Author Note: I've been thinking about this for a long time… does anyone else wish they could play with Ukyo's hair or is it just me? It's long and silky and it's an interesting shade of colour and he actually LIKES braiding hair… well, at least OmoteUkyo (the non-scary one) does... but you ever wonder if UraUkyo does too? Wouldn't it be fun if he did too, since he's such a clean freak? It's so tempting. So I wrote this. Admittedly it's rather ridiculous, because it's about hair.
After months of debating if I should publish this... here it is.
She was ten minutes early. Though she thought it'd be quite troublesome for him to come earlier when he might not be ready to receive her yet, she was feeling happy and a little too impatient to wait any longer. It's the first time she could visit him after he saved her life at the university and she wanted to thank him properly with a meal. An indoors meal, she suggested when he asked her, since she knew Ukyo hated the outdoors.
After she rang the doorbell and its slightly lonely ringing echoed a bit inside, she heard muffled sounds of someone scrambling around.
"...W-Who's there?"
"It's me." She called.
She heard a yell of horror.
"W-Wait! Wait-! I'll be at the door, just give me a minute-!"
Then she heard various ouches and clattering sounds.
A flicker of uncertainty washed over her. Maybe she shouldn't have come early after all...?
After a few exasperated grunts and ouches, she finally heard footsteps to the door. The door latch clicked open. A fluffy green thing of some sort peered at her through the slit with one panicked darting eye.
"Ah... uh..."
"U...kyo...?" she squinted at his one visible eye in concern. It is Ukyo, she was sure, but why does he look a little... different?
"Good morning. Sorry, I came earlier... I'll wait outside if you need time to prepare...?"
"Ah… no it's okay." She heard a very deep breath, as if in preparation of something. "Erm... good morning..."
Ukyo slowly opened the door, his face red with embarassment.
Her eyes widened in surprise.
His hair was in a biggest mess she had ever seen it in; it looked like a bush from a kid's drawing, pastel green colour and all. She could see a part where he hurriedly tried to comb it neat but failed. A broken comb tooth stuck comically out of the biggest knot of hair she had ever seen.
She opened her mouth to say something but couldn't think of anything and went into giggles instead.
He smiled sheepishly at her. "...please, come in."
She brushed his long hair carefully, gently sorting out the tangles and picking out twigs and leaves that he got from his fight with a real bush. He got into this condition because he accidentally rolled into a large bush while asleep outdoors, he told her.
"Sorry that you have to end up doing this... " He glanced over his shoulder at her and then guiltily at the food she brought.
She smiled and shook her head. He still looked a little tired, she thought. He hadn't been sleeping well at all, even after the August 25th crisis.
"Oh no... It's okay."
"But..."
"Un..." she shook her head. "I'm glad to be able to help you."
She was a little worried about him. It seems like traces of fatigue was still in him somehow, and he had tired bags under his eyes. She wished she could help earlier, but other than letting him rest and cooking a meal for him there was nothing else she could do. So being able to do something more was strangely pleasing.
"...thank you," he murmured and settled down, finally seeming to accept her help.
She beamed and continued brushing his hair.
A calming breeze drifted in through the open windows, weaving its way through newly-bought curtains and cooling the tea on the makeshift table. The earthy grassy scent that came from his hair was not unpleasant, and mixed with the lingering shampoo fragrance of his hair she found herself slightly soothed by it.
She breathed deeply, in and out. It reminded her of the times they met during August when she found him asleep at the shrine and at the park.
A sense of deja vu was around too, though she couldn't put her finger on it.
The brushing settled into rhythmic strokes as the tangles grew fewer and fewer, until at last there's a neat pile of leaves beside her and a smooth sheet of long green hair in front.
She gave a few more pulls of the brush through his hair for good measure, leaning out to a side to peek at his face. Ukyo had fallen silent and his eyes were closed.
Was he asleep?
"...Ukyo?" she called softly.
No reply.
She giggled softly to herself. She didn't have the heart to wake him up. She was about to stand up to fetch a blanket for him when suddenly a hand reached out to pull hers and a low voice spoke, sending a slight chill through her with its subtle tone of menace.
"Don't stop."
She looked back at the solemn face of the one who was pulling her back down into a sit on the cushion. It's him, the other Ukyo.
