NOCTURNE

Chapter XIII (13): Opened Feelings

After several more minutes, Yukina, Dark, and Akira are at the doorstep of a small house, located between two large apartments. The house has no front yard (meaning no grass) and there isn't a visible living thing in sight: no plants, animals, or even bugs seem to dwell around this house. Yukina breathes deeply as she takes Akira up the small set of concrete steps to the wooden porch. It is rather hard to see because there isn't a light on outside, but through a partially cracked window, one can make out the dimness of a light still on inside the house. Yukina stops before the door and turns towards Akira, smiling.

"Well, here we are!"

"Hmm… Not bad, not bad. Better than most places I've seen nowadays. Hey, I can't help but notice, but is something bothering you? You've been rather on-the-edge while we got close to this area."

"Oh, there isn't anything bothering me… too much…"

"What's wrong? Maybe I can help."

"Ummm… It's nothing… He's probably sleeping already…"

"Who's "he"? Are you married?"

"No, I'm still single, it's just that… ah… Never mind. Come on in, it's cold out here."

Yukina opens the door to her house slowly. As she does, the sounds from an old television set flood Akira's ears. The door opens a way to a small corridor, which splits several meters ahead into two different rooms. As Akira enters with Dark, Yukina shuts the door quietly behind him, trying her best not to make a sound. As the two of them creep silently, the sound of a laughing man is heard from the left path, which leads to the living room. The right leads towards more rooms.

"Oh dear, he's still awake…"

"What's wrong? Who is it?"

"It's… It's my father…"

"What's wrong with--"

There is the booming of a loud voice from the living room, which is easily heard even in the middle of the corridor.

"HEY! WHO'S THERE?"

Yukina starts to tremble.

"It's just me, father! And I brought a… guest…"

"WELL, BRING THE GUY IN HERE!"

Yukina looks back at Akira, showing signs of anxiety.

"Please, follow me…"

Yukina leads Akira to the end of the corridor and takes a left.

The living room is totally trashed. Beer bottles and cans are everywhere, as well as small stains on the brown carpet on the floor, which is very dirty and is soiled with rotting bits of food. In the middle of the room is a middle-aged man, sitting on a moth-eaten couch that is only for one person. The couch is a pink color and looks very old. The man is watching television on an old TV set, which sits on a new table that is in very bad condition. The wallpaper on the walls is peeling off, revealing the barren concrete that lies behind them. Akira can't help but be surprised that this young woman lives in this trash heap of a house.

"Well, well, well, who do we have here?"

The man on the couch, whom Akira suspects is Yukina's father, looks in their direction. He smells horrible and smiles such a strange smile that anyone who even glanced at him could tell he is drunk as a skunk. He's holding a batch of beer cans on his lap (which is one dozen; so far, he's drunk at least eight of the twelve). The man has almost no hair on his head, making him look like some sort of monk. He also has powerful looking arms and he wears a thin, white t-shirt that is very messy. He wears blue denim jeans and he looks as if he's been partying all night. His eyes are brown, but because he is drunk, they are turning a slight red.

"Father, this young man is Akira. He saved me from a bunch of mean men several blocks away."

The father's attitude changes drastically.

"YOU STUPID BITCH! I TOLD YOU NOT TO WALK THAT WAY! HOW MANY TIMES MUST I TELL YOU NOT TO GO DOWN THAT PATH? IT MAY BE A SHORTCUT HERE, BUT I TOLD YOU THAT THERE ARE RUTHLESS BASTARDS THAT WILL TAKE ADVANTAGE OF YOU THERE!"

Yukina lowers her head in shame.

"I'm sorry, father, but the way I normally go… There were many gangs fighting and shooting, and I didn't want to get caught in the middle of it, so I had to choose another direction…"

"YOU WHORE! SEE WHAT HAPPENS WHEN YOU DON'T LISTEN TO ME? YOU COULD'VE BEEN KILLED! DUMBASS!"

Yukina's eyes start to water. The man then turns his attention to Akira.

"And YOU! Why did you follow her here?"

