Gigi had never truly taken it in before, but Suoh was incredibly vulnerable. He'd known already, having watch Suoh's back when he was filled with liquor. Yet, he'd not truly thought of him as vulnerable outside of that. He was always so strong in front of them. Even after he'd been raped, Suoh had never shown his weakness to people. Maybe Snicker had seen it, but he'd hidden away from everyone else for several weeks. When he'd shown himself again, he'd been full of determination and a drive to fulfill whatever goals were locked away in his head.
To see him now was painful. He seemed so small and frail in comparison to how Gigi remembered. The six months that he'd been away hadn't been kind to him. He'd noticed it in Suoh's voice over the phone. The hesitation and the lurches in his speech. He didn't even seem to notice that he was doing it, nor did he notice that he thought aloud more often than not. It made it hard to believe that the man sitting in the hospital bed, attempting to slowly eat a slice of apple, was really the Tsunayoshi Sawada that he'd idolized for so long.
He wasn't, Gigi mentally slapped himself. Tsunayoshi Sawada died. The man sitting in front of him was Suoh Timberson. He was still the same Suoh Timberson that he'd looked out for and--
"What are.. ah... you thinking about, G-Gigi?" Suoh asked quietly from where he'd bowed his head over the half-eaten slice of fruit in his hand.
"I'm just glad to see you," he replied with a smile, crossing his legs so that he could lean forward in his chair. "I wonder--"
"Gigi's lying to me again," Suoh mumbled, switching to third person like he always did when he didn't realize that he was speaking his thoughts aloud. "I don't like it when he lies to me. I can tell now, but he doesn't know that I can tell. Did you make it so that I could tell, Mukuro-sama?" Gigi flinched to herself when Suoh paused and his face took on an expression of apt listening. He was talking to his imaginary friend again. He did it at least once a day and Snicker had said that it might have been something he'd done so that he didn't feel alone. It was okay, though. They'd all agreed to ignore it until Suoh figured out for himself that he didn't such a thing. Everyone was still a little worried over it because Mukuro had been the name of the man that had shot Suoh, but he could have chosen that person just be because Suoh was willing to admit that the person was strong. It was all just tricks that Suoh's mind was playing on him and it'd go away eventually. Or so they all prayed.
"I see," Suoh mumbled unhappily. "So it's the blood again. Can I make it go away?" Silence. "Because I don't want it! I--" Silence. "Yes, Mukuro-sama. I'll learn to deal with it. Thank you for answering my question." Silence. "Oh." Suoh looked up to see everyone staring at him and blushed until his ears turned red. This time when he spoke, he seemed to actually know he was speaking. "W-What... ah... were you... ah... What were you saying, G-Gigi? I... ah... I'm sorry. I-I wasn't paying a-attention."
"Don't worry about it, Suoh," Gigi soothed with a forced smile. "I was just wondering how you were liking your apple."
"Oh," Suoh mumbled, belatedly lifting the slice back up to take the smallest of nibbles off of it. "It's... uh... It's good. T-Thanks for... ah... for giving it t-to me."
"It was a pleasure," Gigi replied. "Is there anything else that might sound good?"
"Ah... No," he answered with a hint of sadness in his voice as he once more bowed his head. "I-I still have p... ah... plenty." Gigi nodded in acceptance, but found himself freezing entirely as Suoh started mumbling under his breath again. "Hamburger. Fajitas. Onigiri. Dango. Takoyaki. Melon Bread. Donut holes. Anpan. Steak. Sea urchin. Fatty tuna. Sashimi. Sushi. Tempura. Mash potatoes and gravy. Dumplings. Udon. Somen. Spaghetti. Yakisoba. Yakitori. One of Georgie's spiced sausages. Grilled eel. Vegetable beef stew. Gyoza buns. No, I haven't been able to eat Gyoza since I-Pin almost killed Kyoko with one." Gigi felt his heart leap up into his throat at the name. Kyoko Sawada was Tsunayoshi Sawada's dead wife. Everyone who idolized him knew that. She'd been found decapitated with a multitude of other things done to her that the news hadn't been capable of detailing due to the graphic nature of even the verbal report. Gigi remembered back then. Right after that had been when Tsunayoshi had started a downward spiral that had thrown the media into a frenzy with his escapades right before he'd disappeared from public view almost completely. It'd been such a big deal that the news of it all had reached all the way state-side.
Was that one of the things that those Mafia fellows had said that Suoh couldn't remember?
