Running through the halls, Segawa Keiichi was a man on a mission. Peering into each room as he blew by, he sought one thing and one
thing alone: Shirou Kamui. It was lunch hour, and he wanted to talk to his classmate before the chance passed him by.
The boy in question was outside, lying on the grassy campus, staring up between the branches of a touya tree into the blue sky. He could feel that the Promised Day was close...he also felt that Keiichi also wasn't as vapid as he looked. The blonde boy was obviously going to know something was wrong.
As he wove around one a cluster of people and nearly collided with another, Keiichi made his way outside. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight and turning up his collar, he glanced around and was rewarded for his efforts by a glimpse of Kamui lying under a tree. Making his way over, his feet crunching on the dry, brown leaves on the sidewalk, he wondered -- not for the first time -- what could be causing his classmate so much distress.
As he turned over onto his side, amethyst eyes staring blankly, all Kamui thought was that he wasn't going to be able to do it. He
wasn't going to be able to kill Fuuma, even if it was for humanity. He felt tears start to gather in his eyes. He was starting to get used to the
burning sensation.iHow do you kill somebody you grew up with?/i
Keiichi paused as Kamui turned his back toward him, and his heart twisted in his chest. Since they'd met, months ago, he had seen the
smaller boy smile a total of once. Keiichi had seen Kamui bandaged up, bruises scattered over his pale arms and neck, and felt an intense need to protect him. It pained him to see Kamui so sad all the time. Keiichi had recently learned the value and pain of sorrow, and he knew that he didn't want Kamui to feel it. Steeling himself, he began to run toward the boy on the brown winter's grass, a huge smile pasted on his face. "Shirou-kun!"
Kamui sat up abruptly at the sound of Keiichi's cheerful voice and blinked away his tears. "Oi, Keiichi!" He waved as the taller boy
ran up to him and sat down. Even if it was going to be hard to defeat Fuuma...he'd save humanity. If only to save the perpetually cheerful Keiichi.
Keiichi smiled as he took his seat beside the smaller boy, not ashamed to admit, at least to himself, that he enjoyed that Kamui called
him by his first name. The boy seemed much more casual toward people than most, and though Keiichi insisted on being more formal, he didn't mind much that it wasn't returned. As he looked closer at Kamui, he noticed a pair of tear tracks on the pale cheeks and his eyes widened. "Shirou-kun! What's wrong?"
Kamui blinked, then hurriedly rubbed his hands across his face. "Nothing. I'm fine." He really didn't want to worry Keiichi. He cared too much about the blonde boy to see Keiichi worry. Kamui didn't know when he started caring for Keiichi; he just knew that he cared a lot. "Don't worry, honestly, I'm okay."
Keiichi felt his frown deepen as Kamui attempted to brush the issue off. "Shirou-kun, you don't seem to be okay." He said pointedly. Part
of him was a little hurt that the smaller boy wouldn't trust him enough to confide in him, no matter how many times Keiichi had tried to get him to talk. If there was some way he could help, Keiichi wanted to try. They were friends, after all. That should mean something. "People who cry aren't all right."
"I can't tell you," Kamui whispered as he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, "I'm sorry. I wish I could." Actually, he didn't want Keiichi to get involved. But, hey - if he prevailed on the Promised Day, then he could explain to Keiichi. But he couldn't yet. No matter how close it was to the Final Day. He still couldn't tell Keiichi.
If he'd heard that excuse from Kamui once, he'd heard it a thousand times. Keiichi normally would have let it drop. He would have smiled, forced Kamui to eat some of his lunch and distracted him by chatting away at inane things. He was good at all those things. He could entertain and goof around, be anything but serious. Not that he minded. He liked making people laugh. But today, he wasn't going to turn the other cheek and let Kamui off. He had never seen Kamui cry before. "Shirou-kun, please tell me!" He said insistantly, resting a hand on Kamui's shoulder and holding on tightly. "I want to help you, I hate seeing you so upset! It must be something awful, but if I can do anything, please let me!"
Kamui wilted and turned to Keiichi with tears in his eyes again. He really couldn't stop crying these days, anymore. Not after Subaru
had taken off...after everyone, even Sorata and Yuzuriha had gotten more subdued...he knew they also felt the Final Day creeping up on them. "I'm sorry," he whispered miserably. "Nobody can help."
Keiichi was struck speechless by the sheer grief in the smaller boy's eyes. It almost made him want to cry himself. It almost made him want to drop the subject, because the power of the expression made Keiichi realize that whatever the situation Kamui had gotten himself into was, it had to be terrible. "Shirou-kun..." Keiichi fumbled for words. "There's always someone who can help. Really, there is. Mom helped me when Dad died, and you and everyone else helped me when she died too." He gave Kamui a slight smile. "I'd probably still be a mess if you guys hadn't been there."
Kamui's shoulders drooped, and he turned his face away from Keiichi, not wanting to make the blonde boy cry as well. "The only person
who could help is the problem..." He hugged himself against the non-stopping feelings of sadness and grief. He rubbed his arms, absently chiding himself for not bringing a jacket.
