"My, my, my," Shigure tisked from the doorway. "Is this how young boy's spend their afternoons?"
"You son of a bitch!" Kyo leapt up, knocking Haru backwards. "What the hell are you doing lurking around here!"
"Oh, I'm sorry!" Shigure's hand fluttered to cover his mouth in an expression of mock apology. "I was under the mistaken impression that this was my house." He replied.
"Yah, well you should knock before just waltzing into a room!" Kyo seethed.
Shigure put an arm reassuringly around Kyo's shoulders. "Kyon-kyon," he began, "Are you… embarrassed about something?"
"What the- what are you-" Kyo sputtered, unable to get a grasp on what Shigure was saying. "What the hell do you mean am I embarrassed? Of course I'm embarrassed!" he balled his fists. "Don't you dare an' act like this is something normal for me! I don't do things like that, okay! Don't go around acting like you're all used to it! It just happened, alright? Haru kissed me! I didn't start it!"
Shigure raised an eyebrow.
"Um… Kyo?" Haru called in an un-abashed voice. "Sensei… didn't see us kiss, you know…"
Kyo froze. "Wah…?"
Haru sighed. "He walked in after it was already over."
Kyo turned slowly to face Shigure, who had a very amused grin plastered on his face. "No." he agreed. "I didn't see you kiss. But now I know you did!"
Kyo flushed a sudden and deep shade of red. "If you tell anyone, I swear to God, I'll kill you!"
"Haru-kun!" Shigure whimpered. "Kyo-kun is scaring me! It's not like I'd tell anyway," he grumped, "You don't trust me at all."
"Oh course I don't!" Kyo snapped, "You're nothing but a letch!"
Ignoring Kyo's last Jab, Shigure picked up the phone and started dialing.
"What are you doing?" Kyo demanded.
Shigure glanced up, a look of mild surprise on his face. "Oh, I thought I'd call Aaya and Ha-san," he smiled. "Why?"
Kyo glared daggers at the man. "YOU JUST SAID YOU WEREN'T GOING TO TELL ANYONE!" he seethed.
Shigure blinked. "I can't even tell Ha-san?" he whined.
"I'm really going to kill him…" Kyo confessed to Haru.
"I don't mind if he tells them," Haru shrugged.
"What?" Kyo yelped. "Well I do! I don't want everybody to think that I like you!"
Haru blinked. "That hurt," he said matter-of-factly before standing and swiftly exiting the room.
Kyo blinked, still in shock from how quickly Babel had crumbled. ((A/N: tower of Babel. Biblical reff. The tower of Babel was a tower constructed for infinite knowledge and a pathway to heaven. God struck it down and scattered the people around the world, making it so that they couldn't understand each other and everybody was confused.)
Shigure tisked him again. "You made Haru upset," he observed.
"Shut-up!" Kyo shouted. "It's your stupid fault!"
"I'm not the one that yelled at him," Shigure pointed out.
Kyo stood a minute, clenching and unclenching his fists before storming out of the room.
Shigure watched the empty doorway a moment before picking up the phone and dialing. "Aaya? You're not going to believe this! Let me get Ha-san on three-way…"
Kyo stomped through the snow out to the woods. Stupid snow. Stupid cold. Stupid Haru.
If Haru was going to be that sensitive, well then let him! It wasn't Kyo's job to keep him happy! What did he care if Haru got the wrong idea? The nerve of that stupid cow, implying that Kyo liked him, that Kyo had wanted to kiss him, that Kyo said his name while…
"Haru!" he called out. No answer. Where was that idiot? He had absolutely no direction sense. He was liable to end up halfway to Osaka if nobody stopped him. It wasn't that Kyo cared but…
"That hurt."
It had sounded like… Haru meant it. Well so what! Kyo kicked a snowdrift irritably.
"You don't mind though…"
Stupid. Why had he admitted that? He didn't have to admit that. He could have just beaten the stupid cow up, called him a liar. Then he wouldn't have had to put up with any of this. He wouldn't be out in the cold, out in the snow, looking for stupid Haru. He realized that he was overusing the adjective, but he'd really never thought of a word better suited to Haru, or the cold, or the snow, or at the moment, himself… stupid.
"You make me dizzy."
