Hey, I'm back with a new chapter while sitting around in Georgia…It cool here I guess but I don't get to see my cousins so ._. well anyway, this is a nice long chapter…to bad it's all about food…so yeah this is almost a filler chapter but I thought it was kinda cutesy…in a way...
WARNING: If you had thought I deleted chapter 2 I didn't. Make sure you've gone back and read chapter 2 because this really is chapter 3…I just wanted to post that warning up before hand. There wasn't enough room in the summary for me to put "warning: spoilers".
Shisui's name gets mentioned in here twice or so I think…just a random statement…yeah
Tsuki Hibiki: Hey! So, this chapter was suppose to be up a while ago, but sadly it was my fault for not editing and making an author's note sooner, so sorry!!! We are currently working on the next chapter, so no worries. If you didn't know, the second chapter has been up for some time now, but W.S.K. wrote over her author's note, so don't forget to read that first! This chapter was going to be much smaller than it was suppose to, but W.S.K. felt bad that she was making it a filler chapter, so she made it longer. Sorry in advance for any mistakes! Well, until next time!
(Also, when she says "dieing fic" she means (Talk Me Through Death And Guide Me Away). I fear that like her story Prideful, it has suffered the same fate. It has been abandoned...)
W.S.K.: For the record "Talk Me Through Death And Guide Me Away" was never actually posted and forever has remained on my flashdrive under ShiroAki fics....but for some reason Tsuki has taken a deep liking to it O.o''?
Enjoy
To Time May We Surrender, Chapter 03: To Know The Distance
"It's just a little further down the road," Akira said, keeping his hand steady on Master's shoulder.
"Do you go there often?"
"Well actually, I go there practically all the time. You know, with my parents always out I have to find food myself if I don't feel like cooking."
He chose the little café that he frequently visited mostly because it was close by and the food was good for a fair price. He figured that Master was up for anything and even though he wouldn't mind spending money on feeding the man—quite honestly he wasn't too hot on cash at the moment. After all, the café may have been cheap, but he did go there 'all the time'. Sure he had money at his house, but he wasn't about to drag Master along for that large of a detour.
From the corner of his eye he noticed Master had dawned a curious expression on his face. The man turned his head towards him.
"Akira-kun, why are your parents out so much?"
"Uh..." He hesitated. "They just travel a lot, there's not really a reason."
"Traveling as in touring countries or for business purposes?"
"Both, I guess."
"Oh. Do you ever go with them?" The older man asked.
"I used to when I was real little, but now I just prefer to stay home unless it's too far that they have to take me. Sometimes, they let me just house with a family member or a friend of theirs, or, if I'm lucky, a friend of mine. Right now though, they're only out of town, not out of the country, so I'm just at home. They think I'm mature enough." They had neared the entrance so he stopped talking and guided them both through the door propped open by a wedge. "We're here... Well, considering how hungry you are, Master, I hope you'll like the food."
"Thank you, Akira-kun." The bartender leaned down suddenly close to Akira's ear and whispered: "Somehow I have the feeling that it would be better if you don't call me that here." He laughed.
The teen laughed nervously with him. "Yeah, now that you mention it... What should I call you then?—while we're here." He added quickly.
"Just call me by my real name."
Akira thought back to the first time he met Master, the first and only time he ever heard his 'real' name; Shuichi Wagatsuma. Then he remembered the hospital trip when he learned the man's other name; Shisui...
"I'm getting the feeling that you mean the first one I heard," he said with a smirk.
"Well, I don't really think it would matter at this point, with everything finally over, but yes, that was the one I was referring to."
"...It's nice to finally relax, huh?" Akira commented.
He received a calm smile. "Quite nice."
"Well then, shall we sit down...uh, Wagatsuma-san?"
"Yes, let's." He answered, letting himself be led to a table. "Akira-kun?"
"Yeah?"
As they sat down, the man tilted his head and gave a teasing look of hurt. "I would hope that we had become close enough of friends in the time we've known each other that you wouldn't feel obligated or prefer to call me by my family name..."
I hope he doesn't think I'm pushing the boundary to much...
But the teen had an air of guilt about him. "I'm sorry, truthfully I though you might be insulted or maybe even slightly angered if I was so...familiar..."
"I would not, for sure, be angry. Have you ever even seen me angry?"
