Interlude 4: In Which Two Boys Meet
What becomes of a day
For those who rage against it?
And who will sum up the phrase
For all left standin' 'round in it?
Gasuke had dragged Yahiko back to their dump of a place. He was now standing outside, staring up at the large walls with a sick feeling in his gut.
"Yahiko," Gasuke said, kneeling down next to him. "Let's go meet the boss, eh?"
"Um…" Yahiko said nervously, then tried to swallow the hardened spot in his throat.
"I'll go introduce you. Wait here," He said, and his voice was starting to gain an edginess that proved how much he truly liked Yahiko. He slipped out of his zori sandals, headed up the steps, then disappeared around the corner.
Yahiko stood in silence, shivering at every passing wind. He could tell the night would be very cold, and the thought of a warm futon with thick covers was the only thing keeping him plastered to the dirt. He chewed on his lower lip. "What am I doing here…?" He whispered.
He could sense someone coming up behind him. His head jerked unsteadily onto his left shoulder so that he could see just what was coming to get him. He bit his lower lips so hard that it drew blood.
"Uh…" The young man said, stopping. "Oh…"
Yahiko's mouth opened, and a small bit of blood trailed out of the side of his mouth. The copper taste in his mouth was ignored completely, for he was mesmerized. The boy before him was… so very beautiful… the most beautiful man he had ever seen.
His hair was dark as night, so black that it was almost blue, and his eyes were crystal blue, reflecting Yahiko's face in them. His skin was pale and fair, almost the same color as the moon. He had dressed in a blue gi and white hakama, and there was a brown sack tied to his belt. He couldn't have been a day older than sixteen, for his face was still very youthful, but Yahiko was curious about that.
"Are you an angel?" He asked, looking up into his eyes with an enchanted look on his face.
"What are you doing here?" The boy asked, squatting down so that he and Yahiko were at eye level.
"Gasuke told me to wait here…" Yahiko said, then repeated, "Are you an angel?"
"No, far from it…" The boy said, looking forlornly back into Yahiko's eyes with his own orbs of moonlight. "You should run away from here…"
"I haven't got anywhere to go…" Yahiko said miserably. The other boy's eyes widened slightly.
"Your parents… they died, didn't they…" He said.
Yahiko looked up at him, shaken by the words. "How did you…"
"My parents died too…" He said, reaching out and wiping the trickle of blood off of Yahiko's mouth with his thumb. "This isn't the place you should be."
"I'd rather be here than out in the cold all alone…" Yahiko said unsteadily. He was taking in ragged breaths to prevent his despair from spilling out of his eyes.
The angelic boy wrapped his arms around Yahiko, hugging him very softly. "I'm sorry… I'm so sorry…"
"For what?…" Yahiko whispered, confused.
"I know… it's not anyone's fault what happened to you… but I feel it's my responsibility to apologize… Someone so young does not deserve such woe…" He pulled away. "Trust me… I know."
"Yahiko… Oh, I see you've met with Tsuki already," Gasuke's voice drew him back around. "That's good. He'll be teaching you. You'll be staying in his room."
Yahiko wondered if he was happy or not. He was having trouble feeling anything with the steadily cooling air numbing his tiny, skinny limbs.
"Come, both of you," Gasuke said.
Tsuki walked next to Yahiko into the building, watching him to make sure he was all right. Yahiko decided that maybe he wasn't completely alone after all.