Chapter 3
"Daisuke, where are
you?" Ken called out. He stopped and looked around the
almost deserted streets of Odaiba, trying to find any sign of the
maroon haired man. Where could he have gone?
Did I say something wrong? Ken
asked himself still searching for Daisuke. Was it my breath?
Ken didn't know what to
think. He thought the date had been going fine. They had gone to
dinner, nothing fancy. A small restaurant, barely know and very
inexpensive. But it was nice, it held a certain cozy air that Ken
couldn't put his finger on. It was just nice. A place that
held a romantic air. Soft lighting and flowers but no music;
giving the feeling of romance but not expecting any.
After ordering dinner, they had
spoken about everything and nothing at all. Simply enjoying the
fact that they could speak freely, without worrying about
impressing the other. Ken had loved that the most. The knowledge
that Daisuke didn't care, never cared, if Ken was perfect
and acted as such. That was what he always loved about Daisuke,
the fact that he didn't care what Ken did.
"What ever floats your
boat, man." Daisuke had said once, waving his hand in
dismissal.
Ken loved Daisuke. He had for a
every long time. Though at first, it had been attraction, lust,
longing to touch that smooth, tanned skin. Then that changed, as
he grew to know Daisuke better. He realized that Daisuke was
everything he'd ever want in a person. Loyal, caring, sweet,
carefree
Everything I'm not.
And Daisuke knew that. Daisuke
knew how reserved Ken was. He understood that there were reasons
for Ken acting the way he did. He knew how easily it was for
someone to hurt Ken and he always made sure to stay clear of
painful areas. But Daisuke also tried to pull Ken out of his
shell. He tried to show Ken the better side of life, the side
that he wasn't so well acquainted with. Always showing him
new things that he had never considered doing on his own.
Like when he took me Christmas
caroling.
Ken had been apprehensive when
Daisuke had first brought up the idea. Standing in front of some
stranger's door and singing, wasn't his idea of a good
time. Actually, Ken found it down right, embarrassing. And
Daisuke knew it. The grin on his face told Ken that. Daisuke knew
and didn't care and, was not giving up until Ken agreed to
go with him.
"C'mon man,
it'll be fun."
"No."
"Why?"
"Because it's not my
idea of fun."
"And what is? Sitting
around and writing another program? Where's your Christmas
spirit?"
"I thought, you were an
atheist?"
"I am, but you
aren't. And anyway, who says, I'm going to be singing
religious songs?"
"Daisuke, you make no
sense."
Then he had grinned that grin that
could make Ken turn into putty. And Ken did turn to putty.
Daisuke taking complete advantage, even though he had no idea why
Ken had turned to putty. But he was slowly beginning to realize,
that it was just one of those Ken things that he had no control
over and, most likely, would never be able to understand.
God, I had been so scared that
night. But he took my hand. He actually took my hand!
But so had Takeru, who had also
been invited by Daisuke. Daisuke, standing on one side and
Takeru, standing on the other. Both had felt the fear the
clutched Ken's heart and they held his hand, both at the
same time. As if they were one mind, each taking hold of one of
his hands and giving it a quick, reassuring squeeze as the door
opened to reveal a little girl and her father.
Neither one let go. They held
my hand right through the song. And bowed a little, together. As
one.
Ken had to—was made
to—admit that he, indeed, had fun on that night. Had fun
going from house to house, some times annoying people other times
not, with their singing. If one could call it that. He
wasn't sure. Daisuke had a terrible voice and he tended to
be louder then Ken and Takeru—drowning them out. While
Takeru, in all honesty, sounded like a girl. Ken had been very
surprised, but was happy that Takeru, at least, sounded like a
girl who could sing. And Ken, well, he wasn't sure, one
could never judge the way one's own voice sounded, but Daisuke
had said he was good.
"More then good.