"...no, but then again I had never seen you so distraught or sad until yesterday." Akira pointed out.
The other flinched. "I...wouldn't be angry, definitely not at you, Akira-kun." He said, avoiding the statement.
Akira regretted bringing the subject back up. "...that's good to know." He forced a grin and happy attitude. "Uh, so S-Shuichi-san, then?"
"Yes, that sounds much better..."
It feels just like it used to...
Akira opened the menu and started to scan through to see if they had anything that 'Shuichi' would like. Maybe three or four items into the dishes, he realized...
I don't even know what he likes...
"Do you have anything in particular you'd like?" He asked.
"Not entirely. Anything you would recommend?"
"Honestly, I would almost vouch for the whole menu... Do you have any favorite foods?"
"...I'm afraid not." The man put on a guilty expression. "I apologize if this is difficult for you..."
Akira laughed, still scanning through the menu, waiting for something to catch his eye. "It isn't difficult, it just makes me kinda of sad."
"Sad?" Shuichi jerked forward a little bit in his chair. "Why would it make you sad?"
"I guess it just makes me realize that I hardly know anything about you. We've known each other for a year, and yeah we've become close friends, but still, it feels like there is always a gap."
...I know there's a gap Akira. I've always known the distance.
"Do you think it's because I'm older than you?" He noticed his voice became quiet, but he tried his best to keep it from wavering.
"You say it like the difference is greatly significant." Akira looked over Shuichi's strained yet impassive face.
"Isn't it though?" He phrased it as a question, but in his mind it seemed to him a completely obvious statement.
Akira, the difference is clearly signific—
"Not to me."
The teen watched him have his internal battle.
Why is he trying so hard to cover it? Why does this bother him so much anyway? Akira wondered.
So he continued on to elaborate, carefully noting any changes on the man's face. "It's not like you're old enough to be my father. Hardly my uncle, possibly an older brother, but honestly in ten—twenty years, do you really believe anyone would think odd of us being friends?" At the end he smirked, and was rewarded with the sight of Shuichi smiling, relieved.
"Thank you, Akira. That really does mean something to me."
"Anytime." He closed the menu and crossed his arms. They weren't really getting anywhere with ordering just yet.
"Do we need to order quickly?"
"Nope, I know the owners. They wouldn't mind if I took up a table all day without ordering a thing. So basically, we've got plenty of time."
Shuichi wasn't convinced. "If you're sure...well, perhaps just the typical dishes?"
"Like what? Rice, soup, tempura...and other....stuff?"
"Unless you can think of something better."
"Not really." Akira glanced over at the counter and saw no one was there. He believed it was best to just go and wait there, rather than sit at the table until someone realized they were there. So he pushed his chair back and stood up. "Well, there isn't anyone out here so I'm going to go up to the counter and order something up." He grabbed the menu and walked over.
A moment later an older lady appeared, he had always believed her to be somewhere in her forties...possibly...
"Hello, sorry for—young Nikaidou-kun!" She smiled brightly. "You're back tonight as well I see. Only you come here so late."
"Evening, Sato-san, and I'm not the only one who comes here late, there are other people already here." Akira looked at her sheepishly.
"Yes, yes, but they came in earlier, now they just linger, chatting. You, on the other hand, just came in." Sato teased him, gesturing at the other customers.
"Well, I'm not alone this time." He smirked triumphantly.
"Really now? You brought someone?" She looked around, searching for this unbelievable guest.
"Heh, yeah, my friend over there hasn't had a good meal in ages, so I figured that this would be the perfect place to get him something terrific for dinner."
"Oh, Nikaidou-kun, don't bother flattering this little run-down side shop." She shoved away the praise, but Akira could see she was very glad for it. "Your friend would be that man over there I assume? He looks quite familiar..."
"He's owns the bar down the road, Aging Bar."
"I've heard of that—my son's friend goes there...quite often actually."
"May I take a wild guess as to whom?"
Sato laughed, "I don't see why not."
"Mayu Asamura?"
"Wow, Nikaidou-kun you're very psychic!" She teased.
"I'd have to ask Shuichi, but she's probably his biggest customer."
She shook her head, "Well, I wouldn't be surprised...perhaps I'm mistaken but it sounds like you two are on a first-name basis. Or is that his family's..."
"Ah, Shuichi's his first. I tried calling him by his family's but he seems to like this better."
