Lost And Found

by Majokai Yukiko

Mikagami lost his sense of sight in an attempt to save Recca. But what is a swordsman without his eyes? As danger and the lack of faith approaches them, could they pull through together as one?

2. Chapter 2

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Lost and Found

Chapter 2

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Like a wolf's cry in the distance

I heard the calling of your soul

I hear you crying

~Ricky Martin

"Is he alright?" Recca asked his mother as the older woman walked into the living room.

"Yanagi had healed all his wounds, physically, that is. But emotionally, I could not tell. He had been through a lot this time."

"Mikagami Tokiya is a strong man. He has to be."

For me… He added, silently.

"Mikagami!" Domon shouted as the Hokage knocked down the door of Mori Kouran's private mansion.

They had not come across a single guard on their way here and that certainly smelt fishy. But all became clear after they'd saw what was behind the great door.

There, naked and laying in a pool of blood, was the water wielder. His silver hair, now caked with dried blood, set against his pale skin and the black tiled floors, forming an eerie and sick image before the Hokage's eyes. But despite the blood, there weren't much wounds inflicted on the blind man.

The bleedings were not purely external.

There was a tape recorder placed next to Mikagami. Fuuko picked it up and pressed 'play'. Mori Kouran's nasal voice came out of the recorder.

"Take him while you can, Recca. He was good."

Damn him, Recca thought.

"He's awake!" Yanagi shouted from the other room.

+++

Recca stood stiffly at the door, shocked by what he had seen.

Sure, Mikagami was awake. But his eyes were different. Even when he was blind, there had always been this familiar mocking look in his eyes. But now, all that had remained was two glassy blue orbs, void of feelings and expression.

Recca only dared to move closer when he saw Mikagami's mouth moved.

"Wanna go home" was all he had said.

+++

For the rest of the week, the brightest and most eloquent member of Hokage had been reduced to a beautiful porcelain doll, quietly sitting at a corner of the room, staring into space and mumbling nothing else but "wanna go home".

"Recca-kun, there are times when I think he's getting better," Yanagi said after they left Mikagami's room.

His brown eyes widened with what could be conceived as pure joy.

"What makes you think that, Hime?"

"I don't know. It's nothing he does, or doesn't do. It's just that when I'm in his room, dusting the things, I feel he's watching me. Once I glanced up and I could swear I saw some fleeting emotion in his eyes, not that blank look he usually wears."

Recca gave his Hime a quick hug before running back into the older teen's room. "Thanks, Hime!" He shouted.

I'll make sure you recover. On my honor.

+++

A few more weeks went by and soon, the weather was turning cold. And before they knew it, it was November the thirteen.

"Oi, Mikagami, it's your birthday today."

For all these days, there had not been the slightest improvement seen in Mikagami's condition. The Hokage had practically visited every doctor available in Tokyo but all of them had failed to find a cure.

"We are having a party for you, Mikagami. Please, all of us want the old and irritating smart aleck of a Mikagami back. Please come back." Recca sat down in front of his friend, holding on tightly to his hands. It was then that he noticed something about the other teen's hair.

"God, what have we done to your hair?" His hair was let down, framing his handsome face in a messy fashion. It was not in its usual shiny condition; instead it was greasy from its lack of wash.

"I'm sorry. How could we have neglected the hair you were so proud of?" Lifting the invalid up, Recca carried him into the bathroom.

"Will you please stop all this? I know my house well enough to get in and out of bath without tripping on anything!" Mikagami shouted as the flame caster once again volunteered to help him with his shower.

"But…"

"No buts. No way am I going to allow a sea-monkey to mess up my hair!"

"Don't worry, I'll treat your hair properly. I'll make sure you attend your own party, smelling like a rose, and looking like one too." Recca whispered into Mikagami's ear as he helped his friend removed his clothes. The younger teen accidentally brushed against Mikagami's bare chest and found himself reacting to the contact.

"Hush. You are already home." He had certainly been through a lot this time and I'm not going to do anything to him until he's ready.

"What are you trying to do?" Mikagami nearly yelled at the teen next to him, the one who had been yanking at his hair ever since they had got out of the house.

Recca grinned cheekily at the older teen and answered, "Your hair just fascinates me."

"Yes, Mikagami. Your hair is really amazing. Sometimes soft, wavy and feminine but strong at the same time, just like you. The old you, that is." Wiping his hair dry, Recca lifted the water wielder out of the bathtub, and dressed him in his favorite soft-green tank top and black track pants.

"Your party will be in a few minutes' time."

+++

"Hime, are you alright?" Rcca asked as the young girl clung on tighter to his arm.

"Hm? I'm perfectly fine." Yanagi replied, leaning her head against her ninja as the duo walked through the dimly lit park.

