Chapter 10

If Wishes Were... A Pretty Ring

A/N: Enjoy! Have fun on the journey with me! I read the raw already so I'm up to date with Gareki! I apologize for the inconsistencies. I'm a bit dissapointed in the direction they've taken his character and the unrealisticness of his situation BUT I am happy that he is studying under Doctor Akari and has a chance to rejoin Circus for "work" so there is that. I think he works now and lives in the Research Tower with other medical students? Kuronomei just kinda exploded in terms of logicalness. I don't even know what they're doing with that anymore. But fuck it. It's a manga. I'm not gonna gripe too much since at least Yogi's arc is bad ass! Oh yeah I was going to have Yogi recover his memories in a similar way they did it so it's actually kinda awesome that my prediction came true but I'm sad cuz I wanted to beat them to the bullet and write it first so I could dance victoriously cuz I totally called it. Anyways, Enjoy the read as always! In the actual thing, SPOILER ALERT: THEY HAVE TO HAVE GAREKI REACH OUT TO YOGI. YOGI SEEKS OUT GAREKI TO CALL "FAMILY" the MOST. I'm not even talking yaoi or anything. I'm just saying based on the way their relationship has developed. I REALLY want Gareki to stop tucking his tail between his legs as well. He NEEDS to stand up if it means getting Yogi to come back to mother Earth. Anyways, I'm writing my version of what I WISHED Would happen and that's that. If the manga doesn't do it then that's fine cuz lol. I'm fanfiction. Anyways, I DID enjoy the silver yogi and Gareki interaction. I saw a bit of the old Gareki in it so I enjoyed that. I feel like this new gareki is too much of a "child genius" at 15 poster child for "you shoudl be a doctor because kids, we're trying to get you to be like Gareki" sort of thing. I really want to see Gareki utilize his street smarts some more. He makes fucking bombs. I want him to do that again. Seriously. Gareki. Baby. You're not Fido.

*End Rant.*

P.S. I do love Karoku's character if the last 3 chapters were any indication. I hate how they have him just at the research tower now hleping out while Nai who was fucking obsessed with sticking to his side is just floating around the airship with the Circus gang. It's like, come on guys. Karoku can be pretty cool but I feel like they took him out of the picture so he'd be just background fodder or something. I mean, Nai has a bad dream about birds and Karoku doesn't even think to question it just says he's tired. What the hell. The Karoku I have observed would want to scientifically explore his options. Lazy writing methinks. Anyways. DO ENJOY THE FANFICTION. I do love Karneval still so I hope Yogi gets the love and cuddles he deserves from his sister and that Jiki stops being a dumbass and strangling him with his whip lololol.

"Nai, you have to understand the seriousness," Hirato was saying calmly. He'd spent the following morning explaining as nicely as he could that Nai couldn't just do whatever Karoku wanted because if Karoku hadn't been actually reaching Gareki, it would have been bad. Nai just sat in the chair in front of his desk, looking very ashamed.

"I...I hate to see him so sad…" The Niji trembled.

Hirato sighed. It was true that no one made a real effort to talk to the blue haired boy. He tended to give off vibes of anti-social awkwardness as it were. Gareki didn't really give off those vibes. If anything, Gareki was more indifferent than anything. However, Karoku's room had been searched and they had found nothing. Hirato wondered what kind of skills that Karoku really had. He had learned his lesson about underestimating a child genius. Since Karoku's entire thing had been for a harmless reason, Hirato sighed. "I am not going to report this," he finally said. Nai looked up with surprise.

"Huh?" The little white haired boy looked at him with big eyes.

"Normally I'd follow protocol, but this was very unique...and since he made Yogi happy, it'd be foolish to punish him," Hirato continued to explain. He understood Nai's concern. But Hirato was now more interested in studying the boy. Besides no harm had come of it and he'd been fully cooperative of their demands. Other than confiscating any means to build things, Hirato had to ban him from any science and technology books.

"What? Why?" Karoku glared as he stood off to the side. Nearly every book was taken off the shelf. Tsukitachi and Jiki exited wtih the cart. Hirato continued to watch the teal haired boy quiver with silent fury. Honestly it was kind of funny since Karoku needed to be poked at normally.

"You have proven to be capable, more capable than me or the rest of my crew imagined. To ensure the safety of those around me, I have to do this." Hirato calmly said, taking off his hat and he slipped it back on his head after a moment.

"I can't go anywhere or do anything. What do you want me to do now?" Karoku forced the calm.

"Sure you can," Hirato said humorously," Read some fantasy. I hear 50 shades of grey is a riot."

"Hell no." that blatant flat out refusal almost made Hirato laugh. The boy really was starting to sound like a normal teenager. Maybe Nai wasn't the only button he could push after all. This kid was wrapped up in mystery but Hirato felt strongly that he was also best protected here. After all, he knew that if he handed him over to the government, Nai's cooperation would end and there was the possibility he'd turn on them. He already proved that in his animalistic way yesterday.