Great!" Takeru had argued. Then he had made a comment
about Daisuke's singing talents, or lack of. This in turn,
annoyed Daisuke, who retorted by saying that Takeru sounded like
he had been castrated as a child. That comment had begun the
incessant arguing that, no matter how close, Takeru and Daisuke
had became, could ruin any good time.
Or did it?
Ken wasn't sure. He still had
fun that night. Singing, drinking hot chocolate, to keep warm,
and doing so many other things. Never once was their a dull
moment, when hanging out with Daisuke and Takeru, who at times,
seemed to be Daisuke's accomplice.
Daisuke
Daisuke was a free spirit. There
was no other way to describe him. He was always finding new ways
to get the full life experience, as if he was afraid that it
would all one-day disappear. As if he was afraid that he would,
one-day wake up and find out it had all been a dream.
"There you are,
Daisuke!" Ken said when he found the other man sitting by a
bench, grinning. "Where did you go? Why did you go?"
"I thought you'd follow
me, Ken." Daisuke said, ignoring Ken's questions.
Purposely? Ken didn't know. Daisuke had always been a
mystery to him.
So much depth in those
chocolate eyes.
"I was surprised, when I
couldn't see you behind me." Daisuke continued
motioning for Ken to sit.
"How I am suppose to know
that you wanted me to follow you?" Ken asked, taking the
offered seat and unconsciously moving a little closer to the red
head.
Daisuke grinned. "Whenever I
run, I wish to be followed." For some reason Ken felt like
there was truth to that sentence. Some unspoken truth. He also
felt like he would be following those words later in life—no
sooner. He didn't know, was it some sort of premonition?
He looked over at Daisuke, who was
looking up at the sky, a small frown on his face. Ken was once
more confused.
"I wish all the lights would
just turn off." Daisuke said all of a sudden.
"Why?"
"So, that I could see
stars." Ken smiled and looked up at the star-less sky. The
sky was black—or was it a dark blue, he was never good with
colors—as it always was. There were never any stars seen in
the city, the city's generated light wouldn't allow it.
It saddened him as a child, but he had grown to live with it,
until he never thought about it again. Apparently, Daisuke
hadn't.
Or is it just on a whim that he
cares now?
Unpredictable Daisuke, he changed
his mind as many times as he changed lovers. That thought stun.
Did Daisuke care for him like a boyfriend? Did he wish for
something more permanent or was it just something he was doing on
a whim?
I was the one who had wanted
this to be a date.
Was he just doing it to please
Ken? Did he just want to quench some new curiosity?
Why must I always ruin things
with my constant analyzing?
It was true. Ken did analyze
things way too much. He always wanted to find out everything,
learn every little secret, until there was nothing else left.
"Until all the mystery is
gone and, it's all boring." Takeru had said that
once to him, when they had gone to a magic show. Takeru had
always adored magic, ever since he was a child. But Ken had found
it trivial. He already knew how most tricks worked, or could make
a logical assumption. He had done a lot of research on magic when
he younger, when he was still the Kaiser. The Kaiser had always
been obsessed with knowing everything, never wanting to be left
out of loop, knowing all the secrets. Even more so then Ken did.
This of course had annoyed Takeru,
who simply liked to enjoy and not discover the secrets. He liked
pretending, even though he knew it was an illusion.
"Of course I know
it's not real, Ken." He had said, "What
kinda idiot do you take me for?" At that comment Ken had
become flustered, apologizing quickly. "Calm down Ken,
I'm only kidding. You should learn to be more easy-going.
Don't take things so literally, you'll have a heart
attack by the age of twenty five, if you don't!"
He knew Takeru was right, he knew
Daisuke was right—for the red head had said it too, even
more so then Takeru.
Shit, I think all the Chosen
have said it to me, at least, once!
He smiled, happy to know that they
put up with it. Even if it did annoy them, they put up with his
over-analyzing, overly logical, reserved personality. They never
became angry, though they did tell him when he was getting out of
bounds.
I have good friends.
