Chapter 6

The alarm clock sounded its discomfort able screech at the peak of 6:00 AM. Strangely, during the past weekend, I had wakened at this time even without the help of the clock. The phone joined in with its constant beeping. I stood and stumbled over to the nightstand where a neon flashing led me to both noises like a lighthouse.

"Yes? Hello?" I grumbled pushing the 'off' button on the clock. The moon was still in the window.

"Hey its Renkotsu…" His voice was far more awakened than my own. "I need you to stay home today."

My eyes fell onto the small lump on my bed. It turned over exposing a foot. "Alright and tell Suzako to do whatever he does to make sure they don't sent that automated message. You know that those things are sent to moms work." I yawned.

"Also, you should be careful to hide him from your parents. You wouldn't want your little pet to go back to his true masters." He laughed at this. It took me a minute to register it.

"Shut up you damn bald dork!" I clicked the off button and fell back onto my actual bed, forgetting who still occupied it.

"Ban- Kun! That hurt!" A soft voice exclaimed. I grumbled curses as I crawled back to my heap of blankets and pillow. After a wondrous two minutes of rest Hiten came over to me like a dog with a leash in its mouth. He nudged me on my only exposed arm.

"Ban-Kun! Ban-Kunnnnn!" I figured he would wake up upon impact of my previous crash 2 minutes earlier. I peeked open my eye. He was lying on his stomach, hands supporting his head, and, with ankles crossed, his legs up in the air.

"What ever happened to just aniki?" I asked him. He closed his eyes and giggled.

"You told me that only band members can call you that."

My eyes shot wide open once these words left his lips. He remembered that tiny little detail… I told this to him back when one would have sworn he was brought up by cats! He was still smiling when I gave up on trying to be a normal human being and sleep until ten. I propped myself up to a sitting position.

Hitens eyes followed me. "So what are we going to do today?"

"Let's go to back to the city, we can go to the park." He leaned in slightly.

"I can't wait!" He rose to his feet and offered me his hand. I took it.

I was careful to hide Hiten's most noticeable features. I made sure that his clothes were not bright or dark. His long hair was stuffed into a baseball cap. His eyes were behind small sunglasses and to seal the deal a fake mustache was placed over his pink lips to really throw people off.

We were walking through the not so crowed streets that led to the city park, the sky was grey. I stopped Hiten when we approached an intersection.

"When the light is green you stop." I said to him holding out my hand in front of his chest. The light flashed red, and all of the cars slowed to a halt. I walked thinking Hiten was at my side.

"And when it turns red you go….unless you're in a car or something" I turned, there was a small boy beside me eating an ice cream. I stopped short and was instantly mauled over by the opposing tide of people.

"HITEN?" I was instantly in a panic. Once I gained balance I looked through the cars and the crowd for him. Past the people, sitting on a red car, both hands on the wind shield, sat the once missing amnesiac. He was looking into the car, waving at the person inside and pointing to the green fuzzy dice hanging on the rear view mirror. The man within the car looked petrified; his jaw was dropping in horror like a scream in slow motion.

"Hiten get off of there!" I grabbed him by his collar and pulled him off, the hood making a squeaky noise as I did so. Hiten didn't seem to want leave the green decorations because he was struggling for the car. Everyone had stopped and turned to us, even when the street light turned green. I heard a little girl say "Why is that man acting naughty mommy?" My eyes rolled.

"Ban-kun! I want those fuzzy boxes! Their so awesome! Those were the best fuzzy boxes in the whole world! That man wasn't even using them!" I continued to drag him down the street, the park was just ahead.

"I'll buy you some better ones…now lets…" I tugged a little harder. "Go!" I stumbled…damn did I hate being short. Hiten was now staring at me with his big eyes. I've seen that look before. Jakotsu used it whenever he thought something was sweet.

"They would be the best if you gave them to me!" He laughed and skipped to the end of the block. "Bankotsus gonna get me a pair of boxes! Lalalalaaa" I was freaked out for a second there, but recovered quickly and ran after him.

