Author's Note: I got a review on the omake, Chatbox, claiming that I broke a rule. They said that I have nothing but chatroom text in my fic. I don't have the whole story in chatroom form. There actually is story under the text. Plus, Durarara itself has chatroom text in the anime/manga/light novels. But I'm not to worry about it. There are better things to do. Anyway, I was surprised that I kept writing this halo out. I figured that I would write about Makoto and Hya-chan's house. So, here we are. I have the beginning and the end of next week's halo in my head. For now, enjoy this week's halo.
Halo One: House:
Autumn 1983.
Makoto drove down the long dirt road in the countryside.
"Can I look now?" Hya-chan asked next to him. She had her hand over her eyes.
"Not yet," Makoto said. He chuckled as they kept driving down the road. His bride was going to love this. He couldn't believe his luck with this find.
"Can I look now?" Hya-chan asked again.
"Not yet," he said. "I will let you know."
"Okay," she said. Makoto smiled as they kept driving. He found this place about three months ago. It started when his boss took him with him to Tokyo. They were visiting an old friend of his boss'. Or maybe they got lost on the way there. Makoto doesn't really remember. Or maybe it just doesn't matter. The point is he found it and it took work to get it. Just a little bit further.
The car finally stopped. Makoto turned to Hya-chan.
"Okay, you can look now," he said. She moved her hand from her eyes. The young bride gasped. They were parked in front of a large Japanese-style house. It didn't look new on the surface. It certainly had seen better days. Hya-chan turned to her husband.
"What is this?" she asked.
"We're home," he said. His wife looked confused.
"What do you mean?" she asked. Makoto held out his arms.
"This is our new home," he said. At first, Hya-chan didn't understand.
"But… how?" she asked. Makoto tapped the side of his nose as he smiled.
"It's a secret," he whispered. He turned off the car and got out. The man walked around and unlocked the car door for his wife. He held out his hand.
"Come, my lady," he said.
"Oh!" Hya-chan said in a charming way. She took his hand. Makoto pulled her out and swept her off of her feet.
"Whew!" she said. His wife giggled. Makoto kissed her on the forehead and walked her up the wooden steps. Hya-chan reached out and opened the door.
This house had eight rooms. Rather uncommon for a Japanese house in the 1980s. When Makoto first saw it, he instantly fell in love. He asked who owned the house.
"No one," his boss' friend said.
"Really?" he asked.
"Yeah," the older man said.
"Can I look at it?" Makoto asked. His boss and his friend looked at each other for a moment.
"Sure," the friend said.
Hya-chan looked around the house like a child looking at magic tricks.
"Wow!" she said. Makoto walked up behind her.
"Do you like it?" he asked. His wife turned around.
"I love it!" she said. Makoto looked up.
"I knew you would," he said. She giggled and twirled around. They didn't have much furniture right now. Somehow, that didn't matter. This was going to be their house. Makoto happened to see the look on his wife's face. Hya-chan was kind of frowning at him.
"What is it?" he asked.
"How did you get this house?" she asked. "Are we going to afford to live here?" Makoto walked up and gently took her by the cheeks.
"It was a gift to us," he said.
"A gift?" Hya-chan asked.
"Yes," he said. "Your uncle's friend gave it to us. But don't worry. I will have everything covered. I promise." His wife pressed her lips together. Makoto kissed her on the forehead. Hya-chan finally perked up.
"Okay," she said. She looked so cute with that smile on her face.
They would get furniture later on. Tokyo should have some cheap furniture shops nearby. Plus, trips to the thrift shop wouldn't hurt. Hya-chan started walking around the house again. She started talking aloud about what rooms would be used for. Makoto smiled as he followed behind.
He already knew what the house looked like.
Makoto took the tour around the house months earlier. Despite its age, the house still looked somewhat nice. Actually, the inside looked almost new. Makoto felt along the walls and support.
