Chapter 3: Illusionist
Summary: It's basically what happens after Chapter 2... duh. I'm too lazy to explain here so just read it.
Warning: Not for kiddos
Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from Karneval or Karneval itself.
A period of time has lapsed...
Gareki looked up at the dazzling frosty sky. No snow fell, only a glassy blue hue stained the sky. The trees were covered with frost, a shell made from spotless snow. Gareki trudged through the stuff ankle-deep, kicking the frost from his pant legs every so often as he walked up the hill. His coat was zipped in such a way that his arm that was in a sling fit snugly to his side. The fractured rib had healed to only leave a bit of discomfort. He walked slowly, careful with breathing, as every puff of cold air hurt his lungs and beat on his head. He still wasn't used to snow. A frost had frozen upon his goggles.
Gareki was in a beat up condition, but he was doing much better. Even though somewhat healed, he seemed more fragile than before. Was that a common physiological aspect of patients? No matter how healthy they were afterwards, they were never really the same?
Yogi was completely well. He had no trouble with anything Circus threw at him, and he was shortly put on babysitting duty. Despite the clamoring of Doctor Akari's protests, Circus let Yogi out of the hospital quickly, in fact, earlier than Gareki. Circus wasn't planning to have Yogi sit out after another of his failures, so they gave him another chance at watching over Gareki and Nai... along with Tsukumo. Tsukumo was mildly depressed ever since they got back from the incident at the festival. Even though Hirato never said much to reprimand Tsukumo, and they were told to do the same thing, she was constantly moping around and dragging behind in the back. She was apprehensive about everything, even the excursion they decided to do today. Nai wished to play in the snow, and after an hour of persuasion by Yogi, they set off. Gareki was forced to join, since nobody was on the second ship to watch him. And so, there they were, all together, trudging along in the fresh-fallen snow, watching as Nai slid down the hill with Tsukumo over and over. Nai was holding onto Yukkin, and shortly after getting tired of sledding, began to model a bigger replica of Yukkin with fists of ice.
Yogi was always much too close for Gareki. The proximity wasn't what bothered him, it was the fact that two feet away made conversation awkward, but any closer and Gareki wouldn't be able to breathe at all. Things had returned to almost normal... But if there was one thing that had changed, it was the fact that when they didn't talk, the absence of noise was noticeable. The air hung dryly when they were silent, but when they did talk, the tone of voice had changed. Gareki was cautious in keeping the same monotone that he always had, but it was a different case for Yogi. It was like he kept trying to express something that his pride didn't let him do. His sentences were always hanging on edge, his words drifting off at the end. The scary part was that despite Gareki's precautions and attention to the matter, their relationship had changed. He felt self-conscious every moment of the day, and Yogi started to avoid him. Which was actually good, that he did- it meant that Gareki didn't have to deal with him as much. Instead, Yogi was awkward and talked very little. The situation made them seem like couples who had just confessed, or some weird girly shit like that.
It wasn't just today that things were awkward, in the huge field of snow, filled only with Nai's laughter. When they were in the canteen, Gareki constantly caught Yogi glancing at him. When Yogi passed Gareki an article of clothing or machinery, or anything, and their hands accidentally touched, Yogi would almost freak. When they returned back to the second ship after playing out in the snow, things continued as usual. They continued to eat pastries and look for Karoku, to no avail. No new things popped up, and things sailed smoothly for the time being...
But to be honest, Yogi actually felt like he was missing something. Something important. He felt like he had taken two steps forward and one step back, but then had gotten lost and tripped before starting forward again.
