Urban theory; chapter 13 Scars
It was about two weeks later and a Friday, clock was coming six p.m. and Tatsumaru listened his voice mail. He barely could hear what was the phone saying for the rain behind his window. It was his cousin:
"Hi, call me." Her voice said not discovering much what she wanted to talk about. Tatsumaru did as told and called her.
"…Hi Tatsu…"
"Hey… you had something important…?"
"You sound tired?"
"Just came from work, had a long day…"
"Yeah I heard, TMA listed on the marked today, huh? Had a big party?" She listened him yawn.
"Yes, but I didn't feel like staying… Haven't really slept properly… in a week….
"…You father called me today at work…" She could just hear how Tatsumaru stopped breathing. "You finally told them, then…?"
"…My father called you? He must be really upset…"
"I know, he was talking who knows what… Called me a freak…"
"…What? Why?"
"Because I'm a female… and a cop… unnatural he says… Whish I could just bash his face in…! Sorry, after all, he's still your father…"
"…I'm sorry for what he said. How can he be so…! …I told my mom, two weeks ago…"
"How did she take it?"
He felt like crying when he said it. "…Cried… told me to stop it… How could I, Aya… It's who I am…"
"Listen, Tatsu… Don't you even think about changing to anything else. We love you as you are…"
"Yeah sure… How have you two been? It feels like eternity since I've seen you…?" He could just see her smile, her voice brightened up as she did so.
"…Come here to night and you'll see… Everyone is coming, we're having a pg13 girls night and I'm also here… plus Kiku… and possibly her father too, so are you coming?" She finished quickly.
"Um… I think I won't… I'm really tired…"
"Okay… but then you won't see Rikimaru's new friend…?"
"Oh? Is this like more permanent kind of a –friend-?"
""Well actually…" She whispered her words. "…He really is a friend, not like we thought… They actually -don't- sleep together…Strange huh?"
"Extremely…" Tatsumaru heard Rikimaru's voice from the background, but couldn't tell what he was saying.
"Oww! …Go away, bastard…!" She yelled but luckily not in the phone. "…Sorry… Home violence… Rikimaru is beating me up…"
"…What did he say?"
"Something about me and not getting some anytime soon…and…" She was yelling off the phone again. "Threw a fucking hard shoe at me…!"
Tatsumaru tried not to laugh. Thank god he wasn't living in a same house hold with Rikimaru and Ayame.
"And who's fault is that Mr. Viagra?!" She got back on the phone. "…Sorry…" And tried to ignore Rikimaru yelling at the back.
Tatsumaru sighted heavily. "…You know… there rarely are thick walls in an apartment building… and I bet I could hear you with out the phone…?"
"So I shouldn't even scream while he's killing me… and I'm not talking about the quality of the sex now…? Honestly, he's loosing it… acting all strange the past week. Misses you probably? Ow…!"
"…The other shoe?"
"Give me the phone and go open the door…!" Tatsumaru heard Rikimaru's voice finally clear.
"Stop it…! …He wants to talk to you…"
"Okay…"
"Leg go of my leg... Idiot…!"
"Hi, Tatsu…" Rikimaru sounded perfectly normal and innocent.
"Stop bashing my cousin, please?"
"…Nah, it's too much fun… And she just loves it… Ow…!" Rikimaru laughed quietly. "Yep, loves me… So… you're not coming?"
"…No… I think I just go to bed…" He heard how Ayame said hello to someone. "…Someone there already?"
"Yeah…"
"Then I won't keep you, I'll see you… on Sunday… How's that?"
"Sure, miss you…"
"…You too, bye" Yes, she had been right, he really sounded somewhat strange.
"Bye…"
Tatsumaru closed the line.
Hitoha was standing in the door way quietly. Tatsumaru couldn't tell what it was that told him to turn around and find the other steering. He could see how Hitoha's face hold great sadness or was he just tired? The moment passed in a blink as Hitoha walked to his room anger glowing in his moves.
Tatsumaru turned back to the phone and thought of what to o about it. Maybe the best thing was to give Hitoha the time he needed. When the time would be right, he would come to him and they would talk away this hate Hitoha had mainly for himself.
Hitoha was quiet now, like living with a ghost, Tatsumaru thought and went to get some sleep.
