Oh Lord, bless me with silence, for I will be sent into oblivion with all of the voices of the humans here. Or at least bless me with a loud rock song. Yes, ironically, rock songs are made by human voice but still . . .
The train to Gekkoukan High wasn't crowded. But there were enough people to make loud, useless chatter. As said before, he loathed it, especially when they were gossiping.
Pharos just finished eavesdropping from two students who were whispering to each other while stealing glances at Minato and Yukari. Minato had been keeping watch on them for quite a time.
"They wanted to make rumors about you and Yukari-san. They said that both of you seemed like a good couple." He said the last two words with a quotation motion with his fingers.
Typical. Their imaginations and fantasies just won't leave them. Minato figured that they were going to be a pain for the year.
Minato wanted to change the topic.
How are your new clothes?
Pharos rolled his eyes. "Well, ignoring the fact that you got these in the lost-and-found stuff that Mitsuru-senpai kept hidden in her room, and even if she pressed you with a bunch of questions why you need kid's clothing, they're pretty decent. They're just my size and I could easily breathe in with these clothes."
The clothes he was wearing were a white round-neck with a blue hollow circle at the left side of his chest, right about where hearts beat the strongest. Its sleeves were colored sunset orange. He was wearing short-shorts—made of the fabric used to make jeans—that reached to half of his thigh. He sported blue basketball shoes. Minato was, in a way, infatuated of how well Pharos pulled off this attire. He (of course) did not give even a hint that he liked Pharos's appearance.
Yukari said something but Minato was too spaced-out to hear her. He asked Pharos what she said, before it seemed like he was ignoring her, which he actually was doing.
"She said that this was her favorite part of the day."
In the clusters of buildings, the train escaped and was surrounded with the clear blue sea. Pharos took an excited breath and kept it in for a long time that he felt like a balloon.
"I see why she likes it . . . it's so beautiful." His eyes sparkled along with the sea. "One would look in a distance and they will think that they're looking at there is a huge land of sky blue diamond. And if anything, this body of water is more valuable than a body of diamond."
"Yeah . . ." Minato muttered.
His small word reached Yukari's ear.
"Huh? What did you say?"
Minato shook his head and stared back outside. "I just said 'Yeah.' I can see why this is your favorite part."
"Glad you appreciate it . . ." Yukari quickly looked at all the people. They were just talking. This deeply annoyed Yukari.
"Y'know . . . everyone has been so busy with life and talking and gossiping and flirting that is seems like they forget to appreciate the things life has thrown them right in front of their face. To them, the cherry blossoms are just there . . . this gorgeous sea is just here . . . They forget to appreciate these because they're so caught up. That's why they're always sad and depressed."
Yukari sighed with relief. It's the first time she said that to someone. She finally got her thoughts off of her mind. Minato was just looking in the distance. She couldn't predict him, which disturbed her. Was he thinking of what she just said or did he ignore her? She decided to remain calm.
"Now that I think about how they're so depressed, I feel depressed too . . ." She glanced another time at Minato. No change. Her expression turned to annoyance. "Were you even listening to what I was saying?"
Minato nodded.
She sighed. "Mph—you're so dull."
Pharos chuckled and, with a huge grin on his face, said "Truuuuuuuuuuue."
He argued, "Not true."
Yukari raised her left eyebrow at Minato. "Oh yeah? If you think you aren't dull, I dare you to flirt with at least five females by the end of August. Bet ya—"
"Deal."
Yukari jumped up and stomped her foot. "Oh! You think you're so hot, huh? To raise the stakes, then get in a relationship with FOUR by the end of . . . November! Hah! Even if I reduced the number of victims and lengthened the deadline, it will be more difficult than the first dare tenfold."
"Okay. Then I guess you're my first victim."
"WHAT?!" Yukari screamed along with about twenty other students who were listening to their conversation.
"Oh! This newbie got no chill!" said this one guy.
"New kid, make me your second victim!" said a female fangirl.
"Damn! Yukari-san got herself in trouble!"
"Tsk," said a brunette kid drinking black coffee from a thermos while reading newspaper, "immature teens with all of their shipping crap. No wonder they get bad grades all the time."
Pharos diverted his attention away from the paparazzi that is suffocating Minato with questions and skipped over to the brunette.
He waved at the boy and said, "Hi, I'm Pharos!"
When the boy didn't reply, he remembered that only Minato was able to see him. He sighed with despair and sat at the boy's left. The boy was reading an article about something called "Apathy Syndrome." Pharos's expression darkened as he skimmed through the article. There was something wrong in said syndrome. And it isn't just people turning into zombies so suddenly. What was worse than the syndrome itself is the cause.
"Huh—I ran out of coffee . . ." He exhaled on his hand and examined his breath. "My breath stinks. I should brush my teeth when I get home." He eyed his thermos for a short while. "I think I should add milk on my coffee, so I can get taller also . . . But I like my coffee black."