He'd been so… cute. Kyo flushed, embarrassed even to admit it to himself. How did Haru do it? How did he make himself seem so vulnerable, so helpless, so adorable… Kyo rubbed at his cheeks quickly, trying to push the blush away. God, how long had he been thinking like that? He tried to remember, but it had been such a long time…
Haru was cute. Well, white Haru, that is… Black Haru was… something entirely different. Kyo shivered, recollecting a few of his choicer fantasies. He shook his head to clear it. Couldn't be thinking those things right now. First, he needed to find Haru… and where on Earth had he gone?
Kyo glanced down, spotting the size twelve prints in the snow. Haru's boots.
"For Nerima city, two hundred," the machine was telling him. Haru pushed another button. "Four hundred for Hankyuu Umeda."
"Umeda…" he rolled the word. Yah, that sounded right. The boy put a five hundred yen coin in the slot and it spat out a ticket and his change. ((A/N: 500 yen is somewhere around five bucks. Umeda is in Osaka))
Boarding the train, Haru picked a comfortable looking seat and promptly fell asleep. He always did on trains. The motion was too comforting.
"Next stop, Umeda, Hankyuu Umeda," the conductor drawled.
Haru blinked awake, yawning and rubbing his eyes. It had been a long ride. Maybe an hour or two, he wasn't sure. He stepped off of the train and into the Hankyuu shopping center. The place was booming with people and motion. He could smell the heat of the building, while a back draft from the open-ended station blew chill against his flushed face. He liked places like this. It was full up enough to get lost in. So many people, so many smells and sights and sounds, so many pointless things that he couldn't take it all in at once, and that was exactly what he wanted. Haru knew he wasn't smart. Everyone told him as much. He knew he didn't move or think as fast as other people, but sometimes, times like this, that was a blessing. With all these things bombarding his senses, he had no time to think. No time to think about all the things bothering him, hurting him, no time to think about…
Ooh, crepes.
Haru smiled, turning towards the stand. It had been awhile since he'd really let himself go anywhere. The last time he'd gone exploring, he'd gotten in way too much trouble to make it worth his while.
"You went where!"
"Do you realize how dangerous a concert is for someone like you, Haru?"
"You just wanted to see the band? Haru, you can't afford to take risks like that!"
"Did you even consider the risk?"
"What if someone bumped into you? How would we explain a cow at a rock concert!"
"Haru! This is just like the time you decided to go clubbing! Don't you remember what a mess that was for Hattori-san to clean up?"
"And what if you'd gone Black, did you even think of that? That boy didn't get out of the hospital until last month, you know!"
Yes mom, yes Ha-san, yes Sensei, yes, yes, yes… I thought of all that…I just wanted… a break. I just wanted to see something neat. I just wanted to fill my head up with all of it, fill it so full with noise and color and light that I couldn't think…
"Chestnut," he decided, handing the man another five-hundred yen coin.
It was delicious. The crepe was thick and rich, filled with ice-cream, chestnut cream, whipped cream, caramel, chocolate, oh, it was good. Almost as good as… it tasted sort of like…
I don't want everybody to think that I like you!
He cringed. He didn't want to think about that. He tossed the remainder of the desert in the trash, looking around for something else to take his mind off of it. There was an arcade, a fashion store. He smiled. Ha-san would kill him if he came home with any more black clothes. He entered the shop. It was a division of Hep5. He knew the line. He inspected a black, backless tuxedo shirt and a top hat, grinning to himself. He liked buying clothes. They made him feel good, sexy, yah, he liked it. "How much?" he asked.
The girl at the counter looked up with a smile. "Five thousand," she told him.
He smiled back. He shouldn't spend it… "Okay," he agreed, making the purchase. He changed in the restroom, stuffing his school jacket in the bag. He inspected himself in the mirror. He liked what he saw. Fifteen, he thought. He looked much older than fifteen. Seventeen, maybe. He smiled.
After browsing around a little more, he decided to investigate outside of the Hankyuu building. The station opened up to a busy, neon-lit street. It was cooler than inside, but not cold. There were too many people for it to be cold. The static of their bodies, the friction of the action heated the air and a warm breeze tousled Haru's forelock. He closed his eyes, sighing contentedly.
"Heh Boi!" A man called from beside him. "You gone to freeze you weya dat shirt!"
Haru turned to face a jovial Rastafarian man. "You wan to buy a watch? A bracelet, sometin'? Least you keep yo' wrist warm!" he burst into another raucous fit of laughter.
Haru smiled, but didn't reply for a minute. "What do you really sell?" he asked in a tone suggesting he knew the way of things.
The man laughed again, showing a silver canine. "You alright, boi!" he grinned. "You got class, style. Let me tell you what. You call me Mike, okay? What's boi interested in buying?" he tapped his coat pocket, demonstrating that there were other wares for purchase.
