Accidental self harm in the middle of this chapter.
The third day of school isn't very special in Takuya's opinion. He was already bored out of his mind. He figured he'd join an after school sports since Shinya had brought up wanting to join the school's Kendo club. While he thinks Kendo's cool, he'd rather not join a club for it. He prefers being free and even though he enjoys working with others and competing, he thinks joining a sport just for the opportunity to socialize wouldn't do him any good. He was already great at soccer.
So he picks the best choice in his opinion: Track and Field.
He'd be able to challenge himself and others, and what's better than that? Nothing. He already felt adrenaline pulsing in his veins.
He tells Shinya of his plans on the way home from school that day, smiling at Shinya's excitement. "You know that you'll have to come to my meets, right Shinya?"
"Yeah! But only if you come to mine, okay?"
"It's a promise." They lock their pinkies together, grinning in unison.
"Hey Mom, I was wondering if you could sign my form for me to get into Track and Field." He asks that night at dinner. His Mother asks him to pass him the drink pitcher, pouring herself a glass of the Lemonade he and Shinya had made, impatient for summer.
She takes a sip, face scrunching up. She doesn't say that it's too sugary, but he can read her face. He takes a gulp of the drink before him. It feels like a challenge, as if by doing something silly like that will earn him the right to do an after school sport.
"You can't run in your binder, you'll have to wear a sports bra and probably a larger shirt. Just as a precaution."
"I know, I don't run in it." Out of the corner of his eye he sees Shinya bite the inside of his cheek. He's glad that he and Shinya are on good terms where they don't rat eachother out. He still fumes at the memory of a younger Shinya telling his mother that he had cut his hair and that the hair was all over the bathroom.
"Hand me the form after dinner and I'll sign it." It had been a lot easier than he'd thought it'd be. He lets out a silent sigh and goes back to poking at his dinner. He'd been so excited he had lost his appetite. He'd have to sneak down stairs for left overs later tonight.
Shinya chatters on about some new video game he wants, and even if Takuya had wanted to hang onto every word he found himself unable. He hears snippets of the conversation.
"Mom can you get me Monster Hunter Freedom 2 for me for my birthday! I've been really really good all year!"
"We'll see Shinya, I can't make any promises."
The next time Takuya's able to focus, they're finishing up. Which meant he had to wash and Shinya dry while their mother got ready for her job. It was at the grocery half a block away, that way if they needed her she could get home fairly quickly.
She heads upstairs to change into her work uniform. Takuya starts up the water, not really thinking about it. He holds his hand out for Shinya to give him the plates, Shinya doing so quickly. 'His favorite cartoon must be coming on soon…' He washes the plates in the sink absentmindedly, going through the motions as they came. He passes Shinya the now clean plate to dry, starting on the next one.
Shinya winces, trying to dry the plate off quickly so he could set it down. They spend the next few moments in relative silence, clock ticking. When they're done Takuya just stands there, hands in the water. He feels himself relaxing but he can't for the life of him understand why. He doesn't need a reason at this point, but his brain itches.
"Big brother….Big brother?" he thinks Shinya's talking to him, maybe he is. He turns his head just to be sure. "Big brother your hands are all red again!"
"Oh…" He glances down at his reddened hands. He had scalded them in the hot water.
"You had the sink on the hottest setting, you have to stop doing that or Mom's gonna get mad and make me do the dishes instead! We both know I can't do dishes right!"
"It doesn't hurt Shinya." he insists but Shinya glares at him until he sighs in defeat. "Get me the cream."
He puts it on even though it doesn't hurt. He'd rather not have Shinya yell at him until he got a headache. "I'm gonna turn in early, you fine down here by yourself?"
"Yeah." Shinya says from his place sitting before the t.v.
"Don't stay up past nine and brush your teeth you smell like you've been kissing a dog."
"I do not!" Takuya narrowly avoids a pillow to the head for that comment.
Takuya collapses face first into the bed, laying there for a full minute before he can practically hear his Mother hounding on him not to sleep in his binder. He sits up enough to take his shirt and binder off, grabbing the shirt underneath his pillow and slipping it on. With that settled he falls back into his bed and slips away in record time.
"Takuya! Can you hear me? Wake up, wake up, wake up!" There's tears plopping down onto his cheeks. He musters up enough strength to shakily reached his hand out to hold the mystery individual's hand. He hears them choke out what sounds like his name once more.
When he speaks, he speaks in a voice that is and isn't his own. It sounds strange and hard, like he's been living longer than the 14 years he knows he has.
His surroundings become clearer, though he can't open his eyes. He can smell something now. It smells like burning rubber and ash. Right now he focuses on a scent he's familiar with, but doesn't know. It smells like flowers just before they die.
The hand holding his is sweaty and shakes in his grip. He squeezes weekly and the shivers cease, if only lightly. He coughs up blood. He knows it splatters against the other person's face. He can't find it in him to apologize too focused on comforting them.
"It's okay. Don't get so upset, Ko-"
He bolts upright, as if shocked by 12,000 volts of lightning. His stomach grumbles loudly and his head feels fit to burst. There's a sporadic pounding and the static's back. Takuya's body lurches out of bed on its own accord. He stands there panting by his bed, for a beat, trying to calm his racing heart. His stomach feels like it's dropped.
"What was that?"
He pads softly down the stairs, he had to deal with his stomach before he could even bother trying to process his dream.
He eats a small portion of the leftovers, planning on eating the rest for lunch tomorrow.
He can't shake the feeling of dread trickling down his spine, setting heavily some place in the cage of his ribs.
Takuya drops Shinya off earlier today, he wanted to get to see the track field before he turned in his slip. It's still chilly out and the grass has a kiss of rain dew still on it from earlier this morning. He walks until he stands in the middle of the middle of it all. Glancing around he frowns. He had felt eyes on the back of his head, all is silent but he can feel their presence.
The sun hasn't left its place from behind the clouds and it feels darker. He isn't afraid of the dark or shadows, quite the opposite. For some reason he feels a wave of comfort wash over him. Maybe he would come out here again.
After enduring a few minutes of the deafening silence, he sprints from the field.
He isn't sure if he's running from or to something.
After school he heads straight to the field again. There's a group of students gathered in a semi-circle there already, their school was known for starting clubs early off in the year. He scans the faces around him and is surprised to feel something akin to longing in his chest. It must be the material of the sports bra he was wearing.
"Alright everyone!" a boy about two years above them makes his way to the middle of the group. "We're here for slips and try outs. Some have requested to try out privately and have already been tested, some are here by recommendation. Let's try our best and have fun!"
His peers stand in a line, ready to hand their slips in. He knows this is just the mile today. He has nothing to worry about.
"Ready, set, go!" The senior blows his whistle loudly.
Takuya's breath steadies, a weight lifted off of his chest at the sound. Taking off like a bullet, he focuses only on his breathing and where his feet touch the ground for a split second.
He's faster than a fire spreading across gasoline.
"Kanbara kun is good, the second best we have…"
Takuya's drinking from the water bottle he had brought with him, the other potential Track and Field members chatting among themselves. Some occasionally turn around to gawk at him for a second.
"Speaking of which...Where is he? He should be here by now?"
"Maybe he's sick? Or his Mother is sick, she is a nurse after all."
"We'll find out tomorrow. Then."
Something doesn't seem right about the exchange. He wonders who they're talking about, but when he thinks too hard, the static is back.