High School Crushes are for Wimps
Morning came quicker then Aoshi would have liked as the curtain was pulled open and the glaring sunshine was beaming down onto his face.
"Sano-nii, ohayoo!" Came the cheery voice of Sayo-chan who'd bounded into the room to wake the sleeping high school students. Aoshi grunted and buried further into the cozy blanket of the futon while Sano told Sayo to shut up as he trudged towards his bathroom to relieve himself. It wasn't long before he was back in the room, Aoshi still in the futon as Sayo-chan sat close to his head and was in fact poking the comforter.
"Sano-nii, is he dead?" Her large brown eyes looked over at Sano who cracked up laughing before he watched Aoshi draw the blanket down, blurry eyes peeking through messy bangs.
"Sayo-chan, is mum and dad gone to work already?"
"Yep and they said you have to make me breakfast and take me to the bus stop or you'll be in big trouble."
"Well you head downstairs first, I'll be there shortly." Sano watched Sayo do as he said as she waved goodbye to her big brothers "sleeping guest" who did a small quiet wave back before Aoshi placed his head down on the pillow once more, eyes closed shut.
"Hmm, I think today is a 'skip school day'." Sano muttered as he headed for Aoshi and jerked the 18 year old awake once more.
"What is it?"
"We'll be having a day off today, 'kay?" Who was Aoshi to complain as he did nothing but pull the comforter over his head turning the small confined area into darkness.
"SANO-NII, HURRY UP!" Sayo yelled upstairs and Sano got into action as he headed off, closing his bedroom door to let Aoshi sleep. For now Sano would "pretend" he was going to go to school also, but once he waved Sayo-chan from the bus he wasn't going anywhere.
XxXxXxX
Aoshi stretched within the folds of the futon as his arms came clear out of the comforter as he peeled the warm material from his skin. Sitting up he stared around the deserted bedroom to look for its owner, but Sano was nowhere in sight. With stomach rumbling for something to eat, having had nothing for over 24 hours Aoshi headed downstairs only to hear commotion from the lounge room and found Sano in a pair of red shorts and a white singlet yelling at the television screen as he was loosing a brawl against the computer as he played a console game. Aoshi had heard of the game and only glimpsed at it through an arcade window and quietly sat down on the couch, he calculating what Sano's move should be but instead watched him do something completely different, hence rendering him 'dead'.
"You suck at this game."
"Gah!" Sano jerked, head twisting around to see Aoshi calmly sitting Indian style on the couch dressed all in black. "Shit man, how long have you been there?"
"Not long…" Aoshi replied back and then listened to his stomach growl once more.
"Seems to me someone is hungry…" Sano laughed lightly before pausing the game as he stood up and waved Aoshi to the kitchen.
"So what do you want to eat? I was actually going to wake you up to see if you wanted any lunch since I haven't had any myself. After that sleep you look better though." Sano voiced while opening cupboards and the fridge.
"Thanks…" Aoshi had never really been in this kind of position where he asked for help from anyone before. He received a clap on his uninjured shoulder from Sano who closed the fridge.
"I have a better idea. There is this great take away shop just at the corner of the street, so I'll buy us lunch from there. It saves us having to cook anything."
"I'll just grab some cash for you." Aoshi remarked, liking the idea of not having to cook, but was stopped by Sano shaking his head.
"Nah it's my treat, besides its not like I'm short of cash or anything." He spoke while scratching the back of his head, both his parents had nice paying jobs to support themselves and there two children now.
"Okay…" Aoshi was non too pleased about receiving such generosity like this but realized Sano was just being "protective" as he liked to look out for his friends every now and then.
"So I'll grab some noodles, tempura, rice balls, sushi and some drinks yeah?" Sano was already at the door, wallet and keys in hand as he slipped on a pair of sneakers.
"Aa…" Aoshi muttered as he stood awkwardly at the entranceway.
"Start playing that game so I can beat the crap outta ya when I get back." There was a hint of a smirk on Aoshi's lips as he nodded affirmatively and watched the door close leaving him in a very large and eerily quiet mansion.
