Chapter 10 is finally up! Sorry for the delay- Life dropkicked me in the face! Or rather a car did.
As I told my Stormy Reception readers, I was in a car accident recently and busted up my arm pretty bad, before getting an infection in that arm a while later. Having only just been released from hospital a few days ago, I can only apologise. I had this typed up and ready before being admitted but I've just been recuperating the last few days.
Thanks to anyone who reviewed, favourited, followed or read the series during my absence!
DISCLAIMER: I do not own the characters from KHR and make no claim to them. This is a non profit fan fiction where all I own is the idea and Mirai-san.
Chapter 10- You Should Never Judge A Restaurant On How Many Customers It Has.
"More than one? In the school you mean?" Yamamoto asked innocently.
The question had been perfectly prudent but somehow it still managed to annoy Gokudera.
"No, in the bathroom sink. Of course in the fucking school," Gokudera answered shortly, annoyed that it was taking his roommate so long to catch on.
This, he reminded himself, was why he worked alone.
"I see," Yamamoto said musingly, "any ideas on who the others are?"
Gokudera said nothing for a short while and then answered simply.
"No. I haven't had the time to research that just yet. From what I saw the other day, we're looking at a bunch of them. The exact number and who they are? A fucking mystery so far."
Yamamoto nodded his head, acknowledging that even Gokudera's knowledge of the supernatural had limitations.
"Then I guess that's where we go next," he said, impressively rational.
Gokudera raised a brow. He never thought that Yamamoto would voice his thoughts before he could himself. For once, Yamamoto was on the same page as he was, and was showing signs of not being totally incompetent.
"Exactly. We cant let the other spirits hover around while anticipating an attack from that senpai of yours. They could get in the way."
Yamamoto nodded in agreement and then suddenly rose from his seat at Gokudera's bedside. Gokudera said nothing but raised a questioning brow at his companions sudden rising. Yamamoto saw the look on Gokudera's face and grinned.
"As my dad says, there's no sense going into battle unprepared. I better get a move on to your hotel room," Yamamoto said, already turning towards the door.
He took a few steps when he heard Gokudera's voice call him back.
"Oi, idiot. Aren't you forgetting something?" Gokudera said impatiently, his eyebrow twitching and a look of pure annoyance clear on his weary face.
Yamamoto simply looked confused at his words and Gokudera bet that he was rifling through his brain for the thing he had forgotten. Gokudera sighed. He found that he was sighing far more than was usual for him, just by being in the company of the other young man. When it was apparent that Yamamoto wasn't going to catch on Gokudera raised a finger and pointed to the pocket of the pair of trousers folded neatly on one of his bedside chairs.
"Hotel room key. Moron. Were you planning on scaling the fucking building?"
Twenty minutes later Yamamoto returned to the hospital with one of his usual grins and two heaving shopping bags.
"Yo! I'm back," he said cheerfully as he plopped the shopping bags down on a chair.
Yeah, no shit. And there goes my fucking peace and quiet, Gokudera thought to himself, his eye twitching all the while. He had only just gotten used to the silence that had accompanied the other young man's departure, and now just as suddenly it was noisy again.
Gokudera didn't greet the other young man as he stepped into the room, instead he went straight to business.
"Did you get my stuff, or was my errand too hard for you?"
Yamamoto laughed, ignoring Gokudera's slight entirely, and pointed to the rightmost shopping bag.
"Yup. They were just where you said Gokudera. I also went to the store for some snacks in case you were as hungry as I am," Yamamoto said as he gestured to the other bag.
Almost as if on cue Gokudera's stomach grumbled loudly as he remembered that he hadn't really eaten in over a day. Yamamoto, to his credit, said nothing when he heard the loud noise, and kept silent when he saw the unexpected flush spread over Gokudera' s face as he reached for the bag.
He rustled inside until he took out a box shaped object.
"The hell is this?" he asked shortly, examining the box.
