Ritsu had never been a fan of amusement parks.
They were too hot, too crowded, and Mom and Dad always went way too slow. No matter what Ritsu had on his list of things to do Mom and Dad always walked way too slow, too way too many breaks, and took way too many pictures, too. He never got to the end of his list, ever, not once in his life.
This wasn't going to be an exception.
"Mom, Dad, we should-" said Ritsu as he tugged on his Mom's hand like a little kid. She liked it when he acted like a little kid, moms just liked stuff like that…but she wasn't paying attention. Mom made lists, like he did, and hers were even longer than his. They never got to the end of hers either…this was not going to be the one time they did.
They had to get the fuck out of here.
"Ok, so if we move clockwise and take breaks every half hour-" said Hana as she went over her map with a sharpie. Ok, they were making this a day trip…they were going to have to hustle if they were going to see everything. That was no easy feat with Ichimaro. He always dragged his feet no matter where they went and what they did. Well he had better not have planned on dragging his feet today, this had all been his idea.
He had gotten the boys' hopes up and she was not going to let them be dashed. The adult world would do that for him.
"Mom!" said Ritsu as he tugged on his mom again. Teru shot him a panicked look. He didn't have to, his aura was clearly showing. So was his. So was everyone else's. This was a sea of auras…a sea of red. He knew those auras, he had felt those auras…he had never wanted to feel those auras ever again.
He had left Seasoning City to get away from Claw…maybe the universe hated him or something.
"If we just-what is it, Ritsu?" asked Hana as she looked down at her son. The boys looked worried…well of course they were worried. They only had so many hours in the day and so much to do. This was really more of a multi-day trip, it took so long to ride down here…this wasn't entirely worth the trip in her opinion. There were more normal ways to network…
But it made the boys happy so…so it was ok.
"I want to go-" said Ritsu
"We should just zigzag, Hana, it'll be better for getting to the things we absolutely have to see. There's a Jaws ride. Come on, duuuunnnn duun-" said Ichimaro. Hana always overcomplicated these trips. It made the most sense to cross everything off your list in order of how badly you wanted to ride it. That way you'd end up spending time on what you wanted to. Everything had long lines, so what was the point in waiting for something that you didn't want to see?
"Ichi." Said Hana
"Duuunnnnnnnn dun dun-" said Ichimaro
"Ritsu!" hissed Teru. These were not his parents and he wasn't going to start making all kinds of demands of them, he needed Ritsu's parents to like him and think that he was a good influence and all of that shit, but they really needed to get the hell out of here. He had felt it before they had even gotten within city limits. At first he had just thought that there had been a division here, one of the plain sight divisions like in Tokyo, but there hadn't been. Claw just…really liked theme parks…
Maybe even as much as they loved kidnapping, torture, and brainwashing.
"I want to go-" said Ritsu. He didn't need Teru to stand there giving him looks. He could have used some help, team work and all of that. He knew that siblings could gang up on their parents but since Ritsu was an only child this was the best that he could do.
Or at least it would have been if Teru had been a better fake boyfriend and actually helped!
"Dun dun dun dun dun-" said Ichimaro
"Dad! I want to go home!" said Ritsu, loudly. He stomped his feet like he did when he was a kid. That was the only thing that he could think up on such short notice. He had made a mistake, of course. He had done nothing more than to draw more attention to himself than he had. His aura must have been so bright to them…he knew that it was bright to Teru…Teru was a natural esper, though. How did he look to an artificial esper…he could tell that they were….they all had that same aura…
He had to get out of here.
"You want to do what now?" asked Ichimaro, cleaning his ears. He knew that it was rude to do so in public but…but he knew that he had to make sure that he wasn't going deaf…or crazy. Crazy would have made sense too. Ritsu…he could not have been serious…
He was a twelve year old boy in an amusement park…and he wanted to go home?!