"Well, that's nice, then." Sato looked hesitantly over Akira's shoulder, possibly at Shuichi, before catching the teen's eye with a slightly ashamed face. "I don't want to be nosing into—"
Akira cut in quickly. "You want to know if he's blind." He already knew her question. "...He is."
Sadness became very evident about her appearance as she gazed back over his shoulder.
It seemed to wash over Akira, and he felt his mood drop down, the feeling reminded him of the day before. The day he saw such terrible sorrow on Shuichi's face.
"I'm...well..." Her words could not form.
Akira turned around and he found himself watching Shuichi. The man was very still, relaxed in the chair, eyes closed. Anyone walking in, and didn't know him, would only assume the man was sleeping...
"He looks quite sad..." She said.
He made no reply and continued to stand there staring, but he suddenly felt like he was falling back, becoming a spectator who could only watch in silence as Shuichi started to run his fingers over the table cloth. The skin at his fingertips that weren't covered by the fresh bandages traced over the bumpy pattern. It was the only sign that he was awake now.
I really do feel...sad right now. Akira thought.
Shuichi must have felt their eyes on him, because he turned towards them and tilted his head in question.
"Shall I take your order here or over there?" Sato asked softly.
"Uh, over there is fine."
After they finished, Sato brought the check over and placed it on the edge of the table. "I hope you enjoyed the food."
"As always," Akira replied.
"Yes, it was very good." Shuichi said. "I'm glad Akira-kun brought me here tonight." He smiled at the teen thankfully.
"I was glad for the company," Akira said.
The older lady took up their dishes with a content air and went into the back, leaving them to sort the check. Akira reached for the check on the table and the wallet in his pocket. As he opened the wallet to count out the correct amount, Shuichi lifted a hand up to catch his attention and stop him.
"Please, Akira, allow me."
"It's fine, I got it." Akira just laughed and went back to counting.
"No really, Akira." He pulled his own wallet out, a purely simple black leather article. "Just the fact that you agreed to even walk me to dinner and eat with me is kind enough. I couldn't possibly allow you to pay for the meal." He extended the wallet out. "And if you don't want me to pay for the gratitude, then let me pay out of kindness. Let it be my treat, if you will."
Akira stared at the man's wallet, somehow he just couldn't bring himself to take it and yet he knew that Shuichi would absolutely not allow him to pay, no matter what. "...I'd feel bad handling your wallet and money," was all he could come up with.
"That was a very bad excuse, Akira-kun, but nice try. I'd think by now that you realize that I'm not completely useless or helpless, so I know how to read you and I know that you understand we aren't leaving until you take this wallet from me." Shuichi smirked and leaned forward to wave the case teasingly at Akira. "Besides, why would you think I don't trust you with my money?"
"Well, it's your money..." Akira reached a hand out reluctantly and took hold of the dark leather wallet in the man's hand. Right before he pulled away he felt something warm and wet on his fingers.
What?...
"Is something wrong?" Shuichi asked.
Akira didn't answer immediately; instead, he grabbed the wallet with a different hand, put it on the table, and then turned the other hand over to look at it.
A small splotch of blood was on his finger and, upon more observations, on the wallet as well.
He quickly grabbed the man's wrist, carefully avoiding the hand, and flipped it over palm up. A little blood was seeping through the bandages, it wasn't too excessive that they needed to worry, but it still wasn't a good thing.
"You're bleeding again." He used his other hand to wipe the blood off his and Shuichi's fingers, and then the wallet. "At least it didn't sink into your wallet," he commented.
"Oh, I'm sorry."
Shaking his head, he replied, "You don't need to apologize, you can't exactly control it."
"True."
"Here." The teen put a clean paper napkin in his hand and folded the wounded fingers gently around it. "Just try to hold this there until we can fix it up." Then he let him go and went back to the wallet.
The second he opened it his eyes shot immediately to the license held behind a clear plastic slip. "Whoa, you have a license?"
"Well, I am of age..." Shuichi lifted an eyebrow slightly, until he understood the real meaning of the question. "Oh." He laughed for a moment but then suddenly stopped and said in a serious tone. "I can obviously drive." When he felt Akira's somewhat alarmed stare, he couldn't help but chuckle. "Don't worry. It isn't that kind of license, Akira-kun. It's a license that gives me the right to own the bar to sell alcohol."
