Author's Note: This is the epilogue/deleted scenes for Behind the Boathouse. I know I said it was finished, but I felt like being angsty again.
It's also the beginning to the second part of Aoi's tale. Yeah, part 2. It'll be longer than BtB. Forshizzle. And it'll have more VF characters in it.
Anywho, here we go with this chapter.
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Can't Stop the Rain
A Goh Hinogami/Aoi Umenokouji fanfiction by Strike To Incinerate.
Chapter o1 - Your love is nothing but a bitter taste.
--
It was very possible that Aoi Umenokouji didn't appreciate being picked up and hurled into a row of shiny metal trash cans. They fell over with a series of loud bangs, and the contents spilled out onto the tar, empty pizza boxes, half-eaten food, coffee grinds, and glass bottles that shattered, creating yet another hazard.
She stood up, new bruises forming, careful of the glass. She was always so dainty and feminine. It annoyed him to no end, and part of him wondered if she could maintain that grace while she staggered, holding her side, her life's blood seeping from a deep, mortal wound...
They were about to find out. He reached into the pocket of his leather pants and pulled out a butterfly knife, emblazoned with J6's logo. He flipped it open, showing off the shining blade, and watched those pretty, doe-like gray eyes widen.
He took a few steps forward, but she had nowhere to go. She was at the back of the alley, and he was blocking the exit. If she tried to run around him, he could easily eviscerate her, or grab her and slit her throat.
"You're really horrible!" she shouted at him.
"Yeah, I know; you trusted me and I betrayed you," he retorted.
"You really think I'm stupid, don't you?" she asked him, and he nodded. "You always did..." she sighed, her eyes filling with tears.
He paused, something catching in the back of his mind, and then he pushed that away, and lunged at her.
That was where he made his third mistake.
"Iie!"
She grabbed his wrist and pulled him forward, turning and thrusting her elbow into his nose. She let go of his wrist and wrapped her arm around his neck. Things seemed to slow down as the coppery taste of his own blood reached his lips and she heaved him over her shoulder. The ground rushed up at him, and he could've sworn that it would KO him... but it didn't. He was awake for what she did next, something that seemed vicious, coming from someone so petite and soft...
She grabbed his arm, raised it, stepped on his shoulder, and gave a hard twist.
'Shit. The one person I try to stab is the one who knows how to properly dislocate my fucking shoulder,' he thought bitterly as he watched her foot sweep along the ground and kick his knife towards the gutter.
Goh Hinogami wasn't usually one to admit that he'd made a mistake, but he'd made a big mistake when he hadn't killed Aoi Umenokouji and the rest of the World Tournament cretins when J6 had given him his first chance. He'd also made a mistaking in losing to Kagemaru Hagakure a second time.
Lashing out at the girl...well, that hadn't been a mistake. That had been her fault. She knew what he was, and what he did, and she still thought he would take her out on a date like a decent human being. Goh hadn't felt like a decent human being since he was 11 years old, and now he had a deep wound from broken glass in his right shin that was spilling blood onto the damp Kyoto sidewalk, indistinguishable from a normal puddle in the dark.
Her expression had been hard and unforgiving as his shoulder gave in with a 'pop', but as the coppery smell reached her, she softened. "You're bleeding!" She knelt down next to him, pulling up his pant leg and inspecting the flesh beneath.
"No, I just spilled my fucking V8," he snarled, pushing himself up as much as possible with the use of only his right arm and his left leg. "You want to help? Fix my arm... Now," he ordered.
"Good idea," she agreed, gripping his arm and his shoulder. "This is going to hurt," she warned him.
"My leg hurts. You can fix that next," he replied, grabbing onto her jacket. His jagged, unkempt nails bit into the fabric as she reconnected the joint in his shoulder. He winced.
"I can't fix your leg. Only a doctor could do that," she said gently.
"I'll fix it, then," he growled, pushing her away. "What'd you do with my knife?" he asked.