It was a truth that came to him at
that exact moment. As if someone had placed the last piece to
intricate puzzle. He could see everything. He realized the truth
that had been sitting in the back of his subconscious, waiting to
be discovered, realized, brought to the light.
And it's all thanks to
you.
He looked at the other man, who
was still looking up at the sky. Daisuke had saved his soul.
Daisuke had brought him out of the darkness. Daisuke had given
him everything. Another chance at redemption, forgiveness,
friendship, so much joy.
Daisuke, the gruff looking kid
with burgundy colored hair and large chocolate eyes. Daisuke, the
kid that could open his mouth, drive his foot right into.
Daisuke, the man with the caring smile, the boy who had held him
one night, so long ago, when he had cried. The one who he had
hurt so badly as the Kaiser, and was held so closely to as Ken.
He was everything to Ken. His savior, his protector, his best
friend.
And I love him. Kore
kara zutto... itsumademo
Daisuke looked at Ken and grinned.
He abruptly, sat up and stretched his legs and arms, moaning a
little at the feeling. He once more looked at Ken, his smile
never leaving.
"Look at this." He said
motioning to the bench and the streets.
"Excuse me?" Ken asked
watching as Daisuke stood.
"It's all my
fault." Daisuke said, ignoring Ken's question. He
crossed his arms across his chest and tapped his foot. His brown
eyes closing, making him look deep in thought.
"Daisuke?" Ken was
confused, to say the least. Daisuke opened his eyes and looked at
him.
"The boredom!" Daisuke
threw his arms up as if exasperated. "And it's my fault
too, babbling about the stars." He snorted. "You must
be bored out of your mind, listening to my romantic babble."
Ken chuckled. "Trust me
Daisuke, I have no problem sitting here and listening to anything
you say."
Daisuke froze, his face becoming
blank. Ken was confused again. What had happened? Why was Daisuke
looking at him with such unreadable features? Why did he seem so
tense, so afraid?
It didn't last long, after a
few seconds, Daisuke looked as if he had just dismissed something
as silly and, smiled at the other man. What it was, Ken
didn't know? Turning his body, so that Ken could see his
back, Daisuke raised his arms.
"Oh great Dionysus!"
Daisuke called out, his head tilted skyward. "Grant us your
blessing and rid us of this boredom, which plagues an otherwise
festive evening."
There was a long silence.
Afterwards, Daisuke dropped his
arms and turned towards Ken.
"The bastard didn't
reply." Ken laughed at the expression on his face, at the
utter stupidity of his actions.
"Baka."
Daisuke grinned, taking hold of
Ken's hand and pulling him from the seat. He began to pull
the distraught man down the street.
"Daisuke, where are we
going?"
Daisuke stopped and turned his
head and looked at Ken. He placed his hands on the other
man's shoulders and sighed, while shaking his head.
"What?"
"Ken, are you going senile or
something?"
"What? Daisuke!"
That grin again. "C'mon,
let's go do something interesting."
"And what do you have in
mind?"
Daisuke shrugged his shoulders.
Then he turned. "Ever heard the expression where ever
the wind takes you'?"
"Yes, but what does that have
to do with anything?"
"Everything!" And with
that he was off, Ken right behind him. This was going to be an
interesting night. Ken smiled, wondering if he would get a kiss
at the end of the night or not.
***
The TV blared loudly, some random
J-rock video playing. Jun smiled brightly and jumped onto the
coffee table, her socks almost making her slip on the smooth
surface. She thanked God that her parents weren't home and
began to shake her hips, waving her arms widely to the fast beat
song.
It was her moment, no one was home
and she could do anything she wanted—as long as it
didn't get her in trouble. Moving over a bit on the table,
she began to singing along with the TV. Her favorite Japanese
rock group, Siam Shade, was playing their latest release. A song
by the name of No! Marionette. And of course, like every
other song by the group, Jun had gone wild over it.
