The next day, when Yata arrived in Homra, everyone was there and lively. He took a surprised step back when a bunch of guys scurried past carrying boxes and talking about some 'preparations.' Looking around, it seemed everybody was working on something. Most had their heads down or were speaking in hushed voices. Yata walked over to Kusanagi and sat down on a stool in front of his bar and next to Kamamoto. "Yata-san, how are you feeling?" Kamamoto asked him once he noticed Yata sitting down. "You still have bags under your eyes."
"I'm doing better now that I got some sleep, at least." He responded, waving away Kamamoto's concerns and turning back to Kusanagi. "What's going on here today?"
Kusanagi smiled sadly, making Yata notice that he had bags under his eyes too. "Mikoto did not want a really formal funeral. He mentioned it to me offhand once, and I am glad I remembered. What we are doing is just planning a few words we are going to say to a little make-shift grave we are making for him. I especially think it is going to help Anna, she hasn't said one word since his death." Yata nodded sadly and drilled his fingers on the table silently as Kusanagi and Kamamoto watched around the bar.
"Oh, Yata-san, have you eaten yet?" Kamamoto asked.
Yata scowled at Kamamoto and Kusanagi who was now listening. "No, not yet. I don't have any food at my house." Kamamoto gave Yata a disapproving stare, causing Yata to give him the middle finger. Kusanagi chuckled lightly and turned around to prepare Yata some food.
"Listen, Yata, this food is on the house since you look like you have not eaten for days. Which, knowing you, you probably haven't. But you better eat it." Kusanagi spoke as he heated up some rice in a microwave under the counter and poured some orange juice into a glass for Yata.
After Kusanagi placed the rice on the table, Kamamoto decided to scold Yata. "You know, if you don't eat enough or go without eating for days like you do, you could die." Yata rolled his eyes and took the chopsticks Kusanagi had set on the counter. "I'm serious Yata-san, when you get sad you really neglect yourself."
Yata slammed the chopsticks back on the counter and turned to Kamamoto. "Listen, mom, I'm not sad. I'm just not totally obsessed with food like you are fatass. And I won't die."
Kusanagi tsked Kamamoto. "See now Kamamoto, he was about to eat before you distracted him."
Now Yata whipped towards Kusanagi. "I'm not a child." He said coldly, picking up the chopsticks and preparing to eat the rice because he actually was a little hungry now.
Kusanagi laughed and pointed at Yata's stool. "You can say that when your feet touch the ground." Anger spread throughout Yata and he was about to slam the point of the chopstick into Kusangi's counter when Kusanagi caught his wrist before they could piece it and shot him a menacing stare. "Do NOT harm my bar." He hissed. Yata snatched his wrist back and calmed himself. Short jokes and jokes about his first name, Misaki, just really pissed him off. Of course, Saru always uses his first name but by now Yata was used to it.
Surprisingly, Yata didn't fight back. "Sorry Kusanagi. Thank you for the food." Kamamoto and Kusanagi both shot him a curious look, wondering why he gave up so easily. Yata shrugged off their looks and began eating the rice. Slowly, the empty, aching feeling in his stomach subsided and he became full. Kamamoto looked from Yata's now half empty plate to Yata and smiled.
"So what are you guys going to say at Mikoto's informal funeral?" Kusanagi asked as he cleaned out a glass with a white rag. "I need ideas. The more I think about what I should say the more lost I get on what to say."
Kamamoto thought about it. "You're right, Kusanagi. I spent years with the guy and I don't know what to say. What about you Yata-san?"
Yata looked up from where he was now pushing the remaining rice around the plate. "When is the funeral and who is coming?" He wanted to know if any of the blues were coming.
Kamamoto shrugged and looked to Kusanagi. "Tomorrow afternoon is when it is happening, and I am pretty sure all of Homra and whoever else wants to come. I know Munakata said he was coming. I don't think he will say anything, but he is coming. Also maybe a couple more members from Scepter 4, but not many." Kusanagi listed off before setting the cup in the sink of his bar and taking out another one.