"He says that he wants to go home and while, yes, I'm happy to be here I want Ritsu to be happy." Said Teru, trying his best to be diplomatic. He couldn't look ungrateful. They had gone through a lot of trouble to bring him with. The ride had been long and they'd kept on making stops for snacks and breaks, it had been hot too, and nobody wanted to go through that again…even if parts of it had been fun…they had to go. They both had to go before they got kidnapped again….fucking Claw…
Why did they have to ruin EVERYTHING!?
"Thanks a lot…" muttered Ritsu. Why did Teru always have to be like that? What did he care what Mom and Dad thought about him? They weren't just going to tell him to get lost. Did he realize how serious this was?!
"Ritsu…why on Earth do you want to go home?" asked Hana, her eye beginning to twitch. She loved her son, she would love him until the day she died, but sometimes…sometimes he could be a little…a little bit of a handful.
"Because it's…it's too…" said Ritsu. He couldn't tell them the truth. They would have, at best, thought that he was going crazy. At worst they would have believed him and then they would have gone crazy. He just…he had to figure something out…
"It'd too hot. It's really more of an indoor day." Said Teru. Ritsu jabbed him in the side. What? He had done his best! It wasn't like there was a good reason to want to leave a theme park right when you got here. Not unless Ritsu felt like getting tripped so he fell and broke a bone or…or maybe if he wanted to lick some railings so he could get sick enough to go home…or they could always loosed their restraints and go flying out of the rollercoaster…no, then people would just pay more attention to them, and not the good kind.
"It's just as hot back home as it is here." Said Hana. She resisted the urge to roll her eyes. Kids could be so ridiculous sometimes. She needed to send those two outside to play more often…or maybe just Ritsu. Teru should have been more used to the outdoors…though it was an unusually warm day…she would give it that…
They'd ridden for nearly two hours. It was two hours back. They were not leaving as soon as they got here.
"But Mom-" said Ritsu
"Listen to your mother, Ritsu, what she says go and if she wants to stay and head right on over to the Jaws ride then that's what we're going to do." Said Ichimaro. He made eye contact with Hana. She rolled her eyes.
"Fine, we can go to the Jaws ride first…but this really going to throw off out schedule…not let's see…we can see that Water World show after that if we make it in time and then we can go to Minions, I know Ritsu was looking forward to that…or maybe we should go to dinosaur world…that seems a little much for Ritsu, though…" said Hana as she pulled her map out and started walking. Ritsu had too much of his father in him sometimes, that was the only explanation for it. Ichi could be ridiculous and so could Ritsu…she wondered how Shigeko was…
Not today.
This was supposed to be a family outing, a fun one, and…and there was always the thought, though, that it could never truly be a family outing with one member of their family gone…she couldn't think like this today. Shigeko was probably out right now having her own outing with her own…her own family. She was probably somewhere fun like the beach or the park or the zoo…she used to love the zoo…she was probably happy.
A lot happier than Ritsu was.
"Mom…come on…" whined Ritsu. He hadn't meant to, he just couldn't think of any other way to get her to stop. She wasn't even listening. She was deep in her map, she always got like this when they went places. Dad was busy too, he kept on pointing at things he wanted to do and talking to Mom…Mom and Dad were even more excited than he and Teru were…
Had been.
Because there was nothing exciting about this. He held Teru's hand. That got them more looks but…but this was kind of a lot. He was surrounded. He was completely surrounded by Claw…and some normal people….but mostly Claw members. They were all dressed in red and blue. Red shirts, red pants, and blue scarves or ribbons around their necks…and that was just the low level people. There were people with scars here, too. None that he recognized…but he had hardly met any of them the first time he'd been kidnapped.
Teru squeezed his hand back.
"Is that the best you can do?" whispered Teru as he pulled Ritsu closer. He started to hang back a little, holding Ritsu close the whole time. He knew that he was drawing attention to himself but he couldn't think of any other way to get Ritsu away from his parents. At least if they looked back and saw them together they would think that everything was normal.