XxXxXxX
The front door clicked open and Aoshi rose from his seated position on the plush carpet, having killed most of his occupants fairly quickly and headed into the entranceway to chew out Sano at how much he sucked but froze, eyes wider then usual as he stared at an elderly couple both wearing business suits.
"What the hell are you doing in my house?" The male, which now Aoshi figured was Sano's father voiced loudly, his hand instantly going towards his wife as he clasped her hand, making sure if Aoshi attacked he'd be able to get her out of harms way.
"I'm…"
"Hey Aoshi-kun I'm back I…oh crap…" Sano stood at the doorway noticing his folks home a lot earlier then expected since it was only 1pm and then realised perhaps they'd come home for lunch.
"Sanosuke you better explain yourself." Mr Sagara growled lightly out while Mrs Sagara decided to add on,
"And why aren't you in school?"
"Hey Aoshi, could you go upstairs for a second?" Not needing to be asked a second time Aoshi left the Sagara's to their argument/discussion.
As he sat on Sano's bed, he looked down at his duffle bag and began placing whatever was lying around that belonged to him back inside it. He didn't want to be a bother to anyone and would leave the Sagara place immediately. He quickly folded the futon, placed it back under the bed and stood up just as the door was pushed open. There in doorway stood Mrs Sagara…a very determined Mrs Sagara at that.
"Aoshi-kun, please have a seat." Aoshi was never truly a rude person or visitor and did as she asked as she headed on over, bringing Sano's desk chair with her. Aoshi observed as she placed down a small box beside him while she sat in front of him where his futon used to be with one leg crossed over the other and her hands clasped together in her lap.
"I'm a little mad at my son not telling us sooner we had a guest." She began while Aoshi stared at the floor. "However, Sano has asked if you could stay for awhile and without proper reasoning I cannot allow that until you tell me yourself." Aoshi lifted his ice green-grey orbs from the floor and finally figured out what Mrs Sagara's occupation was.
"You are a shrink." Aoshi voiced quietly, not liking the idea that someone was going to analyse him one bit.
"In a sense yes, but Sano would not tell me what the go is with you staying here so you have but two options. One we can sit here for the remainder of the day with me firing questions at you and will make an analysis on what is going on or two you can confide in me and let me patch you up." With eyes slightly wide Aoshi had never felt so uncomfortable then what he was right now. He thought he could hide everything so well, but obviously with someone like this who seemed to have more then 10 years experience dealing with problematic people, Mrs Sagara was bound to read him like an open book.
"I…" Aoshi began, his eyes darting away from the concerned brown ones that patiently waited for him to finish. "I…can't…" He murmured, not wanting anyone to get into any trouble, not when he was so close at being about to adopt his little sisters.
"I see…" Mrs Sagara voiced as she clasped one of Aoshi's hands in both of hers. She quietly sat there watching the mature looking young man before her (even though he looked more like a scared child underneath) and while she held his hand she noticed a certain purple-blackness of a fading bruise close to his wrist.
"So that is it then." She mumbled mostly to herself, a definite frown on her face as she stood up and opened what Aoshi now discovered was a first aid kit.
"The salve will help you." She voiced before heading for the door.
"Mrs Sagara?" Aoshi watched the tall slender woman stop at the doorway, her flowing brown-black hair cascaded down her back in wavy curls as she looked back over her shoulder at him. "Would you…come back inside and close the door?" She did as was asked of her and sat back down in the chair listening to Aoshi's story as for once he wanted someone to know everything that he'd experienced.
XxXxXxX
Aoshi had no idea how long he sat there talking monotonously to Sano's mother until he discovered there was a long silence in the room after he'd finished.
"May I ask, why did you decide to share all of this with me?" Sano's mum spoke quietly, not an ounce of emotion in her voice or on her face.
"You…remind me of my mother…of what I can remember in any case. Will you…tell Sano about all of this?"
"Of course not, I go by a strict confidentiality clause."
"Do I have to pay for this session?" Mrs Sagara couldn't help but laugh aloud, her hand moving to her lips as she muffled it there.