"Oh. That's a onigiri bento. You know, rice and…"
"Yeah I know what onigiri are. Fuck sake, I'm only half Italian you know."
Yamamoto raised his eyebrows at this. It seemed to come as a surprise to him. Gokudera looked like a full bred foreigner to him.
"So are you English too or something?" he asked curiously.
"Are you seriously this fucking stupid? I'm half Japanese you idiot. I cant believe…ugh, this is actually too stupid for me to comment on. Congratulations, you've reached a new level of stupid. Just…just hand over my cell phone."
Yamamoto did as he was told and handed the expensive looking cell phone over to Gokudera, but he shifted on his feet restlessly as he did. After a few more minutes of Yamamoto's annoying fidgeting, Gokudera had finally had enough.
"What?! What the hell are you fidgeting for? If you have something to say, then fucking say it," Gokudera snapped impatiently.
Yamamoto looked at him momentarily, a rare concerned look on his face. He hesitated, as though he needed more time to steel himself for what he was about to say and then with a deep breath, he spoke.
"I think, for the time being…you should come stay at my house Gokudera," he said quietly, a rather strange nervous smile on his usually cheerful face.
For a while Gokudera said nothing, trying to make sure that he had just heard correctly.
"What?" he asked eventually.
He watched Yamamoto sigh before heading towards the chair next to Gokudera's bed. He sat down heavily, his form drooping slightly with fatigue, before answering.
"I think it may be best that we stick together Gokudera. The book says that some ghosts don't stay around in the place of their death, so senpai could attack me in my own house right? If you're staying at my place then you can protect me and I can protect you. It's win-win."
Gokudera was momentarily stunned. The idiot was using logic against him. But he obviously had no idea how stubborn Gokudera could be.
"You protect me? Pff, don't make me fucking laugh. I don't even want to share the same fucking hospital room with you let alone a house," Gokudera retorted, well aware that he was being extremely harsh even for him.
Yamamoto's words had angered him and he didn't care in the slightest if his words were cruel. Just the thought of someone believing that he needed to be protected angered him. He hadn't fought so hard for so long for someone to assume he needed to be defended like a weakling.
"What the fuck makes you think that I need protecting?! I can take care of myself and I don't need some simple fucking idiot telling me he'll protect me from something he only found out existed a fucking day ago! Don't insult me! Who the hell do you think I am?!"
Yamamoto's expression didn't change at Gokudera's outburst. He didn't even flinch at the young man's violent temper. Oddly enough he looked understanding, as though he'd read Gokudera like a book.
"I think you're human Gokudera," he responded seriously.
Gokudera looked confused at Yamamoto's response.
"The fuck?"
Yamamoto continued.
"I think that you're human. You're vulnerable just like the rest of us. You aren't invincible Gokudera. What exactly is so wrong about being protected? Even though you haven't put it in words, aren't you fighting to protect me? I could say the same thing as you, could get angry at being 'protected' by someone else, but I don't. I realise that I'll need your help to get over this and I accept that. I'm not saying that I'm tougher than you, and I'm not saying you're weak. I'm just saying that since we're in the same boat for the time being, that we should watch each other's backs is all."
"And you think that me moving in with you is the best way to do that? Don't be stupid. There's no fucking way I'm rooming with you."
Yamamoto sighed and then resumed to look serious once again.
"Look," he started, his tone of voice unusually weary, "I'm just trying to keep myself alive, and I need your help to do that. So, please Gokudera. You don't even have to look at me while you stay over, just don't dismiss the idea because you dislike me. That's not going to help anyone."
Gokudera, his head turned towards the window, stared at the tall student from the corner of his eye, studying the strange expression on his face.
The cheerful and happy-go-lucky expression was gone, replaced by something of a shadow. Yamamoto looked sad, and tired, the dejected look in his eyes causing his face to age.