"But that shouldn't matter anymore," Suoh continued to mumble. "That was back in middle school. Kami-sama, when was the last time that I thought of her? I never even got to go see--"
"Suoh," Snicker interjected loudly. It was almost too loud, making Suoh jerk up in surprise like he'd been poked from where he'd slowly been sagging down farther and farther.
"Eh?" He gasped with a complete lack of notice that he'd been talking aloud again.
"Don't think of things that'll give you nightmares," Snicker advised gently. Suoh's eyes became glazed for a moment before he simply nodded and put his head back down to continue his nibbling. "I bet you're curious about what everyone's been doing while you were away," Snicker added as a prompt. Suoh nodded silently once more without lifting his head. "Skittles got himself a small role in a television series. Oh, that's right. You probably don't know, but Summer tagged Eric with the name Skittles. Summer decided she wanted to try a real relationship for a change and moved into his room with him. Anyway, Skittles plays a role of an exorcist in this demon hunting team. He doesn't get a whole lot of lines yet, but he's got himself a small fan club that comes by to hassle him every once in a while."
"That's good," Suoh mumbled.
"Ore's started street-fighting again," Snicker continued in hopes of finding something to interest him. "He said he wanted to get stronger since he didn't like how easy he went down before. He's going at it a lot more seriously than he was when we first met him. He's the undefeated champion in the city now."
"That's good."
"I had a sex change and my name is Foxy Wetwhiskers now," Gigi lied in order to point the obvious out to Snicker.
"That's good."
"Damn," Snicker cursed in defeat. Once again, they'd lost connection with Suoh completely.
"We need to get him home," Gigi sighed while he leaned back in his chair. "Right now, they won't let more than two of us in here to visit with him and he needs more going on so that he can't drift off like that."
"Autumn's working on it," Snicker replied with his eyebrows knitted together in concern. "If we can get him to the point that he can eat a whole sandwich, the doctors will let him go. I think you're right. He'll come out of it if we can just get him home. It just still hasn't hit him that he's with--"
"Do y-you hate me, Gigi?" Suoh asked suddenly, instantly capturing both of their attention.
"What do you mean, sweet-cheeks?" Gigi inquired in confusion. "Why would I hate you?"
"I... uh... You kn-know now. Y-You know the... uh... the truth about me. A-Are you mad? Cause... uh... I-I lied."
"Is that what you were thinking of?" Gigi asked in open irritation for such a question. That irritation faded when Suoh looked up once more with a vulnerable expression that was utterly unlike the Suoh that he was used to. "No," he soothed immediately. "I'm not mad. I will admit that I was shocked at first. It's hard to think of you as the billionaire that I fant-- ahem-- that I tracked closely over several years. If you'd told me when I first met you, I might have acted different. That's not what you want, though. Is it? So, to answer the question that you're really wanting to ask, you're still just Suoh to me, sweet-cheeks. I don't plan on acting any different around you than I did before. That means you can expect me to slap your ass, tweak your nose, and continue to dream from afar that I could somehow manage to outwrestle Snicker for you. Not that I'd can anymore. He'd break my nails off and stick them down my throat if I tried."
"Depending on how far you cross the line, your fingers might still be attached," Snicker growled. "Suoh's mine and I don't plan on sharing."
"You just take away all my fun," Gigi replied with an amused grin.
"Do... ah," Tsuna mumbled, glancing at Snicker with a happy gleam in his eye before turning his attention to Gigi in full again. "Do you m-mean that? You... ah... you can really f-forget about my... ah... my name from before w-we met?"
"If that's what you want," Gigi confirmed with another note of confusion in his voice. "What's this all about?"
"I'm not.. ah... I'm not that person," he murmured. "Isn't... um... Isn't it o-okay if I'm... ah... I'm just Suoh?"
"You're past can stay in the past, Suoh," Snicker said firmly, giving Gigi the clue needed to comprehend what Suoh was so worried about. "No one is going to look at you different just because we know. You just be yourself. Your secret is safe with us."
"T-Thanks," Suoh replied with a small smile. "I... ah... I lied to A-Autumn. I... ah... I made up a story so... ah.. s-so that... ah..." Suoh paled a moment before sheepishly scratching the back of his neck. "I-I'm not sure, really. M-Muk... ah... Mukuro-sama told m-me to."
