WILD ADAPTER
A PROMISE KEPT
The young man sat on the floor in front of the TV, knees crossed, ignoring the world around him for the one on the glittering screen. There was a tiny controller in his hands that squeaked in protest every time he pummeled the buttons. His back ached from sitting crouched for so long, his palms were hot and sweaty, and his right foot had fallen asleep hours ago, but it wasn't enough to stop him. Not even the shrill ringing of the phone from the other room was going to interrupt him; not when he was so close.
The fifth time the phone cried out with its annoying little vibrato it was answered by a voice that came from the bathroom,
"Tokito! Answer the phone!"
"Ah, let the machine get it! It's probably just the quack doctor lookin' for you, anyway." How the heck could he even hear the phone when he was in the shower?
"In which case, I need you to answer it for me. Please."
Tokito growled between clenched teeth. The buttons clicked and squeaked as the game flashed warning colors through the pixilated screen, illuminating the small beads of sweat on his forehead.
"I'm kinda in the middle of something here!"
"Oh, Tokito," a familiar voice crackled through on the answering machine. "So you are home. I was wondering if you might be able to pick up the phone."
Tokito snarled upon hearing Kou's voice. "See? Told you." He leaned backwards, never taking his eyes off of the television and shouted, "Kubo's busy!"
"Obviously. I figured as much since he wasn't answering his cell phone. Could you give him a message for me?"
"That's what the answering machine is for," he grumbled and tried to ignore the twitching in his left eyebrow. He was so close to finishing this level!
"Yes, well, regarding the message—it's something I'd rather not leave on a recording device."
Just as Kou finished his sentence, there was a loud snap and Tokito jumped at the sight of the controller crumpled in his palm, buttons and wires extruding from the plastic. A few seconds later, the screen blackened and fat red letters appeared, spelling out one of the worst phrases Tokito knew to exist: game over.
"Dammit."
Hands balled into fists, Tokito stood, stormed over to the phone and grabbed the receiver.
"What?"
"My, aren't we feisty today. Would you do me a favor and tell Kubo to drop by when he has a free moment? It's regarding some inside information I recently heard. Apparently there's someone nearby that's had some dealings with 'W.A.' in the past. I thought you might find this a promising lead, no?"
"Yeah, I'll tell him. Hey."
"Hm?"
"What do you mean 'nearby?'"
"Well, I guess you'll have to come with Kubo to find out. But remember what they say—curiosity killed the cat."
Tokito glowered at the broken controller across the room. "I'm not a cat! And what the heck is that supposed to mean, anyway?"
He could hear Kou smirking on the other end of the line. "Ask me again sometime. Thanks again, Tokito."
Just as the doctor hung up with a static click, the door to the bathroom swung open and a wave of hot, moist air breezed through the small apartment.
"Stupid quack," Tokito muttered. Upon feeling the warm breath of steam on his neck, he turned to see Kubo step out of the bathroom and glide his way over to a pack of cigarettes lying on a small side table. With only a towel wrapped low on his hips, Tokito could see all the bony outlines and scars on Kubo's lean body; without his clothes, he looked so…frail.
"What did he want?" Kubo asked as he casually ignited what must've been his fortieth smoke of the day. It seemed silly and he would never admit it to anyone, but Tokito loved to watch him light his cigarettes. He did it so gracefully and flawlessly, as if the flame came straight from his hand and burned the end of the little white stick before it even had time to turn the proper orange color of fire.
"You," Tokito said simply as he jumped over the back of the couch and onto its cushions. "Said he wanted you to stop by. He thinks he found something on 'W.A.' Or someone."
"A person?"
Tokito shrugged. "That's what he said." For a moment, the younger man stared down at his hands, oblivious to the way Kubo was eyeing him. The world was blurred without his glasses, but he could still see the way Tokito sat cross-legged, arms straight and stiff in front of him. Kubo knew this pose. Tokito was contemplating something, which meant next came the soft-spoken:
"Kubo?"
"Hm?"
"What does it mean when you say 'curiosity killed the cat?'"
"It's a saying. It means that being too nosy about things will get you in trouble."
"Oh." Tokito pouted. "Man, I hate not knowing what people are talking about when they say things like that. It's frustrating as hell."
"You'll learn," Kubo said reassuringly and started to walk back into the bedroom. "Just be nosy. About everything."
The younger man sighed and lay back on the couch with his hands crossed behind his head. At least he fit on the sofa. Kubo's legs always dangled off the end and Tokito had a habit of colliding with them when he walked past.
As he waited for Kubo to dress, Tokito stared up at the blank ceiling and flexed his gloved hand. It'd been tingling all day. It wasn't as bad as the crippling burning sensations he would get, but it was awful annoying. He pondered, again, what might happen if he tried to cut off the limb altogether, but never got much farther than that. In the end he decided nothing good could come of self-amputation—hell, he could barely cut a cucumber straight—and Kubo would probably kill him if he tried anyway.
Something cold and wet plopped onto his cheek. Tokito opened his eyes and jumped at the sight of Kubo peering down at him with only a few inches to spare between their faces. His hair was still sopping.
"Ready?"
Tokito sat up and started to follow Kubo to the door, then stopped.
"You need to dry your hair."
Kubo glanced back over his shoulder. "Oh?"
"Or you'll go bald, remember?"
Kubo couldn't help but grin at those endearing, violet eyes. The small smile caught Tokito off guard, who couldn't figure out why his friend seemed to be silently laughing at him.
"You're right."
Still smiling, he retraced his steps back to the bathroom and grabbed for the towel again.
A/N: I love these two guys; this series is awfully addicting, and I couldn't help but take advantage of the fact that there are still so many mysteries in the plot. So, inevitably you get...FANFICTION! =D
