A/N: This is it, folks: the final chapter. *wipes away tears of relief* Ten weeks of my time I have spent with this thing, and I am almost surprised how interesting it has been. Yes, I am late from my usual updating time and I have no excuse except being lazy. ^^*
You know, finally finishing this thing is my own birthday present for myself. Tomorrow (the 23rd) is my b-day. *hint hint* ^^ Hey, my sign is Leo, I am supposed to be full of myself and always seeking for attention. Blame the stars.
Yes, enough of this babble. Enjoy the chapter! (That's an order!)
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 10 : Peace
Aya POV
I moved the flowerpots from one location to another, just to keep myself busy and my thoughts in something meaningful rather than having them wandering on their own into subjects they were not supposed bring up. It was only moments before the shop would close and there were absolutely no customers around. That was why I had shooed the other two from the shop and assured them that I could do the rest of the ship on my own.
Sometime around noon when I had come to the shop and offered my much-needed help, Omi had began pounding me with questions. He wanted to know if Yoji and I were conspiring to destroy the team since we were the only ones whose condition wasn't too much for the nighttime job. Not that Yoji was able or allowed to work by days either. I'm almost convinced that he enjoyed being sick and away from something as bothersome as work.
I told Omi that there were no conspiracies going on and the unfortunate incidents had been exactly those: incidents. He then brought up the 'rather unhealthy relationship' between me and Yoji. At this I only stared at him. Having, Yoji, me and the word relationship put into one sentence somehow made me shiver. For horror if I may guess.
I refused to talk about the subject any further.
Being alone with my mind was exactly what I needed. I had to gather my thoughts together since they had been a little astray lately, but for some reason I was pushing the task away every time it crossed my mind. I just wasn't too thrilled about thinking about anything at the moment, no matter how important it would have been.
I had noticed it when Omi had attacked me with his flow of questions. After he had stopped I had actually began to think of reasonable replies to them and noted that most of them were very intimidating. Something I would never have admitted to anyone out loud and wouldn't admit even to myself. They were things that were supposed to stay in the back of my mind hidden with more reasonable thoughts.
I took a quick look outside and looked for anyone who looked like a potential customer. Since there was no one who looked like it I simply turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and then – very slowly, because of only being able to use my another arm, thanks to certain person I who still hadn't completely forgiven – closed the shutters.
Time to think was what I needed. Time to think on my own. I needed a quiet place that allowed me the feeling that I was far from the others. There was only one place like that in the building and that would be the place I would go to.
I untied my apron and neatly put it on its place. Quickly I swept some lonely flower petals and leaves away from the floor and cleaned the counters. Some of the flowerpots I had been moving earlier weren't in their correct places and I had to move them somewhere else. Once I was sure nothing was left in disorder, I left the shop and headed towards my often-used hideout.
~
Why had I spent such a great deal of time during the past days just sitting on the rooftop looking up to the stars or down to the city? What was it that kept me going up there and just remaining silent? The peace, the quiet, perhaps? It was always so silent up there that it almost felt being away from the Real World. The hell, I was trying to run from reality; that was why I kept climbing up there, near the stars. When had I begun trying to escape the Real World? What the hell had happened to me in the past week?
I took few steps towards the edge of the roof and sat down there. Close enough to fall if I made a wrong move, but far enough to be safe if I didn't. On the edge of something high was where I had been balancing for the past years of my life; always about to fall, but stubbornly holding onto something precious to me.
Starting from a week back, I had written multiple lines of prose and two poems which both included the word love. I had also had my arm broken, told Yoji what my true name was and later that day dragged the said man away from the storm where he had been sitting like a corpse. Two of those I could explain; the first poem that spread out the word love was written because I was told to, and my arm was broken because of Yoji. The causes of the other incidents were a bit blurry, even to me.
Well, the second crappy poem could be explained too. I was pretty sure of it. It had simply demanded to be put down to paper and if I hadn't obeyed the demand those lines would have kept repeating themselves inside my head and I would slowly have lost the last remaining bits of my sanity.
Telling Yoji my real name had been a sincere slip. I never had intended to tell my true name to anyone, least to Yoji. I could also blame the painkillers for making my tongue slip even though I had only taken one of them that day and that had been several hours before the conversation.
Dragging an unconscious man away from the rain when my arm was broken? My motive to that was more than just a little unclear. I could simply have left him out there to be frozen, and that most likely would have received great cheers from everyone, but no. I had to risk the healing of the shattered bones and get him inside.
Why, oh, why?
What he had said while in the edge on consciousness had pretty much answered the question, but I wanted to find a more reasonable explanation. I needed a realistic answer.
"Do you have use for company?"