"Mukuro's not here, sweet-cheeks," Gigi said carefully, deciding that there was no better chance to confront the issue. He saw Snicker grimace slightly, but Gigi felt a need to point it out before Suoh got lost deeper in his delusions. "He disappeared after everything was over."
"I... I... um... I know," Suoh agreed slowly. "He's... ah... he's in my head. I made a.. ah.. a--" Suoh froze with that same look of listening on his face, making Gigi once more flinch in understanding of what was going on. Suoh thought his imaginary friend was talking to him again. "Eh?" Gigi traded looks with Snicker in the silence that followed. The same thought was running through both of their heads. If only they'd found Suoh faster. "But I'm not crazy! I-- Oh. Yeah, that probably does make me look crazy." Silence. "No! You can't! They won't--" Silence. "Of course I don't want to be locked up in a loony bin! I--" Silence. "Fine, but you better not do anything but talk!" Silence. "O-Okay. Let me warn them first." Silence. "I don't care if it's more fun for you! These are my--"
"Suoh!" Snicker snapped, unable to watch Suoh continue his argument with himself. Once more, Suoh lurched up as if poked and stared at Snicker in surprise. "You've got to stop that, Suoh," Snicker advised gently. "Me and Gigi are right here for you to talk to. You don't have to--"
"He wants to talk to you," Suoh interrupted, making both Snicker and Gigi turn pale. Gigi felt his heart drop into his stomach as he slowly came to terms with the fact that Suoh's problem was worse than they'd realized. It wasn't just an imaginary friend. It was something far worse. From the way Suoh was talking, it was a complete and totally separate personality. "Do... ah... Do you guys m-mind... ah... talking to him? H-He says that... ah... that he'll be good."
"Suoh..." Snicker groaned with an expression filled full of heartache. "You--"
"I'm not crazy," he mumbled, once more bowing his head. "He's real and... ah... and he can s-see and hear what... ah... what I can. It... It was p-part of that... ah... that deal I-I made."
"What's he talking about?" Gigi asked with narrowed eyes when Snicker paled with wide ones.
"It's something to do with his eye turning red," Snicker replied absently before replying to Suoh. "You're not making a joke, are you, Suoh? It's another of those crazy Mafia things that you told me about. Isn't it?"
"Mukuro-sama s-says that he'll... he'll explain," Suoh mumbled. "He--" Snicker and Gigi jumped up in unison when Suoh froze mid-sentence with a look of shock on his face and the remnants of his apple slice fell out of his hands. Then his eyes flickered for a moment and his expression changed. It changed into something so unlike Suoh that neither Snicker of Gigi could move. "You were taking too long, Tsunayoshi. Now be a good boy and stay quiet. I don't have time to waste on such trivialities." Suoh chuckled in laughter unlike his own and reached out to grab one of the many plates of food on the side-table. "I might as well take care of this while I'm here, too. You are far too modest for your own good, Tsunayoshi. At the rate you're eating, I'll have nothing amusing to watch for quite some time."
"W-What--?" Gigi murmured while he watched Suoh take a overly-large bite of the hamburger that he'd turned down previously.
"He's hungry," Suoh replied, talking about himself in third person. "He's hungry, but he's given himself a martyr complex and refuses to take what's offered since he does not feel he earned it. Not that I find it surprising. The he that he cannot remember being wasn't much different. He was always finding some new cause to fight for. Yes, Tsunayoshi, and to kill for. I cannot deny that the wings your grew were stained red before you reached adulthood." Gigi swallowed hard in the silence that followed, watching Suoh eat in a fashion completely unlike the way that he'd been eating for the past few days. In less than a minute, the hamburger was gone and Suoh tossed the plate carelessly back to the table before laying back in his bed in utter contentment. "Very well," he sighed, once more talking to himself. "I won't speak of it if you do not want to hear. When you are ready, I will tell you all that you wish to know."
"What's wrong with you, Suoh?" Snicker mumbled slowly.
"So the old one speaks," he chuckled with a smile flickering along his lips. "Tsunayoshi truly does have unique tastes to have chosen you as his temporary lover. Oya?" Mukuro mumbled with his eye suddenly twitching in irritation. "I asked for you to be silent, Tsunayoshi. I'll get to the matter at hand momentarily. Why don't you sleep for a while and let us talk in peace?" Silence ensued for a moment while Snicker was openly dumbfounded by the word 'temporary' and Gigi tried to figure out what he was supposed to do. Were they supposed to wait the episode out? Maybe they should get a doctor? A psychiatrist? Something...? "Enough, Tsunayoshi!" He finally snapped. Then he sighed, once more turning his attention back to the others in the room. "That's better. No more interruptions."