Once I caught up, I grabbed him by his collar yet again and crossed another street. We were surrounded by trees a few paces past the street. The park was practically empty that Monday and so quiet at that! I could hear the fountain ahead. A couple passed us holding hands.

"Ban-Kun…What are those two doing?" Hiten stopped unexpectedly, causing me to be jerked backwards.

"Their holding hands…so they don't loose each other." I said simply, letting go of his collar.

"Can we hold hands?" He asked me, his cheeks a light red. I scooted away from him a bit.

"Don't be silly, only people who love each other hold hands." Hiten looked a bit stricken at this but retained his usual smile only seconds later. I was exhausted and it only has just turned 1:00. The park was calming against the grey sky, its pink cherry blossoms swaying in the wind. The ground was covered in petals, and they kept falling. Some landed on my clothes, and I simply brushed them off. We kept walking. The fountain was right in front of us with an ice cream stand down the path after it.

"Hiten…do you want something to eat?" I asked. I was slightly begging to get away from him, even if it was just for a second. He nodded. I thanked whoever was blessing me with this honor of sometime to my self. Even if was a second.

"Alright I'll be back…stay here and don't move."

I rushed away. Although I should have walked slowly to soak in my time away from embarrassment, I rushed as if…dare I say it…I was eager to get back to him. The ice cream man looked bored, as if he had better things to do. I stopped in front of him and ordered two scoops of vanilla for me and chocolate for Hiten, both in bowls for the sake of preventing a mess. Usually guys who served things at the park were happy jolly folk, this man had huge crease lines on his forehead and a partially angry aura.

I walked back once I paid him off. I scanned the area from my distance for where the amnesiac sat. I didn't see him. Perhaps, I thought, he's sitting where the fountain was blocking him off. I made it over there, taking in one last breath of dignity before circling around the fountain only to find him nowhere.

"Hiten!" Yet again my heart was set afire with panic. I placed the bowls down on a bench and dashed over to the one place where his life would be in more jeopardy. The waters of the fountain were rough with the upcoming wind. A big black splotch stood out from the rest of the blue water.

"HITEN YOU DUMBASS!" I jumped into the marble fountain, rushing as fast as I could to him. The water was deep for a fountain. I really didn't understand why it would be this deep for a damn fountain. Of course you only think of these things once you actually have to suffer through sloshing about trying to rescue an idiot.

I bent over sticking my arm into the black blob. Yeah it was Hiten, I could feel the fabric of my baseball hat. Grabbing him from his unveiled braid I pulled him up, or he noticed my tugging and stood up.

"DAMNED FOOL!" I yelled at him. He didn't look a bit ashamed, in fact he looked confidant. He smiled brightly, pushing a hand into my own, leaving a cold object in my palm. I glanced down at it, still angry. There lay a silver quarter note, stringed onto a thin chain.

"Well…do you like it?" He asked. I looked up at him, realizing that everything from the thigh down was freezing. I smiled at him, and nodded. The mustache was lopsided, and his hair was clinging to his spine. I hurried the both of out of there and set him down at the bench were I sat the ice cream. Hiten trembled.

I slipped off my jacket and handed it to him. "How did you know that necklace was in there?" I asked. His cheeks flashed red as he accepted it.

"I saw someone throw it in."

I sat beside him, picking up the two cups and handed him one. The ice cream was now goopy, but still round as a scoop should be.

"Eat it, its cold but it taste good." He drank it instead. He removed the cup from his lips, chocolate splotches on his nose and chin. His mustache was now in the cup, drenched in the mess.

"This is so nice" He leaned back, using his hand to wipe off the ice cream. I leaned back into the wooden frame of the bench as well, looking up at the sky. I heard footsteps, but paid no regard to them. I was taking in the peace of the moment, each breath I took relaxed my tense shoulders.

"Should we put the camera here?" I snapped back into an up right position. I came back to Earth, finding a camera pointing right in our direction. I started to rise to my feet, grabbing Hiten by the arm. He didn't budge.

"Good Afternoon, we are reporting to you from the city park to continue the report on missing student, Hiten Indrashi."

My shoulders tensed up at the very words. There he was beside me, with his hair out and his mustache in a cup of ice cream. He gazed at me with a hurt expression. "I don't want to leave Aniki! We haven't even been here that long!" I yanked harder.