Her room was plastered with
pictures of the group; she had the collection of Rurouni Kenshin
episodes that had featured them singing the ending song. She
loved them, not just one of the singer, like the vocalist,
Hideki, whose voice was so unique and beautiful.
She loved each and everyone one of the band members. Hideki,
Kazuma, Daita, Natin and, Junji. If she could, she would steal
them all and make them her love slaves. And sometimes, late at
night during her random bouts of insomnia, she could be found on
her bed with a notebook in her lap and a pencil in held between
her teeth, think—no, plotting—how to make that dream
come true. Siam Shade, her lovers.
She giggled madly at the thought.
"You are the shed!"
She yelled out with the vocalist, closing her eyes tightly and
pointing to nothing in particular. "Ohhhh! Ne- chotto
kiitekure angel. Yake ni chikagoro migatte na koto bakari
iunda—"
She bounced off the table and
continued to dance around the room, the remote control doubling
as her microphone. She imagined herself sing with them, grinning
widely as she moved around the room. This was her song, she
adored it. The lyrics, the music, the voices, everything. Siam
Shade was her worldwell, not really, but it was nice to
pretend that she had no problems at all. That her life was so
perfect and easy, that they could be her world.
It was always fun to pretend.
She continued her movements around
her apartment, oblivious to anything but the sound of the guitar
and Hideki's voice. Her body shaking to the beat of the
song, she had always been a good dancer. And she had always
enjoyed dancing, her way of escaping the tortures of the world.
She was happy, like she always was when hearing a song by the
group, they could lift her spirits no matter how low they were.
The sound of the door slamming
shut, brought her back from the song induced euphoria she was in,
and she looked towards the hallway, that lead to the front door.
She watched, with no small amount of surprise, as her brother ran
in and, right past her into his room—never once saying a
word. Shutting the door behind him.
Something wasn't right with
that. Sixteen-year-old boys didn't run into their rooms like
their boyfriends had just dumped them. Well maybe Daisuke
didbut not on a regular bases (and never did the
loss of a lover bother him, something he had acquired from days
better left forgotten). She turned back towards the TV, watching
as her favorite group continued to sing and sighed, her shoulders
slumping. With a quick wave and five kisses—blown to each
member—she turned off the TV and walked towards her baby
brother's room to find out what had happened.
It can't be about Hikari. She
thought, knocking softly on the door. They broke up months
ago. Maybe someone had picked on him? No, Daisuke never acts like
that when he gets picked on. But if they had—She grinned
maliciously—they'll be my new test dummy for that
new wrestling move I just learned. And people say you learn
nothing from TV.
Snickering madly, she knocked
again. There had been no response the first time, but she knew
that Daisuke just needed a moment to gather up his wits. He hated
to be seen acting weak. It reminded him too much of when had been
younger, of when he had not been able to save his innocence
because he had been weak.
"Daisuke, I'm coming
in?" She turned the doorknob to find Daisuke sitting by
the windowsill. There was a yo-yo in his hand, which he played
with every few seconds. Jun sighed.
The yo-yos out. It must be bad.
Some people, when upset, ate
cookie dough and ice cream, others wrote poetry or painted
pictures, others still, would go on mass killing sprees. Daisuke
would play with a yo-yo. That was his comfort item. Something
that had bewildered Jun to know end. But who was she to judge?
She, who spoke to stuffed Tyrannosaurus Rex named Pippy, when she
was extremely upset.
"Daisuke?" Even
after years of practice Jun still could not find away to broach
the subject of Daisuke's pains. It was always hard for her,
a part of her telling her to leave it alone, that it would only
hurt more if she brought it up again. And another part of her,
telling her that if she didn't bring it up, the wound would
never heal and her brother would be in pain.
And, come hell and high water, she
would always make sure that Daisuke was not in pain. So, she took
a deep breath and move towards Daisuke who still had not looked
at her.
"What is it?" She
had also learned long ago, that when in came to Daisuke, being
direct was always the best solution, no matter how much it hurt
to do it.