"Ah, gotcha." Akira grinned stupidly. "Of course, heh." He scanned over the license, smirking. "Nice picture."
"Hmm...I was told they caught me blinking...unfortunate, don't you think?" This got another laugh.
"I can't believe I feel like I've missed out on your humor, honestly."
"I don't think you've missed much, I guess it's just luck that I can make you laugh tonight."
Akira finally pulled out the correct number of bills, just in time for Sato to peek around the corner to inquire about them. He took the check and cash up to the counter for her.
"Thank you, Sato-san, I think he really did like it."
"Aww, I'm just glad everything's well. I didn't get to mention this earlier, but my son has told me things that Asamura-san has said about him." She gestured at Shuichi.
"What do you mean?" It wasn't like Mayu to go about saying bad things about Shuichi, of all people.
"Nothing bad about him, not like that. Only that he hasn't been very...together, if you understand what I mean?"
Akira froze up and a very upset feeling rose within himself. "No, I know exactly what you mean..."
Sato took the money and offered the change. Finally he went back to the table, he was about to ask Shuichi if he was ready to go when he remembered the man's bad hands. "Oh! Sato-san! You don't happen to have better-skill-than-me in bandaging hands do you?"
"Well, I'm sure I could do something about that." She walked around the counter to their table. Expertly she assessed his hands.
Only a few minutes later Shuichi had fresh bandages, correctly tied. Definitely better than Akira's attempt.
"Wow." Akira was surprised.
"Well, my son was quite the trouble maker. Always getting hurt." She shrugged.
"Thank you very much, Sato-san." Shuichi stood and looked at her gratefully.
"Here's your wallet back, too." Akira put it softly in his hand and turned back to Sato. He and Shuichi politely made their good-byes and exited the little shop.
"Good night." Sato said.
A few minutes later they reached the back steps of the bar at the entrance to the upper rooms where Shuichi lived. It had gotten fairly dark and the sun was already setting. Akira stood by the door with the older man, still just talking, not really wanting to leave just yet. There was one question that was irking him dearly, but he felt like he better not dare ask it of the man...in fact, he had two different questions, both were stabbing at him. Eventually, amidst their conversation, he gained enough confidence to ask one of them.
"Now that we're back here, should I stop calling you Shuichi?"
"I was beginning to wonder if you were going to ask that, though honestly I just hoped that you would continue to call me that anyway."
Akira was surprised, the teen had expected that everything would just go back to "Master", the bartender—the Aging Bar's Bar Master. "Oh, cool, then."
Shuichi just kept his normal smile on his face, not really giving him any reply. He was leaning on the railing, partly from exhaustion, and partly from habit. "I can tell you have another question though...why don't you just go ahead and ask it?"
"Uh..." Akira stuttered around. This 'other' question wasn't quite the same. It didn't have to do with their daily routine, and it was rather personal. Shuichi had really never told him, but then again, it wasn't a normal topic of a typical conversation. "Well, its just that when I was looking at your license, I read over the profile, a bit." He felt guilty for prying into the man's personal info. "Sorry..."
"Hmm? Do you think I'm upset about that?" Shuichi shook his head. "I'd let you see it again if you wanted to look over it more, Akira-kun, truly, but what are you wondering about?"
A bit more relieved, Akira went on, "I remember that as Shisui, your eyes are golden-yellow color."
"Yes?"
"But on your card, they say your eyes are blue..." He trailed off.
"…and that is odd to you? Your eyes should change as well when you switch between your forms. Has no one mentioned that to you?"
"...oh yeah..." He had totally forgotten.
Shuichi's shoulders shook with laughter, "Akira-kun I've laughed so many time tonight that my chest is starting to hurt from the effort. I'm afraid that your forgetfulness is just too amusing sometimes."
Rubbing the back of his neck, Akira shifted his feet on the ground and coughed. "Heh, yeah..."
"Well, it's starting to get rather late. You'd bet be heading home, even if your parents aren't there." Shuichi pulled out his keys, running a finger over the rough edges. "Oh."
"Something wrong?"
"No it's just the wraps on my hands make it harder to find the right key, but I have it now."
"Oh, right."
"…thank you very much for dinner, Akira-kun, definitely the best I've had in quite a long time." He was grateful, really.
"Hey it was no problem, nice to eat with someone."