((A/N: I seriously used to hang out with this guy! He really does just sit there in Umeda. Seriously, if you ever go there, right between the Hankyuu building and the Hep5 building. His name is Mike, and he's a blast! We had cheese fries once. .))
Haru thought a minute. "You smoke it with me and I'll buy something," he agreed.
To that, Mike burst into another bout of laughter. "Ef dat de way you play, boi, den dis one be on Mike! You jes buy de next roun' when you in Umeda."
Haru agreed.
Ten minutes found them in a red-lit alley surrounded by signs advertising naked girls and 'modern okiyas' ((Okiya: tea house, where Geisha stay. Pretty much, a brothel nowadays.))
"A'right," Mike told him. "Dis is de good stuff, so jes pull down as much as you ken first, den pass to me."
Haru agreed, taking the not-so-legal cigarette between his thumb and forefinger. He'd never smoked before, but he'd seen it done. He took a long draw on the joint. It burned. It burned… IT BURNED. He felt his eyes beginning to water. It burned and it tasted horrible. He wanted to spit. He needed to spit, but instead, he kept inhaling. Finally, he passed it back to Mike, holding his breath for as long as he could, afraid he'd choke if he didn't.
"Das right," Mike prompted. "Boi knows how is done. You got to hold it in, so you don' waste it!"
So Haru held it in. He held it while Mike talked, and while Mike smoked, and all the way up until Mike handed the cigarette back to him. Finally, he let the smoke out, trying not to cough, trying not to let on.
"You finish up," Mike told him, sounding considerably more relaxed. "Me, I got to go back to work." With that, he turned back down the alley, leaving Haru with the end of the joint. He didn't want to finish it. He didn't want it to burn like that again, but suddenly, Haru realized… that he didn't realize anything at all. Why… was he standing there? He'd forgotten, but he remembered one thing, and that was that he had something he'd wanted to forget. Knowing that, he took one final draw on the blunt of the smoldering joint. It burned, but not as much. It stank, it tasted acrid, but it passed. Finally exhaling, Haru crushed the last bit beneath the heel of his boot, turning to face the alley around him.
His head was spinning. He felt like he was looking everywhere, but seeing nothing. Where was he? Where was he? His thoughts kept repeating, spinning out of control and then out of his head and somewhere far away… unimportant.
"Welcome, sir! Looking for a good evening?"
He shook his head. His evening was good enough already. He giggled at the man, at the sign, at the night. What did it matter? He felt good.
Where was it…? What was it he'd been trying to remember? Or was it something he'd been trying to forget… he couldn't remember, and that thought was funny to him.
"Phew!" someone whistled between their teeth. He turned around blearily to face a group of college boys.
"Look at you," one winked. "What's your name? I'm Keitaro."
Haru sized the man up. "Keitaro," he repeated.
"Your name's Keitaro?" the guy asked, looking puzzled.
Haru laughed. "No. Haru."
"Haru…" the guy repeated it. "Are you from around here?"
He shook his head, although he wasn't sure he'd understood the question. The buzz was starting to even out, leaving him a little more clear headed, but mellow, uninhibited. "No," he finally replied. "I'm from far away… five-hundred yen away."
The guy laughed. "You're a fun guy. What are you doing out here alone?"
Haru shrugged. "Forgetting…"
The guy laughed again. It was a friendly laugh. Open… friendly. Haru liked him, he decided.
Haru laughed.
"We all need to do that sometimes, ne?" the guy asked.
"Yah," Haru agreed.
"That shirt is awesome! Where'd you get it?"
Haru looked at his shirt. He couldn't remember. And he couldn't remember where he'd left his school jacket. Oh well. "I don't know," he replied. "Somewhere." Then he laughed.
Keitaro laughed too. "Well… my friends and I… we were just going to the arcade. Do you wanna go?"
Arcade… Haru thought about it. "Sure."
The guy hooked his elbow in Haru's "Alright! Let's go, Ha-chan. That's you," he added with a wink. "You can call me Taro." He laughed again. He laughed a lot.
Umeda. Of course, it had to be something like this. Kyo stood at the top of the stairs, gazing down into the bowels of the Hankyuu building. He'd described Haru to the ticket lady at the train station. She'd told him Umeda. Haru had gone to Umeda. Of course Haru would go to Umeda! Kyo hadn't known what to expect, but he certainly hadn't expected the veritable sea of people swarming below him. What if someone bumped him? How would he even get a hold Hattori or anyone? He'd forgotten his cell phone! Dammit Haru!
