What happened after the group of five walked around the town was so intense and horrifying that Tadase would rather not recall it. Putting aside the specifics, the three new workers entered a two hour long training period that reduced them all to the brink of tears and total exhaustion. When Nagihiko said his aunt was strict when it came to the inn, he really wasn't kidding.
And, as if the situation couldn't get any worse, they all had to start working that night as the inn was very busy.
"Eff my life."
Tadase looked up from the guest book he was trying his hardest to make sense of (Nagihiko's aunt had terrible handwriting) to see Kukai slam a bucket full of water to the ground (causing some to splash over the edge and onto the floor). Kukai sighed, resting the mop against the wall as he stretched his arms out in front of him.
"What's up?" Tadase asked, noting an abnormally upset look on his friend's face.
"A kid just threw up in room 15 and I have to go mop it up," Kukai complained, his face scrunching up as he thought about the disgusting task, "And this is after having to scrub the urinals in the lobby bathroom, and let me tell you, old men really can't aim."
"Okay, I think I've heard enough," Tadase stopped Kukai before he could tell him more (because knowing Kukai, he would be more than happy to continue sharing his misfortune). "Hey, can you tell me what this says?"
Kukai walked up to the counter and leaned over the guest book. "Hm... Sato, room three?"
"What? I was thinking it said Sasaki, room eight," Tadase frowned, giving the book a disapproving look. Kukai turned the book a little, squinting at the page.
"Well, if you look at it this way it could say Tanaka, room six..."
Tadase sighed, sliding the book away from him. "I'll just wait till he or she shows up and go from there. Oh, but I suppose you should make sure all three of those rooms are clean just in case."
"Oh great, more work," Kukai rolled his eyes before picking up the mop and bucket and walking away.
Tadase had no idea working at the Fujisaki inn was going to be like this. Sure, he had known that he was going to have to work hard (and even if he didn't have to he would have done so willingly) but this was a little bit more than just hard work. Kukai would surely call it "slave labor," though Tadase thought that was a little extreme (emphasis on the "a little").
Tadase turned his attention back to the guest book that "Oba-san" left him (he made the mistake of calling her Fujisaki-san earlier, and she had scolded him for a while about it). Her handwriting really was impossible to read... did she just rush through writing things or something? There was no way her handwriting could possibly be this bad!
"It's Yoshida, room seven."
Tadase jumped, swiveling around quickly to see Nagihiko standing behind him, examining the guest book. Tadase took a deep breath, trying to calm down his pounding heart (Nagihiko was very good at startling people, he and Amu had come to learn over the years), before realizing what he said. "How can you tell? It doesn't even look like that!"
"Trust me; I have years of experience," Nagihiko said as he stepped back, turning to walk down the opposite hallway. He stopped momentarily, staring at the floor with a rather displeased expression (Tadase grimaced, remembering that that was where Kukai had dropped his bucket down) before walking off again. "I'd like to stay and chat, but I have to go check on Amu-chan in the kitchen."
Tadase wished him luck (with Amu's clumsiness, he would need it) and turned back to the book unhappily. He should have stuck with the kitchen work; it would have been a lot easier than trying to figure out this sloppy handwriting.
Oh, scratch the working in the kitchen plan; he could already hear Nagihiko yelling from here. Nope, he definitely didn't want to deal with that.
Half an hour later, and after spending five minutes trying to figure out which room a very loud woman was in (she was nice enough about it, but even as she assured him "it's fine" she was yelling) and dealing with a very irate man who was wielding a cane as though it were a sword, Nagihiko's aunt came in to check on him.
"How are you doing?" She asked, the smile on her face much to kind to belong to the woman who reduced him to "slave labor" earlier that day.
"Oh, um, alright, I suppose. I had a little bit of trouble reading your handwriting earlier, and a few customers got angry but I managed to figure everything out."
"Oh good, I'm glad."
Nagihiko's aunt grabbed the papers that Tadase had been trying to decipher and skimmed through them before turning back to the blond. "Here, I'll take care of this for you."
"Oh thank you," Tadase smiled, incredibly relieved. Just as he expected the hallelujah chorus to ring out in the background, Nagihiko's aunt spoke once again.
"I'd just like you to deliver this envelope to Yamada-san; it has my order for a delivery in it, so he needs to get it quickly," Nagihiko's aunt rummaged around in one of the drawers on the front desk for a moment, before holding a plain white envelope out to him.
"Sure, but I'm not exactly sure where he lives; where do I take it?" Tadase took the envelope from the woman, already disliking her plan to send him off on his own; he was totally going to get lost.
"I'll draw a map for you!" Nagihiko's aunt replied brightly, turning away from him to grab a spare piece of paper and a pencil. She scribbled furiously for a few moments before handing him a map, not that Tadase would call it that.
Apparently her skills in drawing were as dismal as those she had in handwriting; Tadase could only barely make out the different road names, much less where any of the buildings were located.
"Um, I can't really-"
"OH SHIT!"
Both Tadase and the woman turned to face the hallway that Kukai was last seen down at the loud boy's screams. What in the world had he done now...?