"You must be hanging around my son too much. Only he would say such a thing." A smirk crossed Aoshi's lips as he scratched the back of his neck, never knowing that a weight such as the one he'd been carrying since he was young could be lifted so easily like that. He watched as Mrs Sagara leaned back in her chair, her lips quirked slightly, but there was still determination within her gaze.
"It's on the house, but only if you lift your shirt." Aoshi was surprised at her sternness. "I also happened to be a very concerned woman and have taken care of many bumps and bruises, now lift your arms young man." Aoshi slowly complied with the "order" from Sano's mum, now noticing where he got his 'authority/bossy' type of attitude from and let her pull the shirt free.
"Oh Aoshi-kun…" She muttered before placing the salve in his hands and made him place the cool ointment over his bruised skin. "I would suggest you go see a doctor to make sure your hip and ribs haven't been cracked but…" Mrs Sagara voiced, her hand raised to stop Aoshi from interrupting her. "…I'll let it go for now. However, I would like you to rest for the remainder of the week so there is no schooling Friday or Saturday for you as those bones need proper rest. I'll also notify the school of your whereabouts and as a doctor have decided to keep you under observation, understood?"
"Aa…" Aoshi remarked once more and watched Mrs Sagara head for the door.
"We'll be back at 6pm so you make sure Sano behaves and doesn't strain you with those silly computer games too much. If you become tired, you rest." Nodding his head again Aoshi sighed lightly as he placed his shirt back on and just in time as Sano walked into the room.
"Man did they totally chew me out or what? She didn't like fire a million questions at you did she? That gets real annoying." Sano griped out as he pushed the chair back over to his desk.
"No, it's quite alright. She was…nice."
"Nice…? It's over protective if you ask me." Sano spoke as the two of them headed back downstairs and Aoshi observed him as he shrugged his shoulders. "It all started when Souzou died, so I can understand why she is the way she is." Sano spoke as he headed into the kitchen, as the both of them hadn't eaten lunch and it was now past 3pm.
"Who is that?"
"Ah, my older brother." Sano all too casually voiced while munching on a rice ball. "He died ages ago, but mum never got over it. She felt so powerless that she couldn't help her son or even see the problems he had, so she's spent every waking hour trying to help other kids get through the darkness they experience. I guess she's still trying to repay her debt for being blind to her eldest son."
"She is very good at what she does."
"Oh?" Sano cocked an eyebrow at that as they headed into the living room and placed the food containers on the floor and began eating them while Sano loaded up a new game.
"Aa…"
"I see… Fine you be that way, but I'll just kick your ass in this then!" Aoshi smirked as Sano grumbled to himself as he bit into some tempura.
"You are like her…you know that?"
"Huh?"
"Your mother, in her protective ways, you too are very much like that. You are trying to not feel so guilty at being helpless at not being able to save your brother, correct?"
"It sucks more then anything, being right there when he died and not being able to do a fucking thing as he sacrificed himself to let me and a friend of mine live."
"Do you want to talk about it?"
"Not unless you talk to me about your problem first." Sano retorted back instantly and watched Aoshi shake his head negatively. "Well then let's just play this and enjoy the quiet because when Sayo-chan comes home she won't back down from asking you a million questions herself."
"Aa…" And with that the two students played, Sano yelled and cursed for he was loosing and Aoshi finally had time to relax for once, not a thought about his father on his mind.
Xx Evening – Sagara Residence xX
"Ao-nii sit here!" Sayo-chan voiced as she pat the chair next to her. Sano had gone to collect his 'pain in the butt' sister as he called her from the bus stop and as soon as she got home she had not once left Aoshi's side, asking him how old he was, where he was from, what he was doing and so on and so forth. Aoshi quietly replied, skipping personal questions that she innocently fired at him, but ironically Sayo had stopped before Sano yelled at her for being so annoying. Instead she munched on a snack and watched the boys continuously play computer games.
"Sayo-chan, behave yourself."
"Yes Mama…" She voiced happily and smiled brightly up at the dark haired male as Aoshi sat beside her not being able to upset her like he had done once already today. She'd been on his 'team' as Aoshi's ninja character on screen beat up Sano's street punk, but the one random time Sano had won against Aoshi, she had cried…and that had even surprised Sano as well.