In other apartment, where Tatsumaru's cousin lived, Oni was soon to be introduced to a weird croup of people.
When he had waited outside the door he thought he had no presumptions of Rikimaru's friends. He had seen her before, the beautiful black haired woman, who lived together with Rikimaru. Now he knew that she was a cop and was succeeding well on her career. But honestly; she was a psychopath just waiting for the next victim to come her way. He knew now he had had some presumptions like meeting the Rikimaru's friends; Goodie, Average, Stoned, Fragile, Innocent and her father Mr. Normal.
The minute she opened the door and the smile vanished from her pretty lips, he knew he was in trouble. A Lesser man might have run as far as he could and all the way to hell to get away from her eyes that could kill. But he was Oni, the evil behind all, so he just smiled and pushed the huge box that contained self made apple pie at her.
Rikimaru was still talking on the phone and judging by the tone he had, it was a boy friend of some sort. Ayame said thanks and suddenly looked behind Oni.
"Oh come on, stop hiding…?" Oni moved away and behind him stood a small girl in her fifteens. She had a short black hair that almost covered her eyes and she wore a dark blue baggy pants and a matching shirt. She looked thin and pale.
"…This is Rin."
"…Hi…" The girl finally spoke.
Ayame shook her hand and something made her smile to that girl for sympathy. "…Hi, I'm Ayame."
"…Hope I'm not intruding…?" She said shyly.
"No…! No, come in…!" Ayame said. "I just take these to kitchen…" She passed Rikimaru and slapped him on the head. Rikimaru nodded to Oni and Rin who he had briefly talked one day.
Rin settled in the living room and started steering the TV that was open. Strange that fifteen year old was interested about the news, Ayame thought as she looked over to there. Was she just steering in to space?
"…You need help…?" Oni had followed her into the kitchen.
"…No, not really…" She took some plates of the shelve. "…Sweet girl, little shy maybe… yours?"
"…Do I look like a dad?" She had the same kind a suggesting tone as did Rikimaru.
Ayame only looked over to his eyes and an understanding silence landed in the kitchen.
"…I'm only thirty…"
"Hmmm… Well she is fifteen, isn't she? …So is she a relative?"
"…Yeah, short of… Right now, I'm the only thing she's got…"
No wonder she's so upset, Ayame thought as Rikimaru came to the room.
"…Sorry, Tatsu ain't coming…"
"Ou, what's keeping him?" Oni asked and a doorbell rang.
"…Um, work…Should I get the door?"
"No, no, I go…" Ayame hurried away.
---
A few hours after; they were watching a movie. Not 'Pirates of the Caribian' because it was a PG night and not 'Snow-white' because it was a PG night so they watched a comedy; 'Alien vs. Predator'. Unfortunately as it was a PG night they couldn't really drink enough for the movie to seem a real movie. Eventually no-one paid attention to what was happening on the screen except Rin, who didn't seem to notice the people around her.
She laid on the floor and leaned to her hands. Gohda sat in an armchair and Kiku was sitting on an arm holder. Oni sat next to Gohda but on the couch, then Dan, Rikimaru, Jin and Ayame.
Gohda and Oni seemed to get along quit well. They had been talking about electronics for sometime. Dan seemed serious as he told Rikimaru something and probably waited an answer to his question. The two men pretended to be watching the movie and hold a private conversation in the middle of the croup. Jin listened Ayame's occasional platter, but what he really listened was the private conversation next to him. Besides Ayame was almost like in another universe. Jin thought she was probably just tired.
Rin looked silently how predator was bashing the alien to pieces in a Smack down style.
"Oh, go get a chair…!" Dan announced in between.
"You tell me! You are the pyramid expert!"
No-one spoke at the moment. The conversation had gone dry and not just one but all three. Kiku was sleeping, leaning to her dad's shoulder. Ayame remembered now how Kiku had complained of being so tired and didn't want to come as she wanted to sleep. Guess she really was tired. But she couldn't just call her friend's dad and ask him to join at their little gathering. That would have been too weird.
She still looked at her wannabe little sister dozing off. Now this was really weird still. What was she thinking, Ayame thought to her self. She moved her gaze just a bit to find him looking at the movie, like the rest of the normal people, who weren't daydreaming of single parents.
