~*~
Ryuen, I discovered on the way to Sai's apartment, was what my mother would call "chatty." He started talking as soon as we left the Student Union building, and kept on talking just about the whole way to our destination. Not that I minded, of course; he seemed like a very nice person, and one of the first people who'd made a move towards being my friend since I'd started college. But... I frowned. But, no matter how much I liked him, and no matter how at ease his talking should've put me, I still couldn't get it out of my head that there was something strange about him, and I had a feeling that until I figured out what that something was, I wasn't going to be able to feel entirely comfortable around him.
Something latched onto my hand; I snapped out of my thoughts just as Ryuen tugged me across a busy street and onto a poorly-illuminated, empty strip of sidewalk. He was still talking, not looking at me despite his grip on my hand, and I realized with some embarrassment that I hadn't been paying attention at all to what he'd been saying. With an effort, I drew myself out of my thoughts and focused on each word as he spoke it, hoping that perhaps context clues would give me some hint of whatever he'd said that I'd missed.
"...didn't even want to try it," he
was saying, grinning at me like he was telling a joke, "so we put some of
those flotation rings on his arms and threw him in there, but he thrashed
around so much that the rings fell off, and we had to fish him out with a pool
skimmer."
He was telling me, I realized, stories about his friends--the friends I was supposed to be meeting in just a few minutes. An unexpected flutter of fear rippled into my stomach, and I clasped my hands over it as if that might help. It didn't, of course, but it made me feel like I was doing something, at least.
"That's Genrou," he continued, nodding at me--I had the sudden impression that I should've been taking notes, or at least paying closer attention. "He and Taka--that's Miaka's boyfriend, the one who's obsessed with money--will seem like they don't like each other very much, but don't let that fool you. They're just about as close as Sai and I are, except..." A hint of a flush crept into his cheeks. "Well, not in exactly the same way. Anyway, let's see. I already told you about Houjun, and Miaka and Sai you know, and I told you about Genrou and Taka... Oh. I guess that's it. Well, now you know everybody, at least a little bit. But don't worry if you can't remember it all, because it is a lot to r--"
"That's..."
My voice came almost before I realized I was speaking. "That's only six."
Ryuen skidded to a halt in the middle of the sidewalk,
released my hand, and turned around to look at me. "What?"
I was frowning, although I couldn't quite understand why. "That's only six," I repeated. "Didn't you say there were seven?"
Ryuen stared at me for a minute in silence, then shook his head a little; pieces of violet hair clung to his cheek with the movement. "I...I never said anything about there being seven," he said slowly. "But...there will be seven, once we get there. Miaka, Taka, me, Sai, Genrou, Houjun, and you. That's...that's seven."
Common sense told me to shut my mouth right then and
keep it closed, particularly since I was babbling on about something Ryuen
probably hadn't even mentioned, but...
The frown wouldn't go away.
"But even with me, there'll only be six," I said. My voice sounded strange in my own ears,
like it belonged to someone else. "One
is missing."
One is missing? What the hell are you TALKING about, Doukun?! Didn't you hear him? Can't you count? There'll be seven people there when you get there. ...and, what's the obsession with seven, anyway??
...wait. Could this be some strange manifestation of a psychological importance to the number seven? Seven sins...seven seas? Seven...ah...seven days in a week? Seven seconds since you said anything that made sense at ALL?
See? This is why you don't socialize. You end up saying strange things and scaring everyone away.
But, Ryuen didn't seem scared. He didn't look at me as if he thought I was crazy, or even frown at me and ask what in the world I was talking about. Instead, he just turned away and started to walk again, and from the glimpse of his face that I managed to catch, he didn't look angry or afraid or even confused. He just looked...amazed. "You're right," I heard him murmur. "One is missing."
Confused as I was, I didn't bother to ask him what he was talking about, since it would most likely seem a little strange considering what I'd just been saying, and only a few minutes later--minutes we passed in silence, since what I'd said had seemingly been enough to douse even Ryuen's good spirits--we came to a stop at a large white building.