"Wow! This is nice," he said. "I'm surprised that nature hasn't claimed it yet." Makoto turned to the older man.
"Who takes care of this house?" he asked.
"There are different realtors that clean up the place," his boss' friend said. Makoto tilted his head to the side.
"And they still haven't sold it yet?" he asked.
"No," the other man said.
"Why is that?" Makoto asked. His boss' friend shrugged. The younger man narrowed his eyes.
"It's not a jiko bukken, is it?" he asked.
"No," the older man said. "No one probably wants to live in the city."
"I see," Makoto said. Then an idea came into his head.
"Say, can I buy this house?" he asked. The older man whipped his head around.
"What?!" he asked. Makoto had a serious look on his face as he looked around for a bit.
"I want to buy [name] a wedding present," he whispered. The older man whistled.
"Really? You two are getting married?" he asked.
"Shhh," Makoto whispered. "Not yet. It's all going to be a surprise." The older man whispered.
"Wow," he said. "Congratulations."
"Thank you," Makoto said. The other man leaned in close.
"Does her uncle even know?" he asked. The younger man shook his head. The uncle's friend looked puzzled.
"What?" he asked.
"I haven't proposed yet," Makoto lied.
"Oh, I see," the other man said. "And you want to buy this house as a present?"
"Yes," the younger man murmured. He shuffled his feet.
"Can you help me out?" Makoto asked in a soft voice.
The house became their home. Gradually, the couple bought pieces of furniture. The first thing they bought? A futon.
"We need something to sleep on," Makoto said. Hya-chan sat across from him on the floor.
"Where are we going to get one?" she asked. He leaned in with a smile on his face.
"I know just the place," he said.
Makoto was careful to look for the shops in their budget. Ikebukuro had a bedding shop that dealt with second-hand furniture. Makoto found the shop while he was in Tokyo with his boss. The couple spent that first afternoon in the city looking for a futon.
"We're going to get one big one," Makoto said. Hya-cham turned with red cheeks. He made a face at her.
"Oh come on," he said. "We're already married and we've had sex." His wife blushed at that last part. Makoto rolled his eyes and shook his head. Why was she still so innocent?
"It will be fine," he said. They got a decent-sized futon. Big enough for two people. Makoto tested it out before buying it.
"Come on and lay down with me," he said. Hya-chan's face turned red.
"Right here?" she asked.
"Just come on!" Makoto said. He grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her down next to him.
"Whoa!" she shouted. Her husband laughed next to her. Hya-chan frowned as she rested her cheek against the surface.
"Wow. This is soft," she said.
"Uh-huh," he said. She smiled as she looked into his eyes.
"This could be ours, right?" the wife asked. Makoto looked over at the price tag.
"Yeah," he said. "Let's not worry about the price today. Okay?" He gently tapped her on the nose.
"Not like we are furniture shopping today," Makoto said. "I just want to get a futon for now. We can plan out the rest when we get home."
"Alright," Hya-chan said. Their futon was set out in one of the rooms in the back by evening. They didn't have much else with them. Makoto did buy sheets and pillows that day. They could at least sleep comfortably on that first night. What about food? Why they ate in a café of course.
Fall was spent getting the house in order. Makoto did his best to keep track of the money. Sure, they needed something things for the house, but they had other living costs as well. Lucky for the couple, they didn't have to shop for the things that they needed all of the time. Neighbors gave them things at times. Makoto would be on the lookout for pieces of furniture sitting out on the curb waiting to be taken away. (He'd walk away with so good finds at times.) Before winter came, the house was ready to live in.
That house saw both good and bad memories. Whatever Hya-chan wanted for the house, Makoto gave it to her. She wanted a garden and he helped her create one next spring. He erected a fence around the back to keep the critters out. Makoto got his wife a radio for Christmas. Music and the news constantly filled the house every morning and afternoon. He wanted to get her a TV as well. Just something besides the radio to fill up her days.