"…I'm gona refill the plate… Anyone want more vine…?" She said already backing away to the kitchen.
She took the boxes form the freezer and filled the plate thinking to her self as Gohda walked to the kitchen. "Need any help…?"
"Yeah sure, take those over there and put them on the table…" She watched him while she put sandwiches on the plate. "…thanks…"
"…Who's side are you anyway…?" They heard Rikimaru say to Dan in the living room.
Both laughed and Mat started to help her by putting the pies on the other plate.
"What's wrong with everyone…?" She said.
"I dunno… They just seem so tired, what have they done…?"
"…You really wanna know?" She smiled wickedly.
"Ah, maybe not… And that thing you were about to say would also concern my sweet daughter so…"
"Sorry… sorry… You not tired? Slow week?"
"Not really, just used to staying up, I really don't sleep much at night… um because of the work…"
"…Well of course…"
"…You don't seem that tired yourself…?"
"…I have a secret weapon… Coffee and lots of it…"
"That sure works…"
Ayame weighted the wine holder on the table. "…Damn… it's almost empty…" She tried to remember if she or Rikimaru had hid some of the stuff in somewhere.
"Don't turn your back on me!"
"What's the time?" Gohda looked at his clock and Ayame looked the clock on the wall behind him. "…Half eleven…" He said.
"Shops aren't open anymore and besides… I'm sure we got something else…" She looked at the freezer.
"…I know a place that's open… We could go by my car…?"
"…How much have you been drinking Mr.?" She leaned closer just as if she was trying to smell the alcohol in his breath.
"…Honestly, officer, just one, small class of wine with bread…?"
"-Just one small class- And now you're looking for some more of it, huh?"
She had a fistful of Mat's shirt in her hand when Oni walked in. "…Sorry kids, am I interrupting some killing here…?"
Ayame leg go and they parted a bit. Before either of the men could start a conversation, she thought to drag Mat out of it. Ayame had already dissuaded she didn't like Oni or she didn't like that he was friends with Rikimaru what ever that meant. "Should we go, so we get there in time…?"
"Yeah… if the officer trusts my driving skills…?"
Rikimaru came to the kitchen. "…Where are you going…?"
"To get some more wine…" Ayame answered. They were already in the hallway putting shoes on.
"Wine? …Okay…?"
The door clanked and they were gone. Rikimaru was pit out of the picture. "…Wine…? At this hour…?"
"…Yep."
"…Where they are going to get it?"
"…Now, when did you become the Mr. Innocent, Rikimaru? …You should have seen them when I came here…"
"…Hey, what's it, your talking about my Ayame now…?"
"And she's got a little fling going on… I doubt it's one sided…" Oni smiled.
Rikimaru picked the plate on his hand and Oni took the other one as they went back to living room.
"But he's Kiku's dad, for god's sake…" Rikimaru continued before they were at the couch.
"…So? …It's not like he would be married or sixty… I don't get what's your problem…?"
Jin looked up from the couch nosy. "Who's married?"
"No-one, idiot…" Dan obviously had a better hearing.
Oni put the plate on the table. "Ayame and Mat went to -get some- …wine."
"What…?!" Jin and Dan said in unison.
Rikimaru sighted and put the plate down sitting to his old place. "…Come on…? Ay… The two together, really…?"
"Yes, impossible…" Jin said. "…On the other hand… him and me…" He continued dreaming.
"Yeah right… What's so wrong with it? Isn't it good that she goes out to… hunt…? Your ass is safe?" Dan pointed out.
"It's too late, it's inside me"
"…No, you don't know what short of a things she attracts… besides…"
"Besides what? You are over possessive?" Oni asked whit out a thought.
"Nooo… But, how would they… Who cares why, she's mine and that's that… and you are all too presumptuous…"
Nearly two hours later; Rin was sleeping in Rikimaru's room and the rest were still chatting or gossiping about the certain two. Rin hadn't seen the end of the movie but fallen a sleep on the mat and the boys couldn't pare to watch her sleep on the floor.
"I got this when I fell off my bike… I was twelve… I think" Dan showed his elbow. "Eleven stitches…"
It wasn't such a big scratch that anyone would have said anything special about it. They just sneered acknowledging the mark on his skin.
