked, interrupting their thoughts. When they pretended to not know what he was talking about he smirked. "Doushita (What's wrong)?"
"Bestu ni (Nothing really)," Shesta said. He shook his head too many times to be convincing.
"Gatty?"
"Just like he said," Gatty said. He shifted his eyes anywhere except to the space where Dilandau's eyes were.
Dilandau rested his hand on his hip and tilted his head to the side. "You two are always doing that," he commented. "Pretending like you aren't hiding something." He grinned at their expressions afterward. "Ii yo (It's okay). I don't really mind. Whatever it might be, might be something I'd hit you for saying, ne?"
"Something like that…" Gatty muttered.
"Hmph, well, let's hurry up and eat," Dilandau said. "We have to take advantage of these daylight hours because we'll be using most of the night hours." Gatty nodded, while Shesta couldn't help but express his discontent. Dilandau was busy laughing again, so his displease was of no consequence. A few days later, Gatty and Shesta decided that they would take Dilandau's pot-induced comments any day over the stuff they had done later that day.
Some Footnotes:
[1] - Notice here that Gatty just kinda accepts what Dilandau says without question. Obviously he doesn't really agree, but since they haven't been friends for that long, he doesn't speak his mind. If this had been them in high school, Gatty's would have expressed his opinion.
--Um...yeah, it was just a story I needed to get out of my head. Expect some others, though some of you might want to yell, "why aren't you writing Lost Ones??" This should help me write it when I'm ready to do so... or get the time to write something more lengthy...