"What... What did you do?" Snicker asked with wide eyes. "What did you do with Suoh?"
"Kufufufu," he chuckled with open pleasure. "I see that Tsunayoshi's trust in you was not completely misplaced if you are able to comprehend the situation so quickly."
"I asked what you did with Suoh!" Snicker growled while Gigi continued to find himself frozen in confusion.
"Do not fret. I've just suspended his perceptions for the moment. His outbursts were beginning to wear thin and he was on the verge of pushing me out again. For the sake of not wasting this trip, you can say that I put him to sleep so that we could talk freely. I do not have power to waste in coming here more often than needed. The pact we've made is still quite fragile."
"What pact?!" Snicker began to snarl, stepping forward to grab Suoh by the collar. Gigi started to go forward to intervene, but a single glare from Suoh made him pause after only a mere step.
"Do not forget that this is still Tsunayoshi's body that you're manhandling," he commented with a raised eyebrow down at the fists full of his shirt. Snicker's hands only tightened more with his anger sparking in his eyes. Slowly, ever so slowly, Gigi started to realize that this was something far more than just a split personality. Snicker knew Suoh better than anyone and he believed that Suoh was currently gone completely. Someone else really was in Suoh's head and was possessing him. "I see that you're going to be difficult," the not-Suoh sighed. "I didn't want to do this, but I see that you're not going to be polite otherwise."
Gigi found herself shaking at the sight of Snicker's chair walking up behind him in order to restrain him. There was no explaining how it moved. The legs curved and moved in ways that the metal of the legs shouldn't move. The arm-rests lashed out in order to wrap themselves around Snicker's waist and forcibly pull him down into the seat where it could hold him in place. Gigi squeaked in surprise when he found that his own chair was just as alive, albeit in a much nicer fashion. It made him feel insane to look down and find the arm-rest of his own chair pulling on his sleeve as if to say 'sit on me'. Considering he didn't want the same treatment as Snicker, Gigi sat slowly and delicately while trying to hide the feeling of being in the twilight zone.
"Much better," the not-Suoh said in satisfaction when Snicker finally stopped fighting his restraints. "It would be best if you calmed down, my wrinkled rival. Tsunayoshi would be very unhappy if you were to have another heart attack due to my presence."
"Rival...?" Gigi interjected before Snicker could have another outburst. Pointing the word out made Snicker finally pause in order to gape at Suoh in shock.
"Pathetic humans," the not-Suoh growled. "You think that a mere year is enough to create unbreakable bonds and to know everything there is to know about the person who has unknowingly leashed you all. Tsunayoshi has ties and bonds going back to the day of his birth and before. He has forsaken all of that quite easily and yet you think your bonds with him are special. I will give you but one warning. Tsunayoshi is mine and has been mine for centuries. He is destined for things that your small minds can not begin to comprehend and I will not give up my last chance to walk beside him through this world. I refuse to leave him in the broken state that he is in, so know that your time with him might end rather abruptly."
"Broken? Our time together will end? What are you talking about? I don't understand," Gigi exclaimed.
"His memories," Snicker gasped with a shudder. "You're talking about his memories. Aren't you? He doesn't want those back! How many times does he have to say it for you to leave him alone?!"
"Indeed," the not-Suoh mumbled blandly. "The Tsunayoshi that you know does not want them back, but I assure you that the Tsunayoshi he has forgotten would. You are satisfied with possessing only a fragment while I refuse to accept less than the whole. You have no choice in this matter. I will piece together that which is shattered in his mind. Until then, I will leave him in your care. The boring monotony of your lives is relatively safer than the sadistic and ugly nature of the true horrors of this world. Alas, Tsunayoshi has faced those horrors far too often for me to be happy." Gigi gaped when the not-Suoh pushed up Suoh's hospital shirt in order to look sadly down at the tattoos and scars covering his chest. "He has deserved a rest in oblivion for a time. Just know that the time will eventually have to end. Tsunayoshi is a rare quality of being that must not be allowed to be destroyed."
"You're in love with him," Gigi gasped with a dumbfounded gape.
