I split this into two parts. I know this was supposed to be a short story, but I had too much fun that I ended up writing almost 5000 words.
And I'm also rewriting my old stories, Scar Tells Tales.
And check out my tumblr; sommerannie. I upload my art for 'Until the day I'm forgiven' over there.
Uniform
When a reaper first enters the workforce, they first receive their junior circular-glasses, a simple ill-fitted black and white suit with the standard junior weapon of a small garden sickle. It was only then when one becomes a full-fledged character is that they would be able to change their given essentials of a Grim Reaper.
A smaller and younger Gakushu stared up to Ikeda, with the expression of why' written all over his face. The young boy wore the standard and simple black and white suit, on his back was his backpack which carried all his essentials; his death Scythe, his contacts when he goes back into the mundane world, his phone and soon his collection booklet for his night shift. He was about to get his booklet before Rilliane sadly informed that she couldn't attend to Gakushu's nightly shifts because a new conference came out of the blue. Grell accidently misfiled the conference, writing down that the date was next week when it was supposed to be today.
Gretel and Arthur were struck cleaning up Grell's mess at the Office, An was teaching lessons at the gym with the guys acting as her assistants, Ivan was conducting a tutorial on how to wire a house, Lucia was on her rare honeymoon breaks with Wolfie.
"Behave Ikeda." Rilliane signed and feared of what would happen the moment she walked away.
It was three months into Gakushu's record as a full-fledged reaper and school break was nearing. Gakuhou was on another business trip so it felt his son left on his own devices, and Gakushu decided to spend more time at the Department. And Ikeda just so happened to volunteer to watch over him while everyone else had to their respective jobs.
'… This can't end well.' Rilliane thought to herself. Just last week, Ikeda stole Gakushu's cupcake that resulted in the pair chasing one after the other all over the Department. The strawberry blonde even used the chandelier for support and to add momentum, he grabbed onto it as he jumped off the balcony and swinging it before jumping on Ikeda for a touchdown. Ikeda spend the day in bed sleeping off his three broken ribs.
"Rilliane, as you sure there is no-one else? What about Van?" Gakushu suggested and his main senior shook her head.
"Sorry Gakushu, he is on an assignment in Sydney." Rilliane patted his head.
Gakushu pouted and mustered the best set of puppy-dog eyes he has in his disposure. "Anyone else? Or maybe I could do it alone."
Since Rilliane was practically already a mother before her death, with her experiences with her young brother Allen, she was immune to Gakushu pleading eyes. "No can do, the Department still rather you be partnered up when you are out on shift. You have only been a full-fledged for three months." Rilliane explained and Gakushu still had his eye-game one.
"The Department finalised the orders and Ikeda just so conveniently was their nearest option. I can't change it." Eventually, Gakushu dropped his puppy-dog eyes when he realised that there was nothing he could do to help his situation. And that it had no effect on his main senior.
"I expect you to have all of your ribs still intact." Rilliane affirmed.
"Yeap-yeap!" Ikeda chirped, he gave a salute to Rilliane before he was off and carrying the strawberry blonde princess-style.
"Let's go Shu!" And he leaped into action.
"Get me down!" Gakushu screamed as he attempted to free himself from Ikeda's hold. He was kicking and pushing Ikeda's face upwards. "And it's Gakushu, cake-thief bastard!"
Rilliane prayed to the heavens that Gakushu's temper won't get the best of him. She watched as Ikeda carried away the boy in his arms as he whistled, as he played with the fine-line of Gakushu's tolerance. And she went off to the nearest café to stock up on some coffee before going into her conference.
"So~ Full-fledged?" Ikeda playfully sang as he eventually settled Gakushu down when the two go in line to get the booklet. The boy was dying from embarrassment from the gazes and eyes that watched his interaction with the light-haired senior reaper. He was so close on readying his leg to the man's chest, he decided that the best move was to hide behind Ikeda's tall figure from glancing eyes. But eventually everyone else went through on their own business.
"Yes I am." Gakushu grumbled as he neatened up his simple suit. He didn't like how Ikeda was looking over the boy, the inhumane neon-green eyes on his suit. So what he didn't know how to change his appearance, he was still looking.