Yata propped his head on his hand and circled his straw around his half empty orange juice. If there was even a chance that Saru was coming he didn't want to be there, but he knew he had to. Ever since Kamamoto said that maybe Saru felt bad because he left him, Yata has gotten jittery even by the mention of Saru. Why, Yata had no fucking idea, but he did.
An almost silent buzz broke Yata from his thoughts and he watched in boredom as Kamamoto picked up his phone and answered it. "Hello? Yes, this is Kamamoto. Yes, Yatagarasu is here." Yata cocked an eyebrow at the mention of his name. "We can be there in ten minutes. Ok, thanks. Wait how much money? Oh awesome, ok, bye." Kamamoto shut the phone and turned to Yata's curious gaze. "One of my clients called in an emergency, some thugs are trying to take more money from her than she offered and they are coming by in about twenty minutes to get the money. She wants us to back her up." Yata nodded and stood up, following Kamamoto out of the bar.
"What's the chick's name?" Yata asked once they were outside walking on the sidewalk.
"Aiko-san. I have done a couple odd jobs for her here and there so she knows to call me in a tight situation." He answered, typing something on his phone.
"Oh." Was all Yata said as he followed behind Kamamoto. Honestly, he wanted to get pumped over having a job to do right now and getting paid but he just cannot stop thinking about Mikoto, Homra's loss to Scepter 4, and Saruhiko. He understood the first two, but Saruhiko? Maybe it was because Yata is just really curious over how Saruhiko felt about leaving Homra, but does curiosity make your heart pound in your chest like this? No, the answer is no. It was probably just hatred for the Monkey, but Yata could not help but think that maybe that was not it. "Oh shit, I left my skateboard in my house." Yata muttered, but Kamamoto heard.
"Would you like to run and get it, Yata-san?" Kamamoto offered, closing his phone and sticking it in the bag pocket of his baggy shorts.
Yata scowled at his own stupidity for leaving his skateboard somewhere. "No, we need to get to Aiko-san's house. I can fight without it." Kamamoto shrugged and he and Yata walked until they reached a tall apartment building that look really fancy. "If she can afford a place like this then why is she making a deal with thugs?" Yata commented snidely. Kamamoto chuckled in agreement and they walked through the fancy sliding glass doors into the building. They strode to the desk and the clerk working their look frightened.
"May I help you two?" He asked, putting down the glossy magazine he had been reading and turning in his swirly chair to them.
Kamamoto nodded. "My friend, Yoshino Aiko-san, called me here for a favor. May you buzz her apartment?" The polished clerk seemed to relax at Kamamoto's professional attitude and nodded before clicking on his computer. "Tell her that Kamamoto and Yatagarasu are here to help her." Kamamoto leaned on the clerks counter lightly.
"Another chance encounter, huh, Mi~Sa~Ki~?" Yata whipped around at the voice of none other than Saruhiko. There he stood, wearing his Scepter 4 uniform but without the swords, holding a small plastic bag filled with groceries. Yata felt a thump from inside his chest but ignored it and instead narrowed his eyes at Saru who was grinning.
Kamamoto turned around and shot Saruhiko a look. "What are you doing here?" Then he looked at the bag Saruhiko was holding and his eyes widened. "Do you… live here?"
"Yes, I do. And may I ask what the fatass and the shrimp are doing here?" Saruhiko said, a light chuckle following his words.
Kamamoto huffed at the insult, but Yata just defensively crossed his arms and refused to meet Saru's eyes. "We are here on a job." Behind him, Kamamoto turned back around to the clerk to grab the elevator key he was holding out. The clerk muttered a room number and floor number that Yata didn't hear.
"No need, Naoko, I got them." Saru said to the clerk and held up his own elevator key. "They are close friends of mine." Naoko nodded and went back to typing on his computer. "Let's go, friends."