"It's okay," Hya-chan said. "I have the baby, the radio, and my friend to keep me company." Makoto didn't argue but he secretly planned to buy a TV anyway. It didn't have to be big and fancy for the time. A small one would do just fine. Makoto did manage to get out in the corner of the living room. That would only be in use before the… well… that incident. (We won't talk about that one this time. At least not yet anyway.)
The house was filled with smells of cooking. Hya-chan would be the one to do the cooking. She did try to teach Makoto to cook. At least he didn't burn the rice anymore. The smell of soap mixed with the spices and oils The smell of baby powder floated through the air too. Sometimes, there was grease and the smell of sex.
Many things in the house don't match, but the couple doesn't care. This was their house.
However, the house began to feel suffocating without Hya-chan. There was no music on the radio. No smells of cooking in the house. No baby crying. Even the garden started to die. Hya-chan was the center of the house. Makoto did everything for her. This house was his wedding present to her. But not it felt so empty without his wife and son.
Makoto just went through the motions of his life. He would get, get dressed, go to work, come home, eat, watch TV, and go to bed. But he was all alone. There was no one to eat with. He missed his wife happily chatting about her day. Even playing Crowded House's "Don't Dream it's Over" did nothing to ease his misery. His wife really was the heart of the house.
Because of that, he let the house go. Hya-chan wasn't around to clean the place. Dirty clothes covered the floor. There was barely any food in the fridge. The blinds were kept closed most of the time. Makoto didn't bother to clean up the house. Maybe it was a mistake to commit his beloved wife to Chou Mori.
The neighbors did come by to visit. Makoto wouldn't let them come inside. He would look out at them from the door. Some of them tried to go inside. The man didn't let them get past the threshold.
"Please leave," he said in a whisper. The neighbors still kept trying to through. One by one, they gave up on him. Makoto didn't care. He just wanted to be left alone. After he closed the door, the man would look at the mess behind him. He should clean up. The man never got around to it.
Was it depression? To Makoto, no. It was more like guilt. But what else could he do? He couldn't stand to see his wife spiraling like that. He already lost the baby. He couldn't lose her either. It was so strange, really. Makoto only felt down when he was in the house. When he went to work, he felt so… numb. The man didn't understand it. Did it have something to do with the house? That's when Makoto started avoiding going home. He stayed in hotels in Ikebukuro. Sometimes, he would stay with friends. They couldn't understand it.
"Why don't you go home?" one of them asked. Makoto couldn't tell any of them the truth. He told himself they wouldn't understand. And yet, he still paid for everything on the house. The man didn't know why. Maybe because he couldn't part with it. Maybe because Hya-chan would need something to come back to for any semblance of normal. It seemed futile though. Yet, Makoto didn't stop. At least the house would still be there in his name with everything working.
"Why don't you bring her home?" one of his work friends asked. Makoto paused and looked at him. He never had an answer to that. It would make sense. Maybe if Hya-chan came home, things would go back to the way they were. But she needed to get better. The man didn't know what to do.
For days, he found himself on the fence. On the one hand, Hya-chan was still depressed. On the other hand, he couldn't go on like this. Makoto didn't seem to know what to do. One day, Makoto decided that enough was enough.
In the summer of 1987, he decided to try and bring her home. That would mean the house would have to be just like it was before the death of their son. He would have to go home. It took about three days for Makoto to do it.
Finally, he stood in front of his door. Makoto flinched at first. How many months had he been trying to avoid this place? He could feel his heart sinking. But the man wouldn't turn back. Makoto would get through this. They both needed this.
"I'm home," he said to himself. The man walked up and unlocked the door. It took about two days to clean the whole house. He started with the kitchen. Bags of trash were taken to the end of the road. Tatami mats were swept and washed until Makoto's fingers were raw. Every single dish was washed and put back into place. The clothes were washed, ironed, folded, and put away. He aired out the house to get the dull scent out. The curtains were finally opened. The futon was made up and ready to be slept in.