"Well," said Ryuen, turning around to flash me a weary smile, "here we are. This is Sai's apartment building." The smile turned into a grin; despite myself, it made me feel a little more at ease. "Better hold your breath until we get inside. You might stir up some dirt and get it on the walls."
With a slight chuckle that sounded more like a giggle, I followed. And, even though I could sense that Ryuen loved Saihitei as dearly as anyone could love someone, it seemed like the economic differences between the two was at least a little bit of a rift in their relationship. Not to say that Ryuen sounded bitter, and he was completely right--the building was all white, down to every last board and panel, but I couldn't see even so much as a spot of dirt on any of it. I had the sudden image of a giant tarp being thrown over the place every night to keep it so pristine, but dismissed that with little more than a smirk and a bit of mental chiding.
But, even so...
I cast a quick glance at Ryuen, who was hurrying up the sidewalk a little ahead of me, and what I could see of his face seemed pinched, somehow. Well, maybe not pinched. Maybe...I don't know. But something about it didn't seem natural. There were two many lines around his mouth, for one thing, and I could tell from the slight bulge at the back of his jaw that he was clenching his teeth, although for what reason, I really had no idea. I let myself believe, for a moment, that perhaps his disdain for the building extended to Saihitei's apparent wealth, and that maybe the two weren't quite as in love as I'd thought...but, I dismissed it almost as quickly. No. No, there was something else. Something was different about him, now, and although I certainly didn't want to believe that it might have something to do with me, it was a conclusion I couldn't help but come to.
Well, no wonder, the way you were blabbering about 'seven' a few minutes ago. He probably thinks you're insane. He's probably wondering right now how he can get you away from here without sounding rude. Just wait. Just wait, Doukun. In a minute, he'll turn around and tell you that he just remembered, but Saihitei only has enough food for six people, and so you'll have to leave. Just wait.
You've done it again, genius. You've lost another one.
Swiftly commanding the voice in my head to be quiet, I drew a deep breath and stretched out to grab Ryuen's sleeve. We were just coming up on the front door--doors, actually, since there were two, framed in white and clear with spotless glass in the center--but he stopped at my touch, and I realized with a bit of a shock that there was actually a doorman in this apartment, waiting just inside, watching us. Frowning at the man, who was lifting his bushy white eyebrows at me, I tugged Ryuen a little off the sidewalk and into the grass.
He was staring at me quizzically, one eyebrow slightly lifted, but I discovered that he didn't look upset, or even relieved. He just looked...curious. "Doukun?"
Just like that, I swallowed the excuse I'd been about to give. It'd seemed like a good and proper thing to do--offer an excuse before I could be sent away, thus saving all involved the embarrassment of vocalizing that I wasn't wanted...but, I was suddenly unsure as to whether or not I really wasn't wanted. Despite my lack of socialization over the last few years, I was something of an expert at people-watching, so I knew something about reading people's moods by their expressions. Ryuen still looked a little uncomfortable, and his jaw was still clenched as if he was trying to steel himself against something, but I couldn't bring myself to think that it had anything to do with me coming to the party. In fact...
I frowned. "Can I ask you a question?"
He shrugged easily; the tension melted from his face
as quickly as if it'd never been there, and suddenly he was just Ryuen again.
"Sure." He winked. "But make it fast. I wasn't kidding about Miaka eating all the
food."
I watched him for a moment, trying to find the words, and then just let out a breath and said whatever came into my head. "Well...it's just that..." Sighing, I slipped my hands self-consciously into my sweatshirt pockets and let my eyes fall to the ground. "Why did you invite me? Really. Why did you? I...I mean, it's not that I don't appreciate it, or that I don't want to come, but..." I glanced up at him through the top of my vision and found him regarding me with strangely-sad eyes. "Why me?"
The sad eyes stayed locked on mine for a heartbeat, and then, without any warning at all, Ryuen stepped forward and pulled me into a hug. For a minute, I was so startled that I couldn't even manage to sputter out a shocked yelp; when I finally could speak, I found with just as much surprise that I didn't want to. Ryuen's arms were strong, reminding me of the last arms that had held me like this, a long, long time ago--my father's. And, strangely enough, it was the same kind of embrace, and not one that I could ever imagine someone giving to someone they'd just met. It was the hug you give to a good friend, or to a son, or maybe even to a younger brother. The tears formed in my eyes almost without me realizing them; I was more than a little startled when I felt the cool moisture on my cheeks.