"I… ah…"

"I DON'T NEED NO DAMN GUESTS HERE! THIS PLACE IS FULL, AND THE BOOZE IS MINE! WE DON'T NEED NO TROUBLEMAKERS IN MY HOUSE!"

"I see…"

Akira glares angrily at the man, who also returns the look. Akira then turns to Yukina.

"I can see when I'm not wanted, so I'll just be on my way…"

"No! Please… He doesn't mean it…"

The man on the couch starts to cool off as Akira and Yukina talk.

"Sorry about that. I've been under a whole lot of stress lately… Sure, you can spend the night, BUT ONLY THE NIGHT. Got that, mister, uhh…"

"Akira. Akira Tanaka."

"Yes. Got that, Mr. Tanaka?"

"Yes, sir, I do."

"Good. And you, Yukina… I will deal with you later."

"Yes… Father…"

Yukina's father then starts to watch television again, as if nothing ever happened. Yukina sighs in relief and leads Akira back into the corridor. She then takes the right way. It leads to two separate rooms: On the left is the old man's, and on the right is Yukina's. Of course, Akira and Yukina go into her room.

Although it is a lot cleaner than the living room, one can't help but be quite unsatisfied with the environment, especially the floor, which has a few bottles of booze here and there. There is a small window to the left of the small room, which is locked and isn't broken. Next to the window is a bed, which is set right next to the wall. The bottom of the bed is facing in Akira and Yukina's direction (meaning it is placed vertically). Next to the head of the bed is a small table with a glass vase with dead flowers and a small lamp that is on. The light for the lamp looks quite burnt out.

"Well, here is my room!"

"Not to shabby. I thought it would look more like the living room, honestly."

"Of course not! I try my best to keep it clean. I hope you don't mind the bottles… They belong to my father…"

"No, I don't mind at all."

Akira walks to Yukina's small bed and places Dark on it. Dark is still rather tired, but he decides to run around the room and get to know how to get around it. Yukina sits on the part of her bed where the pillows are, holding herself as if she were cold, and Akira sits at the edge of the bed, crossing his arms.

"So… That guy was your old man?"

"Yes, and this is his house, of course…"

"Why does he seem so upset? I couldn't help but notice."

"Well, you see, my mother left us when I was young, and my father… He turned to alcohol to solve his problems… First it was occasionally, but recently he's been drinking more and more… He smells of liquor and a strange cologne that I don't even know of… Sometimes, when there are no guests and whenever he's drunk enough, he would beat me… I love him very much, but I'm sad that he doesn't love me…"

Yukina holds her face in her hands and starts to cry. Akira moves a bit closer, but doesn't really know what to do in this type of situation.

"Eh… umm…"

Yukina starts to rub at her eyes.

"I'm… I'm sorry… I hate it when I get like this…"

"No, it's alright. I know how you feel… sort of."

Yukina stops crying and looks back at Akira directly.

"So… Do you have a family back at where you live?"

"A… family?"

"Yes, like a mother, a father, brothers, sisters, anyone?"

"Well… To be quite honest… No. I don't have anyone but Dark, and he came along by accident. I've been a wanderer all my life, searching this planet for answers that no one seems to have for my many questions… Ehem… I'm getting carried away, sorry."

"It's alright, I don't mind. I'm a pretty good counselor, so if you need to talk, don't feel bad asking me."

"Thanks."

"I'll bet you're tired from wandering and all. If you need a place to stay, you're very welcome here…"

"Heh, I wouldn't go so far as to say VERY welcome…"

Yukina giggles.

"He's a very good man, my father… When he's not drinking, anyway. He's normally not like this way towards guests, even when he's drunk… He normally doesn't stay up this late, either…"

While Yukina is talking, Akira can't help but notice the tear in Yukina's clothing.

"Oy, ah, Yukina?"

"Yes?"

"I can't help but notice, but… uhh…"

Akira points to Yukina's ripped clothing, revealing her purple lingerie bra. Yukina turns a bright red and covers it up with her hands as she stands up quickly.

"Oh my gosh! I'm so sorry! I've probably been like this since we were at that alley!"

"No, it's quite alright--"

"Could you turn away, please?"

"Huh? What for?"

