Disclaimer: I quite obviously do NOT own DGM.
Author's Note: I. AM. SO. FUCKING. SORRY. I am a worthless piece of human trash! I haven't updated in two months, and I have no excuse. I mean, sure, I had finals, but after thaT, there was (is) Winter Break, and long plane rides on which I could easily have done something productive with my life and written a fucking chapter or two. I am seriously so fucking sorry. OTL OTL OTL
Warnings: vaguest possible hints at ptsd ever (more melancholy memories than anything else); Kanda has a mouth [*cough* and so do I, apparently *cough*]
Enjoy! :)
Kanda POV
Light. Darkness. Black, blue and silver. Ebony, russet, midnight. Shadows made of hundreds of colors, individual unique shades that so many morons would merely classify as "dark". Starlight sifting through the windows, the moon a barely visible crescent hanging in the sky like the thinnest claw, only just holding on to the fabric of the 2am sky.
The hours passed in tranquil silence. For as long as I could remember, art had always been my way out. When my thoughts were muddled and cloudy, I would sit down in front of an easel and paint. Never humans, only Nature. So that's what I did. I painted, allowing my thoughts to wash away into the strokes of the brush. Everything that had happened today… It confused me. Clearly, the Moyashi's issues ran far deeper than I had realized. But that didn't mean he wasn't annoying. It just meant that I was able to understand him better, somehow. It made sense now why I'd felt like there was more weighing him down than he was willing to express.
Hours passed like this, with deep contemplation, emotions released onto a canvas. Dark, shadowy landscapes expressing the residual pain I felt from being around him. The way he always made me remember Alma…
But maybe, just maybe, this could be a good thing…? The thought crossed my mind as dawn began to break, and I fastened another canvas to the easel. All this time, I had carried the darkness in my own mind silently, letting it consume me. I gazed out the windows at the slowly rising sun. Perhaps… the Moyashi might be the way to myself? I shook my head and dipped the brush into the paint. What the fuck are you thinking, idiot? Remember what happened the last time you got close to someone like him?
I took a couple of deep breaths and reigned in my thoughts, channeling my energy into the piece in front of me instead. Oranges, Reds, purples, pinks, blues… The softest of smiled fluttered across my features. Truly, sunrise was the most beautiful time of the day. A time of complete silence, but bathed in color. Proof that the supreme magnificence of the world had nothing to do with humanity at all. It lay entirely in a pattern that had been repeating itself for millions of years, and would continue to occur for millions of years to come.
Finally I rose from the chair, stretching my cramped muscles. It occurred to me that I had stayed up all night. Better make some coffee… And breakfast…
I turned towards the door and my eyes widened in surprise. There, sleeping curled up in the doorway, was the Moyashi. How long has he been there? For a moment I felt supreme irritation, but then I sighed and combed my hands through my hair. The kid looked exhausted. I guess he had to be though, to fall asleep in a position like that. I don't want to just leave him, but… I don't think I should wake him, either…
"Fucking Moyashi," I hissed under my breath, then strode out of the room and up the stairs. Not wanting to enter his room without permission (What? I want people to respect my privacy, why shouldn't I respect theirs? Isn't that the "golden rule" or some bullshit?), I grabbed a couple of blankets from the linen closet and made my way back down. Once I reached him, I threw them over him (careful not to wake him up, though). Then I turned to walk away.
Except I couldn't.
"Che," I sighed in aggravation. Bloody fucking conscience.
Carefully, I made my way back to him, and leaving the blankets covering him, picked him up, princess-style. I then proceeded to carry him to the bed he had offered me, silently pulling the door closed behind me.
Afterwards, I went back down and finished cleaning up my art supplies. Then, pulling the curtains shut, I leaned back on the couch. I'll just close my eyes for a couple minutes…
I heard the light hush of the wind playing across the grass, the faint burbling of the brook that fed into the pond, the buzzing of cicadas. My eyes were closed as I lay on my back, but due to the brightly shining sun, I saw orange, not black. Everything was tranquil…
"Hey, Yuu!" The yell hacked through the harmony of Nature like a jacksaw, and made me sit up instantly, squinting my eyes at the culprit.
"What the fuck, Alma?"
"Oh, sorry, were you sleeping?" Alma rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly, scuffing the dry earth with his sneakers.
I sighed in exasperation. "No, moron, just listening."
"Listening? To what? It's completely silent!"
"Sit down and shut up, idiot!"
He made a face and sat down. "How long do I have to stay quiet for?"
I rolled my eyes. "Until you stop being deaf to the world."
We sat with our backs to each other in the hot summer sun, and let Nature envelop us. At first, Alma kept fidgeting, practically itching to do something. But I wanted to show him something. After all, he had shown me so much, though I'd never admit that to his face. Eventually, he settled down, and we both just sat there, 7 year old children overwhelmed by the colors and voices of Mother Earth.
After about an hour, he moved so that he was facing me. I frowned at him. "What is it?"
"Thank you, Yuu. You're right, the world isn't silent, it's full of life!" He smiled at me with that freaking embarrassing grin, and I looked away, blushing.
"Idiot."
"Hey, it's my turn; let me show you something."
Before I could even ask what it was that he wanted to show me, he had dashed off. Grumbling, I ran after him, chasing him through the field, and through the surrounding forest. I ran until I caught up to him at a giant boulder.
"Is this what you wanted to show me?" I raised my eyebrows in derision.
"Nope!" He grinned, grabbing my hand and leading me to the edge of the trees. "Look."
My breath caught. In front of us was sparkling lake. Surrounded by all the trees, it was like a hidden gem. The sun's rays danced across its surface, ruffled by the wind. But that was far from the most incredible part of the view.
The entire lake was covered in lotus blossoms.
"Aren't they beautiful, Yuu?" The words were confident, but his face betrayed his nervousness. He was hoping desperately for my approval.
"No," I began, and his face fell. I walked over to him, still gazing enraptured at the sight before me. "It's gorgeous, Alma." I grasped his hand, and his mouth split into the widest grin yet. To my surprise, I actually found myself smiling back.
I awoke from the dream to find moisture on my cheeks, which I hastily wiped away. I hadn't thought of that incident in years. Mostly to distract myself, I looked outside, noting that sun was streaming through the bay windows. I wonder what time it is?
I wandered into the kitchen to check the clock, and found that it read 12:17 pm. Well.
Figuring it was about time, I set about making some lunch, using the ingredients I found in the pantry and fridge, which turned out to be fairly well stocked. I made cucumber sushi and udon soup, with mitarashi dango for dessert. The brat had better not complain.
As I set the water to boil for tea, I heard motion upstairs. Damn, he's up. And I'm still on edge from that dream. Stupid brain, dredging up the past!
…This is going to be a long day…
Well? What do you think? I figured it was about time to show more of Alma, and his relationship with Kanda, since it's one of the main roots of his problems. (Is that a spoiler? I don't think so... Whatever.) Also, kind!Kanda always makes me smile like an idiot. :3
Thank you so, so, SO much to everyone who supports me, even despite all of my prolonged absences. Again, I am truly sorry for that. OTL Whether you've read, favorited, subscribed or commented, I am so very grateful to you all! Thank you for all of your support! *bows*
Love,
Red