Disclaimer: Toei's, not mine
Notes: Finally, the slash starts! Okay, it's Daichi X Shin and not Domon X Sion (yet) technically, but it'll all be sorted in time (I hope).
--
It was all pretend.
Midorikawa Shin still went to school, he still studied for the upcoming exams, he still hung out with his friends in his free time. There was no way anyone could have guessed that he (or at least, the part of him that mattered) was really still back at Daichi's apartment, living that horrible moment when Daichi had stumbled back inside, too weary to hold himself upright, over and over again.
Daichi.
He hadn't been lying when he told him seeing him just… felt right. There was something about the man that he couldn't quite explain (he wasn't sure if even Daichi himself was aware of it), but whatever it was, it was amazing. And as he had gotten to know him, Daichi didn't just feel right anymore, he felt safe. Considering most of Shin's life had been spent either in doctor's offices or alone in his uncle's drafty old house, that was no small feat.
And now he was gone, and Shin had no idea how to get him back.
The pain in his head was enough to make him lose his footing for a moment. Great. This was the last thing he needed right now, especially one so bad after nearly of a month of his headaches being more or less held at bay… which, he realized as his heart sank, probably was because Daichi had been there to remind him to take his pills.
"Midorikawa-kun!" He turned around, and there was a familiar looking woman behind him trying to catch her breath. "Glad… glad to see you finally slowed down for a sec. You don't look it but you're fast." Of course-- she was Daichi's friend, what was her name again?
"Takasugi-san?"
"Yeah, hi." What he remembered about her was that she was always smiling, but there wasn't even a hint of one on her face right now. "Listen, I have got a huge favor to ask you."
"Of course," he said automatically, trying to figure out what she could possibly need from him.
"Could you talk to Daichi for me, please?"
"… I think he wants to be alone."
"That's the problem. He's doing nothing but being alone!" She made a frustrated sound as she pushed her hair out of her face (it was unusually windy that day). "He took a few days off of work, which wouldn't be a problem if weren't for the fact that I haven't seen him since." The worry he felt was reflected in her eyes. "Midorikawa-kun, I don't think he's even left his apartment after… well, you know."
He still wasn't sure. "But you've know him longer than I have--"
"That's true, I have." She placed her hand on his arm. "That's why I can say in good conscience that you are the first person to get past his walls and see the real him."
Shin bit his lip, not sure how to answer that. Was he, really?
Well, if that was the case…
--
All he had to do was knock. That was it. And he was about to. Anytime now.
Okay, this is sad, even for me. Although he had told him otherwise, Daichi needed someone right now, and he wanted more than anything to help out anyway he could. Using that to work up the last of his courage, Shin rapped on the door timidly.
Nothing. "Daichi-san? It's Shin."
Still nothing.
He was about to give up when he heard it. "It's open." The voice was small, dull-- but he was there.
Shin wasted no time in opening the door.
--
It was dark, so it took awhile for his eyes to adjust. The only light was coming from the kitchen window… where Daichi was sitting, apparently watching the sun set. As quietly as he could, Shin took a chair and sat as close to him as he thought was safe.
Now that he could get a good look at him, Shin was starting to think that maybe Takasugi Asuka had been right. Daichi's face was pale (which contrasted with the five o'clock shadow), his eyes empty, and it may have just been him, but to Shin's eyes he looked thinner.
"Daichi-san…"
"Y'know, it's kind of funny." He was aware of him now, and his lips were curling into something that was a little like a smile. Shin decided to take that as a good sign. "He wasn't that old, so he was more like a father to me than my grandfather-- if that makes any sense."
"It does." He scooted a little closer, and was relieved that Daichi didn't seem to mind.
"So we'd play outside pretty much all day." He took in a deep, shaky breath. "And then we'd watch the sun set together."
He placed a hand on his back. "If you don't want to talk about it--"
"And I was sitting here, thinking about how I'd never watch a sunset with him again… and it felt the same."
"What do you mean?"
A thoughtful expression began to creep onto a face that had not too long before been blank. "I don't know how or why, but I can remember crying at a sunset."
Shin's mind began to work, wondering if the unknown memory had anything to do with the mysterious jogger, or those feelings they got sometimes, but the thought died off when he saw Daichi scrubbing at his eyes furiously, mumbling something about how either way, it still hurt. He tried to think of something that might ease that hurt, but kept coming up with nothing, and he was so desperate for a solution that he didn't realize he was kissing him until he felt Daichi's lips against his.
Daichi pulled away, his face a question mark. "What was that for?"
"I-I, well, you were there and I, I guess I just felt--" Daichi silenced him with a quick, but soft, peck on the mouth.
"There. Now we're even," he explained with what sounded like a hint of bemusement in his tone. He then stroked his chin, and blinked in surprise. "Sheesh, I need a shave. Shower, too, now that I think about it."
He couldn't help but smile at that. "It might be a good idea."
Daichi clapped his thighs and stood up, pausing only when he got to the door.
"You're gonna stay here awhile, right?"
"Yes. I am."
--
The sound of the shower turned out to be just enough noise for Shin to think. The fact that there was no Daichi to accidentally kiss helped as well. None of it made any sense. His overwhelming but inexplicable feelings of what should and shouldn't be, the jogger, the sudden death of Daichi's grandfather and the memory that shouldn't have been there connected to that death… he was missing something, the piece that would make all the other ones finally fit.
Instead of just wondering what it is, why not find out?
"I think I feel a little better now." Daichi strode out of the bathroom in nothing but sweatpants and a yellow towel draped around his shoulders. He gave Shin a sideways look. "Something wrong?"
He was already halfway out the door. "Daichi-san, I have to go, but promise me you'll answer your phone, please!" Shin was in such a hurry, he didn't have time to respond to the "Okay-- wait, why?!"
--
Shin had always enjoyed working with electronics. Robotics, computers, whatever. It was something he'd done all his life, so hacking into websites (in this case, all the local hospitals in Daichi's hometown until he found what he was looking for) wasn't difficult.
Trying to figure out how it fit in with the other clues was another matter. The record said Kijima Koji had died of natural causes, but it also mentioned he had been in perfect health for a man his age. It seemed that he had, for whatever reason, just stopped breathing.
If you can't find what you're looking for here, go to the source. Find someone who does know.
He picked up the phone and dialed the number. "Daichi-san? I'm… going to be out of town tomorrow, and I was wondering if you could do something for me, please."
"Like what?" The confusion in his voice was unmistakable.
"You said you once saw someone, a man jogging, that you felt like you should have recognized?"
"Yeah…"
"I was wondering if you could find him tomorrow?"
"Shin, have you gone completely--"
"I know. But please, at least try." He took a breath. "I think if we find him, we may find what we're looking for."
"Okay, okay, fine. I got a couple more free days, anyways." There was a pause. "Take care of yourself."
Same to you. After hanging up the receiver, Shin began preparing for tomorrow. He had made his decision, now all that was left was to see what followed.