With a deep breath, he waded his way through the crowds, trying not to touch anyone, especially women. He paused. Where would Haru be? He looked around, spotting a fashion boutique sporting gothic looking clothes. That looked right up Haru's alley. God, if anyone found out they were there, they'd be in so much trouble! Why had he even gone after him? Haru could get in trouble by himself! But that was exactly why he'd gone after him. Haru could get into trouble by himself, and lots of it!
He raced to the shop, stopping at the courtesy desk. "How can I help you?" the girl beamed at him.
"I'm looking for my cousin," he told her. "He's got black and white hair and he's…" he held his hand a few inches over his own head. "Maybe that tall?"
She thought a minute before pointing to an exit. "He left that way about an hour or so ago."
"Thanks." Kyo sped towards the exit. There was no telling what kind of trouble Haru was getting himself into.
It was cold outside. Kyo hated cold. Hated snow. The streets were even bigger and more crowded than the station had been. He felt a crushing disappointment coming over him. He'd never be able to find Haru, where would he even look? Just then, he tripped, falling over a bag someone had carelessly left on the sidewalk.
"gah! Dammit! Who just leaves things lying around?" He untangled his feet from the bag and… a school jacket. Haru's jacket. He'd been there.
"Ah, boi left his jacket," a voice noted from behind the fallen Kyo.
He looked up sharply, facing a slightly stoned looking man. "You saw the kid who had this?" he demanded.
"Shua did." Mike grinned. "Dat boi, phew, he got class."
Kyo stumbled to his feet, clutching the jacket. "Where is he? Do you know where he went?"
Mike seemed to think a minute, then pointed down a red-lit alley.
Without hesitating, Kyo booked it for the alley, stopping only when he realized where exactly he was. This was a red light district. There were adult bookstores, bars and strip joints as far as the eye could see. "Shit." He mumbled. He didn't want to be there.
"Welcome!" hawkers called to him. "Come on in for a lovely evening."
"Not likely!" Kyo spat.
"What is it about boys today?" One curator joked. "You boys spend all your money on stupid clothes and video games and no one values true entertainment these days."
Stupid clothes? "You… haven't seen a guy with black and white hair, about this tall?" Kyo asked the man.
"Sure!" he replied, "He was here a little while ago, he left with some guys. I guess they were going to an arcade or something. See?" he tisked. "Video games."
Kyo looked around. "Where's the nearest arcade?" he asked.
"About a block that way." The guy pointed, and Kyo made to leave. "Wait!" he called back. "But those guys wouldn't go there."
Kyo's ears perked up. "Those guys?" he asked. Who was Haru with?
"Their just some punk college kids," the guy shrugged. "They hang around here, trying to pick up dates. They go to this rundown arcade on Nishiyama and try to get some action."
"Action?" Kyo asked, stunned.
The guy raised an eyebrow. "Y'no, making out, cop a feel, things like that."
"I know what action means!" Kyo snapped. "You said Haru was with these jerks?"
"Haru?" the guy asked, "The kid with the funky hair?"
That was all Kyo needed to hear. "Where's Nishiyama!" he demanded, a fury building within him. The guy pointed the direction and Kyo was off like a bolt. He hadn't spent all that time in the mountains (fighting bears… Kyo: There were no bears, dammit!) for nothing!
Before tonight ended, someone would feel his wrath.
"Ha-chan, don't be mean!" Taro whined playfully, tussling the boy's hair.
Haru laughed, pushing the guy away. "Nuh-uh." He smiled adorably. "I won't unless you give me another game." He stuck out his hand for the coin.
Taro laughed. "That's what you said last time! I gave you another game, now you have to keep up your end of the deal."
Haru giggled. "Please? One more game?"
Taro and his lackeys started laughing again, and Taro reached into his pocket for the coin. "Here, you extortionist!"
Haru took the coin, happily, starting another game, but just as it begun, he suddenly felt a wave of crushing disappointment. He took his hands off of the controls and the fighter plane crashed into the pixilated ground.
"Hey! You just died!" Taro yelped, "Aren't you paying attention?"
Haru shrugged. "I wish Kyo were here," he said suddenly, and he did, with all his heart.
"Who's Kyo?" Taro asked with concern?
Haru shrugged. "Some guy."
"Some guy?" Taro poked the boy in the ribs. "or Some Guy!" he fluttered his eyelashes, pulling a falsetto.