"I kicked it over there," she said, nodding her head towards the street.
'At least she isn't stupid.' He squinted, looking for the shine of a blade. "Get it."
"Are you going to try to stab me again?" she asked him, brushing her dark hair out of her eyes.
"I'm not up for having my shoulder dislocated again," he replied.
She stood up and retrieved the butterfly knife, handing it to him.
He repositioned his leg and began to dig out the largest piece of glass with the blade.
She gasped softly and shut her eyes.
"Get lost," he muttered.
"Are you done yet?" she mumbled.
"Ah.." A small bit of glass, no bigger than an inch long, hit the sidewalk with a soft, 'pi-pi-pi-ping'. The blood began to flow freely.
Aoi peeked. "It's bleeding even worse now," she said.
"So fix it." He grinned at her.
She pulled off her jacket, then her overshirt. Using her hands and her teth, she ripped the sleeves off at the seams and began to wrap up his leg. She gave a vicious tug and tied it off.
"Fuck me," he groaned.
"Not tonight," she retorted. "Come on. You have to get to a hospital. You might need a tetanus shot, and that needs to be cleaned." She tugged on his right arm.
"You're not a doctor, so get lost, woman," he replied.
"Don't call me that unless you'd like a broken arm," she warned, and he didn't doubt that she was capable of it. "And if you're not going to the ER, then I'm taking you back to my place." She stood up again, but he didn't budge.
"What the fuck?"
"Don't get excited, you're still not getting lucky. I'm going to wash out that wound, and you're going to leave," she explained.
"Why're you so adamant about helping me?" he asked.
She shrugged. "I like helping people."
"You like helping assassins?" he asked.
"Are you going to kill me?"
"I was going to."
She smiled. "You didn't."
"I never got a good shot. And when I did, you dislocated my shoulder," he replied.
"So, is that a yes or a no?" she asked, still smiling at him.
--
"Don't pull so hard," she said with controlled gentleness.
"IT STINGS," he hissed.
"Don't be a baby."
Every time she started to clean out the wound, his arm jerked, and his was gripping her arm.
"Are you done yet?" he asked, annoyed and slightly curious about Aoi.
"No."
She carefully dabbed the dried and fresh blood and dirt away with the washcloth, soaked in peroxide. Parts of the shredded skin that was slowly being revealed would eventually heal up, but it would scar heavily. "I'm almost done, though," she added.
"Good," he sighed.
"I forgot to ask if you have a concussion."
"I got bitchslapped by the sidewalk," he answered with a grin. He finally released her arm and moved his hair away from his forehead to reveal a scrape.
"You probably have a concussion. Don't fall asleep, or you might fall into a coma," she advised.
He raised one pierced eyebrow. "Is that your professional medical opinoin, Doctor Umenokouji?" he asked, his voice dripping sarcasm.
"I heard that in a movie once," she grumbled. "Are you going to give yourself stitches, or can I wrap that up again?" she asked.
"Wrap it up and get me some Vicodin," he said with a sigh, letting his weight sink into the couch cushions.
"Advil," she corrected, wrapping a fresh bandage around his leg.
"That's not going to help."
She stood up and placed her hands on her hips. "How about I break your finger to take your mind off that pain? she offered.
He laughed lowly. "You watch way too many movies."
"Oh! Do you use make up, or is your face naturally zombie-like?"
"Braaaains."
She giggled. "You're delirious from blood loss. Go to sleep, okay?"
No point in arguing with her, even though she was contradicting herself. He was too tired to refuse a comfortable sleeping place. "You know, Aoi... you'd make a great J6 agent..." he told her, meaning it as both a compliment and an apology.
She knew that she shouldn't, after what had happened, but she accepted it. "Goodnight, Hinogami-san," she said, leaning down to press her cool lips against his forehead.
He gently pushed her face away, rolling over. "Goodnight, Umenokouji-chan," he muttered.
