The weatherman had predicted a bit of rain for the island, however what was coming down from the sky was far from a little bit. It was an absolute downpour, made complete with thunder and lightening.
"It wasn't even supposed to rain that much today. Now we can't even go outside and get ice cream." Aoba pouted, staring out the window as the rain came down hard outside.
"Who's to say we can't? The shop's not too far away, and if we ask Tae and Mother for an umbrella, we'll stay dry." Koujaku replied to the younger boy as he stood behind him, watching out the window..
Aoba turned and looked up at him, a grin immediately forming on his face. "Come on, let's go, then!" he said, grabbing onto his friend's hand and running with him to the kitchen where his grandmother and best friend's mother were having tea and talking about whatever it was they talked about.
"…Yeah, we'll be leaving here in a couple of days. I've been meaning to tell him, but I know how set against his father he is." The dark haired woman said as she sipped her tea.
Koujaku frowned when he heard that. "What did you want to tell me, Mother?" he asked.
She jumped a bit and smiled over at her son who looked so much like her. "Oh, Kou, honey, I didn't hear you come in, I'm sorry." She said with a happy grin to her only son. "We're going to the mainland in a couple of days, sweetheart, to see your father. Don't give me that look, Koujaku, we hardly ever see him as it is and we'll only be staying for a month or two, and we'll come right back."
Koujaku's frown didn't waver as he listened to his mother. He absolutely hated his father and the things he did, remembering the way he'd seen him order the other members of the Yakuza to beat up an innocent woman who just happened to know a bit too much about something. Women were lovely things to be cherished and treasured, especially his mother. He'd never seen his father raise a hand against his mother, though, but he wouldn't put it past him.
"Fine, don't expect me to enjoy any of it, though." He replied with a sigh. "Can we have an umbrella and some money? Aoba wants to get some ice cream from the corner store."
Tae looked over at the two boys and gave Koujaku the money. "Don't let him get too much and overdose on sugar again." She said to him.
Aoba grinned happily at that. "Thanks, Granny! Come on, Koujaku, the umbrellas are over here." He said, tugging the older boy to where the umbrellas were kept. He then sat down and put on his shoes with him while Koujaku grabbed an umbrella from the stand, opening it up once they got outside.
"Why don't you like your Dad, Koujaku?" Aoba asked once they'd left, holding onto his best friend's hand tightly and huddling next to him under the umbrella.
Koujaku looked down at the blue-haired little boy and sighed softly. "He's just not very nice, that's all. He wants me to grow up to be just like him, but mother and I don't want to, so we moved over here and away from him." He replied simply as he kept close to the little boy.
"Oh." Aoba replied softly as he clung to Koujaku's crimson kimono. He couldn't really imagine his best friend actually hating anybody. He was always so kind, even to total strangers.
The young boy looked up at his best friend. "A couple months aren't that long of a time, though. That's what Granny says, at least. You and your mother will come back soon and everything will be normal again." He said optimistically to his best friend.
Koujaku looked back down at the little boy and smiled to him, poking his chubby little cheek. "That's right, I'll be coming right back and we can have plenty of sweets together."
Aoba smiled happily up at his best friend, walking into the corner store with him when they got there. His eyes lit up when he saw the choices of ice cream they had, going over to the window where all the treats were.
"Can I get a strawberry mochi ice cream, Koujaku?" He asked eagerly, looking up at him.
"You can get whatever you want, Aoba. I think I'll get a green tea one." Koujaku replied to the younger man.
Aoba grinned and bought the treats with his best friend, unwrapping his and biting into it happily. "Mmm, it's so good. Thanks, Koujaku."
"Why are you thanking me? It's Tae's money." Koujaku replied with a laugh, walking back outside with Aoba, keeping his treat in his hand to eat when they returned to the house.
"Well, you gave it to the man for these, so you paid for it." Aoba reasoned, his mouth full of the food.
Koujaku smiled to the boy and laughed even more. "I guess you're right, Aoba." He replied to him.