"…How about you Rikimaru?" Jin asked. "You have never told us where did you get that scar…?" He nodded towards Rikimaru who was playing with an empty class in his hands.
"…Haven't I?" He asked teasing and thinking should he tell or not.
Jin gave back the same and looked the ceiling like if he just tried very hard to remember had he heard the story before. "Nooo… You haven't… I bet it's something very embarrassing, that's why you haven't told us. Like you were drunk and passed out over a coffee table with rough edges… am I right?"
"…Yeah, that sounds like me, doesn't it… I was sixteen, when it happened. Ayame was fourteen."
Rikimaru's voice told it was a difficult to tell this and Jin, Dan and Oni listened carefully. They could saw that he was in a line to spoke or not to.
"…She had this friend in the orphanage, who, we thought, was too old to be adopted. Ayame felt guilty that she got into a good family and he had to stay… Eventually we found out that it wasn't his age that prevented his adoption… He was… tough child to handle and his dad was in jail for a man slaughter, well like father like son… He met the wrong kind of people and became a gang member… We… were young and foolish and tried to help him, but truth to be said, he was just using us… He was like a brother… to us… Well, anyhow…"
Rikimaru sighted not wanting to get caught in the moment. "…One night he called her and told he was in trouble… I probably wouldn't have gone if he'd called me, but I couldn't let her go alone… and thank god she called me… He had a friend with him who had his eye on her and he was twenty, that sick bastard… Ayame was barely fifteen…!" The memory made Rikimaru so angry he just had to stop for a second until he could continue.
Flashback
Ayame was the first to open the storage hall door and to step in. "…Gin!? …What's the matter? Why's he here?" She sounded worried, not for herself but for Gin who had just turned eighteen and been kicked out from the shelter.
Gin didn't have the time to answer as Rikimaru came in from the same door. Gin's vicious grin melted a bit. "…Why did you drag him along, stupid…!? Didn't I tell you not to take him with you…?!"
Ayame looked totally clueless and was about to ask Gin what a hell was going on when the older man rose form the table and stumped his cigarette. "Don't you get it?" He was talking mostly to Gin. "He wants to get his share too…" He looked like an authority because of his height and certainty brought by the older age. Gin in the other hand wasn't that certain anymore and nervously eyed Rikimaru who yet hadn't had the time to realize what the two had in mind.
"…Right?" The man said towards Rikimaru and then by a quick jerk grabbed her hair. She winched but hit the man who didn't much budge and slapped her hard on her face. The world spun around in her head by the force of the strike and she tasted blood in her mouth. She felt how she flew backwards against the wall and saw how the same man that had hit her easily pushed Rikimaru away from him, avoiding his fists.
Gin stepped on Rikimaru's way. "Wo-hou Rikimaru…!" He had a gun which he directed to Rikimaru's chest.
"You, leg go of her!" Rikimaru pointed the man furiously. He was holding her jaw and neck against the wall with one hand and looked smugly over Rikimaru.
"Didn't you hear what I said…?!"
Gin stopped him again from going to free Ayame. "Listen Rikimaru…! Hey…?!"
Ayame was between this world and another as the older man came closer to her.
"Look at me now Rikimaru, hey!" Gin waved his gun around. Rikimaru gritted his teeth and stepped a bit back but wouldn't take his eyes of the man, hoping that a looks would kill as the man started molesting her by one hand as the other hold her still.
"Now Rikimaru, I owe to this guy, he said he was going to kill me if I wouldn't pay the bill…"
"Put the gun away Gin…! How can you…!? God!!"
The man laughed as he slowly kissed her face. "…She is pretty, don't you think…?" Ayame winched in discomfort broking of Gin who was just about to say something to Rikimaru.
The gun trop off his hand and he received a strong fist in his jaw. This didn't knock him out because it was half blocked. Ayame used the opportunity she got and kicked the man between the legs by her knee. Ayame trop on the floor and hold her throat while the man walked round shouldered cursing the whole time. Gin was gone suddenly and Rikimaru and the older man got into a fight.
It was a tough match and the older man didn't like it all that he was loosing his fight to a boy.
Ayame started to rose up and saw how the man took a knife, tied to his ankle. There was no way Rikimaru could have seen him take it. She yelled a warning to him but it was too late as the blade swung in his direction.
