Disclaimer: I don't own neopets. I do own all the characters in this chapter, and the story idea. Wallow in the glory that is me.
Saving Sushi
Chapter Three:Premonitions
At about the time Matsoma started hearing voices, somewhere a city away in a comfortably cluttered apartment, Bukiyo Nuruchiro decided it was high time for him to start wearing glasses. After all, his cousin would never be standing outside his door without being dragged there by force, and he saw no ropes around Shinzo's wrists, nor a conniving little sibling lurking behind the man. So much for any demon vision inherited from his father.
"Are ya just gonna stand there like a dumbarse, or can I come in?" Shinzo growled annoyedly, pushing the door a little further inward. Bukiyo lowered his hands after making sure that no, his vision was not failing him, and he could count the ten fingers just fine.
"Ah, yeah, sure..." Bukiyo stepped back and Shinzo brushed past him, plopping down on the worn couch.
"I need to talk to ya," Shinzo said pointedly.
"You're using your street voice. Must be something important," Bukiyo noted, sliding into the armchair in front of Shinzo wearily. The two had never gotten along very well and today his twin Satsuki was out shopping, so she couldn't play peacekeeper.
"Well, when you've been around for a thousand years, I think you've earned the right to talk however you want," Shinzo intoned coolly, using the excuse he'd often given Koki when she'd scolded him for not using proper diction. That would make her freeze and be kind to her "poor, immortal dear, who had to suffer through so much", although Shinzo regretted rubbing in his immortality now that Koki was dead. He'd gladly speak in any language she wanted him to if it'd bring her back, but with Bukiyo he didn't care.
"Being a half-demon would probably give you the same right, and so what? That doesn't mean I should roar at people or something."
Shinzo scowled but was forced to take in Bukiyo's full appearance as he said that. Deep violet eyes that slanted upwards at the tip, clawed hands, fangs, odd crimson-purple hair that Bukiyo had grown into long spikes, the bright sun symbol on his shoulder. And, of course, those leathery wings with sharp tips of bone. Bukiyo winced under his stare, a very un-demonlike blush rising to his face.
"Anyway, Shinzo, I wasn't saying that it was wrong."
Shinzo shook his head, waving his arms in front of his face. "Alright, whatever. I don't care what you think about me. This is about fish girl."
"About Suu-chan?" Bukiyo asked, startled.
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but..." Bukiyo imagined Sushi, smiling and laughing, with her happy cries of 'Buki-kun!Satsu!' whenever he and Satsuki came to visit. His face paled. "There's nothing wrong with her, is there?"
"No," Shinzo sighed, then added, "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Bukiyo echoed. "What do you mean, not yet?"
Hurriedly, Shinzo explained what had happened when they went shopping at Candy, Candy, Candy as Bukiyo listened attentively.
"So, it's really stupid, but I've never had anything like that happen before, and I guess I was..." Shinzo paused, then mumbled the last word almost incomprehensibly under his breath,"...worried."
Bukiyo was silent for a long time, thinking. Then he said, hesitantly, "Do you think it meant anything?"
"I don't know! That's why I came to you!" Shinzo looked at him helplessly before bowing his head. "Sushi always came to you, not me, so I figured you knew something I didn't."
Bukiyo shook his head, but the other male seemed too interested in the carpet to notice.
"It felt like it meant something, though," Shinzo finally ventured.
"Okay." Bukiyo sighed and stood, making his dark-headed cousin look up in surprise. "Shinzo, I'm coming home with you to stay a few nights."
"You don't trust me to look after her myself?" Instantly Shinzo was on his feet, glaring at Bukiyo. "You don't think I can do it?"
"Actually, no. I don't," Bukiyo answered, looking distastefully at the temperamental male. "I'm calling Satsu to tell her."
"She's not coming, too!" Shinzo exclaimed, thinking of the girl who would glare at him with hateful rose-pink eyes, flapping her translucent wings angrily and flicking icy blue hair in his face before turning her back on him.
"I didn't say she was," Bukiyo answered coldly. "She has a friend staying over tonight."
"...oh," Shinzo muttered before falling back down on the couch. Bukiyo headed into the kitchen to call Satsu, coming out a few minutes later with the strangest look on his face.
"Well, what is it? Did your sister forbid you to come or something?" Shinzo asked with a smirk, making Bukiyo blush again.
"N-no, of course not," he shook his head, the color of his cheeks returning to normal. "But...I think we should wait here for a while."
"Why?"
"Because I have the feeling someone's going to call," Bukiyo answered after a moment, averting his eyes from Shinzo's.
"So, and tell me if I'm wrong here, my sister could be in mortal danger, possibly hanging on to life by a thread as we speak, and you decide you're going to sit there and wait for a stupid phone call that you have the feeling is going to come?" Shinzo demanded, his voice getting louder as he went on. "Bukiyo, what kind of cousinly behavior is that?"
"It's an important phone call," Bukiyo answered lamely. Something in his voice made Shinzo look at him harder, catching the way his eyes darted around nervously and how his hands were, ever so lightly, shaking.
"Bukiyo?" Shinzo's tone was soft this time.
"We can't leave until we get this call, Shinzo!" Bukiyo practically shouted, violet eyes widening as he realized how loud his voice was. "I mean, this isn't just like a feeling, it's more like...I don't know, a premonition or something..." he paused, taking a shaky breath. "It's about Sushi."
"Do you think it meant something?" Shinzo asked the question Bukiyo had used earlier. The male nodded.
"I think it means a lot. I didn't see anything like you did, but it was a really strong feeling..." he trailed off, hearing the telephone ring.
"Shit," Shinzo muttered, looking towards the kitchen.
"Piles of it," Bukiyo agreed.