They returned to the house in no time at all, taking off their shoes as soon as they got there and putting the umbrella back. With that, the two boys walked inside and sat in front of the TV together to watch Aoba's favorite show as it came on, eating their treats together happily.
The hours passed by easily, and soon Koujaku's mother announced that it was time for them to return to their own little home for the night, as they still needed to pack their things for the trip to the mainland.
"Awww, okay. Bye, Koujaku." Aoba said, hugging his best friend tightly.
"Bye, Aoba. I'll see you tomorrow." Koujaku replied to the kid, hugging him back, and being careful not to touch his hair at all. He then stood up and walked with his mother to the door, putting their shoes back on as they left to go home for the night.
"Everything's going to be alright, Kou darling. Trust me, there's so much for you to do on the Mainland; you won't even need to spend too much time with your father." His mother said to him soothingly, wrapping an arm around her growing son's shoulders and walking with him back to their house together. "The couple of months will just fly by, I promise."
Koujaku nodded to her and kept close to his mother as they walked together down the streets to their small house.
"I love you, Koujaku. If he does anything to you, hits you or anything, just tell me and we'll come right back." She said to him tenderly, brushing his long bangs back so she could see his face a bit more clearly. "You need a haircut, sweetheart. You're starting to look like one of those punk teenagers you see running around a lot."
Koujaku laughed and smiled to her. "My hair is fine, mother, don't worry. I think it looks good on me."
"Yeah, and so do the young ladies you like to hang around." She replied with a grin to him, laughing when she saw the flush rise to his cheeks. "Don't think I don't notice it, you little ladykiller. "
Koujaku smiled to his mother and kept close to her as they walked into their little condo together for the night. It was true, though, since the girls his age and he had started to hit puberty he'd been getting a lot more attention from them and started noticing them all a bit more.
She wrapped an arm around his shoulders, smiling to him happily when she looked over at her son. "You're getting so tall, Kou." She said happily as they got back to the small house together, taking their shoes off.
"I'm glad. I'm going to go pack, mother." Koujaku said to her, kissing her cheek softly before walking into his room. He really didn't want to leave the house to go the mainland, but he knew he had to. He figured he could take his mother's advice and spend most of the time with the girls out of the house. Just so long as he kept away from his father as much as possible, everything would be fine. He packed his clothes into his suitcase, folding his kimonos and everything else neatly.
The rest of the night went quickly and the teenager found himself collapsed down on his bed in no time. He couldn't help but get a bad feeling about what would happen and go on when they went to the mainland to stay with his father very much. As far as he knew, the man was still married, oddly enough, so he figured he had to steer clear of the daughters he'd had with his wife, as they didn't seem to like him too much. He figured they had an excuse, though, since he was the son of their father's mistress.
He figured his mother was right, though. Everything would be fine if he just stuck to himself and stayed out of the house as much as he possibly could and keep with the girls who seemed to really like him.
The next morning rolled around almost too quickly and he was woken up by the sound of their doorbell ringing. His mother was still sleeping soundly in her room and he didn't want to wake her, so he donned his bathrobe and walked down to the door, finding Aoba and his grandmother on the other side.
"Granny has to work today, so can I stay with you for today?" the little boy asked with a grin to his best friend, already knowing what the answer would be.
"Yeah, of course." Koujaku replied with a nod, gently taking the kid's small hand.
"He hasn't had breakfast yet, so make sure he does. I don't know when I'll be back to pick him up, but it shouldn't be too late." Tae said to him as Aoba took off his shoes and walked into the house happily.
"Of course, Tae. Have a good day at work." Koujaku replied to her with a kind smile. When she left, he followed Aoba into the house, the little boy having been there plenty of times already.
"Where's your mom?" he asked curiously, looking up at his taller friend.
"She's still asleep, so we have to be quiet and let her sleep as long as she wants." The dark haired boy replied as he moved to the kitchen. "What do you want for breakfast? Is ramen okay?"