"I'm thinking! Usually they do what I ask." Whispered Ritsu. He could feel his aura trying to turn into a barrier. This was…this was not good. He wondered why nobody had tried anything yet. Some people looked at him as he passed but that was it. Nobody had tried to grab him or attack him or tried to throw a sack over his head and drag him off…some people looked at him but most of them were just…walking and talking….
Did they just…not notice him?
"You never ask anything of them." Said Teru. If he wanted something he usually just…well he didn't even have to ask, he had his own money…but then he was little he used to throw himself down onto the ground and cry….but that had been ten years ago…damn it! They had walked right into Claw's hands…maybe Ritsu had a point about being vigilant…Reigen was going to kill him if he didn't come home tonight. Tonight was movie night and he was supposed to explain to Reigen, again, why Flying Dead Pig was the greatest piece of cinema ever created…
He had it all queued up and everything.
"Hey! At least I'm trying something! Do you have any idea how hard it is to come up with all the of ideas?" asked Ritsu, speeding up a little. He needed space to think…space that Teru wasn't giving him. He just got pulled in even closer. He hadn't been lying, it was way too hot out for all of that.
"I have-" said Teru before something massive crashed into him. He pulled Ritsu close and put a barrier up at the last second…tried to. Ritsu beat him. Was this it!? He couldn't see Ritsu's parents. Fuck…this might have been it. This might have been…he was going to have to fight harder than he'd ever fought before! He was going to have be-
-helped up.
Ritsu's barrier shimmered as the Claw members' one of the low level guy's, hands made contact. He was stuttering. The only words that Teru could make out were 'sorry, sir' and 'I'm very sorry, sir' over and over again…and people were walking past them like…like it was nothing…
Like Teru wasn't even worth noticing.
"You should be! Now move along!" said Teru. He nudged Ritsu to put down his barrier. He didn't listen. The guy gasped out one more apology before running off, saying something about the upper echelons being after him. Something else about being a dead man….Teru stood up a little taller. People thought…they thought that he belonged…
Well it would have made sense.
He was a very powerful esper, and a natural too. He looked at least a year older than he was. He was pretty tall, he dressed well, and he tried to carry himself as well as possible. Confidence was key, he'd heard that before. He looked like he belonged…he didn't…but he looked like he did. He could use this….he would use this…for as long as he could.
Which was going to be a very long time, of course, since he was Hanazawa Teruki after all.
"Teru, what the hell was that?" asked Ritsu as he pulled his hand away from Teru's. He couldn't see Mom and Dad anymore…but that was the least of his worries. He was deep in enemy territory…there was no way he could fight them all off…there was no way…
There were normal people around, including his parents, he had to get rid of his barrier.
"Thinking on my feet. See? You're not the only one who can come up with ideas." Said Teru
"What's your plan, then? Keep on pretending to be one of them until they figure us out and kidnap us?" asked Ritsu
"Nobody's going to figure us out. Do you honestly think that I can't handle this…don't answer that." Said Teru
"Fine, I won't…now shut up. I have to think of a way out of this. I mean we could go back to the train station and then just sit and wait but then we're sitting ducks…but if we go home then how do we explain it?" asked Ritsu
"If you'll stop freaking out for five seconds I can tell you what I've come up with." Said Teru. God. Ritsu had no faith in him…it hurt, sometimes. Teru was just as much a part of this thing as Ritsu was. He was just as valuable as Ritsu was…maybe more so. He was older, he was stronger, and he'd had his powers for longer. He was still the only one out of the two of them, too, to be able to see the big picture. To be able to look past their own bullshit…Teru knew he'd fucked up before but he knew Ritsu. He'd fucked up ten times worse….he'd fallen in love with the enemy.
"This had better not be more of us pretending to be Claw members because I can tell you right now that it's not going to work." Said Ritsu
"No, I have a better idea. Just let me push you." said Teru. Ritsu took a step back.
"What the hell? Why?" asked Ritsu. They were in over their heads most likely facing certain death and Teru…wanted to fight about it?