"How's school?" Ikeda casually asked.
"Fine." Gakushu let out a bored expressive.
"What's with the cold reception? I only haven't seen you in three months." Ikea made a dramatic and over-the-top pose. "I thought we had a thing!" He swung his finger back and forth from him to the younger boy.
"Sadly, you couldn't stay away longer." Gakushu let out a sigh, he took a bon-bon candy from his pockets to help calm his nerves.
"But Shu~" Ikeda whined with fake tears in his chartreuse phosphorescent eyes behind his brand glasses. Thank the heavens above that Ikeda received the booklet before he had to the Medical Ward where there was a bed already reserved for him since Gakushu's introduction.
Gakushu droned Ikeda's manly and childish whines from his head as he unwrapped his candy. He ignored Ikeda's lecture of how he was being rude and that he was talking here as the strawberry blonde popped the candy into his mouth. He also ignored the man's comment about the boy's sweet-tooth obsession. He was too in the zone, mentally commenting the taste that Ikeda somehow already got the collection booklet for the night and started to drag him by the arm towards the door.
"Give me the booklet." Gakushu demanded with his hand out while he yacked the other out from Ikeda's hold.
"Nope." Ikeda pouted as he walked over to the doors, with Gakushu tailing behind him. "I think you are too easily distracted." Ikeda retorted with a smirk, and Gakushu glared at the man's back as if it would set on fire.
They exited through the store, through the staffroom and out of a Team Mart store, with a cheeky but also sulking Ikeda and a Gakushu who was getting closer and closer to kicking the man's ribs out of commission.
"Lets go on top, it will be faster that way." Ikeda commented as he started to flipped over to the first page of the booklet and allow Gakushu to look over. "First soul will be Ike Haruhiko."
Right now, they stood on top of a building and waited for the first soul of the shift to pass on. Gakushu settled his bag down to get out his Death Scythe, he was already mentally preparing himself of the backlash from Ikeda for not already changing his weapon.
Ikeda was looking down, he stood by the edge of the building where he could see the road where Ike will later died in a car-crash. Gakushu was in a dark moon, in his head he was mentally criticising the man of how he looked with the the designer dark suit with the turquoise-blue vest and how attractive he looks. He hated how Ikeda was sure of himself, of what he already knew about himself, the way his clothes was crafted and how it told more of his playful personality.
'Curse you, cake-thief! Curse you and your good looks.' Gakushu grumbled as he fumbled through his bag and chomping down on his sweets. 'Curse you and your toned muscles!' He was deep in his thoughts of cursing himself for admitting that Ikeda was attractive and handsome.
"You alright Shu, you need some help?" Ikeda called out but Gakushu was still entrenched of his thoughts.
'Curse you and your reasonably perfect height.' He grumbled as he took out the small garden sickle and wrapped the cloth so it's dull blade could reflect the moonlight.
"Shu, did you forget something?"
'Curse you and your stupid sexy smile.' He harshly zipped his bag closed and strapped it back to his back, as he turned back to the man with wild hairstyle that completely matched with the man's wild personality. The way it was layered, how it curls and then a sudden thought came to the strawberry blonde's mind.
'I wonder if it is as soft as it looks.'
"Earth to Shu." Ikeda suddenly came into frame, he waved to his face and Gakushu swore that the man could feel how hot his face was due to the close proximity. Gakushu almost screamed and fell back before he was caught when Ikeda wrapped his arm around his waist.
"Careful there." Ikeda lightly laughed as he ground the boy. "I don't want you falling off the edge. Or, you pulling me down as a pact."
"We are already dead." Gakushu whispered, he didn't realise that he was tightly grasping at the man's coat.
"Too soon?" Ikeda let out a toothy grin to the strawberry blonde in a teasing manner. "Either way, I couldn't have you in the Medical Ward. Rilliane would be drowning in coffee as she goes and dopes on you, while drawing up plans to give me my second death."