Seeing the smaller boy shiver, Keiichi slid out of his coat and inched closer to Kamui, draping the coat over both of them. It was slightly awkward, being pressed shoulder-to-shoulder as they were, but it was better than watching Kamui catch a chill.
Kamui almost snuggled to up to Keiichi's warmth, but decided against it. "Keiichi?"
Keiichi looked down at Kamui with gentle eyes. "Yes, Shirou-kun?"
"If I'm able to solve this problem...I'll tell you what was wrong. But I can't right now." Kamui was staring at any place other than Keiichi's face.
Again, though he probably had no right to it, Keiichi felt hurt. "Why not, Shirou-kun?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Because...it'd be better if you weren't involved." Kamui's head was bowed, his eyes fastened on the ground.
Keiichi's lips pursed as he sighed softly, resigning himself to the role of observer when he wanted nothing more than to be able to act. He pulled his arm out from under the coat and rested it on top of Kamui's head. "I want to hear everything, once you get it figured out, all right?"
Kamui only nodded. He didn't deserve Keiichi's kindness. Not after what he's going to have to do to Fuuma.
"Shirou-kun, can you promise me something?" Keiichi asked quietly, letting his hand fall away from Kamui's head. "Promise me that you won't get hurt, okay?"
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Kamui sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."
Keiichi merely shook his head, repressing the urge to push the issue and force a promise out of Kamui, even if it was only for his own peace of mind. "I guess that's as good as I am going to get." He said quietly, before smiling sadly down at Kamui. "Shirou-kun, have you had lunch yet?"
Kamui looked sheepish and shook his head. "I woke up late this morning. Completely forgot to grab the lunch Sorata made."
Keiichi clucked his tongue and stood up, shrugging out of the coat and shivering slightly at the sudden lack of warmth. "Well, we'll fix that!" He offered his hand to Kamui. "C'mon, I've got some extra money, I'll buy you lunch."
Kamui shook his head furiously. "No, it's okay! Really..." Then his stomach growled. "Apparently my body doesn't agree."
Keiichi grinned, wagging his finger. "No excuses! You're coming with me and you're going to eat, Shirou-kun!" With that, he grabbed Kamui's hand and hauled him to his feet, bending over to pick up his coat as an afterthought. If he couldn't help Kamui face whatever it was the poor boy was in for, he could at least take care of him for the time being.
thing alone: Shirou Kamui. It was lunch hour, and he wanted to talk to his classmate before the chance passed him by.
The boy in question was outside, lying on the grassy campus, staring up between the branches of a touya tree into the blue sky. He could feel that the Promised Day was close...he also felt that Keiichi also wasn't as vapid as he looked. The blonde boy was obviously going to know something was wrong.
As he wove around one a cluster of people and nearly collided with another, Keiichi made his way outside. Shielding his eyes from the sunlight and turning up his collar, he glanced around and was rewarded for his efforts by a glimpse of Kamui lying under a tree. Making his way over, his feet crunching on the dry, brown leaves on the sidewalk, he wondered -- not for the first time -- what could be causing his classmate so much distress.
As he turned over onto his side, amethyst eyes staring blankly, all Kamui thought was that he wasn't going to be able to do it. He
wasn't going to be able to kill Fuuma, even if it was for humanity. He felt tears start to gather in his eyes. He was starting to get used to the
burning sensation.iHow do you kill somebody you grew up with?/i
Keiichi paused as Kamui turned his back toward him, and his heart twisted in his chest. Since they'd met, months ago, he had seen the
smaller boy smile a total of once. Keiichi had seen Kamui bandaged up, bruises scattered over his pale arms and neck, and felt an intense need to protect him. It pained him to see Kamui so sad all the time. Keiichi had recently learned the value and pain of sorrow, and he knew that he didn't want Kamui to feel it. Steeling himself, he began to run toward the boy on the brown winter's grass, a huge smile pasted on his face. "Shirou-kun!"
Kamui sat up abruptly at the sound of Keiichi's cheerful voice and blinked away his tears. "Oi, Keiichi!" He waved as the taller boy
ran up to him and sat down. Even if it was going to be hard to defeat Fuuma...he'd save humanity. If only to save the perpetually cheerful Keiichi.
Keiichi smiled as he took his seat beside the smaller boy, not ashamed to admit, at least to himself, that he enjoyed that Kamui called
him by his first name. The boy seemed much more casual toward people than most, and though Keiichi insisted on being more formal, he didn't mind much that it wasn't returned. As he looked closer at Kamui, he noticed a pair of tear tracks on the pale cheeks and his eyes widened. "Shirou-kun! What's wrong?"
Kamui blinked, then hurriedly rubbed his hands across his face. "Nothing. I'm fine." He really didn't want to worry Keiichi. He cared too much about the blonde boy to see Keiichi worry. Kamui didn't know when he started caring for Keiichi; he just knew that he cared a lot. "Don't worry, honestly, I'm okay."