"Because if you fall and break a bone then your parents are going to have to take you to the hospital and then home. You, not me. I'm not their kid. They'd probably just call me a cab." Said Teru
"You know that's not true, Teru, so stop being a moron. You're not breaking my neck or whatever. If I end up getting hurt then I won't be able to defend myself and if it's just you then I might as well just lay down and surrender." Said Ritsu
"Don't be an asshole, Ritsu, I wouldn't break your neck. I was thinking that if you got sick then they'd have to take you home." Said Teru
"Faking a fever won't work, it's already a million degrees outside." Said Ritsu, rolling his eyes. There was no faking sick with Mom. Dad always believed him but Mom…she could always see right through him when it came to faking sick.
"No, not that kind of sick. Just…eat junk food, a lot of junk food, and then ride something. Then afterward when we get off throw up. But not while we're on it, I don't want you throwing up on me." Said Teru. Even the thought of it made him want to boil himself in hand sanitizer. He was going to settle for washing his hands with the one clipped to his belt…this was going to be so gross….but it wasn't like Claw let their prisoners take showers so he was going to do what he had to do.
"That's…actually a pretty good idea." Said Ritsu. Huh. So even Teru could have good ideas sometimes.
"Don't sound so surprised." Said Teru, brushing his hair off of his forehead. What was Ritsu so shocked about? He wasn't the only one capable of putting a plan together.
"Why not? It's…surprising…." Said Ritsu. He felt something…someone….he expanded his range. It was dangerous but…but he knew…
This was mostly Claw members…wasn't it?
"What? What's going on?" asked Teru. He expanded his perceptions outwards too. He felt…a bunch of people with nearly the exact same auras…a lot of unique ones too…and one that felt…weirdly familiar…
Wait…if this was all Claw members then….
"Stay there. Don't follow me." Said Ritsu before he took off. He walked as fast as he could without running. If he ran he would draw attention to himself and…and he wanted to run. He wanted to take off and run as fast as he could. He knew what he was feeling, who he was feeling, who was there and…and he felt like his heart was going to explode right in his chest.
But in a good way.
He felt like he was going to die, but in a good way. He felt like he was going to fly right off of the sidewalk. He felt…he felt like he was going to be ok. Like the more he walked, the more he ran, the more ok…the more ok he would be. That was dumb, of course, things didn't work out like that but…but he kind of wanted them to and…and…
He knew that he needed to turn around….but he knew, too, that he needed to keep walking.
So he did. He walked towards the aura…towards HIS aura. Ritsu could feel it more clearly, now, since he was so close. He could see Sho's aura, feel it, he could…he wanted to be near him. Ritsu wove through the crowd. People gave him looks, sometimes, but nobody so much as said on word to him. Nobody bothered him…maybe Teru'd had a point. Maybe he was capable of having two good ideas in one day…
Or maybe Ritsu was just being reckless.
Love made people do the craziest things. He'd watched a lot of movies, thanks to Teru, he knew how it went. Love made you want to jump off of rooftops and break out into song and fake your own death for twenty years…or run off and leave your best friend to maybe die…and yourself to maybe die. Yeah, love…love made you kind of reckless. Ritsu needed to stop, he needed to turn back, he needed to get the hell out of here before his parents ended up needing to make him a shrine to go next to Shigeko's.
He had to turn around, but he didn't. There was no point. He was already here.
"Sho…" said Ritsu, quietly. He didn't know why he was whispering. There, right in front of him, was Sho. He was standing outside the boy's bathroom arguing with…wow. She had gotten tall. His little sister, the one who'd been a baby last time he'd seen her. Babies grew fast. Hirai-san's baby could already stand up if you held her hands. He wondered if Sho's sister would have been able to recognize him…to remember him…
He needed to go.
But he couldn't, his feet just wouldn't listen. He tried to take a step back…and then another…and another but he couldn't. Each step started off as a step back until it suddenly turned into a step forward. Forward again and again and again…he was in Sho's range, now. He had been for a while, actually, but now…now Sho could see him…notice him…
Look right at him.