--
All it took was a flick of the wrist as she finally shut up and began to walk away to make her turn around again.
She gave him a funny look, running a hand through her hair. Her gray eyes gazed at the ground, searching...
Goh moved his hands behind his back, tying the ribbon around his wrist and pulling the sleeve of his sweatshirt down to hide it.
"Did you take my hair tie?" she asked, moving a few dark strange out of her eyes.
"No," he lied, hands starting to go towards his pockets.
Her eyes widened, and she grabbed his hand.
The smooth contact sent an awkward sensation through him, and he jerked his hand back.
She tugged it towards her, a familiar game, and pulled up the sleeve. "Why'd you take it?" she asked.
He tried to think of a good response. "Because," is what he came up with.
She raised a brow. "Okay, keep it."
He tried to pull his hand back. He didn't like her touching it. It felt weird. How could something so soft have defeated the strongest wrestler that America had to offer? It didn't make sense.
Her fingers began delicately tracing the scars on his hand, and he tugged harder. She had a good grip, but he could get away if all of him wanted to. Part of him was curious about her sudden fascination with his large, pallid, ugly hands.
Her fingers slid against his, locking their hands together. "Yeah, keep it. I have others."
"Why are you acting so weird about this?" he asked. He was sent to two tournaments to kill her and 14 others, and had taken a decent shot at stabbing her... and she wanted to hold hands.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
In fact, the hand she was holding now was the same that held a knife aimed for her throat, the same that was connected to the arm that she'd dislocated from his shoulder and then fixed.
"Well, I figure... if you take something, you must want it because it's mine, which means that you like me," she replied.
"Maybe I'm going to strangle you with it," he replied.
She giggled. "Well, that'd be ironic. I think you like me."
"Then you're an idiot," he replied.
She shrugged. "If you don't like me, then leave."
He said nothing.
"So, you like me, then!" she said, smiling.
"Or maybe, I don't want to be killed by the underground cartel that I used to work for," he retorted, beginning to grow annoyed.
She stood on tiptoe, and pressed her lips against his.
Apparently, even if he said he didn't like her, she liked him.
She nibbled on his lower lip, while he stood in amazement, one arm slowly sliding across her back... until he felt something slip.
Aoi stepped back, smiling brightly, showing off the shiny sharp piercing she held between her teeth.
He reached up and touched his lips and chin as she let go of his hand and began walking away.
Sneaky girl had stolen it!
"What are you going to do with that?" he asked.
"Wear it in my ear," she replied.
"It'll bleed," he pointed out.
"My ears are pierced."
"Are they gaged?" he asked.
"No..."
"Then they'll bleed."
"Shut up, or I'll kiss you again," she threatened.
He rolled his eyes. "Here's a tip... when you threaten someone, make the alternative something that they wouldn't want to look forward to."
She smiled brightly, sliding into his lap and brushing back her hair to show off her new earring. "I knew you liked me."
--
Goh Hinogami hated cats. He also hated girls. When the police came and took that one ugly, brat girl away, he'd been happy... or something close to it.
Not too far away, he could hear a bunch of girls shrieking and playing. They were probably having fun. Goh didn't really know what fun was. He spent a lot of time by himself and training. He didn't like kids his age, period. They were annoying.
But right in front of him was a kitten, giving him a curious look with those big kitten eyes, wanting to be picked up and cuddled. It probably belonged to one of those stupid girls. He picked it up by the scruff of it's neck, examining it for a moment. He could probably kill it and get away with it. And it wouldn't be hard. But, J6 didn't reward people for killing kittens. The baby cat pawed at his nose. Goh shook it a little. It swatted him again. It had soft, fluffy fur... it was almost cute. But cats were moody animals, and you couldn't train them, not like dogs.
"Can I have my kitten back?"
A girl was standing four or five feet away. She had dark brown hair past her shoulders, big gray eyes, and a small smile. She was probably the same age as he was, wearing a dark green kimono, holding a fan in one hand.