Ikeda then leaned down to pick out the garden sickle, Gakushu now realised that he dropped his Death Scythe in the moment of panic. He didn't like how Ikeda stared at the dull curved blade, he didn't like the silences it brought as Ikeda looked at his reflection illuminated by the half-moon above.
"What?" Gakushu darkly spatted out, although that tone of voice didn't exactly fit with his madly blushing as he snatched back the weapon. He was hoping that Ikeda would say something so that it would give him a reason to kick the man in the ribs.
"Struck?" Ikeda asked. And Gakushu immediately felt the atmosphere changed.
Before Gakushu could retort, or yell into the man's ear. Ikeda let out a soft smile as he held his Death Scythe close to his chest. The black police long stun baton, with its stripe around his wrist.
"If it makes you feel any better, it took me months to decide on my weapon after I graduated." Ikeda smiled before he let out a booming laugh, and he was playful swinging out his police stun baton. Gakushu was left shock however, he thought that Ikeda would take this chance to make fun of him. He looked up to Ikeda and for a moment, he had respect and admiration for the man, the way how his eyes lit up in passion.
Gakushu always admired a trait like that, as Ren and Rilliane had passion for poetry and for the arts, An whenever she would sew a bear, Gretel for her music and her skills as a tailor, Arthur for his tea. Although he couldn't see why Ikeda held himself with the baton, but he could tell that he was proud of the work that led him to this moment.
That and the slight blush on Ikeda's cheeks as he was engrossed in his memory made Gakushu thought that the man was adorable. It was like the man knew what to say, how to comfort the boy, Gakushu felt a sense of nostalgia.
And then they heard the sounds of a car crashing into the pole, alcohol was a scary substance.
"Looks like you're staying with me." And Ikeda had to drag the boy away before he lunged for Grell's blood. Although Ikeda couldn't say for the other patrons who were currently chasing the red-head down, one was even using the man's chainsaw against him.
'Wait… is that… no, oh yeah. I forgot that Hitler was around.'
When Gakushu and Ikeda returned from their soul collecting in the mundane world, and the two handing in the booklet, the strawberry blonde was about to relax with a nice mug of hot chocolate
The area of where his dorm was, it was closed off. For some reason, probably because God hates him, Grell decided to build a device to turn the whole world bright crimson red. At least, on a smaller scale when the device exploded, flooding the entire area in red paint. It was so bad in fact that it screwed up with the locks of the dorm-rooms, so it has left Gakushu having sleep in at Ikeda's room.
"Good thing that my room wasn't trashed." Ikeda responded with laughter at the situation.
"Yeah, such a good thing." Gakushu sarcastically uttered. Ikeda whistled as he ignored Gakushu's mocks. He unlocked the door to his dorm room, Ikeda head in first to brightened up the room and when he did so, Gakushu spent his time gaping of what he saw.
Everywhere Gakushu looked, everything he saw looked to have cost an arm and a leg each. A regal black leather couches, an antique-looking mahogany coffee table with olive ash banding and bevelled glass, above bow-end serving table was a flat-screen smart TV attached to the wall.
"You can leave the bag by the couch." Ikeda voiced as he took off his suit-jacket and hanged it on the coat-rack. He then headed to his kitchen which looked to have costed several kidneys although the boy should more correctly describe it more as the man's personal bar. With his collection of expensive liquor behind the glass cabinet, the long bar-table and finished up with black-leather barstools.
Gakushu numbly nodded as he made his way to the lounge area, he shredded his bag off and placed it down. The strawberry blonde then took a sit on the posh leather couch as he marvels at his surroundings. The dim and warm lighting Ikeda set added to its atmosphere of a posh-looking household.
From dark green-emerald wallpaper, the marron rug, the green-glassed lamps, the showcase furniture that displays several trinkets, including a photo of a younger Ikeda.
'… Is that Ikeda?' Gakushu stood up and walked over to the showcase for a closer inspection. There it was, a picture of Ikeda, An in her reaper uniform and a man with dark-blue hair that was slinked back looking towards the camera. He was guessing that Ikeda here was maybe roughly 16 or 17 in the photo. Ikeda was wearing his standard junior suit, but his glasses were customised. He couldn't say the same for the other guy, standard junior suit and glasses.
