characters: Jiro/Roji Kusano, Muhyo Toru
Genre: angst/Romance
I don't really know how this happened.. It just did. Enjoy!
Prompt 72
War
Hundreds upon thousands all converging on their little hiding spot, It was hopeless he knew to even consider having them both escape. Only one even had the possibility of getting out, and only then if the other sacrificed them self to create a distraction.
He knew who he wanted to run... But he also knew who had the better chance of survival.
"Muhyo..." his assistant said quietly. He knew it too, but unlike Muhyo he was perfectly fine with his role and was ready to do what he had to. "You ready?" They'd already had an argument about it so he knew trying to change his assistants mind was futile.
He only managed to stay composed because of the one hope he clung onto.
'My idiot has performed miracles before...I just hope he can do it again.'
"Yha let's get this over with." he grumbled.
'Before I crack.'
The blond smiled at the smaller boy before pulling off his tie and placing it around his friends neck.
"As silly as it sounds I've always considered this my good luck charm... I think you'll need a little luck today." He said softly, his chocolate eyes lingering on sapphire ones as he smiled.
"You need more luck than I do you idiot..." the feelings were completely open in his voice, the pain, worry, desperation all showed through; and Roji didn't miss it.
"Don't worry about me I'll be fine." Roji paused, but then carefully pulled his partner in a tight hug. "Just fine..."
Then with out warning he gently kissed Muhyo, the smaller boy paused before hesitantly returning the kiss. As they broke away Muhyo glared at hiss assistant. "So help me you better survive."
With a small laugh Roji smiled, saying "I'll try my best." before pushing him away with a sharp "Run" as he turned around and ran straight into the sight of the ghosts.
Muhyo didn't think, he knew if he did he wouldn't be able to leave, not with his assistant possibly facing his end. He just ran away from the growing cluster of ghosts and bright gold flashes and towards safety.
It hurt to do so...
Then he heard it, immediately wishing he was faster so he wouldn't of, the cry of pain. It was followed closely by a louder crash and then another heartbreaking cry of pain.
'Don't stop, don't look back...'
He didn't really pay any attention as he ran, trying to forget the cries of pain he'd heard, and by the time he reached safety he'd been shaking, weather it was exhaustion or shock it wasn't clear.
"Muhyo!" A failure voice called, but Muhyo didn't have the strength to see who and just before he blacked out he heard a worried question. "Where's Roji?"
#-~-#
He awoke with the feeling of something leaning on the bed next to him, he turned, hoping for a glance of fluffy blond hair, but it was just Yoichi. When did he get here?
"Oh you're awake." the judge in question said with a yawn. "Good morning or, errr, afternoon."
"What are you doing here?" Muhyo said in his typical blunt manner, trying to shift to a sitting position. "Weren't you helping with some big conflict up north?"
"I was, but that's why I came down here. To warn the two of you." Muhyo flinched at the 'two of you' part but Yoichi didn't seem to notice. "It has developed into an all out war with ghosts banding together in huge groups and attacking practitioners. And it's spreading."
He stopped, looking at Muhyo with a sideways glance. "Speaking of witch you passed out before you could answer me, were is Roji?"
This time the reaction didn't go unnoticed as Muhyo chucked grimly, his eyes blank and unfeeling as he forced down what he was really feeling. "No idea...You got here a little too late to warn us, we were attacked and he ran off to distract them. I don't know what happened after that. I lost him."
The words 'I lost him' seemed to echo around the room all the possible meanings running through their minds.
"Around where did you lose him, we could go back and see if we could find him." Yoichi said getting up. "You can stay here but Ima and Paige are in the other room and the three of us could go to-"
"No." Muhyo interrupted, shaking his head. "There are too many for even the three of you..."
Yoichi gave him a worried look, "How many."
"Thousands, the entire downtown is overrun."
His eyes widening Yoichi shook his head. "There has to be a way, we can't just leave him there. "
"There isn't." Muhyo said, trying to go back to sleep.
"But-" Yoichi continued, but he was quickly cut off.
"I said there isn't!" Muhyo snapped, his eyes flashing with the feelings he refused to show. "You don't think I hadn't considered ways to save him as I ran here? The entire way I was trying to think of a possible way but there isn't one so DROP IT."
If Yoichi was shocked by the out burst he didn't show it, but just got up and waked out of the room.
"Get some sleep Muhyo you need it." he said before walking out.
"As if I could." Muhyo muttered to him self quietly, the memory of his friend's - no why deny it any longer- his Love's lips on his still haunting is mind along with his cries of pain.
#-~-#
For the ending I'd thought of two possibilities one darker than the other. The first one is going to be the darker one so if you don't want to read it skip to the next bold text.
#-~-#
The sun had long since set and yet Muhyo still hadn't fallen asleep, he just couldn't. every time he began to doze off he could hear his assistant in pain and woke up with a start.
"You're still awake this late? That's not like you..."
He froze, that voice...
"You know you need your sleep Muhyo, would you like some warm milk or tea to help you?"
No it was impossible, unless... oh please no.
His assistant walked over a soft smile on his face as he kneeled to be at his partner's level, his chocolate colored eyes meeting sapphire blue ones.
"Sorry for coming home like this." he started "But I knew I couldn't leave with out making sure you made it here ok."