Things proceeded like this for a few months after the outing in the snow. "If between a rock and a hard place, stand still," was the epitome of what the daily routine consisted of. Cursory glances soon became natural, and small talk became less awkward. But Yogi kept the same smile each time. Gareki remembered it as the placated smile, where his eyes were dull, but his lips gave that service as piece of mind to all but Gareki. With each passing day, Gareki grew a tad bit more anxious. He liked that his relationships didn't develop, but after a certain point, the existence of trust develops between even complete strangers. But Yogi kept that consistent smile that bugged him so. It was neither natural nor genuine. Gareki was closer to Tsukumo than Yogi. One time, Tsukumo noticed that Yogi wasn't touching his most favorite food. He looked up at Tsukumo when she commented with wide eyes and laughed it off,
"Oh, ha..! Yeah, I'm not too hungry, excuse me..." Yogi would walk off and strode towards Hirato's office. Gareki once asked Tsukumo what was wrong with Yogi after this happened the third consecutive time, each time with Yogi coming up with a different excuse.
"Well, I think Yogi just has to deal with some business. It should be nothing," Tsukumo would say, with a hint of doubt hidden in her voice. And Gareki would keep quiet.
One day, Gareki was looking for Nai, after he had disappeared from his room in the early morning. He walked through the second ship and found no trace of him anywhere. When he came across Hirato's office, he absently noticed that the door was cracked open. A loud voice rang throughout the hall.
"... What's the survival rate...?" It was the angry voice of Yogi. Gareki froze in place. Was this the business that Yogi was fretting over?
"There would be a 30% chance of him surviving." Hirato said in a transparent tone. Who? Who had a 30% chance in surviving?
"That's not moral, and you dirty officials know it." He spat. Hirato was silent.
"Nai's operation will begin in a few hours, so there's really nothing you can do about it. Don't try anything. Your job was to use him to get the Valga. We have not succeeded because of you. They have receded all communication in the past two months," Hirato's voice was at a whisper. Gareki's mind spun. Did they just say Nai? Where was Nai just this moment? "This is a direct confrontation to the problem that will lead to their location and their origins. I understand your sensitivities but it is not your place to speak," Hirato was forceful with this command, his empathy paper thin.
"What is the real survival rate, Hirato? Don't lie to my face." Yogi seethed, banging a fist down on a table that made Gareki jump.
"Two. Two percent. He has a thirty percent chance of being paralyzed for life." Gareki's blood ran stone cold. Were they planning Nai's death?
"Then what will we do with Gareki?" Yogi's voice shook, barely containing an edging anger. Gareki held his breath.
"Why would he stay here if Nai was dead? He knows our trade better than we do ourselves, Yogi-san." Both were silent. Gareki backed away slowly, his footsteps increasing in sound as he tore down the hallway, attempting to get away from what he had just heard. Where was Nai? Was he already in the surgery room? Were they prepping him with anesthesia already? Gareki stumbled once, running towards the medical and research branches. He'd look for Doctor Akari first. If they really did plan on killing Nai, his death would be even easier for them.
A lamb appeared before him.
"Baaaaa... restricted area. Please go back to your room, Gareki-san," With a swift push he shoved the lamb and went through the double doors.
"Baa... baa... baaaa... baa... BAAA... baa..." About twenty lambs were behind Gareki. A rampant fear reminded him of last time when he was abused by the flock. He swallowed the doubt and rapped on Doctor Akari's door. No response.
"BAA... BAAA... BAA... BAAA..." A sound similar to an alarm began to ring.
"Shut up! That's the worst possible thing you could do right now!"
"Manual Ejection Input Sequence Automated." A shiver ran down Gareki's spine. The sheep jumped him, and soon he was on his back, his wrists and ankles tied up.
"Hey, I just recovered, you stupid sheep! Let go of me! Damned ugly sheep, nobody likes you!" He kicked one in the face. The alarm still continued to blare from a speaker within a sheep.
They dragged him back through the hallways and back to his dorm. He succeeded in getting up when they turned a corner one time, but soon he submit to flock once again. Nobody other than Yogi and Hirato were in the ship, apparently. Not one person saw him getting towed back, which saved his pride, but the ship was empty. They tossed him into his room like a caterpillar and freed his bindings.