It didn't take long, which
didn't surprise Jun at all. Jun knew that if one caught
Daisuke while the wound was fresh, and by fresh she meant the
blood had yet time to clot. They could get any information out of
him. But if one waited to long, then he'd begin to make
defense, make lies, and try to forget and then the wound would
never heal, just wait for the most inappropriate moments to sting
again.
So when, Daisuke's eyes began
to water slightly and his face began to contort into one of pain,
she wasn't surprised. Jun went into action, quickly, taking
her brother in her arms and rubbing his back soothingly, swearing
that she'd kill the person who hurt him.
"Shhit's all
right. I'm here." She whispered to the boy sobbing
wildly in her arms. Jun felt Daisuke shake his head against her
shoulders.
"No, you
won't" He sounded so dejected that it almost
hurt her to listen to him. "Not after you find out what
I've done. You won't like me anymore. You'll all
hate me, you, Otousama, Okaasama, all of you!"
With that he pushed away from Jun,
who had been stunned by this declaration. She watch him stand and
walk towards his bed. He rubbed his eyes and began to play with
the yo-yo, watching as it went up and down, then stop and, spin
near the ground or go around the world. Daisuke knew many yo-yo
tricks; he had a lot of time—reasons—to learn them.
Jun took a deep breath, trying to
calm herself. She had no idea what her brother was talking about.
She had never seen him act like that, never heard his voice take
such a venomous tone. But the tone wasn't directed to her,
it was towards himself. He was angry with himself.
Why?
She didn't know. But she
would find out. It was her duty as Daisuke's sister to find
out what stupidity had seeped in to his brain and flush it out.
What kinda garbage is he
talking about? She thought while walking towards him. She
took a seat next to him, grabbing on to his shirt and forcing him
to stay in place. He looked at her with large, brown eyes; the
pain was immense, so strong. She felt like she could reach out
and touch it.
"Otouto-chan, explain
yourself." She said running her fingers through his
hair. "I don't understand. Why do you think
we'd stop loving you?"
A sniffle was heard, before there
was a long silence. Then in a voice so low she almost missed it,
he said:
"I'm a pervert."
Jun blinked, her brows touching as
she contemplated this.
"So am I." Daisuke
turned quickly, eyes wide with surprise.
"You are?" Jun
nodded smiling.
"Why are you so surprised?
You've called me that a million times. Hentai!'
ecchi!' Remember?"
Daisuke looked at his sister, then
wailed loudly, throwing his face into the pillow. Jun blinked,
confused. Something was wrong. Daisuke wouldn't get so upset
for being a pervert. Unless, he didn't mean it in the normal
sense.
Ohhhh! Jun's eyes
widened as it finally hit her. She turned her head back to her
brother who still had his face deep in the large, white pillow.
She smiled softly.
"Oh, Daisuke" She
whispered, climbing onto the bed. She crawled towards her
bother's prone body and climbed on top of him. She lowered
her body so that, she was pressed against his back as she rubbed
his side. It was a comforting gesture, a protective embrace. It
had always made the boy feel better feeling someone's warmth
around him, holding him tightly, without wanting something in
return. Feeling Jun's warmth all around him made him feel so
safe and secure and, Jun knew this too well.
"'Neechan"
was his whimpered response. She smiled softly, still rubbing his
sides.
"I understand now." Another
whimper. She smiled. "Great! Now, I have someone to check
out guys with!"
Daisuke's head shot up so
quickly that Jun was almost hit. He wiggled around, until he was
laying on his back and Jun on his chest. He looked at her ,wide
eyed, as she grinned at him.
"Butbut. How? You
don't care!"
"Why should I?"
Again a long silence. Daisuke
looked away from his sister's eyes as Jun fiddled with his
shirt. It was comforting, as it always was. The way Jun and
Daisuke fit together made him feel things that he didn't
understand.
Loved.