"We are not your friends, Monkey." Yata growled, finally looking into Saru's eyes. Saru gave a sarcastic frown and began walking to the elevators. Kamamoto shrugged and followed after him, followed by a very unhappy Yata. A very unhappy Yata who could not seem to get this light blush off his face. The doors of the elevator were already sliding open by the time Yata and Kamamoto arrived behind Saruhiko and they all walked in together.
"What floor?" Saruhiko asked as he punched the 21.
"Um, the clerk said… floor 21 also." Kamamoto answered, to which Yata grimaced. When he noticed Saru looking at him, (he wasn't even trying to hide it, just blankly staring at him) he scooted all the way to the corner of the elevator and prayed Saru would leave soon.
Yata let out a startled yelp when Saru suddenly dropped the bag he was holding and lunged at him, holding his hands against his sides and again bringing his face obnoxiously close to Yata's. Their noses were almost touching. Yata's face inflamed and he tried to get away from Saru as Kamamoto took a fighting stance behind them. "Have you… gotten smaller?" Saru asked, and Yata noticed how far Saru had to bend down to be face to face with him.
Yata's anger peaked and he shoved Saru in the chest with his head and yanked his arms out of Saru's grasp. "You are so angering! You make me want to stick my head in a car door and have someone slam it shut!" He yelled, trying to get his face and heart to calm the fuck down.
Saruhiko looked at Yata, wide eyed, for at least twenty seconds before he cracked a wide smile and laughed. "Was that a confession, Misaki?" He said, winking at Yata. "I mean, it wasn't the best confession ever, but I can't expect too much from a virgin like yourself."
Finally, Yata snapped. Whether it was anger from Saruhiko being the biggest dick he had ever met, or the fact that he was reacting all weird to him, he didn't know. But he snapped, growling before throwing a punch at Saru's face. It was about to connect, but right before it did Saru grabbed his fist and stopped the punch. So they just stood there. Saru holding Yata's fist next to his face and grinning down at a scowling, flushed Yata. The thing that snapped them out of that was the elevator dinging and the doors opening. Yata yanked his fist away and walked around Saru, following Kamamoto who was shooting Yata confused looks. Yata ignored him and stiffly watched as Kamamoto stopped at a door and rang the doorbell. Saruhiko walked up behind Yata and wrapped his arms around Yata's shoulders before leaning down and placing his face next to Yata's. "Why do you keep blushing around me, and why won't you meet my eyes, Misaki?" He whispered directly into Yata's ear. Yata shuddered but made no move to push Saru away.
"I am not blushing, and I can meet your eyes whenever I want." He hissed, turning his face away from where Saru was now resting his chin on Yata's shoulder. He could smell Saru, a light peppermint mixed chocolate, just like middle school.
"Oh, really?" Saru lilted, a challenge present in his voice. Yata was about to ask what he was up to when Saru used one of his hands to firmly grip Yata's chin and turn his head, before lightly pressing their lips together. For a second Yata had no idea what was going on. He just stood their dumbly, letting Saru kiss him. It was only when Saru titled his head to deepen the kiss that Yata reacted. He pushed Saru away as hard as he could and finally landed a punch on Saru's face. Saru stumbled back into the wall while holding his face. Actually, it was like dejavu from when Kamamoto punched his yesterday.
Kamamoto whipped around from where he was still waiting on an answer from the door and gave Yata a surprised look. "What did he do?" He asked Yata, ignoring Saruhiko who was now picking up his grocery bag from where he left it across the hallway.
"He… H-he… I…" Yata stuttered out, holding one hand over his lips and trying to hide the fact that his entire face was bright red.
"He didn't do anything other than help Misaki realize what he is trying to hide." Saru snickered with an annoyed look on his face. "This is not over, Misaki." He called over his shoulder while he walked down the hallway towards his apartment.