"Hey, did Hirato set you up for this? We always have access to the medical facility." The sheep only baa'd in response, acting as if they didn't understand. They locked the door to his room and didn't leave as they baa'd outside. He punched the wall. At this rate, he would lose Nai. Then, they'd kill him. What would happen to Tsubame? He wouldn't get the bracelet, and everything would have been a waste.
He paced the room. There was no window in the room. The entrance was blocked by those sheep. The door to Nai's room was locked from the other side, opening only if Nai wanted to get in. He tried to kick it open. He had no lock to pick, as had only a handle; it was some kind of special Circus technology. Were there any vents in his room...? He quickly scanned the ceiling, the sides and the floor. Nothing. He attempted to think positively. If Nai lived, he would possibly be paralyzed for life. There were probably other side effects that Hirato didn't mention. He raked a shaky hand through his hair. As he was on the verge of instability, the door was slammed open.
"Gareki." It was Yogi. He was breathing harshly, as if he had run five miles.
"Are they going to kill Nai?" Gareki said bluntly,
"No, it's not going to happen." Yogi promised, his breathing ragged, but quickly slowing down. He had the lungs of a trained athlete.
"Where is he? Has he been taken already?" Gareki moved towards the door.
"Gareki, I'll handle this. The worst thing you could do right now is go out there." Yogi declared, pulling him back.
"They think they can kill the both of us? Give me a gun. Let them try." A snarl ripped through his composed face. He initially planned to seek a calm way out, but seeing as cold-blooded murder was close to upon himself, he might as well die trying.
"'They' that you are referring to is actually 'us', Gareki. I'd rather not have to face you when you have a gun." Yogi said, "You see, I'm going to get Nai back, but for now I still count as one of them." Gareki shot him a glare. He didn't want to call him a traitor, as he had never even been on his "side." In fact, they were on different teams. Did Yogi really want to get Nai back, or was he just trying to placate him so he would be calm until after the operation was over?
"Is what you said to Hirato true? Are you actually upset that Nai is going to be sacrificed in a method that may or may not work?" Yogi was taken aback.
"You heard what I said?" A look of confusion passed across his face. Irritation flared in Gareki's chest.
"Let me by." He attempted to shove past the golden-haired man. He held him back.
"Look, I'm not calm right now. Nai is going get his brain zapped or screwed into with a hammer. I'm not ready to face my mortality, bastard! Move it!" Gareki punched Yogi in the gut, making him almost double over.
"Hey, hey, I've got this, you're wasting time fighting with me, boy, HEY!"
Strong arms gripped his. A soft but forceful kiss that scared him melted a few layers of anger. The passion that Gareki secretly yearned for and hated. He almost let the kiss deepen before he pushed Yogi away. A soft voice echoed to him. His arms shook as he let go of Yogi's shirt.
"I'll be back with good news. Stay here." Yogi walked out of the room. Did that son of a bitch just kiss him and walk away? Gareki almost followed in pursuit before realizing that he had no safe ground to go upon. He couldn't really call him back and demand an explanation, could he? He found another way out instead. He opened the door to his washroom and looked at the toilet. Axe kicking it at the tubing, it began to leak. Soon, the floor began to fill with water. He knocked on the door, and the sheep opened it and waited for him idly.
"Baa... baa... does master need something?" Gareki thought it was the same sheep that he had shoved aside. Despite the electronic basis of voice he detected hesitation from the lamb. Gareki played it safe.
"I... uh, need to use the restroom." Gareki said.
"There's one located 5 feet from here in your room... baa." Replied the sheep. Why could he hear contempt from his programming?
"It's flooded all over the floor in mine." Gareki complained, frowning in mock irritation.
"I will check it out, baaa." The sheep moved forward.
"No, you can't do that! You'll frizz up and your programming will cause bugs to infiltrate your system. Your firewalls are down! You can't touch water. Why don't you bring me to the one in the medical facility? Their drainage is better, so you won't have a chance of frying."