"I want rice with salmon!" Aoba replied to him hungrily.
Koujaku sighed a bit. He'd never before cooked salmon, let alone put it on top of rice. Cooking Rice was fine, as was ramen, but he wasn't too sure about the fish.
"Are you sure that's what you really want?" He asked warily, looking over at the boy.
"Yeah, I'm sure." Aoba replied with a happy nod.
Koujaku nodded and sighed a bit. It wouldn't be an easy feat, but he'd seen his mother do it a few times before, so he knew the basic principles for it. "Alright, alright. I'll put some tea on, too."
Aoba nodded and smiled happily as he watched his best friend move about the kitchen. He was sure Koujaku could manage it, since cooking food like that came so easily to Granny. If something was easy for her, it had to be a cinch for him.
Koujaku only partially knew what he was doing, though did his best to look as if he was sure of himself for Aoba. Nonetheless, he brewed the tea before sticking the rice in the rice cooker and getting the pan out along with the lightly salted salmon. He cut a few pieces off and put them into the pan to cook.
At that point, he started rushing around the kitchen, now having three things to watch, along with his best friend. He finished the tea, which was easy enough once the kettle started squealing. He gave Aoba a small cup of green tea, making himself a cup as well, making sure the boy blew on it and waited a bit for the drink to cool so he wouldn't burn his tongue.
From there, he had to monitor the rice as well as the salmon. He winced a bit when the sizzling grease from the fish hit his hand as it sizzled and popped around.
"Koujaku, don't hurt yourself!" Aoba said with a grin and a giggle to his best friend, yelping when he accidentally spilled his tea on himself.
The teenager was over at his side in an instant, worrying more about him than the food. He helped to clean Aoba off, getting the stain from his shirt and making sure he wasn't burnt too horribly.
"Koujaku…" the kid said softly to him.
"Are you sure you're going to be alright?" Koujaku asked worriedly, drying off the kid's shirt.
"Yeah, I'm fine. I don't think the salmon is, though." He replied, pointing to the stove where the fish had since caught fire in the teenager's carelessness.
Koujaku groaned and turned off the stove before rushing around to put the fire out, smothering it finally with a bowl full of water he splashed onto it.
Aoba smiled and giggled a bit. "Koujaku, you're bad at cooking." He teased happily.
"Hey, there's no need to be rude." He replied to the kid, ruffling his hair as his mother tiredly walked into the room.
"Do I want to know?" She asked, eyeing the puddle of water on the floor as Aoba continued giggling happily in his seat.
"No, not really, Mother." Koujaku replied to her with a sheepish smile.
She walked over and ruffled his hair, kissing his cheek. "Why don't you let me cook? The rice is still fine, thankfully." She said to him.
He nodded and smiled to her. "That's probably the best solution."
She smiled and let the boys sit at the table and drink their tea together.
"Oh, Aoba, you've got something on your face." Koujaku said to the boy, looking over at him.
"Huh? What? Where is it?" Aoba replied confusedly, patting around his cheeks worriedly.
"Right here." Koujaku replied with a grin before playfully grabbing at the boy's nose and giving it a gentle tug.
"Hey, hey, ow! Stop being so stupid!" Aoba pouted to Koujaku while the teenager just laughed and grinned happily at him.
"Aw, I'm not stupid, am I?"
"Yes, you are! You're the biggest idiot I've ever met!"
"Aoba, you're so mean."
Aoba just huffed a bit and took another drink of his tea. Beside him, Koujaku continued to smile and laugh happily until his mother served them actually edible looking food.
"Thank you, Koujaku's Mom!" Aoba said happily when she served them their food.
She laughed and sat at the table with them, all of them putting their hands together and giving thanks for the food before starting to eat together happily.
"So, when did you get over here, Aoba?" The woman asked curiously as they all ate their food contently, the smallest boy eating the fastest and seeming to have the largest appetite of the three of them.
"Not too long ago. Granny had to go to work kinda early, so she dropped me off here. She said she doesn't know when she'll be back, but it shouldn't be too late." Aoba replied between bites of food, smiling to her.