She tilted her head in confusion and tried hard not to let her voice tremble. He had no reason to kill her anymore... right?
"Y... Yes?"
"Continue," he said calmly, then added too politely, "please."
Though she wasn't sure what was going on, she gave him a small timid nod and sat back down to continue brushing.
They stayed in silence for a while, with the only sound of brush on hair. Her mind whirled with questions she dared not ask and he stayed silent.
Although she had forgiven him for everything he had done, she wasn't sure if that meant it will stop Ukyo's other personality from being threatening.
After a while, he begun to nod off and it became difficult to continue.
"... erm... Ukyo..?" she asked, after a long minute.
"Ah... eh?" Ukyo blinked and looked at her wide-eyed. "Did... D-Did I fall asleep? Ah, sorry, sorry... erm, do you want more tea?" Ukyo patted at his hair quickly, checking."Ah, ah! My hair's fine now, thank you so much."
He smiled at her, looking so considerably refreshed that she couldn't help but smile tensely back at him despite her confusion.
After a few more nods and thanks, Ukyo walked off to the kitchen to fetch green tea, leaving her to sit there and ponder over the other Ukyo's actions.
It was mystifying. The only answer she could think of to UraUkyo's behaviour was... he liked the feeling of having his hair brushed? Could that be it? She dismissed it. It was incredibly ridiculous considering that all Ukyo's murderous side ever came out to do was attempt to kill her or scare her, it was not the most likely.
The mild sense of deja vu she sensed earlier tugged at her thoughts. It felt like a memory... Perhaps she really had done this before.
A jolt of memories hit her mind, and her vision filled with an image of her one-room apartment.
Ukyo was braiding her hair, teaching her how to keep stray hairs into the braid neatly. He patiently taught her how to make the simple hair rose she always did every morning and had been doing ever since. He let her practice on his hair, and they had spent many hours playing.
He loves how silky her hair was he said, and that filled her with a small simple joy.
She often helped him brush his long hair free of tangles, just like what she was doing earlier. Long hair was hard to keep he said, so he had gotten the habit of combing it often or tying it out of his face while he was working.
When she finally came to, she saw a pale anxious face hovering in front of hers, and felt hands holding her shoulders to prevent her from toppling backwards. She had blanked out again, as usual.
"A-Are you all right? Do you want a rest?"
She smiled weakly at him and sat up with his help. "... it's all right, thank you..."
"...Memories?" Suddenly, his voice was clearly different. Asking for answers in a way that was impossible to refuse, a commanding tone... but the hint of cruelty she came to associate with him was faded, like an old photograph. The worried look that OmoteUkyo had had eased into a milder look of cold concern.
A surge of adrenaline filled her as she realised who this was. She gasped.
"Well?" The other Ukyo asked quietly but firmly.
More alert now and her instincts telling her to run for it if something went wrong, she nodded meekly.
"...I remembered how you taught me to do my hair."
UraUkyo's concerned expression faded, and he gave the most gentle gaze she had ever seen from him.
A small part of her jumped in surprise. For a face usually twisted in cunning or violence, such a look felt utterly alien coming from him.
"Then, it's all right."
He smiled a little, stroked her hair and then his intense aura vanished.
Ukyo blinked. He stared down at her.
"Ah, sorry. What was I..."
She couldn't help staring back in mute bemusement and shock, her heart beating fast. What was that all about? Was hair that important to him?!
"How did... Ah. AHHhhhHHh!"
Ukyo's face grew stormy as he realised what must have happened.
"What did he do to you? ...What did you do to her?!" He demanded from the air furiously. His protective grip on her shoulders tightened in indignant anger as he twisted his head as if trying to find some devil in his ceiling. "Come back, you...! What did you do?! I'm not going to forgive you if you've hurt her!"
"I-It's okay.. he just asked!" she begun quickly even as her vision swam, trying to calm Ukyo down. " ...he just asked... if I recalled memories when I fainted."
"Memories? Ah!" Ukyo's frown dissolved quickly into excitement. "So your memories are now back? All of them? That's a relief~!"
She nodded and managed a smile, feeling all the nervous strength draining from her limbs. It seems like she had much to get used to, but the hint and feeling that he definitely won't harm her now was a reassuring thing to have.