"Baa... cannot do that baa... But we can go to the restroom across the hall, baa, all the restrooms have proper draining..." The sheep sounded thoroughly anxious. "Maintenance requested in hallway D3," the sheep announced through speakers. Everyone was gone, so maintenance wouldn't be getting down for another hour so so. The other sheep stood from afar and didn't risk getting their drives fried. Gareki walked down the hall while accompanied by that single sheep. Gareki cursed inwardly. How was he going to do it?
Gareki pushed the door into the bathroom and looked back to the inquiring sheep.
"You'd better stay out here, Mr. Sheep. If something happens to you... Yogi...will never get off my back," for some reason the sentence was really hard to spit out. If Yogi succeeded in saving Nai... wouldn't it jeopardize his job? Knowing Circus it was practically like a death sentence.
He scoped out the tiled walls. There was a rectangular window that wouldn't even fit Nai. The vent was just as small. A ray of dust-filled sun shone onto the damp linoleum. They really should've shaped up the place. There was only one sheep outside. Three of them were down the hall. If he took out one of them, the other three would definitely notice. He looked at the dampened floor. He turned around and thought up of another excuse to get out of this mess. He kneeled onto the floor. He probably looked ridiculous sitting like an injured damsel in distress.
"Hey, Mr. Sheep! Hey! Come in here! I think I twisted my ankle."
"Baaa... you said that the water would fry my circuit boards.."
"There's only a little bit of water... I just need you to help me to the infirmary, I slipped."
"Baaa... " the black-clad sheep walked in and waddled to the edge of the water. Gareki pulled the sheep closer and winced about the fake pain he felt in his ankle. The sheep got closer and put a furry hoof on Gareki's leg. Quickly, Gareki noticed a hitch below his black top hat. The fur underneath was imbedded just so that it looked like a lever switch. He swiftly knocked off his hat and pried the metal covering.
"What is master doo...do do doo..innng..." The sheep chirped and buzzed out, the volume whirring down. Gareki sighed.
"Sorry about that, Mr. Sheep," Gareki said, pocketing the sleek chip that he had removed from the sheep. He put the top hat back on the sheep but took the metal plating with him. He laid him in the puddle that he was squatting in. He stood up and dusted off his pants. So, he'd damaged government property, crossed possible criminal trespass laws, and was morally injured for the rest of his life because he just killed a really cute sheep. Nai... wasn't worth it, but he was selfish enough to want to do it for his own survival. He remembered how Jiki could easily bring him down. A bitter resentment crawled up his throat.
He walked out of the restroom and ran down the hall to the sheep.
"Hey, Mr...uh, Sheeps! One of your friends just tripped in the washroom... you had better check him out." The sheep entered baaing, cautiously, hoping that they didn't get stir-fried.
Gareki closed the door to the restroom.
"Baa! Baaaa! What are you doing, baa?" He took the metal from his pocket that he had previously retrieved. He forced it into the hinge of the door and kicked it so hard it bent in an angle. He figured it would keep them scraping at the door for at least a few minutes. Reinforcements would come soon.
"Sorry again, Mr. Sheeps," Gareki turned and ran down the corridor, back to the infirmary. He doubted that he could actually help Yogi. The only thing that he could probably do is give himself to the superiors. They probably wanted him dead and gone, so as to not cause any problems for HQ. He thought back to when Nai had asked him where he would return, if he wasn't with Circus. He still didn't know the answer. He couldn't return to anywhere. As he had nowhere to which he could return.
He quickly reached the medical branches double doors. He slammed them open, but this time no sheep were lying in wait. No sheep started blaring alarms. He wondered if they were busy attempting to rescue their brethren. He softly tramped down the hallway, not making noise but quickly tapping through the branch. He turned a corner and saw Yogi holding a sleeping Nai. Yogi had an expression of infinite exhaustion and counting years. Hirato was standing beside him with a stiff visage. His jaw line was tense and a tight vein was popping out of his neck. A man in a gray coat with finely pleated dress pants was disciplining Yogi.