Hirato didn't want to hurt Nai. He knew the government originally wanted to just experiment on him and see what made him tick. He had told them he'd kill Nai if Nai mutated or became a liability to the cause against Kafka and the type of forbidden research they did, but in all honesty, Hirato wanted to guard the kid. He knew Gareki would never forgive him or Circus if Nai died. Hirato didn't actually know why Gareki's opinion should matter that much. At least to him anyways. "Well, expand your horizons. Have you thought about reading more than just work books?"

Karoku was oddly quiet. Hirato was startled to see a look of angry sadness on that normally impassive face. "I… didn't have time to read those kind of books."

"Ah, are you remembering mroe about your past?" Hirato asked, tilting his head.

"...Not really," Karoku was clearly uncomfortable. Hirato couldn't tell if he was holding something back or not. However the struggle was clear on the boy's face. He was rather honest with his opinion sometimes.

"Don't strain yourself. Anyways, I'll bring a variety of books. You have some time so you should enjoy your youth a little," Hirato said with a wave and he opened the door.

"I am … not a child," Karoku said, his voice level though he was glaring a little at Hirato's back. Hirato looked over his shoulder. Karoku looked passive aggressive. This amused the 26 year old man in a top hat.

"Nonsense. You're never too old to be considered a child," Hirato said teasingly as he shut the door. Karoku remained on the other side, steaming. His face was warm with humiliation. He was 18! More than old enough to be considered an adult! He smirked as he heard Karoku's voice.

"And you're never too old to be a shitty Four-Eyes," Karoku hissed, kicking a chair. His knee erupted into pain and he fell onto his bed with a groan of pain. His neck and body were still sore from where Silver Yogi had rubbed his vines. Dr. Akari had already swabbed him and he wasn't in any need of bandaging, but he still had to take it easy. Hirato just walked away down the hallway, marvelling at the hot-headedness of youth. He wasn't anything like that. He was a gentleman.

"Thank you, Mr. Hirato," Nai said timidly. "...I...I'm sorry...I...Karoku.."

Hirato nodded. "Don't worry about it. He's your family, right?"

Nai looked at him. "Fam...ily?"

The way that Niji tilted his head at a near 45 degree angle actually made Hirato begin to wonder just how much Karoku had educated him. Considering that Gareki had said that Nai was originally supposed to be the Varuga Mine's play thing, he was seriously thinking that this kid needed some sort of education. Actually, that wasn't a bad idea. "Yes, family. They are like friends, but they stay by your side and you feel a special warmth that is different." Hirato knew it was cheesy and he didn't really believe in that himself. In fact, his older half brother Tokikatsu was the most annoying dick on the planet. Seven years older and always flaunting that over him. Seriously.

"My friends...are my family," Nai said smiling.

Hirato propped his chin in his hand. Nai was so innocent. Honestly, it was refreshing. He wondered how Gareki would respond to hearing Nai say something so cute. He wondered just how jealous and green it'd make Karoku. Those two boys were so much fun in their own ways. I'm such a twisted adult, Hirato sighed. And yet, I'm so damn good at being me. Why change? He smiled at Nai. "That's the spirit. Anyways, why don't you go run along now. I have to get some work done and you have to get ready to stay with Yogi for the time being." Nai nodded.

"Okay!" Nai happily left the room. Hirato wondered if Karoku knew yet. He decided to pay him a visit. He walked and he knocked on the door. There was no answer so he entered anyways. Karoku was sitting on his bed, and he was begrudgingly staring blankly at a fantasy novel.

Hirato had Karoku's bookshelves restocked with harmless books. Anything from picture books to romance vampire novels. Karoku looked like he was reading a more sci-fi adventure novel. The author was one that Hirato knew personally.

"Enjoying your reading?" He asked pleasantly. Karoku ignored him. Ooh, touchy. He liked that. He liked them feisty. He smirked, leaning against the wall, his cane summoned so he could lean on it like the smarmy bastard he was. "So, Nai is excited to sleep with Yogi tonight."

Hirato ducked as the book smacked into the wall above his head and plopped to the floor. Well, that was quick. "Are you here to bother me? Report me? Turn me in? What?" Karoku sounded unamused. "I will seriously beat you up with this horrible trash called literary genius."

Hirato chuckled. "You're not in trouble that concerned the government's involvement so relax. I'm not separating you from Nai."

"...Then why are you here?" Karoku's prickly repsonse made Hirato almost laugh. He was like a big poofy russian blue mancoon.

"I figured you'd be interested in knowing how excited Nai is to be sharing a bed with Yogi tonight," he shrugged, smirking. "I mean, he's a big boy now so-"

"I still don't get why I can't sleep with him," Karoku said with an angry tone. "If that person is a threat, I want to be the one to protect Nai!"