There was another photo, with Ikeda in a blue militarist uniform giving a salute with a white hat under his other arm. He gave a salute to the camera with a toothy grin, his hair was unlike of his current style, it was less wild but he instead had a clean-shaved buzz cut, it felt wrong to Gakushu because it didn't fit in line of Ikeda's personality. Next to him was An dressed in normal clothing, a blue and white V-neck vintage dress to match with the formal occasion.
Gakushu had to admit to himself, they looked like as if the two were a couple, exactly like how he saw between her and Johnny. That and because she mostly kept Ikeda in check whenever she was around, and she didn't even need to do anything. She just need to stand there and Ikeda would be running up for a hug.
"Ohhhh~ I see you found my graduation photo." Ikeda popped out of nowhere and stood beside of the strawberry blonde, which broke his thinking process. The older male pointed to the first photo. "I finished rather quickly, maybe not within a month like upi, I think it was five months."
"What about him?" Gakushu pointed over to the blue-haired man.
"That's Tae-sik. He was another junior around the same time. He graduated after me, he came in late." Ikeda explained. "Poor guy was shy in the first couple of weeks, he was peeved off that his senior was technically younger than him while he was like, in his thirties. He works in the Medical Division now."
"You can have two juniors?" Gakushu was slightly surprised, he only ever saw main seniors having one junior at a time.
"Yeah. It's uncommon, but you can do it." Ikeda shrugged as he made his way back his leather couch.
Gakushu saw that Ikeda left the two drinks on the coffee table as he made his way for his nice cup of hot-chocolate. Some silence went by, Ikeda staring up boringly at his ceiling and Gakushu flavouring his sweet beverage.
"Now what?" Ikeda asked, bored out of his mind.
"I don't know."
"How about a game?" Ikeda suggested.
"You do you." Gakushu shrugged. Ikeda went for his TV remote and setting up for his PlayStation 3. The man whistled to himself as he picked up his controller from under the coffee-table. The strawberry blonde watched as Ikeda started to choose his game.
"You want to play?" Ikeda offered up another controller, but Gakushu shook his head.
"Never played before, I rather watch." And Ikeda didn't push him to play with him. If Gakushu was content on watching, then he couldn't pressure him. Ikeda hummed as he finally picked on his game, a re-play of Kingdom Hearts 2.5, more specially Kingdom Hearts 2. He only did it to introduce Gakushu the beautiful world of Disney and Final Fantasy characters meshed together.
"Kingdom Hearts?" Gakushu worded as he listened to the soft and sad piano melody. He watched as Ikeda selected a new a game.
"It is a complex game.
Gakushu watched, he felt a connection to the character named Roxas.
"Another dream about him..." Gakushu had dreams about his father by the daisy meadows.
"No! My heart belongs to me!" He was his own person.
And the more he watched as Ikeda played, the more he sympathised with Roxas. Ikeda caught this easily and he lended Gakushu a Nintendo DS console with the game Kingdom Hears 365/2 days.
"What the heck does 365-slash-2 days or 365-over-2 days, whatever does it mean? What does it mean?!"
"Nobody knows Shu." Ikeda let out a high-pitched voice, as if he was badly mimicking Mickey Mouse. "No-one… knows."
"You're lucky. Looks like my summer vacation is… over." Roxas said before he vanished, losing his existence to his other half.
"My name is Gakushu."
Ikeda left for a six-month assignment to Russia, it was something about a weird set of male twins that appeared in the suburb of Salisbury, one with black hair and the other with white hair.
When the strawberry blonde asked why they had to send in a team to capture human twins, An expressed her limit of knowledge on the assignment. She encouraged the boy to go ask Ikeda once he was done.
There was a knock on her door. "Come in." Gretel called out as she lifted her eyes from her current commission. Came in was Gakushu Asano, in the flesh.
"Hi Gretel… I have an idea for my uniform." Gakushu shyly said, he pulled out his phone and showed the photo. "Can you take inspiration from this?"