Keiichi felt his frown deepen as Kamui attempted to brush the issue off. "Shirou-kun, you don't seem to be okay." He said pointedly. Part
of him was a little hurt that the smaller boy wouldn't trust him enough to confide in him, no matter how many times Keiichi had tried to get him to talk. If there was some way he could help, Keiichi wanted to try. They were friends, after all. That should mean something. "People who cry aren't all right."
"I can't tell you," Kamui whispered as he pulled his legs up to his chest and wrapped his arms around them, "I'm sorry. I wish I could." Actually, he didn't want Keiichi to get involved. But, hey - if he prevailed on the Promised Day, then he could explain to Keiichi. But he couldn't yet. No matter how close it was to the Final Day. He still couldn't tell Keiichi.
If he'd heard that excuse from Kamui once, he'd heard it a thousand times. Keiichi normally would have let it drop. He would have smiled, forced Kamui to eat some of his lunch and distracted him by chatting away at inane things. He was good at all those things. He could entertain and goof around, be anything but serious. Not that he minded. He liked making people laugh. But today, he wasn't going to turn the other cheek and let Kamui off. He had never seen Kamui cry before. "Shirou-kun, please tell me!" He said insistantly, resting a hand on Kamui's shoulder and holding on tightly. "I want to help you, I hate seeing you so upset! It must be something awful, but if I can do anything, please let me!"
Kamui wilted and turned to Keiichi with tears in his eyes again. He really couldn't stop crying these days, anymore. Not after Subaru
had taken off...after everyone, even Sorata and Yuzuriha had gotten more subdued...he knew they also felt the Final Day creeping up on them. "I'm sorry," he whispered miserably. "Nobody can help."
Keiichi was struck speechless by the sheer grief in the smaller boy's eyes. It almost made him want to cry himself. It almost made him want to drop the subject, because the power of the expression made Keiichi realize that whatever the situation Kamui had gotten himself into was, it had to be terrible. "Shirou-kun..." Keiichi fumbled for words. "There's always someone who can help. Really, there is. Mom helped me when Dad died, and you and everyone else helped me when she died too." He gave Kamui a slight smile. "I'd probably still be a mess if you guys hadn't been there."
Kamui's shoulders drooped, and he turned his face away from Keiichi, not wanting to make the blonde boy cry as well. "The only person
who could help is the problem..." He hugged himself against the non-stopping feelings of sadness and grief. He rubbed his arms, absently chiding himself for not bringing a jacket.
Seeing the smaller boy shiver, Keiichi slid out of his coat and inched closer to Kamui, draping the coat over both of them. It was slightly awkward, being pressed shoulder-to-shoulder as they were, but it was better than watching Kamui catch a chill.
Kamui almost snuggled to up to Keiichi's warmth, but decided against it. "Keiichi?"
Keiichi looked down at Kamui with gentle eyes. "Yes, Shirou-kun?"
"If I'm able to solve this problem...I'll tell you what was wrong. But I can't right now." Kamui was staring at any place other than Keiichi's face.
Again, though he probably had no right to it, Keiichi felt hurt. "Why not, Shirou-kun?" He asked, tilting his head.
"Because...it'd be better if you weren't involved." Kamui's head was bowed, his eyes fastened on the ground.
Keiichi's lips pursed as he sighed softly, resigning himself to the role of observer when he wanted nothing more than to be able to act. He pulled his arm out from under the coat and rested it on top of Kamui's head. "I want to hear everything, once you get it figured out, all right?"
Kamui only nodded. He didn't deserve Keiichi's kindness. Not after what he's going to have to do to Fuuma.
"Shirou-kun, can you promise me something?" Keiichi asked quietly, letting his hand fall away from Kamui's head. "Promise me that you won't get hurt, okay?"
"I'll try, but I can't promise anything." Kamui sighed heavily. "I'm sorry."
Keiichi merely shook his head, repressing the urge to push the issue and force a promise out of Kamui, even if it was only for his own peace of mind. "I guess that's as good as I am going to get." He said quietly, before smiling sadly down at Kamui. "Shirou-kun, have you had lunch yet?"
Kamui looked sheepish and shook his head. "I woke up late this morning. Completely forgot to grab the lunch Sorata made."
Keiichi clucked his tongue and stood up, shrugging out of the coat and shivering slightly at the sudden lack of warmth. "Well, we'll fix that!" He offered his hand to Kamui. "C'mon, I've got some extra money, I'll buy you lunch."
Kamui shook his head furiously. "No, it's okay! Really..." Then his stomach growled. "Apparently my body doesn't agree."
Keiichi grinned, wagging his finger. "No excuses! You're coming with me and you're going to eat, Shirou-kun!" With that, he grabbed Kamui's hand and hauled him to his feet, bending over to pick up his coat as an afterthought. If he couldn't help Kamui face whatever it was the poor boy was in for, he could at least take care of him for the time being.