She nodded to him and smiled back. "Alright. I'm sure and Kou can find something to do. Preferably something that doesn't include him cooking."
Aoba smiled and laughed happily at that, nodding. "Okay! I'm sure we can find those girls who like to hang around him so much and do something with them, too! Did you know I heard them say that they think Koujaku's hair is pretty and he's got a cute butt?"
Koujaku froze up at that, keeping his eyes down at his food as he ate it.
"Oh, really? Well if they think that now, they can come in here and I'll show them the pictures of him as a little baby. His butt was the cutest back then, I think." She said with a smirk to her son, watching him get more and more embarrassed in front of his younger friend.
"Mom, no!" Koujaku protested to her as he ate.
"How can a butt even be cute? Butts are funny, not cute." Aoba questioned as he ate, looking between the pair, as they seemed to know something he didn't.
"You'll figure it out when you get to be about my age, Aoba. Butts eventually go from weird and funny to cute and nice." Koujaku explained to the boy with a small smile.
"That sounds weird. Butts are for sitting on and poo comes out of them. How could they be so cute and nice?" Aoba said confusedly.
"You'll figure it out as you grow up, I promise. I still am, after all." Koujaku replied to him with a smile.
Aoba just nodded and ate his food happily, dropping the subject, satisfied with the answers he'd gotten. The rest of the meal was filled with idle chatter as they all ate their meal together.
Aoba hopped down from his seat and took Koujaku's hand in his own. "Come on, Koujaku, let's go up to your room."
Koujaku nodded and quickly finished his food, thanked his mother again, and let Aoba pull him along up to his bedroom to do whatever the younger boy wanted to.
"Is this your suitcase?" Aoba asked, examining the silver case curiously, noticing that it was all packed up and ready to go.
"Yeah, that's my suitcase. The boat to the mainland leaves tomorrow at about seven." Koujaku replied, sitting down on his bed and letting the little blue-haired boy examine his stuff.
"It's heavy." He observed after trying to lift the thing, then giving up and going over to sit down on the bed next to Koujaku, looking up at the taller boy.
"Yeah, it's got all the stuff I need in there." He replied with a nod, smiling down at Aoba happily.
"I'm sure the month will go quickly. It's only a couple of weeks! Plus, you can take lots of pictures and show me when you get back!" Aoba said optimistically, grinning up at his friend.
"Yeah, you're right. I'll take pictures of the girls over there and some butts so you can know just how cute and nice they are." He replied teasingly to the boy, poking his cheek.
"You hippo!" Aoba said, giving him a push away, though smiling up at him. "Don't take pictures of the butts. Just take pictures of the cool stuff over there."
"Okay, okay, I will. Maybe I'll get you a present, or two, too."
"You should! Maybe one of those cool new Allmate things!" Aoba replied with a grin to his best friend. "Please, Koujaku, please?"
"Maybe, we'll see though. What kind of Allmate would you want?" Koujaku replied as he let the boy cling to his dressing robe eagerly.
Aoba thought for a bit about that one before brightening up happily. "I want one that looks like a fluffy puppy! Please, Koujaku?"
"I'll see what I can do. If you get one, it'll be a fluffy puppy, though, don't worry." Koujaku replied to his best friend, hugging Aoba tightly. He would definitely get the Allmate for him, if it made him that happy. He loved seeing his little face brighten up into a wide, happy grin.
The day passed by almost too quickly. Soon enough, they were having dinner around the table together happily, a knock on the door interrupting their conversation.
Koujaku watched his mother stand up and move to get it, hearing Tae's voice at the door and glancing over at Aoba as the boy finished his ramen happily.
"Thanks for the food, Koujaku's Mom!" He said happily, hopping down from his chair when Tae stepped inside.
Koujaku smiled to Aoba and moved from the table to give the boy a tight hug, being careful not to touch his hair too much. "I'll see you in a month, Aoba. Don't get too lonely without me."