Gokudera felt something stir inside him as he looked at the other youth. Anger…and pity. It didn't take a genius to figure out Yamamoto's personality type: cheerful and energetic. Which is probably why it affected Gokudera so much to see him out of character.
"Two days."
His voice had been an intrusion on the silence and it seemed as though it had been unexpected for Yamamoto as well. Unexpectedly quiet that was. He tilted his head in confusion.
"Run that by me again?"
Gokudera clicked his tongue in irritation and brushed aside the urge to throttle the other. His voice, the next time around, was far from silent.
"Two days. And then I'm outta there."
~oOo~
"Ah. So nice to be out of that fucking hospital room," Gokudera said as he stretched his taught arms behind his head.
Yamamoto was shocked to see that he was smiling. Actually smiling and not using that smirk of his. It looked so out of place that he couldn't help but stare at the beauty of it. For some reason it made Yamamoto want to smile even wider.
"How did you convince the hospital to let you out so early Gokudera? I mean it was only yesterday that you seemed to be at death's door," he mused suddenly, almost as though he was talking to himself.
He missed seeing the grim look on his companion's face and when he turned to face the silver haired youth Gokudera had moved his gaze off to the side.
"I have my connections. That's all you need to know," he responded unemotionally, the way he said it making clear that he didn't want Yamamoto to question him further.
"Ah. Okay," he heard him say with a slightly nervous chuckle, and Gokudera could tell without even having to turn to look that the other young man was dragging a hand through his short dark hair. A quick observation of Yamamoto was all it took for it to become obvious that it was one of his habits.
Gokudera said nothing for a while and let the silence stretch out before him, well aware that sooner or later the black haired young man would feel the need to break it.
"Gokudera?"
Just as expected, a mere minute after thinking it, Yamamoto broke the silence that Gokudera had let spread.
He turned to him with a sigh.
"What is it?"
He noted the way that Yamamoto looked about him now, sweeping his gaze from left to right.
"I couldn't see all of these people when I left a while ago," Yamamoto responded vaguely, his dark eyes eventually coming to rest on Gokudera with confusion.
Gokudera had absolutely no idea as to what he was referring to at first, until something hit him. He had learned to ignore the presence of the ghosts that plagued his life, had tended to just brush them off as just another face in the background. But to someone who had only just awakened recently, someone who wasn't used to it, the sheer number of them must have come as a shock. And they were outside a hospital of all things.
Surprising even himself, Gokudera was almost gentle when he responded.
"That's because your spiritual signature is still too weak to draw them in. Only the strong spirits will be able to register that you're different from normal humans, so you'll have to be careful," he explained, stretching out a finger so the spirit of a butterfly could land on the tip.
Yamamoto watched the action with curiosity, his eyes following the gentle movement of the butterfly's wings with wonder.
"So that means," he started, his eyes still latched onto the amazing scene before him and eventually following the insect upwards as it took off.
"The reason why you can see them now, why there are so many around, is because I'm next to you. They aren't here because they sense you, they're here because they sense me," Gokudera finished for him as he too looked upwards and trace the butterfly's progress with his crystalline eyes.
"I get it. So does that mean that you're really strong, since even the spirits of insects are drawn to you?"
Yamamoto could see an almost smirk tug at his companion's lips as he asked the question.
"Not quite. Insects actually have a larger reserve of spiritual energy than most humans. They're fucking purer that's for sure. But the stronger you get, the more these spirits will latch onto you, the more you'll see…and the more you'll not want to see."The weariness in Gokudera's intonation was almost palpable as he explained further and Yamamoto felt his heart strings tug. Gokudera just seemed so adult to him at times, like he had so much on his shoulders and that was his impression after only meeting him a couple of days ago. As the days passed, just how much more would he learn about the enigma that was Gokudera Hayato?
Maybe nothing at all, maybe more than he'd ever imagine. But in the meantime, Yamamoto would be more than content if he was just able to make the other smile.