"I can not deny it," he replied with a dangerous softness. "But I would not have him know that until he can remember that which tied us together. He does not remember that we were once more than enemies nor does he remember the promises made. He can be forgiven for such betrayals, however. He can be forgiven since only half of him was pulled out of death's clenched jaws. I'm positive that when I retrieve the other half and he is made whole again, he will return to my side. Until then, I have created a pact with him in order to protect the half that was already returned."
"What's this pact?" Snicker asked suspiciously.
"That is between me and Tsunayoshi," he answered with a small glare. "Just know that I will be watching and that any trespasses made against Tsunayoshi will be paid in full. For now, my presence will be only at Tsunayoshi's personal request. Now, I think I've made the reality of my presence undeniable in your puny little minds. I'll give you one opportunity. Is there any other pointless questions that you two wish to ask before I return to my task?"
"Just to make this clear," Gigi said in mild confusion. "You are the person that shot Suoh in the head, but you're also claiming that you're inside of him in order to protect him."
"Correct," Mukuro answered in boredom. "I had my minions already explain that to you. Or has your small minds already forgotten? We warned you that we would have to force Tsunayoshi into releasing his energy. Unless you are simple-minded enough to think that it was a normal bullet that I had in the chamber? If so, you are nothing more than gullible fools."
"That was the gadget that Suoh told me about," Snicker mumbled in thought. "It didn't hit me before, but he'd sounded hesitant back when he told me about it. He probably didn't think I'd believe him if he told me he'd been taking bullets to the brain."
"They are unique in manufacture," Mukuro replied. "It took much work to retrieve one without being noticed. Thankfully, he won't be needing such remedies in the future."
"Why's that?" Gigi asked curiously.
"Because he has accepted me," he smirked. "Due to the pact, I can steal his abilities with the skill I learned on the Path of Hungry Ghosts. As long as I'm in control of his body, I can use the abilities that he cannot yet touch. It will be a simple matter to take him over when he becomes feverish and expend his Dying Will back down to a level that his weakened body can handle. With enough training and time, his body will become acclimated to its usage again and the negative effects will dissipate."
"Or we can let Poe just bite him again," Snicker amended with a glare. "I think Suoh might prefer that over having someone like you inside him."
"I believe he'll prefer my method," Mukuro countered with his eye once more twitching in irritation. "Using his life energy is better than having it eaten by hell spawn.
"W-Why don't we just let Suoh decide on that," Gigi interjected reasonably, feeling the tense air become thick between the two. "It's his body that--"
"Needs to be given back," Snicker finished in a growl.
"I see that I have reached the end of civilized conversation," Mukuro replied in amusement as he shifted to get more comfortable where he lay. "I have business to tend to anyway. Just remember that Tsunayoshi's life before he came in contact with you is not to be spoken of. There are things that he would not be able to understand if he saw it merely by the eyes of those such as yourselves. Forcing him to face that which he does not understand might only shatter him further. Other than that, know that I'll be watching."
Snicker jumped up the moment that his chair became normal again and Gigi wasn't far behind. On the bed, Suoh's eyes flickered shut for a moment, only to reopen with a sleepy haze suddenly present. He sat up, rubbing his eyes while looking around with a half-asleep expression on his face.
"What time is it?" He mumbled under his breath. "I must have dozed off while I was talking to Mukuro-sama. Damnit! I wanted to make sure that he was nice!"
"He was nice," Snicker blatantly lied. "Well, as nice as a fellow like he can get. We kind of know what's going on now, Suoh, and we know that you're not crazy. I should have thought of it being possible before with you having psychic inklings and all."
"I'm not psychic!" Suoh automatically squealed. "I'm just--" Suoh paused mid-gesture with his face turning green. Then he doubled over while holding his stomach in pain. "Ow--" he whined pathetically while Gigi and Snicker hovered over him in worry. "Mukuro-sama made me eat too much," he explained with a pitiful look on his face.
"I'll call the nurse and have her bring you something for your stomach," Snicker chuckled. "At least you aren't tossing it back out."
"Your stutter stopped, too," Gigi commented in thought.
"Stutter?" Suoh repeated in askance. "I don't stutter."
"You were," Snicker corrected in curiosity.
"Oh," he mumbled with a slight grimace. "I didn't notice."
"Don't worry about it," Gigi soothed, leaning down to give Suoh a small, friendly kiss on his forehead. "I'm going to go out and let one of the others come in. I'll have them bring something for your stomach while I'm out."