Neither one spoke for a long moment, before Nagihiko's aunt let out a low sigh. "Well, I better go check on that poor boy. And I thought I told him he wasn't allowed to swear in front of the guests..."
"Oh, as soon as you're done with that you're off for the night." Before Tadase could even bring up the issue of the map being indecipherable Nagihiko's aunt was gone, and he was left having to find his way around town all by himself.
"I am so getting lost," Tadase muttered to himself as he grabbed the "map" and headed towards the door.
If Tadase had to approximate how long it took him to get to the Yamada residence, he would probably say half an hour. If it weren't for him running into a kind old woman out for a stroll, he probably would have never found it at all, and would have wondered around the surrounding area for several hours before someone thought to send for him.
But even though the trip there was confusing, it held nothing on the trip back.
By the time Tadase was heading back to the inn it was fairly dark out; not so dark he couldn't see, but just enough to make it hard to decipher his surroundings.
"I don't know why Kukai was complaining so much. I'd much rather be cleaning than getting lost," Tadase mumbled, frowning as he stomped along the small dirt road he was walking along. It was either due to the town being so small or the sky so dark, but Tadase couldn't even tell where the main part of town was anymore.
Tadase shoved the "map" in his pocket as he continued walking, in what could barely well be the wrong direction. He wondered if he was ever going to find his way back to the town, or if a search party was going to be sent out to look for him in a few hours.
He sighed. This was definitely not the way he wanted the summer to begin. Lost on the outskirts of a remote town. Just great.
Tadase really should have brought his cell phone, in retrospect, but he had left it in his room while he was at work and had forgotten to grab it after that. What good was a cell phone anyway if he always left it at home, anyway?
Tadase was beginning to get quite mad at himself, but as he was cursing his stupidity and Nagihiko's aunt's poor handwriting he heard a sound from behind him.
He spun around quickly, his mind quickly filling with thoughts of bears and wolves (were there any of those in this area, anyway? Maybe he should have asked Nagihiko earlier) and his sure demise. Instead of ferocious animals, he was greeted by a much more pleasant sight.
Much more pleasant.
"Are you okay? You seem to be freaking out a little."
Standing before Tadase was the most handsome man the blond had ever seen in his life. He was tall, with dark blue hair that fell around his face, longer than Tadase's mom would ever permit, but nowhere near as long as Nagihiko's. He couldn't tell much else of his appearance due to the poor lighting, but he could tell that he had a fairly skinny build covered in all black clothing.
Despite himself, Tadase found himself blushing. He was never one to fall from someone just based on appearances but... this guy was really hot.
It took Tadase a moment to speak, he was so captivated by the stranger. After the man cocked one of his eyebrows though, Tadase jerked himself back to reality and stammered, "Oh, I'm just a bit lost, that's all."
"How do you get lost in such a small town?" The stranger inquired, taking a few steps closer to Tadase.
He was close enough that Tadase could see his eyes. Tadase noted they were a deep, captivating shade of blue (okay, that was way too cheesy for his liking but it was really true). "Uh, well, my map isn't really any good."
Tadase reached into his pocket and pulled out the piece of paper that had hurriedly scribbled directions on it. The man's eyebrows rose significantly. "Whoa. I can't even make out what this is trying to say."
"Yeah, it's horrible. Fujisaki-san is awful at writing," Tadase muttered, somehow feeling as though the woman would hear him and chastise him for both insulting her and not calling her "Oba-san."
"Fujisaki-san? You're staying at the inn? Oh, well I guess I did see you earlier today with her nephew," The man handed him back the paper (although Tadase really didn't think he needed it at all) as he spoke.
"Wait, earlier today? We walked all over the town but I don't remember seeing you," Tadase trailed off, before he remembered a slender man in all black. His eyes widened as he said excitedly, "You're the guy on the motor cycle!"
"Correct," the stranger replied with a small smile, brushing his hair our of his eyes before resting a hand on his hip.
So the mysterious man that sent pangs through his chest was also the one making him blush like an idiot... thank God Kukai wasn't here.
"How old are you then?" Tadase asked, a bit curious. You had to be eighteen to drive a motorcycle like he had, but the man could be any age around there. For some reason, Tadase was incredibly worried he was older than he looked.
"Seventeen," the man replied smoothly, not seeming to care that riding a motorcycle at his age was in violation of the law. Besides that, though, Tadase was a little shocked that this stranger was the same age as him.
"Wait, but don't you have to be eighteen to-"
"There's not anyone around here who's going to enforce it, at least, not for me," Ikuto shrugged, taking a few steps forward. Tadase turned to follow him as he walked by. "I'll take you back to the inn, if you want."
"Oh, thanks!" Tadase replied brightly, relieved that he was no longer doomed to wander around lost for the rest of the summer. He walked quickly for a moment until he reached Ikuto, upon which he fell into step with the taller boy.
"So, how old are you then?"
"Seventeen."
The man glanced over at Tadase suspiciously, "You look younger than seventeen."
"You look older than seventeen."
The man smiled, sending Tadase's heart into overdrive. "You got me there."