"This is quite nice." "You got your design for your Death Scythe as well?"
"It's… kind of like in the picture." Gakushu answered. "I will be heading over to customise my weapon."
"I will get your uniform done within the week or two. Sorry, I would usually finish it within the day but I have a backlog of orders this time around." Gretel said as she drew up lines on the fabric, looking very apologetic to the young strawberry blonde reaper.
"It's fine, take your time." Gakushu answered and he made his way out of the door.
It left Gretel with her thoughts. 'Never knew that he was a Kingdom Hearts, or even Roxas fan.'
Spending habits I
Gakushu wore a single black leather and double-breasted hooded coat with black gloves to match the colour of his clothing. It is only button down to his waist to allow flowing and easier movement Ikeda could see. The DS was in the boy's coat pocket, the light-haired man looked over to Gakushu after the boy knocked and opened the door.
The days went on, and Gakushu's days in school was only made more bearable with his friend Ren. And soon six months had passed.
"So, you got your look?" Ikeda said, he went straight to the point.
"Yeah." Gakushu awkwardly worded as he looked to the side. "Gretel said she mainly based it off from Ivan's uniform so it wouldn't look like cosplay, but she mainly designed my Death Scythe after the Oblivion Key.
"Hey Shu! Come over here mate! You wouldn't believe what you can get from Russia!" Ikeda cheered as he gestured the boy to come and sit beside him as he started to show off what he brought back. Gakushu placed the DS on the coffee table.
"I got an art book for Rilliane." He pulled out a Tretyakov Gallery Photo Album. "I got a Samovar for Arthur, that a heated metal container traditionally used to heat and boil water."
"I got some Russian honey in Rumela for An, did you know that not only she's into her coffee, although not like a manic like Rilliane but she also like honey too! Oh, and I got this cool Orenburg Shawls." He pulled out a white garment from the numerous of bags just dedicated to An alone. It was tender and as thin as a cobweb.
Gakushu mentally noted that it suited to her, it spoke of beauty, elegance, softness and warmth. While Gretel would later note that it suited An if she wore it with her black maxi winter dress with the long sleeves. What the strawberry blonde later found out when he was out on his nightly shift and started to randomly research items from Russia, he found that this particular gift as a sign of love and affection. He could barely contain himself from rolling around and covering his burning face of how 'cute' Ikeda was being.
"I got the usual vodka for Ivan, but I got him Tsarskaya Vodka, the stuff that went through a 24-carat gold filter."
'Where do you find these stuffs?' Gakushu questioned.
"An imperial porcelain coffee set for Rilliane. Some space food from a vending machine in VDNKh park for James. A tray from Zhostovo for Gretel whenever she has her tea with Arthur. I got a big stock on cigarettes for Viktor, it's no different from anywhere else but it was cheaper there."
"Some Russian chocolate for you, it is a bit more firm and bitter." And Ikeda gave Gakushu a bagful of the chocolate. Ikeda's words was true when Gakushu took a bite.
Then he started to list off more things he brought for An. A Faberge Easter Egg replica, sadly he couldn't pull an actual one because all the surviving ones are on display at the nine museums. Pendants in the style of Faberge, Ikeda also got Shu on that was turquoise green. A Lacquer box filled with Amber jewellery and a malachite jewellery box. At this point, Gakushu lost track of what he brought because Ikeda started to list off the things he brought from America before coming back to the Department.
"I got some good old Bourbon for the alcohol cabinet, but I also got an 1811 Chateau D'Yquem, a diamond Jubille, a Remy Martin's Black Pearl Louis XIII, a Sapphire Revelation, An Armand de Brignac Midas, a Dalmore 62, a Mendis Coconute Brandy VS, A Diva Vodka…-"
'Dear god, it never ends.' Gakushu thought in awe. 'Where does he store these?'
And what Gakushu later researched that each of the alcoholic beverages with the fancy names would buy an ordinary person a decent car or house, each. Especially the Coconut Brandy that boasted the price-tag of a million dollars.
