NeonHorizon: Hideaki makes an appearance. Depression warning. Updates will happen more frequently for a while.
Miyu was looking over her notes from past orders, checking for ink types and stamp preferences. Who will need a replacement soon? When Aki-nii left, a lot of people started coming to me wanting replacement stamps. I really don't think that my stamps are better quality than his though. She felt someone watching her and glanced over at Itori. "Hm?"
"What're you doing? I thought you were going to watch this movie with me."
"I am, but…I need to figure out if I have to order supplies," she admitted.
"What? Ugh, that sounds boring." The short-haired girl grabbed the notebook and tossed it aside. "Come on! Let's do something fun!"
"But it's raining." Both girls looked toward the bedroom window and heard the droplets striking the remaining glass and wooden boards.
"Ugh." Itori leaned her head back against the end of the bed, frowning. Her nose twitched and the frown was instantly replaced with a smirk. "Hey, so how far have you gone with the Raven anyway?"
Blood rushed to Miyu's face and she bowed her head, nervously tugging at the hem of her sleeve. "I-I don't know what you're talking about."
"You know! Have you two…done it…yet?" She made a sort of crude gesture with her hands, grinning when she saw the other girl turn red. "You have, right?! I mean, I can smell him all over you!"
"We're not…I mean…we haven't…we've only k-kissed, alright?!"
The grin started to fade. "Seriously? You're living with a guy and you've only kissed?" Itori sighed dramatically and leaned back again. "How boring! Why wouldn't you be all over him? Why else are you two living together? What's your relationship?" She shook her head, pouting for a moment and looking at the television screen. The movie was still playing, but she had little interest in it. "What about Uta?"
Miyu tensed and immediately shook her head. "I…don't even…I mean…he j-just sees me as an opponent, right? He likes fighting with me; that's it. That's all it needs to be. I'm…barely even a challenge for him when it comes to fighting. I'm weak."
"How are you so oblivious?" Itori rolled her eyes and turned away from the television. "You seriously think you're weak?" The other girl nodded. "Okay, how many other ghouls have you fought, Kurotani?"
"…not very many…a few when I was younger, but…in the past six years…just Uta…" She began nervously toying with a strand of her hair, still unnerved by what Itori had insinuated about her relationship with Renji.
"One other ghoul. You've fought one other ghoul and it was Uta. So, really, you're trying to measure your strength against someone that's really strong. Do you know how dumb it sounds when you call yourself weak? You can hold your own against Uta! You stabbed him in the leg with your kagune! You're way stronger than you think you are, Kurotani! You don't even realize how cool you are!"
Miyu blushed faintly and looked away. "I'm…not cool."
Shift P.O.V
The rain was hammering down around him now. The early afternoon sky had been clear and beautiful; not even hinting at this sudden downpour in the early evening. He wanted to go back to the house. He wanted the warmth of the coffee she made, the shelter of the house, the heat of her body with her arms wrapped around him. Shaking his head, he continued through the storm, following directions.
It had been a few days since his kiss with Miyu and in those days, things began to change. Not just between himself and the pink-haired girl. He had been approached one afternoon by the ghoul called Uta and subsequently befriended. While it was somewhat confusing, it did present him with this opportunity. Now that they were friends, he knew that he could get some information from Uta regarding Kurotani Hideaki.
Almost there. Renji felt the rain against his scalp, his hair soaked through and dripping onto his already wet clothes. It was unpleasant, but then so was the task that he was currently undergoing. He was determined to find answers. This was just one piece of the puzzle, but it would give him some sort of idea at least. An idea of Hideaki's fate.
He came upon a shed, tucked away behind a warehouse. It appeared to be a maintenance shed, full of cleaning equipment and empty crates. His heart beat rapidly as he entered the little building, already pretty sure of what he would find yet still hoping for a different discovery. He said it was near the back. A red line on the lid. Renji spotted it in the dim space and felt a sinking sensation in his stomach. No…
The boy approached the crate, a coldness settling over him. The crate was about waist high and the lid was visibly loose. With a frown, he forced himself to lift the lid. It was just as he had feared. Inside, tucked away with his knees curled up to his chest, was a rotting corpse. Uta had said Hideaki would be wearing a red hooded sweatshirt and black shorts. This corpse was wearing exactly that. The right hand was missing all of its fingers and the rest of the body was visibly damaged with broken bones, large chunks missing from the decaying limbs and neck. The most horrific was the big hole that went through the center of his chest, leaving the sweatshirt torn and ragged.
Kurotani Hideaki. I'm sorry. A new sadness settled over him as he studied the dead body, knowing that he could never tell Miyu that he had found her brother this way. Uta had not told him how the older ghoul died; simply where he would be found and what he would be dressed in. How did you die? What were you doing?
The crate lid was slid back into place and Renji bowed his head, thinking about his sister for a moment. The pain from his loss was still fresh and he felt a burning in his eyes as he fought tears. Curling his hands into tight fists, he punched the crate to his right and gritted his teeth. Why did this happen? Miyu doesn't deserve this. The anger started to fade away, his fists relaxing as melancholy took over. I can't tell her. And I can't leave him here. I have to do something. A burial.