~oOo~
The two young men walked under the cloth partition that covered the door, Gokudera trailing after the other slightly as he peered from side to side, taking every little bit of information in.
The idiot had failed to mention that his family owned a restaurant, as tacky as it looked. A sushi restaurant at that. The stench of fish had practically assaulted him as soon as he had stepped through the entrance.
He heard Yamamoto greet the middle aged man behind the counter before asking about his father's whereabouts. Gokudera had simply been under the impression that the man behind the counter was his father. The two had the same stupid grin.
"Yo, Take-chii, the master just went on a delivery, since I busted my damn knee up again," the man explained, just as loud as the colourful band he wore over his forehead.
Gokudera raised his eyebrow at the cutesy way in which his companion had been addressed and fought back a snigger. Yamamoto on the other hand was perfectly used to it and showed no reaction to being called that way.
"Okay. Thanks Mirai-san. I'll just show Gokudera to my room and then I'll come down to give you a hand."Gokudera saw the man wave Yamamoto off, saying that it wasn't so busy that he would need the extra pair of hands, and noticing that the black haired youth had started moving away made to follow, resisting the urge to go back and pummel the middle aged man when he heard him address a customer: 'that pretty kid was a guy?'
Instead, he balled his fists, sucked it up and followed the son of the household up a set of stairs in the back.
When they had reached the second floor, Gokudera was not surprised to note that it served as their house, and found himself wondering how constantly smelling that fishy smell didn't turn their stomachs. Then again, his diet wasn't exactly the epitome of healthy. He mostly survived on noodles and microwaveable meals since longer than he could remember.
It was at this point that he noticed that Yamamoto had been talking to him and that he hadn't been paying attention to a single word. Deciding that it was better late than ever he started to listen to the other's ramblings.
"My room is just at the end over there. Bathroom is just here, toilet just opposite," Yamamoto instructed, pointing his finger at the corresponding rooms.
Suddenly, Gokudera felt a chill run up his spine and he shuddered. Something up ahead was sending pulses of spiritual energy his way, almost sending him to his knees it was so intense. Before he even registered what he was doing, his hand pulled at Yamamoto's sleeve, telling him to stop. He did just that, but turned to face Gokudera with a worried expression. Before he could utter the 'are you okay' that Gokudera knew was on his lips, he spoke, embarrassed when a slight tremble emerged with his voice.
"What the hell is in that room?" Gokudera practically gasped out as he pointed a thin finger at a room on the far left of the hallway, where the energy seemed to be gathering.
He saw Gokudera follow his finger's trajectory and the black haired youth's shudder wasn't lost on him. Whatever was in that room seemed to be having just as much of an effect on him.
"That's my dad's study," he said quietly, his voice holding none of its usual exuberance, "I tend to stay out of there."
Yamamoto turned away from Gokudera's inquisitive stare, feeling it poring into his back just as it had on the first day they had met, when he had done the same in their classroom."Why?" he heard Gokudera question him.
Yamamoto was hesitant to answer at first, scared that the other young man would poke fun at his expense just like his friends used to when he had told them as a scared child. He hadn't mentioned it to anyone ever since, keeping the trepidation to himself.
But then again, Gokudera was different to all those other guys. He could probably see it from a unique perspective, whereas everyone else he had told only looked at him with the eyes of a child.
He decided, eventually, to wing it and reply honestly. At this point what did he have to lose?
"I…I think it scares me. Something in there doesn't feel right," he confessed, his hand making it's usual beeline up to his hair.
He wasn't surprised when Gokudera didn't laugh, but he had to admit that it felt nice to not be judged. But he wasn't in the least expecting those particular words to escape the other young man's mouth."That's a fucking understatement. There's something demonic in there."
TO BE CONTINUED
Soooo, how about you lovely fans out there drop me a review and make me feel better about having to have to bear this pain for that much longer! I want to know what you think about this demonic whatever it is. What do you think it is?
See you later,
SFS x