There was a light pull that Pharos felt towards Minato. He fought the pull because he wanted to stay.
There was something fascinating in the way the boy spoke. There are so many problems in the world like the Apathy Syndrome, but he still worries about the simplest things like how he's going to drink his coffee.
"I should visit Koro-chan and mom at the shrine this weekend. I haven't seen him in days." He sighed with a hint of sadness that Pharos felt. "Stupid auntie, making new irrelevant rules."
He mocked, "You can only go to the shrine under my supervision. No talking to the canine; it might have flees. You should go to the shrine less frequently; your mom needs some time alone. Ugh, I'm sick of it. Who is she to dictate what I do? Gah! Asshole!"
A few adults started to glare at the boy and gossiped to each other.
"Hey, it's that kid . . . monster that . . . midnight . . ."
He avoided their eyes by looking at the window. It was this again. He moved several times already under one year. Wherever he moved, he was always the talk of the town and how he was turned insane when his mother died. He knew that wasn't true. He still had his sanity in check.
Pharos knew he wouldn't reply but . . .
"Hey, can I know your name?"
There was only dead air for a few seconds, until Pharos focused on the words he said. Both of them felt freezing chills up on their spines, but mostly on Pharos. He touched his back lightly and it stung a little. The boy's eyes grew as blue as Pharos's eyes and became expressionless, as if in a trance. He faced Pharos only turning his head.
Involuntarily, he asked again, "What's . . . your name?"
The boy's eyes changed back to brown and then blue again, for a split-second. Pharos's left hand balled into a fist, though he didn't mean to. On his mind, he knew that he shouldn't open his hand.
"K-Ken . . . Amada . . ."
Pharos felt his grin reach both of his ears. It was a phenomenal experience. Painful, yes, but worth it. He needed to talk to Amada longer.
"I'm Pharos." He went straight to the point. "Do you want to be friends?"
Both of their spines felt warm then and Ken's eyes grew back to brown. But Pharos still felt like he needed to keep his hand closed.
"O-Of course I want to be friends, but . . ."
"You can trust me."
Pharos extended his right arm to Ken. Ken glared at it for a few seconds, deciding what to do. He thought that the kid who he has just seen for a few seconds was creepy. But he wasn't going to lose anything. In fact, he would gain something. It has been a while since he was offered friendship. All of his "friends" in the past couldn't care less about him. Their parents told them to avoid Amada. He could have a fresh start with Pharos.
He nodded and shook Pharos's hand with no hesitation.
Pharos felt daggers stab on his left wrist. He had to let go.
"I don't have much time. Come back here every school day at the same time if you wanna see me again."
Just a little longer, please.
"Uh . . . okay. Every school day."
"Promise?"
Ken nodded and wiggled his right pinky finger at Pharos. Pharos questioned Ken what the gesture was.
"It's a pinky swear. You make a promise with it and you are bound to that promise forever."
Pharos cringed. "I have a bit of a problem on the 'forever' part because I don't believe in that, but sure!" He locked pinkies with Ken and shook it. Pharos had to open his left hand because it was already too painful. In fact, he could see his arteries on his entire arm.
The bond broke.
All of Pharos's energy was sapped and the world suddenly spun around him. Ken felt a painful pounding on his head and dark blood ran down from his nose. He suddenly felt lightheaded and crashed on the train's floor along with Pharos, both knocked out from fatigue. The pounding was as if there was a prisoner inside his head, desperate to find a way to escape, and continuously punching his skull.
Minato felt a twitch on his shoulder and instinctively headed to the direction of Pharos, pushing the fangirls who were dying to go on a dinner date with him. Then, he heard several people gasp in chorus and he started to run.
What have you gotten into, Pharos?
He found Pharos's limp body on the ground along with another boy. Unaware, he unlocked Pharos's recent memories and learned that the boy's name was "Ken Amada."
"Are you this kid's guardian?" questioned a chubby middle-aged man with random sprinkles of gray hair. There was no need to lie, so Minato answered that he has no idea who Ken was. He grabbed his purple handkerchief and wiped the blood and snot off of Ken's nose. Before he could check for a heartbeat, an amateur paramedic stole his thunder and did the first aid necessary. Minato carried the body of Pharos and cradled him as he sat down. Yukari and the students rushed to the scene. They started wondering what had happened.
What the hell did you do, Pharos?
"Hey, you're headed to Gekkoukan, correct?" He didn't wait for an answer. "You should get this little guy to your clinic. Apparently, he doesn't have a phone so we can't call his guardians and not even an ID to identify who he is. But since you were the first to act on the scene, you must have relations with him."
"No, I have no idea who he is."
It took a while for the paramedic to clear his doubts of the student. What was a high school student even going to do to a kid like Ken?
It's not like he's going to ask the kid to shoot himself with a gun.
AN: Guess the ship?