Haru laughed, then sighed. "Nah… he doesn't want me around."
"Sounds like a jerk." Taro grumped. "Forget about him, he's not worth your thoughts."
Haru glanced up. "Oh yeah… that's right."
"Hn?" Taro asked.
"Yah…" Haru nodded. "That's what I was trying to forget."
Taro laughed. "You're something, Ha-chan." He wetted his lips, looking a bit nervous, then reached down, cupping Haru's chin in his hand. "Hey, forget that guy."
Haru glanced up. "Hn?" His reaction time was still slow, but the buzz was starting to wear off. Suddenly, something connected hard with the side of his face. Something polyester knit…
"Put your damn jacket on, Haru!" Kyo spat viciously.
"Kyo?" Haru stood up, realization beginning to creep into his mind. "Hey, you found my jacket." He smiled in thanks.
Taro was staring at him. "Ha-chan?" he asked, a bit taken aback. "Dude, is that a… that's a middle school jacket."
"Oh," Haru looked down at the jacket. "Yah, it is." Then back up at Taro. "So?"
"You're in middle school?" The guy blanched.
"Damn right!" Kyo growled, pulling Haru behind him and away from the older guys. "And if you even fucking touched him, I swear I'll-!"
"You're Kyo?" the guy asked, looking like he'd been hit by a truck.
"So what!" Kyo growled. "Wait… what do you mean you're Kyo? Don't say it like you know who I am!"
"No," the guy defended, stepping back a bit. "It's just that Ha-chan… er… Haru was saying… y'no, he was just hoping you'd show up."
"What?" Kyo blinked, turning to Haru who was plucking some lint from his jacket.
Haru shrugged, not looking up from his task.
"Look," Taro interrupted. "I'm sorry about all this, I had no idea. I mean… Haru… you're a fun guy but… I thought you were older." He caught the homicidal gleam in Kyo's eye. "A lot older. Like, eighteen."
Haru looked up, seeming very self-satisfied. "Eighteen?" he grinned. "I was thinking seventeen. That's good. Yah, that's older than I thought."
"We're going home, Haru! Hattori's probably worried sick and God knows what Shigure's been telling him!"
"Okay." Haru beamed at Kyo. "Bye Taro… maybe I'll see you in a few years. We'll hang out."
"Sure." Taro replied, a bit unsettled by the fact that he'd just been putting the moves on a fifteen year old.
Kyo bought two tickets home, as Haru had spent all of his money on video games and things. On the train, Kyo had managed to find an empty car. He had had enough of people for one day. As the train hissed to life, sliding off the tracks on its journey home, Kyo sat back with a sigh. "What the hell were you thinking?" he demanded. "Do you even know what that guy wanted from you?"
"Sure," Haru shrugged in a noncommittal way. "I told him I'd kiss him if he'd let me have one more game."
"Goddamit, Haru! How can you be so nonchalant about that!" Kyo hissed, his hackles rose again. "What would you have done if I hadn't shown up?"
Haru thought a minute. "I guess I was just going to pretend it was you."
Kyo flushed from head to toe. Why did Haru have to be so damn… cute! With that, he grabbed the front of Haru's shirt. "Next time you want something like that, you come to me first." With that, he pressed his lips firmly to Haru's, deepening the kiss quickly as Haru groped for the front of his shirt. Kyo slipped an arm around the younger boy, letting his hand roam up Haru's bare back. His skin was soft.
When they broke apart, both boys were panting slightly. Haru's cheeks had gone pink and he was cuter than ever. "You stupid cow…" Kyo murmured, brushing his knuckles gently over Haru's cheek before leaning in to kiss him again.
"Mmm…" Haru sighed into the kiss, then "You taste like crepes."
Kyo quirked an eyebrow at him. "You are seriously weird."
Haru leaned in, kissing Kyo's neck softly. Kyo stiffened as Haru's hand found the bottom of his shirt, working its way underneath.
"Ha- Haru!" Kyo yelped. "Knock it off!"
"No one's here." Haru replied instead. "Just kiss me, kay?"
After a moment's hesitation, Kyo obliged, running his tongue lightly along Haru's bottom lip before sliding it into the boy's mouth, kissing him deeply, loving the feeling of Haru's tongue against his own. When he pulled away, he had a slightly confused look on his face.
"You taste funny," he told Haru.
"I smoked pot," Haru admitted.
"You what!" Kyo leapt up. "Haru! What the hell!"
"Don't tell Ha-san?"