At first, Makoto worked on autopilot. He just went through the motions as he cleaned the kitchen and living room. The man knew what was coming next. It didn't take long for the misery and sorrow to sink in. His heart felt heavy, but he tried to ignore it with more work. The air felt like it was suffocating him. Everywhere he looked, Makoto found more work to do. All of the dust was cleaned up. The bathroom took the longest to clean. Both of them, actually. Makoto had no idea how he let this house get this bad.
"I'm so sorry," he whispered to the walls. He saved his son's room for last. Just standing in the doorway made his stomach turn with sorrow. Makoto pushed everything down. He hadn't had anyone else to talk to after the death of their baby. He and Hya-chan left his nursery the same after their son's death. Makoto took a breath. No use in delaying everything.
He took a breath and slid open the door.
This room hadn't changed at all. He started to pack up the baby things after Hya-chan was committed to Chou Mori. Makoto didn't have the heart to finish. He didn't have a reason. Now, he was going to have to pack up everything again. Maybe not sell them as he had thought about last time. (Even then, he sat on the fence.) They could at least go away in the closet. Makoto took his time packing the boxes away. Strangely enough, cleaning the room made him feel a little bit better.
By the time he was finished, the man collapsed onto the couch. There was still work to be done. Makoto figured that he would clean up Hya-chan's garden when she and he got home. Maybe they could do it together. Yeah, that would be nice. It could be the first thing they could do for an act of normalcy. Another idea came into Makoto's head. Maybe he could pick up a little something for his wife on the way to pick her up.
Makoto lay on the couch thinking about all the ways that he could help Hya-chan adjust back to life at home. It would be too soon for more children. But Makoto could spend that first day at home with her. His job wouldn't mind. The manager would understand. For once, Makoto smiled to himself as he rolled over on the couch.
He ended up falling asleep there.
This house would be perfect for when he came back with Hya-chan. To him, things would turn around tomorrow morning.
Autumn 1983.
Hya-chan turned to her husband in the middle of where their living room would be.
"Are we going to be happy here?" she asked. She sounded so innocent. Makoto gave her a little smile.
"Of course," he said. The man pulled her into his arms and embraced her.
"Really happy," Makoto said. His wife smiled as she hugged him back.
"I love you so much," she whispered.
"Heh," he said. "I love you too."
What happened to the house? Where is it now? Believe it or not, the house is still there. That's right. The house is still there.
It looks the same as it did in the eighties. In fact, it looks like the occupants just left the house to run errands. People can look into the windows and find a strange sight. Everything looked so clean. There isn't even a single speck of dust in sight. No bugs or cobwebs anywhere. The house looked even cleaner than Makoto did that day. All of the electronics were still working. The electricity, water, heating, and cooling were still on. Almost like some had been paying off the bills. None of the food had gone bad or rotted. Even the cake in the fridge that Makoto bought for his wife was still fresh. On top of that, Hya-chan's garden had been restored to its former glory.
But how is this still possible? How has nature not reclaimed the house in twenty-eight years? There's one simple answer to that.
Hestia.
Yes.
Let's just say a certain goddess of the hunt asked her aunt for a small favor. That's right. Hestia usually stayed out of the spotlight. But Artemis insisted that she help her.
"I just want them to have a home to go back to when this is all over," she said. Hestia didn't want to get involved as usual.
"You are getting too close to her," she said. "Zeus will not approve of this." Still, her niece wouldn't let up. The goddess of the house finally gave in. And thus why the house looks like it was frozen in 1987.
Has no one come by to look at the house? Surely, someone would've come across the house and added questions. Hasn't anyone tried to break in and look around? Well, Hestia took care of that as well. The door remains locked and the windows can't be broken. It's like it's waiting for Makoto and his wife to come home. Will the couple come home? That remains to be seen.
We will come back to the Hino house in the near future. But not just yet.
Right now, there are plenty of things going on in the present day that will take us back to the house.