Aoba smiled and hugged him back just as tightly and happily. "I won't. Remember to take lots of pictures and get the Allmate." He replied happily. With that, he waved to his best friend's mother, then taking his grandmother's hand and walking out with her to go home.
Koujaku sighed softly as he watched his best friend leave the house to return to his own.
"Honey, don't forget to dress in your nicest kimono to meet your father, tomorrow." His mother said, dragging him from his thoughts, ruffling his hair as she cleared away his dishes.
"Alright, Mother. Which one will you be wearing?" he asked curiously, looking up at her.
"I think I'll wear my red one. You know, the one that gradients to green at the bottom and has the flowers on it and the bird." She said to him with a small smile.
"Alright." Koujaku replied, figuring he'd wear one to match hers so they'd look a bit more put together the next day.
"What's this about an Allmate, honey?" She asked curiously, letting her son help her with the dishes.
"Oh, Aoba was just saying how he kinda wanted one that looked like a fluffy puppy. I told him that we'd have to see." Koujaku replied to her as he dried and put away all the dishes with her.
"Ah. Do you want one, too?" She asked as she washed the dishes with him.
"Yeah, it'd be pretty cool. I think I'd want a bird of some kind, though."
She nodded and smiled to him, kissing his temple. "We'll have to look into it when we get over there, then, Kou, darling."
Koujaku smiled to her in return, kissing her cheek in return and letting her hug him tightly.
"I'm going to take a shower, Mom." He said to her after they finished with the dishes.
"Alright, darling. Not too long, though, I think I'll take one, too." She replied happily to him.
He nodded and went to gather his pajamas and underwear, then walking into the bathroom. He stripped down and started the water until it was warm and steamy, then stepping into the shower to wash himself off thoroughly. He told himself that everything would be fine; despite the bad feeling he had about it all.
He stepped out of the shower after a bit and dressed himself in his underwear and pajamas for the night. He sat down in the living room with his mother and watched a movie on TV with her, letting her play with and stroke his hair. He soon found himself falling asleep against her, having relaxed so thoroughly at the feeling.
His mother grinned when she heard Koujaku snoring softly up against her and moved to pick him up into his arms. "I love you, my darling Kou." She said softly to him, carrying him to his bed for the night and kissing his temple lovingly, brushing his dark hair from his face. "Sleep well, my darling baby boy."
Again, the morning came all too quickly for Koujaku's preferences. He woke when his mother woke him, already in her kimono, giving him a cup of tea to wake him up. He drank the liquid before moving to get himself dressed for the day in a good, red kimono with gold embroidery to match his mother's. He helped her out with her suitcase as well as his own, walking out with her to the port so they could board the boat to the mainland.
He felt his mother's arm wrap around his shoulders as they gave their tickets to the man at the dock and boarded the boat together. He kept close to his mother, helping to put the red hairpin neatly through her bun, kissing her cheek softly.
"Kou, darling, you're so great with hair." She said to him happily, rubbing his back. "You really should look into work as a hairdresser, I think you'd make a marvelous one."
Koujaku smiled to her happily, keeping close to her as the boat left the dock and started the short trip over to the mainland. "Do you really think so, Mother?"
"Yes, I do. You're so gentle and so good at it."
He grinned to her happily and kissed her cheek once again, keeping her close to himself as the boat took them across the bit of ocean it had to. Once they'd made it across, he took their suitcases again and walked with her down to the shore, letting her lead the way to his father's large home nearby.
The man himself greeted them when they got there, one of the servants taking their suitcases from Koujaku.
"My only son, Koujaku. How are you? Have you given any more thought to my proposition?" He asked, hugging the reluctant teenager gently.
"Yes, I have, father. I don't want to be a Yakuza leader. I want to be a hairdresser." Koujaku replied honestly, walking inside with his parents, removing his shoes at the door and padding into the traditional home.
"A hairdresser?" His father repeated with a laugh. "My, Koujaku, I never knew you were such a jokester."