I turned slightly, even though I already knew who it was. Yoji sat down to my left with a huge blanket wrapped around himself.
"No," I replied.
"Oh. I'll just shut up then."
I turned my eyes to the city below, to all the lights that competed with the starlight. I needed distraction. If I wanted a realistic answer to the last unsolved mystery Yoji was not good to have around, ex-detective or not.
"In every detail, what happened yesterday?" Yoji asked from somewhere under his blanket. He had had an official permission not to do any work that morning, and I still was ready to bet money that he had enjoyed every moment of it, not caring about the cold he had caught.
I took my time to consider whether or not to answer the question. What was there to tell about, anyhow? He had been sitting in the rain, as explained multiple times, and I had just dragged him back inside.
"I don't want the basic idea, I want the details. Why did you drag me inside?"
I still didn't answer. He was asking the same thing as I had and I still didn't have the realistic answer. I, apparently, had to settle with the unrealistic one, I realized.
"Because," I paused and after a while continued, "I didn't want to leave you to freeze. Any more than you already had, that is."
Yoji was silent and I didn't want to turn around and see the big, smug grin on his face. I kept my gaze in the horizon.
I had been humiliated and confused more in the past few days than in the past few years and I wanted to speak out the cause of it. It would have been so easy just to say that I did this and that because of something.
"You... I don't know, maybe you were conscious, maybe not, but-" I felt something on my shoulder and turned to look what it was.
Yoji's head, or more likely what was visible from it, was resting against my shoulder and the man himself was asleep.
I smiled to myself.
"You called out for Ran," I finished the sentence I had begun. How amusing was this? It was almost hilarious, if you asked me.
At the same time – no matter if I admitted it or not – it was even more peaceful than it had been before. Us two sitting there like that.
I moved my arm a little, just to get it wrapped around Yoji's shoulder to pull him a little bit closer to me. I moved few strands of hair away from his forehead and planted a soft kiss there. Something that felt right to do at the moment.
Even if just a fleeting second I didn't feel anything concerning me. It was as if all the sadness from my past had been wiped away and the ice from my present melted. I didn't care what my future would be, because there was the moment.
And that was all I had.
That, if something, was certainly something worth writing down.
~* FIN *~
There you have it! My teeth ache after having written the second scene, but that's only an excuse for me to start with a sequel someday. Wiping away the fluff, that is. *evil grin*
Ah, and now, this is the last chance so revie~w!
You know, finally finishing this thing is my own birthday present for myself. Tomorrow (the 23rd) is my b-day. *hint hint* ^^ Hey, my sign is Leo, I am supposed to be full of myself and always seeking for attention. Blame the stars.
Yes, enough of this babble. Enjoy the chapter! (That's an order!)
~*~*~*~*~*~
Chapter 10 : Peace
Aya POV
I moved the flowerpots from one location to another, just to keep myself busy and my thoughts in something meaningful rather than having them wandering on their own into subjects they were not supposed bring up. It was only moments before the shop would close and there were absolutely no customers around. That was why I had shooed the other two from the shop and assured them that I could do the rest of the ship on my own.
Sometime around noon when I had come to the shop and offered my much-needed help, Omi had began pounding me with questions. He wanted to know if Yoji and I were conspiring to destroy the team since we were the only ones whose condition wasn't too much for the nighttime job. Not that Yoji was able or allowed to work by days either. I'm almost convinced that he enjoyed being sick and away from something as bothersome as work.
I told Omi that there were no conspiracies going on and the unfortunate incidents had been exactly those: incidents. He then brought up the 'rather unhealthy relationship' between me and Yoji. At this I only stared at him. Having, Yoji, me and the word relationship put into one sentence somehow made me shiver. For horror if I may guess.
I refused to talk about the subject any further.
Being alone with my mind was exactly what I needed. I had to gather my thoughts together since they had been a little astray lately, but for some reason I was pushing the task away every time it crossed my mind. I just wasn't too thrilled about thinking about anything at the moment, no matter how important it would have been.
I had noticed it when Omi had attacked me with his flow of questions. After he had stopped I had actually began to think of reasonable replies to them and noted that most of them were very intimidating. Something I would never have admitted to anyone out loud and wouldn't admit even to myself. They were things that were supposed to stay in the back of my mind hidden with more reasonable thoughts.
I took a quick look outside and looked for anyone who looked like a potential customer. Since there was no one who looked like it I simply turned the 'open' sign to 'closed' and then – very slowly, because of only being able to use my another arm, thanks to certain person I who still hadn't completely forgiven – closed the shutters.
Time to think was what I needed. Time to think on my own. I needed a quiet place that allowed me the feeling that I was far from the others. There was only one place like that in the building and that would be the place I would go to.