"Thanks," Suoh replied shyly. Gigi headed for the door, pausing only for a minute to look back and see Snicker already closing in on Suoh in anticipation of one of the few moments they got alone together. Everything would be okay, he told himself. Suoh just got one extra quirk added to his list and that was all. They could deal with that... hopefully. His past was manageable and could be hidden. His present consisted of helping him recover. His future...
His future was with the Orange Dragon Gang, Gigi thought firmly. Just let Mukuro try to take Suoh away. Their time together might end abruptly? HA! He could just try. The gang hadn't wasted the past six months. After seeing what Suoh had been running from, they were prepared now. Suoh wasn't the only one with secrets anymore.
"S-So Poe and... ah... and all the g-girls stayed... ah... stayed behind," Suoh replied hesitantly. Eric nodded and traded looks with Snicker, only to get a shrug in reply. Gigi had a lot to tell them before they'd let Eric get his chance to visit, but he vividly remembered Gigi staying that the stuttering speech had cleared up.
"Yes," Eric replied verbally to reinforce his nod. "We didn't have enough spare cash for everyone, so just four of us came. Ollie stayed behind, too. He said that he'd be too scared of going through the scanners after being stuck on a plane for several hours."
"So... ah... so h-how's the... ah... the acting going?"
"Is there something wrong, Suoh?" Eric asked worriedly instead of answering. "I thought Gigi said that you weren't stuttering anymore."
"Eh?" Suoh asked, looking over to Snicker for confirmation.
"You're doing it again," he verified sadly. "What's changed since Gigi left?"
"Oh--!" Suoh gasped as all the blood rushed out of his face. Biting his lip, he ducked his head down in embarrassment out of the desire not to say.
"Out with it," Snicker ordered. "If we're going to get you all fixed up, we might as well find out what's making you sound like a slow-witted idiot riding a pogo-stick."
"It's... ah... It's E-Eric."
"Me?!" Eric exclaimed in surprise. He instantly fell silent at a small gesture from Snicker while Suoh shrunk farther back into his bed.
"What about him?" Snicker prompted.
"I'm.. I'm... ah... I'm nervous," he mumbled quietly and tensely.
"Nervous," Snicker repeated, straightening up in his seat in thought. "I see. I'm going to step out into the hall with Eric for a minute. You sit tight and try to rest until I get back."
"D-Do you have to go?" Suoh asked while chewing his lip.
"I'll just be a minute," he promised as Eric found himself yanked up out of his chair in a rush. "Why don't you try to think of something fun that we can do to celebrate for when you get out of here?"
"O-Okay," Suoh agreed before curling up to get more comfortable in the hospital bed.
"What's going on?" Eric hissed once he was pulled into the hallway with the door closed.
"He's nervous," Snicker sighed. "I don't know why I didn't notice it earlier."
"I don't understand," he replied honestly. "Why would he be nervous around me?"
"Because, you gotta see if from Suoh's point-of-view. He's been alone for six months while we were all still able to talk to each other and see each other. He knows that we were never stopped looking for him during that time, so he's probably worried that he can't live up to all of our expectations anymore. He's probably worried about how everyone feels about him after how he ran out, too. When Gigi came in, she tried to pretend that they'd just seen each other yesterday. That ain't what Suoh needs, though. He needs you to be honest. Whether you were mad about him leaving or you're relieved to see him again, you got to make it clear to him how you feel so that he knows how he's supposed to act."
"I don't get it," Eric said sheepishly.
"Just say it plainly, you numbskull," Snicker said in exasperation. "Don't go skirting around the truth."
"What about you?" He objected.
"I already told him," Snicker replied with a small smile while scratching his goatee. "I wasn't meaning to confront the issue just yet, but it just kinda happened anyway. Me and Suoh know where each other stand. He just don't know how he stands with you anymore. He must have figured out how he stood with Gigi while we were talking with that Mukuro fellow. From what it seemed like, he got himself a little nap while we were talking and you know what they say. If you can't figure something out, try sleeping on it."
"I took that saying literally once," Eric commented with a grimace. "I still got the imprint of that plane model on my stomach."
"Keep your mind on what's important," Snicker scowled, reaching out to cuff him on the back of the head. "What I'm saying is that Suoh stopped talking like that when he stopped stressing out. I can't do it for you, so you got to tell him straight out how you feel if you want him to act normal around you."
"Alright," Eric muttered apologetically. "I'll try." Snicker nodded in reply and led the way back into the room. They didn't manage more than a few steps before they paused at the sound of Suoh's voice. He was looking up and fiddling with the nurse call button over his head while his mind was obviously somewhere far, far away. He didn't even notice their re-entry while he continued his ramblings.