"This mix-up will cost you, you know this right?" The man said angrily, taking out a cell phone and punching in numbers.
"Don't worry, I will be dealing with the Lieutenant. He will be aiding Doctor Akari until the problems are fixed."
"We will deal with this next time," The man said, raising the phone to his ear and storming away. He passed Gareki and threw him a frosty condescending glance. Yogi and Hirato bowed as he left. Gareki walked up to Yogi. Hirato shot Yogi a strict look and stomped away as well, leaving the three of them in the corridor.
"What does he mean that you'll be helping Doctor Akari?" Gareki asked.
"I made a deal with Akari-san. If he lied for me, I'd work for him." Yogi replied, looking at Nai. He walked towards the exit. Gareki didn't ask any further. They all gave up something to help Nai. Hirato probably felt the most heat, which is probably why he was so upset. Gareki followed a sleeping Nai and Yogi closely. He wondered if the sheep got out of that restroom.
"Gareki-kun..." Nai's small voice called out.
"Yeah." He replied. He walked up.
"Everything's going to be alright." He murmured, and fell back asleep. Yogi's face dropped to a frown. Gareki noticed that the golden-haired adult blinked away passing tears; he was such a softie. His fingertips and toes had a fuzzy feeling. He felt the same as they walked back into their room. Yogi put Nai down slowly and tucked him in.
"Gareki." Yogi stopped and turned, his eyes soft. Gareki was silent as he looked up with a questioning look in his eyes.
Yogi closed the distance, leant in and kissed him, this time sweetly with a hint of desperation. Gareki pulled him closer by the collar. He wondered if Yogi remembered now, what had happened then. If he remembered his advances that other time. Those thoughts quickly dissipated along with his attempts at rebuffing Yogi's attack.
The room Nai was in was connected to Gareki's through a door. Gareki unlocked it on Nai's side of the room. If he had been able to get through this door, he might've avoided having to go through the mess with the restroom. Yogi pushed through and landed Gareki on the bed. He was caressing the small of his back and his thigh, his lips greedy, as if unleashing the suppressed desire he had kept for the last few months in one go.
"Ah... hey, wait..." Gareki gasped, breathing hard.
"I can't wait any longer, Gareki..." Yogi murmured, throwing off Gareki's jacket. A searching tongue fought with Gareki's, rough but earnest.
"Mmm... hey... wait a sec..." A caressing hand was stroking his hip, tugging at the pant leg.
"Hey... if we keep going, I won't be able to stop." Yogi flew drifting kisses over Gareki's collar bone and jaw line. "Mmm..." Why did Gareki taste so amazing?
"Hmmm..." Gareki's fingers clasped his golden locks. Yogi took his passive response as acceptance. A winding arm stroked the pronounced member below Gareki's slender waist. Soon both were stripped, but there was no longer any chastity in their blushed faces.
"Suck." Yogi's voice was velvet, seductive though commanding, as he held up his fingers. Gareki did as he was took out his fingers quickly after watching Gareki lick them, his own member becoming close to painful.
"Turn around." Gareki wondered why his personality had changed so dramatically. Yogi kissed Gareki's back and shoulders, trailing down to his hips. He slipped his hand around Gareki's member and stroked, inducing a hot gasp from him. He inserted a digit quickly, preparing him for something bigger.
"Ah..! It's..." It felt strange to Gareki, as he had never experienced such a thing. The obstruction was somewhat painful, creating more tension. Yogi rubbed a thumb over a sensitive nipple. He shuddered as another finger entered, creating a scissoring motion. He tried to stifle the embarrassing sounds that tried to escape from his mouth.