There was a crowd of people walking between them now. Ritsu never once broke eye contact. He could see Sho and…and Sho was taller. His hair was longer. He had a sunburn on his forehead…and he was wearing a coat even though October in Osaka was hot. He was still the same Sho that Ritsu remembered…his heart was beating out of his chest…and then it stopped beating.
Sho walking towards him, now…
Ritsu was walking towards Sho. They walked and they walked and they walked until they met in the middle. The whole time Sho's little sister was tugging on his coat. Ritsu couldn't hear what she was saying, he could barely hear anything about the beating of his heart. He couldn't barely even remember what words were. This was amazing. This was…this was the best day of his life…
There were no more steps left to take.
"Sho…hey." Said Ritsu, quietly. He whispered it. He couldn't remember how to talk any louder…but that was ok, Sho could be loud enough for the both of them.
"What….the….fuck!?" asked Sho. That was all that he could say. He had been trying, really trying, not to yell. Obviously that hadn't worked out. He had fucked up…fuck! People were staring at him…people could not be staring at him! Well he didn't care if people stared at him but…but if they saw Ritsu…..fuck!
Ritsu was here!
This was the best and the worst day of his entire life. He had been trying to get Mukai to go into the boy's bathroom, he couldn't go into the girl's bathroom and if he left Mukai in there by herself then she was just going to play in there all day. She was too little to be trusted and…and he….this was not how…he had to stay calm.
He had more than himself to worry about.
"Yeah, Sho, what the fuck!? I gotta pee!" said Mukai as she tugged on Sho's coat. She was not going in the boy's bathroom, no way! The sign had a picture of a boy on it and she was a girl. That didn't mean, though, that she didn't have to pee at all!
"I-I-I-" said Ritsu. He hadn't thought this through…what the hell was wrong with him?! That was his thing, he thought things all the way through! That was why he was the one in charge, not Teru…he should have listened to Teru…he knew that he'd really messed up if he was thinking that he should have listened to Teru.
"Shit! Uh….there! Go to Shibata, he'll help you!" said Sho as he spotted Shibata's head rising above the crowd like a shark in the ocean. He pushed Mukai over to him. She kicked him and ran into the crowd. He watched her as she ran. Ritsu was still saying something, Sho wasn't really paying attention to what. Sho reached over and grabbed his wrist. There was no way he was letting Ritsu go, not now, not when he…now when there was so much that could go wrong…
Not when they'd spent so long apart.
"I-I'm sorry!" said Ritsu. That was what he'd settled on. He was sorry that he hadn't been thinking, sorry that his feet had carried him here, and sorry that he may have just ruined both of their lives…and Teru's…and he didn't think that Mom and Dad would have been able to pull through if another one of their kids died…
He should have thought this through…
"Stop being sorry and follow me! I've got to get you out of here before anyone notices!" said Sho as he started to run. He pulled Ritsu behind him. He didn't know where he was going…away from here…he needed to hide out. This was Osaka, there weren't a lot of Claw houses…no empty ones…but Shimazaki lived alone!
Shimazaki was scared of Dad.
If someone asked him about Ritsu then Sho knew what he'd say, he'd tell Dad whatever he wanted to hear because he was afraid of him…but he worked during the day. He worked during the day and when he wasn't working he was getting high or drinking and when he wasn't getting high or drinking then he was sleeping and…and he was blind, anyway, it wasn't like he knew what Ritsu looked like and…
And this was the best idea that he could come up with in such a short amount of time.
"Where are we going?" asked Ritsu as he let himself be dragged along. He didn't know where he was going and…and part of him didn't care. It was like all he could think about was Sho. Sho dragging him away…he had been afraid of that, before, being dragged off to some horrible place but…but this was ok. He knew Sho, he trusted Sho, and he loved Sho…
Also he had never been the biggest fan of amusement parks, anyway.