"YES IT IS YOU ASSHOLE!" Yata yelled to Saruhiko, who waved him off with his hand. Yata thought he might cry. Or punch something. Hmm, yes, punch something sounds much better. Saruhiko just …. Kissed ….. him. Saruhiko, his old friend from middle school who betrayed Homra to go to the dumb blues just kissed him. Saruhiko just took his first kiss. "MY FIRST KISS WAS MONKEY!?" He yelled to himself, threading his hands through his hair and pulling.
"What, Yata-san?" Kamamoto asked. Yata shook his head and looked away. He heard the sound of a door opening and a young woman talking to Kamamoto but he couldn't focus. Why would Saru do that? To mess with him? Most likely it was to mess with him, not for any other reason. What other reason would there be? There is no other reason. "Yata-san? Are you coming?" Kamamoto called to him.
"Wait a second, I will be back." Yata said offhandedly and followed after Saru.
"Wait, Yata-san!" He heard Kamamoto call, but he wanted to know something from Saru right now. He found Saru at the end of the hallway, opening his door.
He began running towards him. "Stop right there Saru! We need to talk!" Saru looked up in surprise and then grinned when he saw Yata.
"Back for more? Aren't you the dirty one? I never would have thought you were like that Misaki." Yata rolled his eyes at Saru's annoying pervy mind and before he could argue, Yata charged into his apartment. "Come on in." Saru muttered sarcastically and walked in, shutting the door behind him.
"I have a question for you." Yata said while looking around the apartment. It was really plain. A couch facing a TV in the main room, a kitchen with the basic necessities of a kitchen, and a small back hallway that Yata guessed led to a bedroom. It was also so clean it looked like nobody lived here.
Saru placed the bag of groceries on his kitchen table and settled onto his couch to look at Yata. "Ask away." He said nonchalantly, draping his arms over the back of the couch.
Yata awkwardly clenched and unclenched his hands as Saruhiko, the guy who had just kissed him, (forced him to kiss him, as Yata likes to think of it) watched him with a patient look on his face. When Yata didn't say anything for a while he made the clicking noise with his mouth and reached for the remote. Yata scowled and grabbed Saru's arm before he could reach the remote. Saru looked up in surprise and Yata quickly dropped his arm, deepening the scowl to hide how nervous he was. "Do you feel bad about leaving Homra?" He said quickly.
Saru seemed to think for a minute. "What an odd question, may I ask why?"
"It just.. I was just wondering." Yata allowed the lie to slip off his tongue. He didn't want Saru to know that he and Kamamoto had been talking about him.
Saru sighed and slipped his glasses off. "Well, no not really." He seemed to answer honestly and put his glasses back on. "Do you feel bad about me leaving Homra?"
"NO." Yata answered almost immediately after Saru asked the question. He could not give Saru any leverage, not after he just sexually harassed him. "Mainly I'm just wondering why you left."
"It's your fault." Saru said simply, causing Yata's eye to twitch in annoyance. "I am telling the truth, I left because of you."
Yata seemed to deflate. "So, you really do hate me then. But why would you kiss me?"
"You really are an airhead aren't you?" He chuckled darkly. "I don't hate you. That's not what I meant by saying it's your fault."
"What else could you possibly have meant?" Yata retorted, anger building up from the evasive way Saruhiko was talking.
Saru gave another long sigh and shooed Yata. "Get out Misaki. We will talk later."
Yata glare darkly at Saruhiko before turning around and storming out of his apartment with a door slam for good measure. How can stupid Monkey say he left because of him yet he doesn't hate him? It makes no sense. Then again, when does anything make sense with Saruhiko?
OK, second chapter! I want to thank Aoorchird, who left a really lovely review and made my entire day! And I also want to thank 'Guest' who left another review and gave some really good ideas for this chapter! (Also a thanks to my PM-er, you gave me another idea for this chapter.) And again, if there is anything I did wrong or if you would like another chapter, please review because it makes my day! I really hope this chapter is okay, I revised and re wrote it five times haha.