Hirato tilted his head. Then an amusing horrible idea crossed his mind. "Then, why don't you join them?" He asked this in an amused tone. Karoku just stared.

"Hah?!" His stupefied look made Hirato chuckle with a wide grin.

"Yes, you heard me. Why don't you just join them? I'm sure Nai would be more than happy to be in the middle of you two," Hirato was having so much fun. It was difficult to not break out into glee. He managed to remain composed despite the wide smirk on his face as Karoku's cheeks became faintly dusted in pink.

"I-I don't want to sleep with that weirdo!" Karoku declared. "I'll only sleep with Nai!"

Hirato wondered how many ways that statement would be taken in the world of fanfiction. Boy, this boy was really attached to Nai. It was cute and almost depressing. He just shrugged. "I'm doing this for Nai's safety. Cooperate or leave him to Yogi," he said with another mischievous smirk. "Ta-ta~" He gave him a gay little wave as he shut the door. Leaving Karoku to stew, Hirato turned his attention to making sure the headmaster didn't try to pin the computer hacking onto Gareki. While it wasn't actually something that Hirato wouldn't put past Gareki to do himself, he had the solid argument that the boy didn't have a reason to disobey school rules for something silly like a video chat. He sighed. Karoku had proven to be full of surprises. Those skills would be suited for Circus. Hirato pondered for a moment. Did Karoku have any formal education? He was only 18 after all. He was clearly educated but was he affiliated with anything besides Kafka? As long as Karoku couldn't remember anything, Hirato couldn't make any moves. But now that he was no longer angry, he had to laugh at the situation that happened yesterday. The sheep in a giant bleating ball. He laughed to no one in particular.

Ugh. Karasuna. So she made it. The pig had ran off. She was certain it was stalking her. Since she'd seen what it could do, she wasn't really sure she wanted it around. She kind of wanted to avoid being eaten now that she had that lovely bloody wake up call. Still, the pig had been on and off following her. She wondered if it was lonely or if she was its next victim. She rummaged in her satchel, slung over her shoulder. She had a spare set of knives. She hadn't thought to pick up the ones she'd thrown around the alley. Figures.

Her eyebrows furrowed. Cradle Cells? That girl's name was Quentin. She was just a child. That lizard faced man… He gives me the creeps. What's going on here? She had been a bit on alert since he'd threatened to play with her again in the future. She had barely gotten out of that gravitational pressure power of the girl's. To know that super powers really existed was terrifying and thrilling. She felt a bit jealous. I wish I had powers… She sighed.

She pulled out a peach. She had rationed what money she had left. As someone who was used to not eating too much a day, she actually could survive on snacking. She munched the peach, trying to figure out her new goal. I was drawn here. Why? She walked through the streets. She wanted to prove she was tough and that she could kick ass. Gender wasn't an excuse for weakness in her books. Either you are tough or you are not. Simple as that. She looked around.

Coming to the quieter part of the neighborhood, she furrowed her brow. She could smell the ocean more clearly. There were homes littered on the small hills, near the sea. However, most of them looked to be abandoned. She blinked. A ghost town? She kept trotting through the dusty roads. This was definitely rural. More than rural, it was a poor area.

A few homes had animals fenced in for agricultural means, but it was a lot like a ghost town. The air here felt murky as well. The hair on the back of her neck raised. She was getting a feeling. She wasn't sure what that feeling was. It didn't feel positive though. I'm not really scared of ghosts or anything and I've watched horror movies, but seeing the real thing I'll admit is different. She looked around.

She got an idea.

She opened the door to one of the homes. It was empty. It looked like a table was turned over and a few windows were broken. The remains of an old meal was molding in the corner near the fireplace. A strange smell hit her nose. She covered her arm with a sleeve. I'll see what I can take to sell from here. I know there are pawnshops in that town.

She began to rummage around, trying to ignore the less than savory smell. It was hard to place. She opened the cabinets and then she headed for the bedroom. In the bedroom, there was no one. Red looked at the room itself. The sunlight coined through the moth-eaten curtains and the dust was making her cough. "Jeez, when was the last one anyone was in this part of town?" Did her gut lead her here to make some dough? That would be nice. She tossed her peach pit onto the floor. Above her in the rafters of the ceiling, a shadow lurked.

It wasn't a big deal. Not like anyone was living here. Clearly. She found a box in a sock drawer. It was small and she opened it. It was a ring. This ring had a purple diamond stone in the middle, hugged by the simple silver band that had been ornately designed closer to the stone itself. The ring looked cool. Red took it out of the dusty box and slipped it onto her left ring finger. She held it up to the light. "This is...a pretty ring." The ring glittered in the light. The purple light reflected in her eyes and Red felt transfixed. She lowered her hand with a smile. "It'd be a shame to sell you."

She turned around and then she yelled. "WHOA!"