Chapter One-
"Subaru-kun?"
"Oh, I-I- Seishirou-san, you startled me. I was looking out the window at the snow," Subaru said, slightly flustered.
The man sitting next to him in the driver's seat smiled. "It's pretty, isn't it? The snow." He was watching Subaru with a smile playing on his lips.
"It's so clean," the boy said meditatively, eyes drawn again to the delicate scene gently moving past outside. "Not like in Tokyo. The snow there is always dirty- people walk on it, or shove it aside. But here..."
"Well, it's not wrong to want to enjoy real snow sometimes, Subaru-kun. But-" the veterinarian raised a hand to forestall any arguments. "-we'll be coming into Hamamatsu soon. It would be a good idea to stop and get something to eat, since we still have a ways to go."
"Oh, I-yes." Subaru fidgeted with the fingertips of his black gloves. "I- you didn't have to come all this way with me, Seishirou-san. I would've managed…fine…by myself." He clamped his lips shut before blurting out anything else, like how he would've felt in actuality: lonely and confused.
"Oh, but it's a chance to see Lake Biwa with my dear Subaru-kun! I'd take as many days off as necessary for such an opportunity." Seishirou's eyes twinkled. Subaru felt his cheeks burn, and glanced away, feeling uncertain.
It was, well, embarrassing when Seishirou made jokes like that around Hokuto and at home, but that was home and with Hokuto. They were alone now. Who knew what else would happen? It was impossible to predict what Seishirou would say. And- four days?
The call to Yukimatsu, near Lake Biwa, had been unexpected- after all, Lake Biwa was near Kyoto, nearly six hours away by car. But the hotel manager in Yukimatsu had specifically requested Subaru Sumeragi, and after listening to Hokuto list the benefits of visiting the picturesque tourist town in winter for hours, he'd agreed. But Seishirou coming along to watch over him- or whatever other reason he had- was unexpected, though perhaps it shouldn't have been, what with his disturbing propensity to end up with Seishirou in secluded places without his dear twin.
"Where do you want to eat, Subaru-kun?"
Subaru looked up, startled, once again yanked out of his reverie by sensibility. "Anywhere is fine, Seishirou-san, please don't go to any trouble. And I-"
"No more protests, Subaru-kun. It's nice to get away from work sometimes with such delightful company."
Subaru looked down, face so red it was a marvel he hadn't burst something, and said in a small, clear voice, "Thank you for all your help." He could hear a small, deep chuckle from Seishirou. Turning his face back to the window, he pressed his forehead against it gently. The mini-van's engine purred underneath them as Seishirou carefully steered them in and out of the small trickle of traffic they were starting to see as they approached the city.
The cool glass felt good against Subaru's skin, and as he watched the glows of passing cars flicker over the falling snow he felt slightly less confused. Lately, Seishirou had been bewildering him more than usual. There had been times when Subaru had looked up and Seishirou had been watching him- not with his usual merry twinkle, either. His eyes had looked almost …empty. Cold. It was frightening. He restrained a sigh. More and more as he grew older, things were never as they seemed, always possessing something rotten at the core.
The car was almost too warm. It was making him sleepy, all the sounds muffled by the softly falling snow, the dim car interior. Subaru shifted again on the seat, turning and tucking his arms around his knees. Resting his chin on his raised knees and stifling a yawn, he switched his gaze to Seishirou, whose capable hands were moving skillfully on the steering wheel. He was wearing his usual suit, though the jacket and tie had been abandoned on the back seat in favor of comfort during a long car ride. He was wearing a crisp white shirt with a few buttons undone on the collar, and a watch on the wrist closest Subaru. Subaru watched its pale face for a moment, the long, thin black second hand moving slowly past the tiny embossed golden numerals, before following the line of Seishirou's wrist to his elbow, arm, and shoulder.
Seishirou's skin was an even tan, a color that reminded Subaru of light beach sand, very different from the pale white that Subaru saw every time he looked in the mirror. Subaru let his heavy eyelids fall mostly closed, and, following a strange compulsion to see more of this strangely beautiful phenomenon, felt his eyes wander to Seishirou's unbuttoned collar and then up to Seishirou's face, and then, somehow unsurprisingly, his eyes suddenly met Seishirou's warm brown ones. Seishirou's eyes were looking at him expectantly, with a hint of humor, waiting for him to stammer and blush.
Unbidden, a smile twitched at Subaru's lips as he considered the normal reaction for him in this situation. But instead of making a fuss, he merely blinked languorously, green eyes hazy with sleep. Seishirou watched him with amusement and a bit of surprise as Subaru's eyelids sank, fluttered open again, and closed completely, spiky black lashes casting thin shadows on his pale cheeks. Subaru's lips still held a faint look of happiness as he slid into a doze.
Seishirou looked down at the sleeping boy slumped in the passenger seat for a moment before turning his attention back to the road, and the trip to Lake Biwa ahead of them.
Around midnight, Subaru was roused with a gentle shake and a gust of chilly air. "Subaru-kun? We're here. You need to get out of the car so we can go inside the hotel now. Subaru-kun?"
Subaru made a sleepy noise of protest that Seishirou found adorable, and opened his eyes sleepily. "Hnnn…okay, Seishirou-san…" Seishirou hovered nearby as Subaru scrubbed his eyes with a gloved fist, still sleep-fogged, and slid with boneless grace from the car seat onto the snowy ground below. As his feet hit the ground with a jolt, he woke up a bit more and said with a horrified look on his face, "Oh no, Seishirou-san, you didn't wake me! Have you been driving all this time? Did you get something to eat in Hamamatsu? I'm sorry, I just dozed off in the car like a fool."