"I'm serious, actually. I don't want to be a Yakuza, I want to be a hairdresser. Mother says I'd be good at it."
He blinked at that and sighed. The boy looked so much like his mother, it seemed the only thing he'd gotten from him had been how stubborn and sure of himself he was.
"Well, you're still young. You'll have plenty of time to think about it later." He said to the other, dropping the subject. "Why don't you two get settled, then we'll have lunch together. There's someone I want you to meet, Koujaku."
The teenager looked over at his father and nodded, walking with his mother to the guest room that had been set up for him. He got himself set up in the room easily, moving his clothes to the dresser and closet. He then sat down on the large bed, sighing a bit. He knew he wouldn't have much time to escape the house, so he just waited for a bit in the room until walking down to the dining room where his father, mother, and some kid who looked just a couple years older than him in a blue kimono and necklace of skulls all waited and chatted.
He entered the room awkwardly, all the eyes seeming to turn over to him when he walked into the room. He found that he didn't like the way the blue kimono boy looked at him. It was like some sort of predator cornering his prey.
"Koujaku, I was just about to send someone down to fetch you. This is the friend I wanted to introduce you to. This is Ryuuhou, he's already made quite a name for himself as a tattoo artist. He's gotten rave reviews." His father said to him, moving to gently set a hand on his back.
"It's nice to meet you, Koujaku. Your mother tells me you wish to be a hairdresser. If that's the case, it's a pleasure to be in the presence of another artist." The man named Ryuuhou said, taking his hand in his own, treating him almost tenderly, as if he were some fragile vase.
"It's nice to meet you, too." Koujaku replied politely as his father kept his hand gently rested on his back.
"Ryyuhou and I have decided that, as a token of his friendship, he would like to tattoo you." He informed his son seriously, looking down at him.
"I don't want a tattoo, though. I'm fine the way I am." Koujaku protested with a frown.
"Koujaku, enough of your insolence." The man said, taking his teenage son's face in his hand tightly to force him to look into his eyes, his grey eyes meeting his son's crimson ones. "You do not get a choice in the matter, so know your place. While you and your mother are under my roof, you live by my rules. You will let him tattoo you."
Koujaku froze up as his father spoke to him rather harshly. He pulled away and said nothing more, keeping close to his mother as she reassured him that she was sure the tattoo would look lovely on him, trying to ease his mind by telling him how lovely the sketches Ryuuhou had done were. She didn't really want to tell him how the young artist administered his tattoos, though, as that would only set him on edge even more.
The lunch didn't last nearly long enough, Koujaku thought, as it was over within a half an hour. When it was all done, Ryuuhou stood up and offered his hand to the teenager. Koujaku glanced over at his mother before tentatively taking the older man's hand, letting him lead him away from the room and into a spare room that had been transformed into a tattoo parlor. He stepped inside, followed by Ryuuhou. He heard the faint sound of the door locking behind them.
Soon, the air in the room started to smell sweet, almost sickly sweet, like strawberries. Before he knew it, his body started to feel heavy and tired.
"Come, take off your kimono and lay down here." Ryuuhou guided, helping the teenager out of his clothes to strip him down completely, then moved to have him lay on his back on the mat. His body was almost totally limp and he found he couldn't move almost at all.
He looked over at Ryuuhou as the man got all his supplies ready.
"I will warn you, this is going to hurt, though all tattoos do. The drugs in the air should help, though." Ryuuhou warned before moving to start going to work on the tattoos.
The procedure went on for what felt like an eternity. The needles were carving the designs into his body and Koujaku felt his voice going hoarse as he howled out in pain, clawing at the ground in agony. When it was almost done, tears were streaming down Koujaku's face almost endlessly.
Ryuuhou reached over and gently wiped the tears away with his sleeve before gently moving his subject's head to the side before putting the needle against the side of his face, working as the teenager howled and shrieked as if he was being brutally murdered.