"I need to get this dress off… I'll have to sow it up later…"

"You mean you don't have any replacement clothing?"

"Unfortunately, no, I don't… If I did, I would change, but this dress, bow, and sash are the only pieces of clothing I can have, as well as these shoes of mine… I wash them constantly, but sometimes I do miss cleaning them from time to time. Now, can you please turn your head and close your eyes?"

"Mmmkay…"

Akira does as he's told and shuts his eyes. He can hear the rustling of Yukina taking of her clothing and he feels himself turning hot in the face.

'Must not think about it… Must not think about it! She's just changing, is all… She's… just… changing!'

As Akira yells at himself in his mind, the bed he's sitting on moves slightly as if someone else has gotten on it. He feels the blanket he's sitting on start to slide away from under him, as if someone was taking it all for themselves.

"Okay, you can go ahead and open your eyes now."

Akira opens his eyes slowly and peers over in Yukina's direction. She has her bow off and her hair is down. She's also covering almost all of her body, especially her top, with the blanket she has.

"Are you… Are you…?"

"Hmm? Oh, I'm wearing clothing; it's just that I barely have anything on! That's why I'm using the blanket… I hope you don't mind."

"Not at all."

Akira lies. It does bother him some.

"Okay, let's get some sleep, I'm very tired from the ordeal we had earlier. I hope you don't mind sleeping here with me…"

"What?"

"I can't sleep by myself very well… Please… Can you sleep next to me?"

"Ummmmmmm… Okay… I will, then…"

Yukina smiles brightly. 'This is going to be a long night,' Akira says to himself.

As the two climb into bed (and Dark creeps under the bed to sleep), Yukina reaches over and shuts the light off. Akira has his back towards her (meaning he's not facing her). It is very quiet in the room. In fact, it is so quiet that you could hear a pin drop. The television has been turned off and the old man is asleep. As Akira focuses on sleeping he hears Yukina's soft voice whisper to him.

"Do you mind if I get a bit closer?"

Without waiting for a response, Yukina moves her body closer to Akira's. Both of them are under the covers, and her soft skin touches his, making him very excited and yet very, very, VERY uncomfortable.

"Please… Can you hold my hand? It helps me sleep better…"

Yukina shifts her arm over Akira's and places her hand on his, holding it gently. 'Okay… Calm down, Akira… She isn't trying to seduce you, she just needs some comfort so she can sleep better… Yeah…' Akira repeats that phrase in his mind constantly.

"Okay, I think I can sleep now... Good night, Akira."

"Yeah, good night, Yukina…"

'I don't think I'll be able to get any sleep!' Akira shouts in his mind as he feels Yukina's breathing on the back of his neck. Although the situation he's in is rather odd, he can't help but feel very comfortable now. It's been the longest time since he's felt this way for another human being, especially a female. It actually makes him feel good. Akira thinks these things to help him sleep. Eventually, Yukina's warmth and his new thoughts of other people put him into a restless sleep.


Early the next morning, Akira wakes up from his slumber. Yukina is no longer in the room. Akira stretches and gets off the bed and makes his way to the living room, where Yukina's sober father lies awake, watching television. He looks rather pale and quite sick.

"Oy, ahh… Where's Yukina at?"

"She went off to work. Someone's gotta keep this house in shape! Now please… Don't talk to me… My head is throbbing badly… Go on now... You can eat if you like, but don't make any loud noises... What a headache... Argh..."

Akira backs from the room, feeling rather upset. Although Akira understands why Yukina left, he can't help but feel quite lonely that she didn't say good-bye. Akira trudges back to Yukina's room and plucks Dark from under the bed. Dark stays asleep even as he's being picked up. As Akira is about to leave the room, he notices a small note on the table next to the glass vase. It reads:


Akira,

Went off to work. If you leave before then, I understand. I hope we meet again! Bye!

Yukina


Akira smiles to himself. He places the note in his pocket and walks from the house with Dark in his arms unheard, strolling back to his ship slowly, possibly hoping somewhere in his confused mind to cross paths with Yukina again so he can say good-bye…

NOCTURNE

"Something we were withholding made us weak until we found out it was ourselves." –Robert Frost