"Let me hear you..." Yogi removed the digits and replaced them with himself. He entered slowly and pushed it all the way in, his self-control slowly withering away.
"Ahh! Wait...It hurts...!" Gareki said, his elbows shaking as he held himself up.
"I'm sorry." Yogi said, unforgiving, and removed himself completely. He entered again, increasing in speed, completely disregarding Gareki. He couldn't control himself anymore as he thrust again and again into him.
"Nnn... ah! Ah..." Gareki made a sort of mewing sound, driving Yogi completely mad. He thrust to a faster rhythm than before.
"I can't hold back anymore..." Yogi thrust hard into Gareki's hips, one hand stroking the almost neglected member. He slammed in fast and briefly before removing himself and slamming in again, himself flung into the passion vocally.
"Ah... nn...h-harder...!" Gareki moaned, embarrassed he had demanded of something from him, that he had succumbed to his ministrations. Yogi increased in tempo, a rhythm created that brought both to the very edge. Yogi thrust with no mercy into the dark-haired boy's bucking hips.
"I'm going to...ah!" He screamed into his arm as he slipped off the mountain of ecstasy and drifted down through the clouds of pleasure. The hand that was pumping his member was covered with himself. Yogi came shortly afterward, spilling himself over the bed sheets thoroughly. Gareki fell down to rest upon the bedding. Yogi pulled the spoiled blanket over themselves and collapses beside him. He pulled him close by the waist and heard the pounding of their hearts, chaotic and fluttering. Yogi pulled Gareki close and wondered if he was too rough on him. Yogi wrapped his arms around his waist and glanced at Gareki's blushing face. He was still blushing? Yogi wanted to not say anything at all at first, but decided teasing would be much more fun.
"Does that mean you're my boyfriend now Gareki?" Yogi sang.
"Shut up." Gareki had returned to his normal self, the same but lacking in dignity.
"So not cute... Good-night, Gareki-kun." Gareki squeezed his eyes. How did things come to this? He tried to put it in another way. No matter how he thought about it, it still played back to him as: You just slept with the Lieutenant. He closed his eyes and hoped that in the morning everything would be the same as before, even though the dignity he had lost in that single night could never be regained again.
Yogi almost laughed watching Gareki's expression change from flustered to outright embarrassed. He ruffled his hair and inhaled the natural scent of Gareki... it was a combination of lily, pine, and gun powder. He wondered why it was so invocating. His drowsy eyelids soon drooped enough to let him feel sleepy. He reassured himself that this kind of relationship was much better... better than what his alternate self had created. They now had a relationship that allowed both to comply.
What Gareki didn't know was that Yogi did remember what happened that night at the silver-moon festival. But Yogi planned to take that secret with him to the grave. For the time being he could enjoy being in this kind of mess. He enjoyed tricking himself into comprehension. If Yogi had acted like he had a conscious hold of his body when he went berserk, he would probably never find himself this close to Gareki's jet-black hair and flawless bare shoulders. He kissed the nape of his neck sweetly, in return receiving a tired sigh. He froze at how cute he was but decided to wait for another day before ravaging the poor boy again, so he burrowed his head into his neck and prayed for sleep to take him before a monster within him did.
A/N: Okay, so It's a little awkward for me to write this stuff... not to mention it's always hard to have reviews on a FF that's hardcore... so yeah. But you'd make me happier than a goldfish mooncake that came back to life and swam into the sea and around the Earth twice before finally resting at a golden mountain side that harbors bamboo and an old monk with a long beard who carries a bucket of water from a well up the mountain each morning for his dying son. It sounds sad, but it's actually really heartwarming. And I'll be working on another fic for Yogi and Gareki... but this time a love triangle will appear...
It means that this one will still be worked on... but more or less it will be about the same as the new fic plotwise so there's really no point. Sorry, I'm a total bitch. Thanks for reading!
Reviews: Thanks for the support guys, really appreciate it!