The procedure was soon finished and Koujaku was more than relieved about that. He panted a bit, whimpering softly on the mat, his kimono laid over the lower half of his body like a blanket.
"You're all done, my masterpiece. I must warn you, though, Koujaku, It's extremely important for you to keep your temper in check from here on out." Ryuuhou said to the teenager, looking down at him and smiling softly.
"Why do I have to keep my temper in check? What does that have to do with anything?" He asked confusedly, looking at the tattoo artist.
Ryuuhou said nothing to the teenager as the drugs wore off, just helping him up to his feet and back into his clothes.
Koujaku was practically pushed out of the room, the door sliding shut behind him. He sighed a bit and looked at the clock, finding that it was already time for dinner. He went to a bathroom beforehand, looking at himself in the mirror to look at the tattoos that had been forced onto his body. He'd thought it would have been just one design, but instead, it was multiple intricate designs all down one half of his body. He turned around, finding the design of multiple blooming pink flowers on his back.
With a sigh, he pulled his clothes back on, walking to the dining room for dinner, his parents already inside and waiting for him.
"Koujaku, my son, how did it go?" His father asked with an innocent smile to the teenager as the boy sat down at the table.
"You have ears, I'm sure you heard." Koujaku replied shortly to him as their food was set down in front of them.
His mother frowned, having heard her baby boy's screaming loud and clear. It was almost torture having to hear it all. She reached over to Koujaku and gently rubbed his back lovingly, just to let him know that she was there for him if he needed it.
Koujaku looked over at her and smiled gently and happily to her before picking up his chopsticks and eating with his parents hungrily. He figured he'd confront his father later, but he wanted to keep his mother out of it. She'd done nothing wrong, after all.
They ate in silence and, when the dinner was over, they all went their separate ways. After a bit of mentally rehearsing what he wanted to say in his bedroom, Koujaku left the room and went to find his father.
He found him in the lounge reading a book. He walked over to the man, frowning. "Can we talk?"
His father looked up at his son and then went back to the book. "I don't know what you'd want to talk about."
Koujaku scowled, as his father wouldn't stop his reading. So, he took matters into his own hands and slid the book out from his father's hands, slamming it shut and tossing it aside.
"I'm trying to talk to you, take it seriously." He demanded with a frown.
His father just frowned back and stood up to look down at the shorter boy. "Why should I listen to a whiny child? What have you got to say that should be important to me?"
"I am your son! Everything I say ought to be important to you!"
"If you were truly my son, you'd know your place. How do I even know you're my kid? All your looks you got from her, there's no resemblance to me whatsoever. You could be anyone's son, knowing how much of a little whore your mother is."
"You take that back! You take it back, you son of a bitch!" Koujaku screamed, the flowers on his back starting to spread beneath his kimono, the tips of his hair turning red.
His father was in shock for a bit at the sight of his son's hair changing. He paid it no mind, though; as he had been drinking a bit and it could be a figment of his imagination.
"I will not. Little whelps like you don't tell me what to do." He replied, raising a hand and landing a hard slap against the teenager's face, knocking him to the ground.
Koujaku glared daggers at his father from the ground, watching as the man turned his back to him to leave the room. From that point on, he couldn't really tell what he was doing. It was as if his brain had gone to sleep and his body was soldiering on, fueled by his rage.
Spotting a sword hung on the wall, he moved to get it quickly while his father left the room. He'd catch him by surprise, then. Slinging the sword over his shoulder, he kept his steps silent as he followed the man through the hallways and to the master bedroom where his wife was talking with his mother. He snuck into the room, drawing the sword from its sheath. Then, with a roar that sounded more beastly than human, he came at his father.
His father whirled around and quickly grabbed his mistress, pushing her in front of him. His wife quickly fled the room altogether while the teenage boy pulled the blade out of his mother's body, letting her fall limp to the ground.
Stepping over her body, he gave another roar and came at his father, impaling him with the sword. Then, everything was over as quickly as it had begun.
Koujaku took deep breaths, slowing coming to again.