I untied my apron and neatly put it on its place. Quickly I swept some lonely flower petals and leaves away from the floor and cleaned the counters. Some of the flowerpots I had been moving earlier weren't in their correct places and I had to move them somewhere else. Once I was sure nothing was left in disorder, I left the shop and headed towards my often-used hideout.
~
Why had I spent such a great deal of time during the past days just sitting on the rooftop looking up to the stars or down to the city? What was it that kept me going up there and just remaining silent? The peace, the quiet, perhaps? It was always so silent up there that it almost felt being away from the Real World. The hell, I was trying to run from reality; that was why I kept climbing up there, near the stars. When had I begun trying to escape the Real World? What the hell had happened to me in the past week?
I took few steps towards the edge of the roof and sat down there. Close enough to fall if I made a wrong move, but far enough to be safe if I didn't. On the edge of something high was where I had been balancing for the past years of my life; always about to fall, but stubbornly holding onto something precious to me.
Starting from a week back, I had written multiple lines of prose and two poems which both included the word love. I had also had my arm broken, told Yoji what my true name was and later that day dragged the said man away from the storm where he had been sitting like a corpse. Two of those I could explain; the first poem that spread out the word love was written because I was told to, and my arm was broken because of Yoji. The causes of the other incidents were a bit blurry, even to me.
Well, the second crappy poem could be explained too. I was pretty sure of it. It had simply demanded to be put down to paper and if I hadn't obeyed the demand those lines would have kept repeating themselves inside my head and I would slowly have lost the last remaining bits of my sanity.
Telling Yoji my real name had been a sincere slip. I never had intended to tell my true name to anyone, least to Yoji. I could also blame the painkillers for making my tongue slip even though I had only taken one of them that day and that had been several hours before the conversation.
Dragging an unconscious man away from the rain when my arm was broken? My motive to that was more than just a little unclear. I could simply have left him out there to be frozen, and that most likely would have received great cheers from everyone, but no. I had to risk the healing of the shattered bones and get him inside.
Why, oh, why?
What he had said while in the edge on consciousness had pretty much answered the question, but I wanted to find a more reasonable explanation. I needed a realistic answer.
"Do you have use for company?"
I turned slightly, even though I already knew who it was. Yoji sat down to my left with a huge blanket wrapped around himself.
"No," I replied.
"Oh. I'll just shut up then."
I turned my eyes to the city below, to all the lights that competed with the starlight. I needed distraction. If I wanted a realistic answer to the last unsolved mystery Yoji was not good to have around, ex-detective or not.
"In every detail, what happened yesterday?" Yoji asked from somewhere under his blanket. He had had an official permission not to do any work that morning, and I still was ready to bet money that he had enjoyed every moment of it, not caring about the cold he had caught.
I took my time to consider whether or not to answer the question. What was there to tell about, anyhow? He had been sitting in the rain, as explained multiple times, and I had just dragged him back inside.
"I don't want the basic idea, I want the details. Why did you drag me inside?"
I still didn't answer. He was asking the same thing as I had and I still didn't have the realistic answer. I, apparently, had to settle with the unrealistic one, I realized.
"Because," I paused and after a while continued, "I didn't want to leave you to freeze. Any more than you already had, that is."
Yoji was silent and I didn't want to turn around and see the big, smug grin on his face. I kept my gaze in the horizon.
I had been humiliated and confused more in the past few days than in the past few years and I wanted to speak out the cause of it. It would have been so easy just to say that I did this and that because of something.
"You... I don't know, maybe you were conscious, maybe not, but-" I felt something on my shoulder and turned to look what it was.
Yoji's head, or more likely what was visible from it, was resting against my shoulder and the man himself was asleep.
I smiled to myself.
"You called out for Ran," I finished the sentence I had begun. How amusing was this? It was almost hilarious, if you asked me.
At the same time – no matter if I admitted it or not – it was even more peaceful than it had been before. Us two sitting there like that.
I moved my arm a little, just to get it wrapped around Yoji's shoulder to pull him a little bit closer to me. I moved few strands of hair away from his forehead and planted a soft kiss there. Something that felt right to do at the moment.
Even if just a fleeting second I didn't feel anything concerning me. It was as if all the sadness from my past had been wiped away and the ice from my present melted. I didn't care what my future would be, because there was the moment.
And that was all I had.
That, if something, was certainly something worth writing down.
~* FIN *~
There you have it! My teeth ache after having written the second scene, but that's only an excuse for me to start with a sequel someday. Wiping away the fluff, that is. *evil grin*
Ah, and now, this is the last chance so revie~w!