Renji looked over his shoulder at the open doorway out of the shed. The blond that lingered there tilted his head, rain dripping from his dyed locks. "…help me bury him…you owe him that much…"
Shift P.O.V
Miyu was lying in bed, listening to the storm outside and considering what Itori had said to her. The short-haired girl had gone, saying that she had somewhere to be, but her words had started to bother the ghoul. My relationship with Renji…? What are we? Are we just roommates? I haven't really thought about it. He broke in and…just hasn't really left. So are we friends? Are we just roommates? What does he think about us?
She remembered the incident a few nights ago and blushed pink. Her fingers subconsciously went to her mouth, recalling how it felt when he kissed her. It was the second time that his lips were on hers, but their first real kiss. He had not been trying to feed her this time and he had even pursued her when she tried to brush it away.
Thinking about the kiss inevitably reminded her of the way he pinned her against the wall. The fierce look in his eyes as he leaned down to reclaim her lips. The way his fingers tangled in her hair. She felt a rush of heat through her body as she thought about him and quickly closed her eyes, hugging her pillow to her chest. Calm down. He probably doesn't even see me as more than a roommate. That was a fluke.
The front door opened and closed, startling her out of her thoughts. Miyu left her room and found Renji in the kitchen. He had his back to her, his head bowed and his hands planted on the countertop. Rain dripped from his hair and clothes, but he seemed to not even notice it. When he heard her approaching footsteps, he visibly tensed and shook his head.
Miyu stopped just outside of the kitchen and frowned. "…Renji…are you okay…?"
"I want to be alone." The words came out very quietly, his tone soft. "I'm sorry."
"Ah…alright…" She turned away and started back for her room, pausing to grab a few books from the table. Her intention was to close her door with the dog in her room, leaving him with the rest of the house. I don't know what happened, but something isn't right. I wish I could do something to help him.
As Miyu was trying to direct her dog into her room, she heard a knock at the front door. A glance toward Renji showed that he was now sitting on the floor, his back leaned against the cupboard beneath the sink with his legs drawn to his chest. His hair was falling forward, hiding his face from her view. Her chest started to feel tight so she looked away and went to open the front door.
Uta grinned down at her, his hair and clothes soaked. "Hey, Miyu-chan."
"Um…" She glanced over at Renji again and he followed her line of sight. "I…guess…come in, Uta-san?" The girl moved aside to let him into her house, an unsettling feeling beginning in the pit of her stomach. She moved to get a towel for him, knowing that he probably intended to stay for a while. As she handed it to the boy, she noticed something odd. His pants, shoes, and hands had mud on them. Was he digging? Did he bury some doves? Do we bury doves?
He dried his hair and shifted his gaze from her to Renji. The pale-haired boy was still sitting on the floor in the kitchen, seemingly ignoring the other two and trying to physically close them off from seeing his face. Uta crossed the main room to the kitchen and stood over him for a moment before dropping the towel over his head. To Miyu's surprise, he knelt next to him and started drying his hair.
The female ghoul watched this for a moment, truly perplexed by what she was seeing. Does Uta know what happened to him? She fidgeted with the end of her sleeve, considering approaching the kitchen, but just remained standing near the door. The blond was saying something to Renji very, very quietly. When he looked over at her and smiled, she felt her heart skip a beat. "Ah…is…Renji alright?"
"He's fine," Uta assured her. He stood and walked back to her, pushing his hands into his pockets. "Can we go to your room?"
"I…I'm sorry. I can't leave him alone like this." Fighting her nervousness, Miyu walked to the kitchen and knelt in front of Renji. He glared up at her through his hair, pulling his knees tighter against his chest. She reached for the towel that was still settled over his shoulders and started attempting to dry him off. He's mad at me, but I can't leave him alone. I know that something's wrong. I know he won't tell me. If he won't say anything, the least I can do is try to make him comfortable.
"…I want to be alone…" he growled. Despite his rough tone, he found the girl moving closer. Worse, he felt her slender arms wrap around him and her chin rested on his shoulder. Renji tensed for a moment, but then relaxed. His legs slid away from his chest and his arms wrapped around her, pulling her firmly against his chest. She froze for a second, but then hugged him tighter.
She knew that Uta was nearby and definitely watching, but she no longer cared. Her only concern was Renji. In this moment, it did not matter what their relationship was; she just wanted to pull him out of the depression that was threatening to swallow him up. "I…don't know what happened, but…I-I'm here, okay? If you need anything…"
"Don't leave me." Feeling the heat of her skin through her shirt, having her scent seem to envelope him, he could almost push away the despair. He looked up at Uta as the blond grinned and he attempted a warning look that went immediately defied.
Uta crouched down beside the two, reaching over to plop the wet towel over both of them. "It's cold. Got any coffee?"
"Ah…y-yeah. I'll make some." Miyu moved to stand and found Renji following her. He stood beside her at the counter as she brewed some coffee, but there was still something obviously wrong. His face conveyed his usual stoic coldness, however it did not reach his eyes. When she looked at his eyes, she could see sadness still strongly present. Something was bothering him, eating away at him and threatening to overwhelm him.
As she handed a cup of coffee to Uta, she once again noticed the mud on his clothes. A look at Renji showed mud around the ends of his sleeves and on his pants. Did they fight? But neither of them seem to be injured. What happened? Whatever it is, it involves Uta. She turned to give Renji his drink and found her wrist gripped. Her head tipped back so she could look up at him, her pulse racing. "…Renji…are you okay?"
His hold tightened for a second and then relaxed into a gentle grip. "…thank you…"
Uta smirked and looked directly at Miyu. "You want to cheer him up?"