Yes, that was the word. He felt
loved, loved by a family. He had a mother and a father and a
sister. All which cared about him and nownow he had ruined
it by being so perverted. So disgusting and wrong.
"I'm not the prefect
son." He whispered again. Jun frowned.
"Huh?"
"I have to be the perfect
son."
"Daisuke, not to be rude
or anything, but you've never exactly achieved that."
"But I'm even farther
from it! How can I—I can't pay you back!"
Jun stared at him for a long time.
She was so confused. She had no idea what to think. What to do!
She never knew that her brother thought this way.
She sighed and wrapped her arms
around his waist.
"Otouto-chan no
baka." She whispered, then giggled softly. "They
won't careI don't care. You will not care. Be
whom you want. Do what you want. And be happy."
"But'neechan!"
Jun frowned raising her head and glaring down at her brother.
He swallowed audibly. Jun was scary when she was mad. And she
hated it when people told her she was wrong. He had seen it first
hand. Hell had no fury like an angry Motomiya Jun.
After a few more seconds of
glaring, she sat up. Her legs straddling his waist and her arms
crossed over her chest.
"Daisuke, I am going to
say something very, very sappy." She began after a long
while. He looked at her as she looked down at him, her face
expressing extreme discomfort. Most likely form having to say
what she was going to say.
She sighed again. "When we
first brought you here you were so sad. So different. Extremely
quiet, timid. You seemed to follow that whole speak when
spoken too', children should be seen and not
heard' thing. It annoyed the shit out of us, but we lived
with it. Why? Because we knew you had to get use to having a free
will. And it pained us knowing that you had to learn how to use
something that's, suppose to be, natural.
"You've never told us
what really happened to you, back then. The only things
we've ever known, came from the case files and the police
statements and stuff. We understood that you wanted to put all
that behind you, so we never pushed. Or asked questions. We let
you do things on your own. And at times we wondered if that made
us seem like a heartless family—"
Daisuke's eyes widened at her
last words. His head shaking as denied her words. Telling her
that they were never heartless, that they were wonderful people.
That they had saved his life.
Jun grinned and covered her
brother's mouth with the palm of her hand. She shook her
head, telling him to let her finish. Daisuke nodded but she
didn't remove her hand.
"So, we wondered if we
were bad or heartless. But when you'd smile, really
brightly, or disagree with us, then that made it all worth it.
Hell, as long as we knew it was really what you wanted, when you
agreed with us it was great. Why? Because we knew that you were
changing. That what that man—" Daisuke closed his
eyes and Jun bit her lip. "—that man, did to you was
losing it's power. But now you say this!
"It's like we failed
or something. If you're afraid to be different because of
getting us mad or not being able to pay us back, and whatever
other shit is running through your mind, it hurts. Kami-sama, all
we ever cared about was seeing you happy. It's important to
us. More important then seeing you get married to some beautiful
girl and having the perfect family!
"We don't care. You
wanna pay us back? Date whomever the hell you want. Do whatever
the hell you want. And just come and visit us every once in a
while. Or you could always take care of mom and dad when they get
old and stuff. They don't wanna live in a home and I
don't feel like changing their diapers."
"Ew! Aneki that's
gross!" Daisuke laughed. Jun laughed back. She knew that
line would help bring up his spirits.
Moving so she wasn't sitting
on his stomach anymore, she pulled him into a sitting position
and held him tightly. His arms, tentatively, wrapping her into
the tender embrace. Jun smiled at her brother.
"So, who is it?" Jun
asked, wanting to change the subject. Even though, she knew it
wasn't over. Not by a long run. It took too long for Daisuke
to give up something like that, but she knew that with a little
more convincing and a lot of support, he would change his mind
and be happy again.
"Nani?" Daisuke
asked pulling away from her. She grinned and scooted closer to
him, her eyes gleaming with an almost unnatural light.
"Who brought out these
so-called: unnatural feelings form my brother?" Daisuke
looked away. "Daisuke!" Still nothing. "Daisuke,
if you don't tell me I'm going to tickle you."