'Oh boy.' Because Ikeda was showing some of the most random things. A life straw perfect for an outdoorsman, and several versions of the game 'Cards against humanity.' 'This is getting out of hand.' Gakushu severely underestimated of what the light-haired man can buy.
'Why does he find these things?'
"I got a cowboy hat for Mark." Ikeda popped the hat onto Gakushu's head. "And one for Wolfie." And then he took Wolfie's hat and wore it.
"I got a Faribault wool scarf for you, it's going to be cold soon." Ikeda wrapped the scarf around the smaller boy. "Some maple syrup from you, had a walk up to Canada border."
'Yeah, because you just casually walked up to the border…. Why can I see it actually happening with you…?'
"And I got another couple of bags from France."
'I should really stop him… but I really want to see more.' Gakushu's curiously got the better of him.
"Some raw fabric in Basque country for Gretel, for obvious reasons." Gakushu gave Ikeda the 'no duh' face and an eye-roll that made Ikeda burst into laughter as he continued through his adventure.
"Some salt caramels in Brittany for you." Ikeda handed another package of candy that Gakushu happily took. The strawberry blonde took a taste, and loved how it was rich with cream and salted butter. Of course, he allowed Ikeda to take some as they continue to go through the gifts. He was feeling generous today, and it was… Gakushu eventually forced his mind to say it.
'It was fair since Ikeda brought it for me.' He felt ill just thinking of those words.
"Rose salt for Rilliane, Gretel, An and Lucia from Provence."
'Note to self, get some for myself when school holiday comes around.' Gakushu thought as he stare at the package that smelt of rose blossoms, as much as he loves his bubble baths, he need to try this out and restock on Lush products as well.
"A merci bracelet for Johnny." Ikeda darkly muttered as he carelessly held out the string.
'It's so bareboned.' The merci bracelet was basically a red cord with a pendant that says merci. The dark aura that surrounded Ikeda quickly switched to a happier and cheery one when he showed off several bottles of wine.
"And I got a Parfum de Rosine from Paris." Of course, it was for An. Gakushu should really need to start a bingo-game that focuses on what Ikeda buys for An on his next trip. Perfume, check.
"More chocolate from Bayonne." And he handed a huge basket filled with different types of chocolates to the boy with the sweet-tooth. Then he was handed another basket of chocolate. "Some Angelina chocolate."
Gakusuh and Ikeda ate some madeleines the man pulled out and set on the coffee table that was littered in gifts. Ikeda decided that it would go well with some hot beverages, hot chocolate for Shu and black coffee for himself.
"You think that a French knife is suited to Tae-sik?"
"I think more of Van, he's more of a chef. It is the same for the bottles of pink salt and truffled salt you decided to randomly buy." Gakushu suggested as he took a sip of his sweet drink with its top sprayed with a mountain of cream.
"Alright then. Makes sense." Ikeda let out a laugh. "So, you want to do a movie marathon?"
"Why?"
"Because your friend Ren was busy." Ikeda bluntly answered. He let himself get comfortable in his couch, back laid down and legs over the end.
"How did you know!?" Gakushu screamed.
"Gretel told me that you were sulking, it is not that hard to connect the dots." Ikeda gave a smug smile to the strawberry blonde.
"Before you start the movie, I need to ask you about something." Gakushu said which left Ikeda's finger just barely hovering over the button. Gakushu finally remembered the suggestion from An months back.
"Yeah?" Ikeda asked.
"Why did you go to find twins?"
"Rumours had them made out to be super-humans. We thought there might be another contract, so we surveyed for demonic activity. Got nothing, we went through camera footage, got nothing. We then came to the reasonable conclusion that they may had been seceders around the area." Ikeda explained as he went back to type in his password into his Netflix account. "After that conclusion, we stayed a bit longer before, then when I was done, I went a shopping spree."
Today's movie marathon was a 'feels theme'. Green Mile, Philadelphia, Schindler's List, the Impossible movie, Hachi, and many more films to induce the brotherly duo in tears. Gakushu and Ikeda crying together as they sat on the same seat, cocooning themselves with blankets and stuffing their mouths with the chocolates Ikeda brought.