The blade didn't cut his throat thanks to her but scratched his right eye and a blood line splattered the floor in red spots.
The man reached for the knife but Rikimaru kick him down before he fell from his feet him self. He laughed as he noticed it and went back on to get the knife, crawling on the floor. What he didn't see was that the girl was mad with anger and anxiously attacked the man form behind.
She was hysterical and nearly scratched his eyes out. Eventually she got a hold of the knife first as Rikimaru tripped the man on his face. In between all that the older man got his own knife on his back and well unconscious.
"…Rikimaru?" Dan asked, waking him from the memories.
"…We kinda saved one another… someone had called for police, maybe it was Gin, all thought we haven't seen him since…"
"Did the man die…?" Dan asked.
"No… But he limps now days…" Rikimaru grinned trying to sheer up the general mood in the living room. "Who's next…?"
"I got one…" Jin said and lifted his shirt a bit to show a barely visible mark on his flat stomach. "…I got this when my appendix was operated… Yes I know, my life is full of excitement and danger, thank you…"
Oni lift up the sleeve of his left arm as Jin was finished. "…I was making a statue out of wood and the chainsaw jumped a little… Nearly cut off my hand…"
Dan looked at the scar and wrinkled his nose. "Nice… How many?"
"Twenty one… Not that it would compete with that…" Oni said meaning Rikimaru's scar.
Rikimaru smiled back, he had never told him the story about the scar over his face even they'd crown so close. "…You got tattoos enough to make you recognisable…"
Jin looked interested. "Really? …How many?"
"Oh… One big and a couple of small ones…"
"He's got a cool dragon in his ankle…" Rikimaru grinned.
Jin and Dan looked puzzled.
Oni seemed beaten as Rikimaru tried not to laugh too much. "Come on, you can show it to them…Oni?"
Oni pulled his black sock down and lifts up the leg of the pants. "…Everybody, meet the Puff, magic dragon…" Under the fabric revealed a bright yellow dragon lined by black ink, it was sitting on a slight blue cloud and smiled friendly curling over the cloud and under it formed a wavy text; Puff, the magic dragon.
The two were speechless. The dragon didn't fit at all to Oni's style looks. "…It seemed a good idea at the time, thought I can not be sure, you see I don't remember taking the whole tattoo at all…"
"…So you have thought to get rid of it?" Dan asked still gazing at the weird unity.
"Well yeah, but then somebody told me it was sexy…"
"Ever thought the person in question might have been fooling you?"
"Or maybe he had strange… fondness…? No offence…" Jin said.
"Non taking…" He grinned looking at Rikimaru who wouldn't agree to look back at him, but smiled mildly knowing who exactly Oni meant.
Right then the door opened, Ayame and Gohda coming in and carrying bags. "I put these in the kitchen…" Gohda's voice said.
"Okay…" She answered happily and peaked in the living room. "Hi… What have you been doing while we were out?"
"…Oh nothing much…" Jin said lazily. "Just a little chatter under the topic; scars and tattoos. You got any?"
"No, I live safely…"
"Yeah sure…" Rikimaru made a face. "Wasn't it last week when you tackled one bag snatcher through a window?"
"Really…?" Oni asked a bit terrified. "How come you look so intact?"
"Well…" She started.
"She does that quite a lot, kinda expert in it…" Rikimaru said and Ayame grabbed his hair to make him shut up.
"…I got lucky… and I didn't land on glass splinters on the asphalt… the other one did…" She went to kitchen where Gohda still was. Rikimaru saw the faces that stayed in the living room. "Yeah… Sometimes she scares me too…"
Ayame was surprised to see Mat still in the kitchen looking for a clean glasses.
"Over there…" She pointed him a closet.
"Thanks…" He took the glasses from there and put them on table. "I've been wondering… should I bring it up or not… After all, you are kind of a… friend of my daughter and it sounds so bad, I mean not like I wouldn't want you to be friends with her, that's fine, more than fine, but… I know I'm older and… I have baggage with me, but I'm not that much older, I think I'm not? And I think that… you are nice and might think I'm nice too... Well… I guess I will have to eventually ask this, so here it comes…?"
"Okay…"
"…Would you like to go out with me sometime…?"