When she received silence as a
respond, she grinned and jumped on her brother. Her fingers
gliding over his stomach and sides. Daisuke laughed, trying to
push his sister away, begging for her to stop. Though he knew she
wasn't going to until she received the answer she wanted.
Throwing her off, he ran out of
his room and down the hall, Jun in hot pursuit. Jun grinned;
everything was going back to normal.
She laughed at how stupid that
sounded.
***
Daisuke smiled and continued to
move down the streets, his movements reminiscent to some graceful
dance. He turned, eyes seeming to gleam with happiness, and
looked at Ken who smiled softly at him. Motioning to be followed,
Daisuke turned and continued his movements down the streets.
He seems to have no problems. Ken
thought feeling a bit envious. Daisuke always seemed so carefree,
so free of pain and troubles. He wondered if the boy's
problems were any bigger then normal teenage angst, rent
problems, or what colors to use for the new design that Wallace
needed.
Daisuke stopped in front of a
closed store and looked at it for a long moment. Ken, stopping
next to him, turned and looked at what had caught Daisuke's
eyes.
It was dark, so Ken, at first
could not tell what was the store's purpose. On closer
inspection, he realized it was a small flower shop. Ken turned
his head towards Daisuke who was squinting, a little, as if
trying to see something.
"I shop here sometimes."
Daisuke said, answering Ken's silent question. Ken smiled.
"You buy flowers?" He
asked a bit surprised. Daisuke turned to him and frowned.
"Yes, I buy flowers."
Daisuke huffed moving closer to the store and peering inside.
"I'm a painter, I like to paint still life, a lot. And,
I sometimes combined the flowers to make an original one."
"For Wallace?" Daisuke
grinned and nodded.
"Yeah, I also like to add
them into my paintings." Ken nodded, his mind flashing back
to all the paintings, that he had seen, that had different types
of plant life in them. "Usually for there meanings,
though."
"You study the meanings of
flowers?" Daisuke turned and smiled at him, nodding.
"Why didn't you ever tell me?"
"Because I don't tell
you everything." Was the simple reply; Ken nodded,
understanding it. Though it did bother him a bit that he was
never told. And again there was a nagging feeling that there was
more to that one sentence. That Daisuke was telling him something
that held a deeper truth. "Hey, be happy, you're the
first to find out!"
Ken huffed, but quickly got over
his annoyance and looked over, at one of flowers on the display
window. His eyes narrowed slightly as he tried to identify the
plant. Moving closer, he could better distinguish the plant. It
was purple, at least that was what he could tell, it was quite
dark in the store. Yes, it was purple and there were many buds
hanging off a green stem. The buds hung down so it resembled a
bell, and it's curled so it looked like they wanted to touch
the outside of the flower bud.
"Bluebell."
"It looks purple."
A shrug. "I didn't name
it."
Daisuke walked over to Ken and
leaned forward, brown eyes scrutinizing the flower. Ken smiled a
bit, enjoy the close proximity to the other boy. They were close,
there shoulders brushing, and though this had happened before,
many times actually, Ken couldn't help the small blush that
crept across his face.
"I wish it was
brighter." Daisuke said. "Then I could tell for
sure."
"Purple." Daisuke
chuckled and turned his face to look at Ken.
"Kindness." Ken arched
an eyebrow as Daisuke continued to chuckle.
"What about it?"
"I'm just amused that
you decided to scrutinize a flower that one of its meanings is:
kindness." Ken smiled and shrugged.
"It follows me everywhere I
go." Ken said softly looking back at the flower. Daisuke
looked at him for a moment, then shrugged. He knew what the other
was thinking.
"I see no irony in it."
Daisuke said, smiling. Ken nodded, pushing some hair out of his
eyes.
There was a long moment of
silence.
"What else does it
mean?" Ken asked looking over at Daisuke who had been
examining another flower.
"Huh?"