"Don't worry, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said with a smile. "I'm fine. I've got all of our bags inside already, so we can just go up to our rooms and go to sleep 'til morning." He tucked Subaru's mortified hand under his elbow and shut the car door, steering them around slippery patches of snow towards the inn, an old wooden two-storied ryokan. It stood near the back of a mostly empty snowy lot, with a few snow-covered lumps that might have been cars taking up the faintly visible parking spaces. Across the street there were a few dingy miscellaneous shops, and battered paper lanterns hung from telephone poles. The town was almost completely silent.
The inn's entry hall was bare and vaguely dirty; a lone lamp on the counter gave the only illumination, shelves behind it stuffed with books and papers. Off to the right and left were shoji screens with thin, waxy paper; they opened up into small private parlors with kotatsu and small tables. Directly in front of them was a narrow, dark staircase that led up to the second floor; Subaru eyed it. Surely it would creak loudly as they went up, and that would wake people up. How best to avoid that?
"Subaru-kun, I have the room key already, so let's go on up." Seishirou suggested, holding up the key.
"O-okay..." Subaru said, taking a step forward, then halting. "I, um." Seishirou gave him a puzzled glance. He started to take another step, then blurted, "The stairs- won't they wake everyone up?"
Seishirou stopped and looked at him, as if to say are you serious?, eyes glinting in the dark. Subaru gulped and looked down. "I don't want to disturb anyone...the stairs look so creaky." He heard Seishirou give a quiet chuckle and then suddenly, he was scooped up and found himself with his face in Seishirou's be-suited chest.
Subaru made a small noise like a stepped-on mouse. "S-S-Seishirou-san!" he gasped.
"What?" Seishirou asked innocently. "If I carry you and walk carefully, we won't disturb a soul...it will be like they're not even here. As if the hotel were completely empty," he added with a smirk. "You'd better put your arms around my neck, Subaru-kun, or else you might fall."
Subaru spluttered, stomach fluttering. He swore he could hear Seishirou grin as he strode calmly onwards. He twitched as Seishirou placed his foot on the first step, inadvertently shrinking closer to the older man, but there was no sound. Indeed, as they continued up the stairs, there was no sound at all- Seishirou's footsteps were making not a sound. It began to feel as though they were walking through an empty house, creeping silently along dark, bare hallways that had been abandoned for years. Not a sound.
Shadows cast by the flickering lamps near the door of each room made it all seem very ominous, and Subaru breathed a quiet sigh of relief as Seishirou stopped and set him down near the last door on the left and unlocked it with a key he then placed in Subaru's gloved hand.
"Ja, Subaru-kun, this room is yours, and the one next door is mine. If you need anything, don't hesitate to come in."
"Oh-I..." Subaru began, and then trailed off, obscurely disappointed. He'd presumed that they would be sharing a room, somehow. Maybe Seishirou would sleep on the floor? But he couldn't have allowed that, so would they both have had to sleep on the...
"Your family paid all of our room fees, and you have the money given to you by Takashi for this job, so don't worry about the expense of two rooms, Subaru-kun."
"Alright...oyasuminasai, Seishirou-san," Subaru said softly, confused. Seishirou was being less affectionate than usual. He'd half-expected a joke about hotel rooms, or one of those smirks. But, Subaru reminded himself, he was probably tired of Subaru's company, and from the long car ride (through which, Subaru was reminded, he himself had shamefully slept through. Oh well). Subaru pushed open the door to his room and was able to glimpse a tall, curtainless window and a futon, neatly made up.
"Good night, Subaru-kun," Seishirou said, opening the door to his room (which was identical). He stood in the dark hallway for a moment, watching Subaru, and then smiled slightly and traced a finger down Subaru's cheek. "Sleep well." He disappeared into his own room.
Subaru stared after him for a moment and then slowly began to blush while touching his cheek. Then he too went inside, and unpacked just enough to allow him to change into his pajamas and use the small bathroom to brush his teeth.
He wandered back into the bedroom and stood by the window for a moment, looking out. Maybe, he reflected in awe, Hokuto had been right after all. The view was indescribably beautiful, so lonely and proud it made his chest hurt. He traced the outline of the great black icy lake on the window pane before him with one finger, thinking.
What would this job be like? The man who had hired them hadn't mentioned any real details. Secretly, Subaru hoped that he might have a day off or two and maybe he and Seishirou could do some sightseeing. If Seishirou wanted to waste time, that is. After all, he was there for Subaru's protection…but surely they could have fun, too.
Subaru let his forehead gently rest against the window, breath faintly making warm clouds of condensation on the glass. He could see the eerie outline of more buildings down near the docks where a lone light was lit. He stared at the wash and slap of the scummy water against the docks for a long while, and then, moving away from the window, Subaru turned down the sheets of the futon and slipped into bed. Moonlight shone gently on his face as he fell into sleep.
AN: The first chapter of this monstrosity is awake…feed it before it eats you. It likes reviews better than human flesh. : )
- Remember, they drive on the other side of the road in Japan, so it's Seishirou's left wrist, not right.
- a ryokan is a traditional Japanese inn. They're usually wooden, and have all sorts of traditional Japanese amenities, like bathhouses, kotatsu, and so on. (Kotatsu, by the way, are table-like things used in winter; the table itself is actually a heater of sorts, and there's always a quilt or blanket sort of attached to the table that you draw over your legs.)
- futon was originally a Japanese word, if you were wondering. They're thin, kind of hard mattresses.