"We have to go! Quietly…make sure they don't see you. Their very bad people and they'll take you away to a bad place with pillow walls!" His eyes widened.

"Alright."

We silently made our way out of camera shot, but the reporter went on. How could my luck be so bad! The one time I take him out in a disguise and a reporter shows up spontaneously at the same park as we, with no true reason to be at that specific place!

"Well…" I grumbled. "At least it isn't raining." A droplet bounced onto my shoulder. I bit my lip… and then came the down pour. Once we hit the street just outside of the park I gazed to the sky. "IT WAS A JOKE!" A crack of thunder rolled across the sky.

Hiten was silent. I looked to him. "You can talk now."

His silence held. When we arrived onto my street s group of girls were standing at the corner, all under multicolored umbrellas. I was freezing with ever gust of wind. Hiten lasted longer with my famed white and blue jacket on his shoulders. We walked past the girls another turn and we'd be home. Another cold chill swept me. Damned karma! My swinging hand was stopped.

A warmer hand was clenching my own with certain shyness. My mood only worsened.

"Don't be silly only people who love each other hold hands." Replayed over and over again in my head. I jabbed the owner in the gut.

"LISTEN HERE HITEN! IF YOU EVER, AND I MEAN EVER TOUCH ME AGAIN I'LL KILL YOU, YOU GIRLY, FAGGOT!" I felt hate rush to the exterior of my body, my jaw clenching. I didn't even turn to look at him. I continued, the anger warming me slightly, even if my head ached I felt a bit relieved.

Something poked me in the back not but seconds later.

"What do you want now…"

There stood Sango Himrato, looking rather upset. She was one of Kagomes friends and incredibly athletic. I really didn't have a problem with her, yet she didn't seem to like me too much.

"How dare you! That boy was trying to show you compassion and you throw him to the ground?" She slapped me, hard. I felt a burning sensation across my cheek.

"Well for your information, he isn't on the ground!" Or at least I thought. She swayed to the side and there he was, just as she said, lying on his side. He was perfectly still with the exception of the small tremble that would occur with each breath. He was silent when he sobbed, which was so different from the Hiten of the past few days.

He had matured in his sleep it seemed.

"Oh you poor thing!" A girl said, offering her hand to him. He didn't except it. He just trembled.

"Look at him. It must have taken everything he had to do that, you didn't have to hurt him for it." Sango said solemnly. He was my responsibility, and here was in the sights of people who knew me, and were starting to know him. I stormed over to him and offered my hand. He didn't accept it either, but instead just stood, pulling the hat he still wore a little more over his eyes. I felt guilt then, seeing as he just gave me the cold shoulder and all.

He broke into a run, I followed. I heard the voices of Sango and her friends behind me. Hiten dashed up the steps of my home almost tearing the door of its hinges, and rushed in. I reached the steps minutes later, the door still wide open. I dashed in grabbing the knob and closing the door. I heard the slam of a door upstairs. I followed the sound. There was no loud sobbing, even now. My door didn't have a lock, so I could easily open it.

"Go away!" It was a small cry. I came in anyway, preparing for anything. I found luck at sided with me once today, and that nothing was thrown. Hiten was lying face down on my bed sobbing into a pillow. I hesitated, but continued towards him.

"Look, I'm sorry; I'm just having a bad day." Well I did hurt him, physically, that's a little more than just a 'bad day'

He looked up at me, making a sniffing noise. "I'm sorry. I was just doing as you said. You said when you love someone you hold their hand so you wont loose them. I didn't want to loose you, Ban-chan" The words shocked me. I was utterly speechless.

"umm…I uhh…"

He trembled and sank back into the pillow. I sat beside him, trying to think of something, anything to say. Still nothing.

"Sorry" I muttered again. My arm, even if it wasn't of my best interest, reached over and patted him on the back

He looked up bearing a smile. "Ban-chan!" He hugged me, even if it made me tense up, he continued to show me his one sided love.

Sorry Metal that this chapter took me so long ;;next chappy should be better :D