"I'm just relieved you didn't say I look like a girl; that's what I hear from everyone else."
"You mean... you're not a girl?"
Tadase may have gotten mad, but the look on the man's face made it plain as day he was teasing. Tadase gave him an unamused look and the other laughed slightly. "Sorry, it was too good to resist. Why would anyone say you look like a girl, anyway?"
"I don't know, but I'm used to it. Girl, fag, homo... it stopped bothering me a while ago," Tadase murmured, not able to make eye contact with the other. For all he knew, the taller man could become repulsed by him at this, wanting nothing to do with a gay person. Without meaning to, Tadase found he was holding his breath.
"That sucks. Their loss, though; they don't know what they're missing out on," The man said, giving Tadase a smile.
Tadase was suddenly all too aware of the fact that their shoulders were almost touching, and this revelation both made him want to move closer and jerk away.
"Hey, what's your name, anyway?"
"Hotori Tadase."
"Tadase... I like it."
"Thanks. What's you name?"
The man hesitated for a moment, leaving Tadase to wonder why in the world asking someone for his name would be such a big deal. "... Ikuto."
"Ikuto-kun." Tadase said, trying out how Ikuto's name felt on his lips.
"Nope. Just Ikuto," Ikuto winked at Tadase, who felt his face heating up once again. Was Ikuto really flirting with him so openly? No, there was no way this could be happening; every other guy he knew (besides Nagihiko and Kukai) ran away from him in fear, and now someone was flirting with him?It was too good to be true.
"Alright, I-Ikuto." Ikuto smirked playfully at Tadase as the blond stuttered in embarrassment.
"You're too cute," he said fondly.
Tadase swore he was blushing more than Amu had ever in her life, and that was definitely saying something.
"Shut up," Tadase muttered, too embarrassed to look Ikuto in the eye. Instead he directed his focus onto his feet, and made sure he didn't trip over something lying on the dimly lit path.
"Make me," Ikuto countered. And would Tadase love to do that. He would love to just place his mouth against Ikuto's so the boy had no chance of speaking anymore, but that was impractical, and no matter how attractive he was, Tadase did not think it wise to kiss someone mere minutes after meeting them.
So he simply blushed and shoved his hands deep into the pockets of his pants, giving Ikuto a sideways sort of look.
After a moment, Tadase spoke. "Hey, when I asked Fujisaki-kun about you earlier today-"
"You were asking about me? I'm flattered," Ikuto grinned, forcing Tadase's face to stay the violent shade of red it was now nearly accustomed to.
"I just thought it was weird that I didn't see a motorcycle anywhere in town!" Tadase defended, purposely not revealing that their earlier encounter had left him a little flustered.
"Oh really?"
"And anyway," Tadase pressed on, wanting to get past this particular roadblock before he ended up making a fool of himself, "He had a really weird response when I mentioned you. He and Mashiro-san both said you didn't live here."
"Really?" Ikuto seemed a little surprised, and Tadase hurried to clarify.
"Well, it was more like 'nobody like that lives in the town' but yeah, pretty much."
"Huh... they were probably hoping we wouldn't meet... that's rather cold," Ikuto mumbled, more to himself than to Tadase.
Tadase frowned. "What do you mean?"
Ikuto didn't respond for a long moment, and when he did speak Tadase could tell he was holding something back, "It's probably not wise for you to mention that we've meet. Actually, don't mention me to your friends at all."
"What? Why?" Tadase was incredibly confused by this whole situation. Why would anyone care who he talked to? Was there something bad about Ikuto, something that made the others in town dislike him? But what could that be? He was attractive, civil, and he seemed pretty nice, albeit a bit of a tease, but that wasn't anything bad. Did he have some kind of dark past or something?
"...Most of the others in town don't like me. It would probably be better for you not to get involved with me at all."
"I can't do that!" Tadase insisted, stopping where he stood to give Ikuto a confused look. After a moment of silence he asked, "Does everyone in the town ignore you?"
"More like pretend I don't exist... but don't worry, I've gotten used to it by now," Ikuto muttered, staring off into the distance rather than look Tadase in the eyes.
That wasn't right. Whatever he did, it couldn't be bad enough for the whole town to pretend he didn't exist. Well, he supposed it could be possible, but if Ikuto had really down something so bad he'd surely have been thrown in jail by now.
What was worse, Ikuto seemed completely nonchalant about the whole thing. He was talking about how much everyone hated him and ignored him as casually as someone would comment on the weather. This thought made Tadase very sad, and he made up his mind before he could think to do otherwise. "It's too late for that; I'm already involved. And I intend on getting to know you more in the next few weeks I'm staying here."
Ikuto looked rather surprised by Tadase's declaration. He turned away, the slightest hint of a smile on his face. "Well, don't blame me when the whole town hates you."
Tadase wondered if he should be doing this, but it was too late for him to change his mind; he had already decided upon it when seeing Ikuto riding past on his motorcycle earlier this morning.
No matter what anyone else said, he would get to know Ikuto.
And he might later say that it was the best decision of his life,