"How." Muhyo barely managed to say, It wasn't what he really wanted to ask but it was al he could say at the moment.
His smile faltered, and he took a moment to think, "One of the ghosts got a lucky shot and hit an over hanging balcony. I didn't move fast enough..."
'So that's what I heard, but he was still fighting so he hadn't died, yet. '
Seeing Muhyo knew better he continued hesitantly. "I was pinned down so I couldn't run, so when I'd run out of tempering they..." he paused not wanting to continue. "They got me." His smile returning he pulled Muhyo into a light hug, "I'm so happy you made it." He finished.
Muhyo couldn't help think how cold his dear friend was as he was hugged. It wasn't fair that he had to come back, he understood why but he still felt it was wrong. He was supposed to be in paradise now, not lingering just to make sure that he; who had run after hearing him call out in pain instead of helping, was okay. He was unworthy of this wonderful person's care but still he came. So he found himself returning the hug, pulling his love close and not wanting to let go, but he knew he had to.
"Here," Roji said after a couple minutes of being embraced. "The least I can do is help you fall asleep."
Pulling away Roji gently tucked Muhyo back under the sheets and began to run his fingers through his hair in a soothing motion.
It was nice, but it still wasn't enough; until Roji began to sing the lullaby.
Sleep now my love
and dream of happy days
Your future still awaits you
you have a role to play.
I will never leave you
I simply wait above
until the day we meet again
Sleep happy now, as I sing you my lullaby.
His voice seemed to echo around the room and Muhyo could feel himself drifting off, and just as he was about to fall a sleep he felt the hands leave and a gentle.
Goodbye
I love you
#-~-#
Well now I get to write the happier ending
#-~-#
The next few days were all the same, trips too and from the MLS in order to organise a force to overcome the sheer amount of ghosts they were facing. The office became the headquarters for the attack and Muhyo was the first to volunteer in a scouting mission. The others were surprised at first, but they quickly understood when they came over to check if he was 'okay' and noticed the missing assistant.
But it was pointless, the defence of the evolved ghosts was too strong for Muhyo to simply slip in with out having to draw attention to himself. But he did manage to reach the spot he'd last seen his assistant. But what he saw wasn't pleasant.
A whole section of a nearby building had fallen into a heap where he'd last seen his assistant run towards, and if that wasn't enough to worry him the blood covering part of the rubble was.
"You idiot..." He muttered before making his way back.
#-~-#
When he finally reached the office he was in no mood for anyone, but even after making it very clear Yoichi had pushed him through the portal back to the MLS to 'check something' as he said.
"Can't this wait." He grumbled as he was lead down a wing of the intensive care wing of the hospital. "What could be so important you'd drag me here."
Yoichi after glancing down at what looked like a room number he'd written on his hand shrugged. "I'm not sure really, I got a call from Ginji saying to get you down here that an important development has appeared."
A few more doors and another corner they saw Ginji waiting in front of a door for them.
"This better be really important." Muhyo said as he glared at the ginger. "I just got back from scouting."
Glancing around Yoichi asked. "If this is so important where are the others? Or are we the first here."
Ginji smiled as he opened the door, gesturing for them to enter. "This is something I though you two might find more important than the others." He said as the entered. "Don't be too loud."
Muhyo was about to hiss a reply when he saw, Covered in bandages and pinned to multiple IVs was Roji his rich brown eyes clear as he smiled.
"Hey guys." he said, His voice scratchy and layered with a slight wheeze. "Did I miss much?"
"Miss much?!" Yoichi exclaimed "What happened? Where have you been?" He went over to Roji's bead side before pausing, seeing how badly hurt he really was. "How did you survive?!"
"It wasn't easy." Roji laughed. "But I had motivation." He turned to look at Muhyo who couldn't help but blush lightly as he though back, causing Yoichi to look confused.
"I was actually doing okay, and I was confident I could get away when one of the ghosts got a lucky shot that hit the wall behind me that knocked it over. It almost crushed me but I was lucky and parts of it fell in a way that is shielded me and I survived. The ghosts thought I'd been killed and after a while I managed to get out."
He took a moment to cough and Muhyo grabbed the glass of water at his bedside and held it out for him.
"Thanks." he said before continuing with his story.
"I tried to head back to the office, but every time I got close I ran into more ghosts and with my pen somewhere under the rubble I couldn't fight them so I had to run. I had just been cornered by one particularly fast one when one of the..." he paused sending a look to Ginji. "Scouting teams? Yha, scouting teams found me. I passed out soon after words."
A doctor walked in and as Yoichi started talking with him to find out how long Roji'll be in and how bad it is, Muhyo took a seat next to Roji and sighed.
"About time," he said. "I was beginning to worry you weren't coming home."
Roji looked carefully at Muhyo before also letting himself sigh. "A few times I thought the same."
For a few minuets the just sat there in comfortable silence as Yoichi argued with the doctor and Ginji tried to calm him down. But then Muhyo broke the silence.
"Roji?"
"Yes Muhyo?"
Taking advantage that everyone else in the room was not looking Muhyo leaned over and kissed Roji on the cheek, whispering as he pulled away, "I love you, you idiot."
Blushing Roji beamed, returning the kiss and saying "Love you too Meany."