"Seriously, I don't think it was a good idea to leave Mikagami at home alone."

"Don't worry, I'm sure Mikagami-senpai will be all right."

The knob turned and the brown-haired young lady walked into the room. The occupant of that room was as usual, at the window seat, staring blankly into space.

"Mikagami-senpai, are you all right? There's something I…I need to tell you." Yanagi stammered a little as she walked towards the swordsman. "It's nothing serious, but I…I notice Recca-kun have been spending a lot of time with you."

She had always been hesitating about this issue. Somehow, she felt that Mikagami was not at all ill. There was just something about him that unnerved her, as if even when there were no feelings in those blue eyes, they had always been following her wherever she goes. Always spying, calculating, like that of how a predator would watch its prey. She had tried not to take it seriously, but for the past few days, her ninja had been spending much time with the older teen, and had been spending lesser time with her each day. It was as if she was not important to him anymore, and she certainly had not liked that at all.

"Ai…" The water wielder mumbled something softly. Yanagi placed her ear closer to his lips.

"Ai shiteru, Recca."

The back of her hand found his cheek, hitting it hard across.

"You're sick," was all she said before walking out of the room.

+++

Recca gave a soft knock on the wooden door before walking into the room. The silver-haired young man was seated at his window again, his long legs pulled up, his graceful hands loosely locked below his knees—and the windows were wide open and the cold, damp wind swept through the room.

Alarmed, Recca ran to pull at his arm, but still he gazed straight ahead without blinking, finding his own way out of the nowhere he had lost himself in. Even as Recca shook him, the wind gusted in so strong it blew a table lamp to the floor. Using all his strength, Recca pulled the windows down and had them closed, then he ran to gather up blankets which he swatched about Mikagami's shoulders and legs; still he had not move or spoken.

His face was pale and cold when the flame-caster touched him, but soft, and that made him cry out in relief. He wasn't dead. Yet, his pulse was faint when he felt for it, so much so that it was almost negligible. His fingers were trembling.

Just as Recca was about to call for a doctor, he heard the older teen sneeze.

"Mikagami! Are you trying to kill yourself, having the windows open like this?" He yelled, while hurrying to the swordsman's side.

His eyes were unfocused and blurry, yet, it was the best thing Recca had not seen in months. Finally! With this thin streak of hope in him, Recca repeated Mikagami's name, over and over again, silently praying that he would wake out of his long trance. When feelings finally return to his eyes, Mikagami seized the flame-caster as a drowning man reaches for anything. He buried his face deep into the younger teen's hair.

"Gomen ne, nee-chan. I…I love Recca!" Recca widened his eyes in shock. Had he heard him right? Had he heard something about Mikagami saying that he loves him?

"Ai shiteru, Recca."

"I love you too, Mikagami."

The chilly room brought on fresh assaults of sneezes, from both teens. Recca carried the other man to the bed, so that they could both snuggle under mounds of covers and wait for their shivering to end. Recca held on to him tight, caressed him, kissed him a thousand times as they moved closer towards each other, providing the warmth that was so needed at that moment.

As he lay there beside the water wielder and heard him choke back his sobs and whatever anguish he had suffered, Recca suddenly realized Mikagami Tokiya was far too complex for him ever to understand. He'd just love him for what he was, and maybe one day when he woke up from a dreamless sleep he'd smile before dawn and throughout the day, memories of the past would be forgotten.

And Recca slept. From time to time he woke up slightly, enough to feel air moving around him. Enough to feel the warm body he was embracing.

+++

In the middle of the night, the blind man got up carefully, so as not to wake the flame-caster beside him. His hand touched his cheek slightly, while he wondered the reason to why he had cried. And he too had wondered for all this while who was this Mikagami Tokiya that they had mistaken him for. His name was Yamihoshi, his one and only name, the name that Mori-sama had called him by. But the mistake certainly helped in this particular mission. He certainly had fun, twisting the whole of the Hokage around his little finger, especially the Hokage descendant and the healing girl.

"Say goodbye to your little princess, Hanabishi Recca." He muttered as he walked out of the room, an evil smirk forming itself on his lips.

Author's note:

Hi people, Yuki here. I had not posted any note up on the previous chapter so this one shall be extra-long. This fic is dedicated to Natsuki-senpai, the one who had been pestering me to write a RecTok for her…*shrugs shoulders* it's fine with me anyway, since I love writing alternate pairings.

Thanks to Neko-chan for putting me as her favorite author, that had certainly motivated me to write more. And yeah, thanks to Saturn for saying that my writing skills improve. And of course, all my readers out there. BTW, if you have any questions about the fic, just include your e-mail address in your review and I'll get back at you ASAP.

'Yamihoshi' stands for 'dark star', if I'm not wrong. Yuki failed all her Japanese tests and exams. =]