Aoshi quietly ate his dinner listening to the chit chat the Sagara's had and suppressed a chuckle when Mr Sagara confirmed that Sano would be going to school tomorrow. The spiky haired 16 year old grumbled loudly but would not start an argument with his father. He could get quite scary when he got annoyed.
"Yeah but he doesn't know his way around the house and…"
"I'll be here to show him." All eyes darted to Mrs Sagara at her interruption to Sano trying to get out of school again.
"You're taking a day off?" The two male Sagara's voiced incredulously and watched their mother and wife huff lightly.
"I've taken days off before so there is no need to act so surprised. And besides Sayo-chan has a carnival at her primary school so I've decided to take Aoshi-kun along if he feels up to it. A little sunshine didn't hurt anybody." Aoshi eyes had grown wide at this news as he stared at Mrs Sagara before his attention was drawn to Sayo who was currently tugging at his sleeve.
"You'll come won't you Ao-nii?"
"Aa…"
"Yattaa!" She happily rejoiced and glomped a surprised Aoshi who couldn't help but grimace at the sudden pressure around his neck.
"Sayo-chan you sit down this instant or you won't be going to the carnival." The mother of the household voiced sternly and mainly for the fact she had seen that grimace just like her husband and son had.
"Ne Ao-nii, how come you have a bruise on your neck?" The dinner table fell quiet, Aoshi knowing all pairs of eyes were on him as he placed down his chopsticks to lift his eyes to the innocent enquiring ones beside him.
"I was getting up during the night and smacked into your Sano-nii's drawer. It's hard walking around in the dark. Don't you agree Sayo-chan?"
"Ah, I did that too, though I smacked right into the wall!" Sayo 'proudly' voiced as she slurped up the rest of her noodles. "More please!" She spoke loudly, bowl out which Aoshi ended up taking for Mrs Sagara and placed more kake-soba into her bowl. The conversation soon went back to Sayo talking about what was going to happen at the carnival tomorrow, but every now and then Sano and his mother eyed Aoshi.
XxXxXxX
"I do appreciate the kindness and hospitality of your family Sano-kun." Aoshi remarked as he watched Sano set his alarm clock before throwing his comforter over his striped pants and black singlet clad self.
"Eh, don't mention it you're my friend. Besides Sayo-chan loves you, my mum thinks you're handsome and my dad…well he isn't yelling at you so you must be okay in his books too."
"Err…right…" Aoshi really didn't know what to say about that and instead sat down on the futon once more.
"You know you could get your own room, we have a spare after all."
"I'd feel strange, sleeping in the room that belongs to your brother."
"You mean belonged and there are other rooms in this place, but I see how it is though, you not being able to steer away from my spunkiness and all."
"Sano, you're an idiot…and a blind one at that."
"Blind? What do you mean?" Sano muttered as he rolled over to face Aoshi who was currently applying ointment to his bruises again.
"Takani-san likes you."
"Megitsune likes…are you kidding me? She thinks I'm the dumbest person on earth!"
"But she still likes you."
"Hmm, I could use this to my advantage."
"And I'll just tell her you like her too." Aoshi smirked as he watched a flush rush across Sano's cheeks.
"Well that's not fair!" He griped out before a knock on the door told him to pipe down as the rest of the household wanted to sleep.
"Of course not, but you two suit one another in a weird sort of way."
"Che, almost as weirdly as you and the ice queen suit each other." And with that the bedroom fell silent, Sano clicking off the lamp, liking the fact he got the final word in while Aoshi stared up at the ceiling.
"Me and…Misao…" He murmured to himself before rolling over and closing his eyes, not wanting to think about it anymore. Tomorrow was a new day and there was plenty of time to ponder over it then.
# to be continued… #
Authors Notes: Well…suck me side ways! I finished a chapter! Yattaa! Phooey it wasn't PM lie it was supposed to be but oh well. I wanted Aoshi to have some alone time with the Sagara's so not much Aoshi and Misao stuff again, but it'll happen soon…I kind of promise. Anyway, it's long awaited for sure but at least it's out now.