"...park and play dominos. Cuddle up with Snicker. Watch a movie and eat popcorn. Cuddle up with Snicker. Take Peanut for a walk. Cuddle up with Snicker..."
"I think he wants to cuddle up with you," Eric teased, unable to stop himself from snickering at Snicker due to the way that Snicker turned red at Suoh's latest list. "Why don't I work on what I'm going to say and let him get some rest for now?"
"Shoo," Snicker ordered sheepishly, giving Eric a boot in the rear to follow his hasty and laughing exit back out of the door.
Suoh seemed so small in his arms. He'd always seemed small, of course, but it was more prominent now. He was almost afraid to hold him since he seemed so fragile, yet there was no one else that could without waking him up. Suoh had fallen asleep on the plane and he hadn't budged even upon landing. Ore worried constantly since the little guy had slept a lot since they'd found him, but Snicker said that it was normal. It'd be a while before he got his energy and strength back up enough that he didn't keep dozing off so heavily. There was mental and physical fatigue built up that a single week in the infirmary couldn't cure, but regular meals and good company supposedly could.
Suoh shifted in his arms, burying his face into Ore's chest while pulling Snicker's coat tighter around himself in his sleep. All of his old clothes and his leather jacket had been thrown out back in that backwater town that they'd found him in. Snicker had been so dismayed at their state that he'd not been capable of looking at them long enough to try to salvage any of it. The dirt was too thick to think about, but Snicker had tried to look past what could be cleaned. The rents, tears, and holes were too much to handle, but Snicker had looked at them with a seamster's eye. The bloodstains... The bloodstains had been when Snicker had just begged someone to throw them away.
Suoh was wearing new clothes now, although he'd objected about the purchases at first. Not only were they brand new, but Snicker hadn't given a damn about the cost. Neither had Ore for that matter. Although, it'd been saddening when they'd been forced to take back the clothes they bought several times. They'd bought them in Suoh's old sizes and those sizes had fallen off of him almost completely. After several tries, they'd finally ended up having to buy sizes meant for kids instead of the adult sizes that Suoh normally wore.
The weight could be regained. Ore reminded himself of that repeatedly while walking down the street with Suoh cradled sleeping in his arms. The other three that were with him led the way while the crowd parted to make way for his monstrous size. They'd garnered a lot of attention at the airport, although Suoh had been oblivious to it all. Word had spread through the city like wildfire that they'd found Suoh while they were gone. Every cab driver that knew him had 'coincidentally' decided to try the airport rush hour at the time that their plane had been due to land. Every single one had also 'coincidentally' been on break. That had led to a bit of grumbling since the other passengers had been forced to walk a block to get a working cab, but Ore thought it was incredible that they'd all come to see that he was okay. There'd been a lot of unshed tears, though. There'd been tears of happiness that he was back and tears of shock over how worn out his body was.
He'd get stronger, Ore told himself. Suoh was a strong little guy. He'd just run into a really nasty opponent and needed to be patched up. Even the strongest person had an opponent that they couldn't beat. What Ore was really worried about was how Suoh's head was. He'd stopped talking funny to everyone after Eric had explained how to make him relax around them. Apparently he hadn't been worried about what Autumn thought or else they'd already talked and he knew where he stood with her. He'd been just fine around her from the time that they'd arrived.
It was the other quirks that worried him and everyone else, though. Suoh still liked to make lists, which they'd kind of gotten used to since Suoh had stopped making them quite so often. He'd stopped talking to that Mukuro ghost that everyone said was real, too. At least, he'd stopped talking to him where other people could hear. There'd been once or twice that Ore had caught him mumbling to himself, but it'd been so low that no one had known if he'd been listing things or talking to his ghost pal.
"Mmnh," Suoh moaned, shifting once more in his sleep. This time, he woke up in the process and sat up in Ore's arms while rubbing his sleep-filled eyes. "Where are we?" He mumbled. "Did I pass out again?"
"We didn't want to wake you, Little Guy," Ore replied as Snicker, Gigi, and Eric all looked over their shoulders at him. "We're almost home. If you want, you can lie back down and sleep. You're so light that you're easy to carry and I can wake you back up when we get there."
"No," Suoh mumbled with a shake of his head. "Let me walk, please."