"I agree..." The older man's face had a very deep look, like he was contemplating something important. "Akira, you know that you can come to me if you need something, yes? Especially if your parents are out, or even if you just want to."
Akira was surprised for his concern. "Thank you, if I ever really needed something important you actually are the first person that I'd go to. My parents and Kou are nice people but sometimes...they aren't the kind of people I would trust some things with...and you already know about me and Shirogane not getting along, right now." Akira found it hard to word his reply. Shuichi was one of the few people he knew that were kind and trustworthy. He liked his parents, but he wouldn't tell them everything about himself. And Kou...well, Kou was, to put it bluntly, crazy. Sure he was cool, however, not exactly someone you want to tell your life story to.
Shuichi nodded all the same though, satisfied with his response, and unlocked the door swiftly with good practice. "Another thing, though."
"Yeah?"
Fully turned toward him, the man crossed his arms, grinning teasingly. "If you ever want to see my eyes, you only have to ask."
"Oh," Akira's face went red, embarrassed. "O-okay, thank you. Maybe I will sometime...when it's not so dark...you know?"
"Of course...sometime." Shuichi echoed.
Akira saw the man become detached from their conversation. He wondered if it was his response or if Shuichi had just remembered something. Either way, it was quite random, so he waited a couple seconds longer, but their talk seemed to have ended. Akira gave a good-bye and good night, and then left, starting the dark trek home.
He got maybe five minutes from home before he stopped suddenly—
I don't want to go home... He realized.
There wasn't anyone there, not that it made a difference, but he just didn't want to go to the empty house. Over the past year he had gotten used to being near people like Kengo and Aya, or even Kou, Shirogane, and Mast—...or rather Shuichi, as he called him now, so he found it weird lately how there wasn't anyone at his home.
Anywhere will be more interesting than home...guess I'll go to the park.
He redirected his path and made his way for the small park he liked to chill at. Normally, he didn't do much but sit on the bench and look for stray cats—even if they do typically hate him—and tonight he had a feeling he would be doing the same thing.
At least it isn't too cold. He thought when he slipped his hands into his pants pockets. The only sound on the street were the lazy scuffs of his shoes on the sidewalk—no cars, bikes, people, nothing at all. Not even at the park. Nobody would be out at this hour, but still, Akira was used to seeing the occasional teenage delinquents (not much different from himself) trying to pull a midnight prank or just messing around. He'd gotten into many, somewhat pathetic, fights with the same teens. Yet tonight, it was quiet.
"Like a mouse," he joked. "Maybe it's a sign that I shouldn't be out tonight." He laughed and took a seat at his usual bench.
Gentle fingers grazed his cheek, caressing his face like a lover would. But the hand felt rough, almost as if it was wrapped in a harsh material.He heard his name whispered softly, sadly."Akira-kun..." The tone so scared and lost.Then the hand was gone.
Akira awoke with his heart pounding powerfully in his chest, his sleepiness causing him to drowsily fear whether it would break through his rib cage. He knew it was just a dream, but somehow he felt like it had already happened before. The voice sounded so familiar too.
I really don't feel like having to deal with this right now.
He immediately realized he was still on the bench in the park. Very alarmed, he yanked his phone out quickly to see what time it was—
"It's past one in the morning...! Damn it..." He jumped off the bench, his sleeping bones popped when he got up so suddenly and his back ached everywhere from sleeping in such an uncomfortable position. He stretched out, and became very aggravated at his foolishly stupid actions. How could he possibly let himself fall asleep in the park without noticing?!
I should go home-
"Ugh..." Someone was gasping for breath nearby, a teenage boy it looked like...but it was too dark to tell...
What the? Akira turned around. "Hey, are you alright? You oka—hey!"
The boy ran at him fast, Akira hadn't even registered it before he was grabbed by his arms and thrown back. "What the hell are you doing?!?" He saw the face of his assailant roughly, but he couldn't really make out any detail through the darkness.
"Good luck..." The boy said, and it was the last thing he heard as wind rushed by his ears and the sight of the park and the teen swirled into a mass of black.
A/N: Wanna know something cool? I wrote and edited parts of this chapter while going across the U.S. from the west coast to east coast XD I have officially written parts of FanFictions in over 11 states LOL
W.S.K.
And as always, thank you to Tsuki for putting up with my water-bending and shower-taking and packing, and everything else I do to use for excuses to not write. ;P