"The bluebell. You said it
had more meanings."
Daisuke nodded, then began to
think, his eyebrows touching as he scanned his mind. Ken smiled,
find the look of intense concentration very cute.
"Constancy" Daisuke
said. He was silent again, his teeth nibbling on his lower lip as
he thought. "Uhhhumility and everlasting love."
The final meaning was said softly, brown eyes softening a bit and
thoughtful smile appearing on his face.
Ken looked on curiously at the
change in Daisuke's facial expression. He couldn't help
wonder what had brought that look on his face. What Daisuke had
remembered and Ken felt a little jealous.
Everlasting love.
Whose? Was Daisuke in love? That
didn't seem right. Daisuke loved no one; he usually scuffed
the idea of love ever reaching him. He supposedly lived for the
moment, not wanting to be tied down, not letting anyone in.
Why do I even bother?
"Jun has a bluebell pressed
in a one of her books." Daisuke finally spoke smiling at
Ken. A knowing look in his eyes. "I just remembered who gave
it to her." His smiling turned into a goofy grin and Ken
found himself inquiring on whom. "
"Ichijouji Osamu."
Daisuke said chuckling softly. "You're brother was a
big ol' sap."
Ken's eyes widened at the
information. His brother? His brother had loved Jun? Then
everything seemed the click. The last few months before his
brother's death, he had not been home as much. Heading off
somewhere and not letting Ken come with him. That had actually
been the reason why Ken was able to take the Digivice and go into
the Digital World that time, because Osamu had been out again,
doing something.
"What are those,
Oniisan?" Identical blue eyes, framed by black glasses,
looked down at him warmly. Osamu smiled at his brother, patting
his head.
"Bluebells." He
said. "There a present for someone." And with
that he had left, leaving Ken curious on whom would get the
flowers. He had planned to ask when Osamu returned, but never got
the chance because he had been caught after his trip to the
Digital world. He had angered his brother, he had been yelled
out, he had been angry. And then
Bluebellseverlasting
loveMotomiya Jun. Oniisan was in love with Jun?
Why hadn't he been told? Why
didn't he know? Daisuke knew, why not him? He had so many
questions. Jun knew apart of his bother that Ken would never
know. He felt jealous, envious, and even a bit guilty. He had
never completely gotten over the feeling that his brother's
death was his fault, even though he knew how silly that was.
"Yo Ken, c'mon."
Daisuke said waving his hand frantically in front of Ken's
eyes. When Ken blinked, Daisuke stepped back, looking a bit
guilty "I'm sorry, I ruined it by bring up your
brother."
Ken shook his head. "No it
didn't. I was just surprised. I never knew."
Daisuke nodded. "It's
odd how things work out. neechan and your brother dating
and then me and you."
Ken smiled, shaking his head
following Daisuke who had decided to start walking again.
Was it this hard for you Oniisan?
Was Jun this much of a challenge?
TBC
- Kore kara zutto... itsumademo
means for always and forever. Any other words that
are in Japanese don't really need to be translated,
at least I don't think so. I've been known to
be wrong.
- The song Jun was sing is
called "No! Marionette" and it's by Siam
Shade, as stated in the story. I don't own any part
of it
- I hope that I haven't
messed up any of the names for the J-rock group. Siam
Shade is one of my favorite J-rock groups but, sadly, I
know very little about them. I had to look up the
information about their names and what part they play in
the group. So, if I'm wrong about anything, please
let me know and forgive me.
- People have been telling me
that the flashes from past to present are confusing, so I
tried a different way, with the Jun/Daisuke scene. Did it
help? I'm not sure and I really don't like
writing the word flashback'. If it still
wasn't any good, let me know, suggestions would be
nice, too.
- Finally, I'm not exactly
happy with this chapter. I apologize for it's major
sucky-ness. At least, I think it sucks. But I've
already re-done it like fifty times, and I kinda wanna
get on with it. So it's stuck with meuntil
later.