He gave the thing a little shake in her direction. "This?"
"His name is Vanilla. You can pet him if you want, but don't shake him," she replied.
"You named your cat after a flavour of ice cream?" he asked, still holding it in the air.
She stepped towards him, reaching for her pet. "Yeah, Vanilla's my favorite flavour, and Vanilla's my favorite cat. Can I have him?" she said.
"You know how they say that there's more than one way to skin a cat?" he asked her, then gave a feral grin. "I can show you number eight."
Her eyes filled with tears. "Give me my kitty!" she snatched the kitten from his hand, cuddling it to her chest protectively. "You're way mean!"
He snubbed his nose at her. "That's why I hate girls. You're all whiny and weak," he scoffed.
"That's not true!" she protested. "What about your mom? Don't you like her?"
"You're stupid!" he spat back. "My mother was weaker than you! She couldn't even live through having a kid!"
Her expression softened. "Your mom is dead...?" she asked softly.
"No shit," he looked at the ground.
"Do you live with your dad?" she asked.
He shook his head, but didn't say anything.
"Do you have new parents?"
"No. Why don't you go away?" he asked.
"Otousama said not to start fights with anyone anymore! That's why he got Akira-oniisama to train with you!" she huffed, stopping beside them and tugging on the sleeve of her older sister's kimono. The younger girl wore a pink one, and looked to the youngest, who seemed to be no older than three, wearing a purple kimono. The youngest was pouting, and holding a stuffed koala bear tightly. "You're making imoutou-chan sad!"
The girl dropped her stance and turned to her sister. "Okay... I didn't want to get my kimono dirty," she agreed, scooping up Vanilla.
"Yeah... okaasama would kill you. Then I'd have to be the oldest and take care of Shiroi-chan..." the younger giggled.
"Come on... he doesn't like us anyway..." the oldest said, turning and walking away. To Goh's surprise, the younger stuck her tongue out at him, and the oldest scolded her gently.
He felt inexplainably jealous, knowing that they were going home to parents who were just as weak as his had been... but were, strangely, still alive.
--
"Aoi," he called, watching her walk away.
She turned, smiling at him again. "Yeah, Goh?" she asked, her hands sliding in the pockets of her jeans.
"Do you still like vanilla ice cream?" he asked her, holding back a grin.
She shook her head. "No... Black raspberry is my favorite now," she replied, surprised that he had remembered. She should have guessed; he hadn't changed at all.
"Oh... Do you want to get some on New Years?" he offered.
"Sure... New Years is great," she agreed, nodding.
He felt foolish for asking, but he had to. "Do you still wear green kimonos?"
She chuckled, and placed a hand over her mouth. "Yeah... but I fill them out a lot better now."
Everything made sense now... why she was endlessly kind and patient with him, and why he had made a pregnant, guilty pause subconsciously, which prevented him from ending her life. It had always been that way.
--
Goh understood now why he had felt jealous of Aoi and her sisters all those years ago. It wasn't that they had parents, or friends, or the ability to be kind... it was that they had somewhere to belong, and he did not. He had once... with his parents, and again, briefly, with her. But they had taken that all away. Killing for them wasn't going to change that.
"I don't care what you do with me," he muttered with a flippant wave of his hand. He honestly didn't. If he had nothing to live for but his next assignment, which he could never complete, then he had nothing to live for at all.
J6 agreed.
As Goh stood in the doorway, wondering if he could ever get Aoi to forgive him for leaving her before their last date, his eyes closed, and he slumped to the floor.
"Goodnight, Goh Hinogami..."
--
And that would be the end. The real end. HA. I can go more emo.
ONLY IT'S NOT THE REAL END. THERE WILL BE MORE. I KNOW I CAN GO EVEN MORE EMO THAN THIS.
Seriously. Just ignore that. I'm all happy that I finished this thing. It took me, like, three days.
Please review.