"Wait, what happened?" he asked softly when he came back to reality. He was in a dark room, the only light source being the moonlight that shone through the window, the only sounds he could hear was his own heavy breathing. The only thing hitting his nose was the smell of blood.
He became aware of the sword in his hands, the large silver blade stained red with blood. He looked down at his hands, finding the blood splattered across his skin.
Finally, hesitantly, he looked down at his feet where a large pool of blood and two bodies lay. He placed them almost immediately. His father was slumped against the wall, his mother sprawled on the ground.
"No, Mother!" He cried, falling down to his knees in front of her, dropping the sword and taking her limp, cold hand in his own. "Mother, no! Please, Mother, come back! Don't leave me!"
He broke into sobs, cradling her heavy body against himself as he wept into her shoulder like he'd done countless times as a boy. He then looked over at the sword, only one thing running through his mind as he picked it up.
He was a monster. He'd killed two people without a second thought. He didn't deserve to live. He deserved divine judgment and he deserved to die with them. Holding the sword awkwardly, the point gently pressed against his stomach, he took a deep breath.
However, just before he plunged the sword through himself, he thought back to Aoba, the little blue-haired friend he'd come to love so dearly. He remembered the way the child would always take his hand and smile up at him, loving him for who he was and unconditionally. Aoba didn't deserve to be hurt by the news that he wouldn't be coming home to Midorijima.
So, he dropped the blade, grabbed his father's wallet, gently took his mother's nice kimono off the bed and ran off to his room. He changed into a clean kimono and ran to the door, pulling on his shoes.
He wouldn't be coming home with any pictures of girls, but he could still do something to make Aoba smile happily at him. So, he ran to the nearest store, picking out a blue-black Pomeranian Allmate for Aoba, and a red Northern Cardinal Allmate for himself.
After paying for them, he went down to the docks, buying a ticket for the last boat of the night to Midorijima. He kept to himself as he boarded the boat and sat down as it moved away from the mainland.
He got back to the island and walked alone through the streets to the house of his best friend. He stopped outside and rang the doorbell.
He could hear Tae cursing about the time as she walked to the door, answering it and seeming shocked to see the teenager at the door.
"Koujaku? What are you doing here? Aren't you supposed to be off on the Mainland?" She asked with a frown.
"I am. There was an emergency, though, and I had to come home." He replied to her honestly, looking up at her.
"Come on inside, we can talk about it if you want." She said with a small sigh.
He nodded and softly thanked her, walking into the house and removing his shoes.
"Aoba's already asleep. You look pretty shaken up, are you alright?" She asked curiously as she let him sit down on the couch, sitting down next to him.
"I'm fine. Mother isn't." he replied to her with a frown. "She won't be coming back…"
Tae could see how upset the teenager seemed, not asking about the boxes, kimono, or sword across his back. Instead, she didn't press the issue and gently rubbed Koujaku's back.
"You're welcome to stay here for as long as you'd like." She said softly to him as the teenager sat down on the couch.
"Thank you." He replied to her with a nod and a smile that seemed only half genuine.
"What's going on?" Aoba asked, wandering out of his room, rubbing his eyes. He blinked when he saw his best friend on the couch and grinned that wide, happy grin Koujaku had grown to love so dearly. "Koujaku! You're back early!"
"Yeah, I know. Come here, I got you a present." Koujaku replied to Aoba with a grin, beckoning him closer before taking the box with the Pomeranian Allmate inside.
Aoba gasped and grinned at the sight of the present, taking it from his best friend and opening the box up eagerly, pulling out the Allmate and turning it on, the dog's eyes blinking open, it's small tongue poking out of its mouth.
"I'm going to call you….Ren! You're name is Ren." Aoba said to the dog, hugging it close to himself happily, kissing the top of his head.
Koujaku smiled as he watched Aoba, deciding that he was glad he'd remembered the little boy. Things would be hard from then on for him, but at least he still had Aoba and he could still count on that sweet little boy to be there when he needed him.