Saving Sushi
Chapter Three:Premonitions
At about the time Matsoma started hearing voices, somewhere a city away in a comfortably cluttered apartment, Bukiyo Nuruchiro decided it was high time for him to start wearing glasses. After all, his cousin would never be standing outside his door without being dragged there by force, and he saw no ropes around Shinzo's wrists, nor a conniving little sibling lurking behind the man. So much for any demon vision inherited from his father.
"Are ya just gonna stand there like a dumbarse, or can I come in?" Shinzo growled annoyedly, pushing the door a little further inward. Bukiyo lowered his hands after making sure that no, his vision was not failing him, and he could count the ten fingers just fine.
"Ah, yeah, sure..." Bukiyo stepped back and Shinzo brushed past him, plopping down on the worn couch.
"I need to talk to ya," Shinzo said pointedly.
"You're using your street voice. Must be something important," Bukiyo noted, sliding into the armchair in front of Shinzo wearily. The two had never gotten along very well and today his twin Satsuki was out shopping, so she couldn't play peacekeeper.
"Well, when you've been around for a thousand years, I think you've earned the right to talk however you want," Shinzo intoned coolly, using the excuse he'd often given Koki when she'd scolded him for not using proper diction. That would make her freeze and be kind to her "poor, immortal dear, who had to suffer through so much", although Shinzo regretted rubbing in his immortality now that Koki was dead. He'd gladly speak in any language she wanted him to if it'd bring her back, but with Bukiyo he didn't care.
"Being a half-demon would probably give you the same right, and so what? That doesn't mean I should roar at people or something."
Shinzo scowled but was forced to take in Bukiyo's full appearance as he said that. Deep violet eyes that slanted upwards at the tip, clawed hands, fangs, odd crimson-purple hair that Bukiyo had grown into long spikes, the bright sun symbol on his shoulder. And, of course, those leathery wings with sharp tips of bone. Bukiyo winced under his stare, a very un-demonlike blush rising to his face.
"Anyway, Shinzo, I wasn't saying that it was wrong."
Shinzo shook his head, waving his arms in front of his face. "Alright, whatever. I don't care what you think about me. This is about fish girl."
"About Suu-chan?" Bukiyo asked, startled.
"That's what I said, isn't it?"
"Yeah, but..." Bukiyo imagined Sushi, smiling and laughing, with her happy cries of 'Buki-kun!Satsu!' whenever he and Satsuki came to visit. His face paled. "There's nothing wrong with her, is there?"
"No," Shinzo sighed, then added, "Not yet."
"Not yet?" Bukiyo echoed. "What do you mean, not yet?"
Hurriedly, Shinzo explained what had happened when they went shopping at Candy, Candy, Candy as Bukiyo listened attentively.
"So, it's really stupid, but I've never had anything like that happen before, and I guess I was..." Shinzo paused, then mumbled the last word almost incomprehensibly under his breath,"...worried."
Bukiyo was silent for a long time, thinking. Then he said, hesitantly, "Do you think it meant anything?"
"I don't know! That's why I came to you!" Shinzo looked at him helplessly before bowing his head. "Sushi always came to you, not me, so I figured you knew something I didn't."
Bukiyo shook his head, but the other male seemed too interested in the carpet to notice.
"It felt like it meant something, though," Shinzo finally ventured.
"Okay." Bukiyo sighed and stood, making his dark-headed cousin look up in surprise. "Shinzo, I'm coming home with you to stay a few nights."
"You don't trust me to look after her myself?" Instantly Shinzo was on his feet, glaring at Bukiyo. "You don't think I can do it?"
"Actually, no. I don't," Bukiyo answered, looking distastefully at the temperamental male. "I'm calling Satsu to tell her."
"She's not coming, too!" Shinzo exclaimed, thinking of the girl who would glare at him with hateful rose-pink eyes, flapping her translucent wings angrily and flicking icy blue hair in his face before turning her back on him.
"I didn't say she was," Bukiyo answered coldly. "She has a friend staying over tonight."
"...oh," Shinzo muttered before falling back down on the couch. Bukiyo headed into the kitchen to call Satsu, coming out a few minutes later with the strangest look on his face.
"Well, what is it? Did your sister forbid you to come or something?" Shinzo asked with a smirk, making Bukiyo blush again.
"N-no, of course not," he shook his head, the color of his cheeks returning to normal. "But...I think we should wait here for a while."
"Why?"
"Because I have the feeling someone's going to call," Bukiyo answered after a moment, averting his eyes from Shinzo's.
"So, and tell me if I'm wrong here, my sister could be in mortal danger, possibly hanging on to life by a thread as we speak, and you decide you're going to sit there and wait for a stupid phone call that you have the feeling is going to come?" Shinzo demanded, his voice getting louder as he went on. "Bukiyo, what kind of cousinly behavior is that?"
"It's an important phone call," Bukiyo answered lamely. Something in his voice made Shinzo look at him harder, catching the way his eyes darted around nervously and how his hands were, ever so lightly, shaking.
"Bukiyo?" Shinzo's tone was soft this time.
"We can't leave until we get this call, Shinzo!" Bukiyo practically shouted, violet eyes widening as he realized how loud his voice was. "I mean, this isn't just like a feeling, it's more like...I don't know, a premonition or something..." he paused, taking a shaky breath. "It's about Sushi."
"Do you think it meant something?" Shinzo asked the question Bukiyo had used earlier. The male nodded.
"I think it means a lot. I didn't see anything like you did, but it was a really strong feeling..." he trailed off, hearing the telephone ring.
"Shit," Shinzo muttered, looking towards the kitchen.
"Piles of it," Bukiyo agreed.