"Don't you want me to carry you anymore, Little Guy?" Ore asked with a crestfallen expression. He loved carrying Suoh because Suoh was so small. It was a hundred times better than carrying a pet because Suoh could talk back to him while they walked. Plus, if Suoh walked on his own, Ore would have a harder time keeping track of him and not stepping on him.
"Just let me walk right now," he replied while chewing his lip again. Ore did like he was asked and put Suoh down amidst everyone else. On the ground, he seemed even smaller than before in comparison to others of normal proportions. He'd always been short, but now he was nothing more than skin and bones. Ore mentally noted that he should pick up some extra body-building supplies to help Suoh gain his weight back. It wasn't much, but it could help. Assuming Snicker said it was okay for him to have it.
Everyone automatically slowed down to Suoh's pace when they started walking again. For Ore, it felt like a snail's crawl, but he kept that to himself. Taking the tiniest of baby steps, Ore kept himself behind Suoh while he walked at a pace much slower than that of his old self. Ore wasn't sure if it was because he was tired, apprehensive about reaching home, or because of not being in any rush to get anywhere in so long, but he didn't even seem to notice that people were passing them by at a rate that Ore could have easily outdistanced at his normal rate of walking.
After only a quarter of a block, Suoh started sweating noticeably. After half a block, he had to pause and catch his breath. By the end of the first full block of walking by himself, he finally ducked into an alley. He leaned against one of the walls without seeming to notice how his friends worriedly gathered around him. It was shocking to see Suoh winded so easily. It was almost more shocking to see him trembling from exhaustion.
Before he got his breath back, he began walking once more. Unfortunately, it wasn't back out toward the street. Instead, it was deeper into the alley at an increasing pace. Ore followed along with everyone else while wondering where Suoh was going. Snicker hesitantly called out to him a few times, but that only made him speed up even more. Then, with a curse, Suoh's actions were understood by one person when he broke out into a run.
"Shit!" Snicker squawked. "He's running for it! Ore! Stop him!"
It was almost too easy to close the distance to where Suoh was trying to scramble away. Stopping him completely was a simple matter of reaching out and lifting him off the ground. The only problem with that, however, was that Suoh fought in his grip like a fish caught in a net.
"Let me go!"
"Why are you running away, Little Guy?" Ore asked in confusion while the others quickly caught up.
"I can't do this! It's too dangerous! I've got to go!" He exclaimed, bodily pausing inside Ore's meaty grip. "Let me go, Ore! I can't stay here!"
"Yes, you can," Ore corrected in even more confusion. "It's not dangerous anymore, Little Guy. We did a lot of outrageous stuff while you were gone so that it was safe for you to come back. We won't let anyone hurt you again, so don't worry."
"Ore, I--" Suoh mumbled, pointedly turning his head and clenching his eyes shut in shame. Or was it guilt? Ore couldn't tell.
"You promised not to run away again," Snicker added in a hurt voice, making Suoh flinch in place.
"Can I carry you again, Little Guy?" Ore asked with a note in his voice saying that he wasn't asking. "You shouldn't be working out yet."
"Alright," Suoh agreed quietly in defeat. Figuring that it'd be too dangerous to carry him on his shoulder with how he liked to drop off into sleep, Ore cradled him in his arm once more so that he could lounge against his chest. Unsurprisingly, he dozed off before they even got back outside the alley.
Author's notes: So how are you all liking the story so far? Don't be afraid to drop me a line and let me know what you think. You don't have to be a member of this site to review, although signing up does allow you to put this story on alert so that you can be emailed when I upload new chapters! Yes, I know, yet another whiny plug begging for reviews.
Putting that aside, I've decided to do something fun again. In the unnamed future, I'm going to have an opening for a filler chapter (not anytime soon... still lots to write first). I've decided to allow another glimpse into Vongola during that time. So, if you want to help me decide, go to my profile here on fanfiction. net and vote on the user poll. Choices are:
Gokudera
Yamamoto
Ryohei
Haru
Lambo
Hibari
Matsu
Chrome
Dino
Reborn
Random Vongola Subordinate X
Hotaru
Pandora
(List was randomly ordered) Yes, I know that you want to weep since Xanxus isn't on that list but... --cry-- He won last time. Warning: This oneshot will not neccessarily connect back to Tsuna like Xanxus' did. Please vote with that in mind. Also, you're allowed up to three choices since there were so many complaints last time. Voting will end... hrm... September 10th sounds like a good day. (My niece's birthday )