"Doukun," Ryuen said softly, "I
promise, I'll explain everything after you meet everyone. Until then, all I can say is--" He pulled back from me, and I saw that there
were tears in his eyes, too, glistening against the warm smile on his
lips. "--you're not as
insignificant as you like to think you are." He grinned again, wiping at his eyes. "Now, come on. Let's
get inside. Besides, the doorman's
staring."
With a little laugh I found that he was right, and for the first time since I'd met this boy, only a few days earlier, I felt like maybe it hadn't been such an accident that he'd sat down at my table, after all. Most of this went out of my head, however, as suddenly there came a cry from somewhere off to our left, and before I was entirely sure what was happening, I was lying on my back on the ground, staring up into a hazy sky with something heavy on my chest. Dizzily, I tried to force my eyes to focus on the shape above me, blotting out the starlight like some madman's doomsday device, but it wasn't until I heard Ryuen's voice that I realized just what had plowed me over.
"Miaaaaaka!" Ryuen shouted, sounding as if he was trying to decide whether to be angry or amused. "Get off of him! Doukun, are you all right? She didn't hurt you, did she?"
The something on my chest shifted a little, leaning
back enough so that I could, indeed, make out two meatball-shaped buns and
green eyes that were opened just a little too widely. "Oh, don't be silly, N-- Don't be silly, Ryuen!" she exclaimed a
little breathlessly. "I didn't
hurt him! I'm just happy to see
him!" Suddenly seeming to realize
that I was, indeed, lying on my back beneath her, Miaka grinned and looked down
at me. "I'm so happy to see
you!" she repeated for my benefit.
"It's been such a long time, and now here you are! I'm so happy!"
"Ah, Miaka..." Ryuen, who I sensed was standing just a little behind me, gave
what sounded like an exasperated sigh, but I could tell that he was
smiling. "Wouldn't you be even
happier to see him on his feet?"
Showing strength that I couldn't imagine someone of her height and bodyweight possessing, Miaka got a grip on my collar and peeled me up off the ground; my knees were a little unsteady when she let go, mostly because I was still shaking from the considerable shock of being glomped off my feet, and so I nearly fell again because of that. Luckily, though, Ryuen grabbed me in time, and while I was regaining my footing, I noticed for the first time that the three of us weren't alone. There, standing at the edge of the street peering concernedly at a parking meter, was a tall man--probably not much older than Ryuen or Saihitei, but aged by the utterly-serious look on his face--with shaggy dark hair and a grey polo shirt on.
Miaka must've noticed my stare, because she put her hands on her hips and took a few steps towards the street. "Taka, come on! Come say hi to Doukun!"
As he came towards us, a flicker of something like recognition flared in his eyes, and even though it sounds strange, when he opened his mouth to say my name, I almost thought that perhaps he was going to say something else. Of course, he didn't, and I felt silly for even thinking that he might.
"Doukun," he said warmly, reaching forward
to clasp my hand briefly in his own.
"It's good to...to finally meet you. Miaka's told me a lot about you."
"It's good to meet you, too," I returned automatically.
"Well," Ryuen said with a slightly-nervous grin, rocking back and forth on his heels as Taka released my hand. "Shouldn't we all be heading inside?"
"Yeah!" Miaka squealed. "Let's go! Come on, Doukun!" And before I could even open my mouth, she'd rushed to my side and glomped herself onto my arm, and only a second later, she was leading me towards those glassy double doors, Ryuen and Taka following just behind us.
~*~
Notes: Belated birthday wishes to Roku-chan ^______^., and vast apologies to everyone who reads this fic, as this chapter has been sitting in my computer since June, but I somehow managed to forget that it was there!! ^_^;;;;;;;;;; Next chapter: Doukun FINALLY gets to meet the other seishi! ^__^.