"Hmm, yes, I would like that very much…"
"…Good…" Mat felt relieved that she didn't think him as a dirty old man or just otherwise un-datable person. He just smiled back to her.
In the living room Kiku was waking up. "…Where's dad?" She stretched herself in the armchair.
"In kitchen…" Rikimaru said carelessly.
As she was on her way, Oni said with a low voice. "…Sure that's a vice idea… Let her walk in on them?"
Rikimaru rolled his eyes and hurried to catch Kiku's trail. "…Oh come on people… Wait for me Kiku…" He got to the kitchen before her and saw Gohda waiting for Ayame to fill the classes.
Rikimaru stayed at the doorframe as Kiku walked past him and to his dad side.
"Morning, Sleeping beauty…" Mat said and pleased Kiku's hair.
"…I wanna go home… to sleep…"
Ayame looked the girl between her and Mat. "…Still tired?"
Kiku sighted her yes and continued. "…Can we go…?"
"…Sure… if you are that tired…"
"I wasn't coming at the first place…" She mumbled as she walked to hallway to get her shoes.
Gohda went after her. "What a good mood she's in…"
The silent babble of the two could be heard at the kitchen as the father and the daughter talked about something. Ayame was still smiling as she stopped filling the classes. "…What?" She saw Rikimaru standing quietly in the door way and looking at her like in a search of something.
"What are you smiling about, girl?" He walked next to her.
"It's just a one stupid thing…"
"Tell me…?"
"No, I don't think so… I might tell you later…maybe…"
"You know… I told them about how I got this…"
"…Okay?"
"Is it…?"
She smiled and put her arm to his shoulder. "…Yes, besides you deserve the credit for saving me, it nearly cost you your eye… and it was long time ago." She smiled again. "…What would I do with out you…Huh?"
They hugged and it remembered her about that night in the storage building where they had sat on the floor when the police game. The bleeding of his eye had already stopped, but either one of them couldn't leave and get help. To leave other one there when the bleeding man on the floor might have wake up or Gin might have come back. He had pulled her in his arms and didn't let her go until he knew it was safe. The experience had tied them together and the tie lasted trough the years, nothing could make a crack between them then or now.
"…At least then you would have to go out to get some…" He smiled and she pulled his hair so that this time it hurt. "Ou!"
"You sick, ugly bastard, one thing only in mind and only for ever…! My ass would be in a lot better safe whit out you…!" Ayame hissed and finally legs go of his short back hair.
"Violence is not the answer… to your brain…!" Rikimaru rubbed his scalp face winched.
She took the tray and headed to living room, but nearly ran over to Oni who was coming to kitchen.
"Oh, sorry… Let me take that…" Ayame gave him the tray as it almost already was over his shirt.
Gohda was talking something with Jin and Dan on the living room. He was holding his jacket in his hand and Kiku was sleeping in the hallway, leaning onto a wall.
Mat refused the vine put others excepted. "…Well we have to drink it, don't we?" Jin said smugly. "Because it took you two so long to get it…"
"Please, help your self with the ch-joking, Jin…" Ayame noted.
Rikimaru joined the rest of the croup. "…Still talking about the scars here are you? Didn't we already agree that I won?"
"Scars?" Gohda asked.
"Yep, you got any…?"
"Well only one… that actually shows… I won't show it, would have to take my shirt off…"
Jin took a big swig of the glass he was holding so that he wouldn't just say anything stupid.
"Let's say we'll believe your word…" Oni said. "Is it big?"
"Not really… It goes over here… to here…" He trailed his left arm all the way up to his shoulder and down the backside to his waist. "I had a tattoo and I wanted to get rid of it… And the cheapest way was to do it myself…"
"What… so you scarred your self?!" Jin was shocked. "Why? It couldn't be that ugly…?"
Oni was mildly surprised. "So, you were in a gang?"
Gohda admitted it a bit shamed of himself. "Yeah… I didn't want any trouble to her… I get rid of it for good…" He looked over to the hallway and saw Kiku slipping from the wall. "…Okay, it was nice to meet you all, see you sometime…" He hurried to catch her daughter and gave an extra wide smile to Ayame, who secretly smiled him back.
Thought only thing Rikimaru saw was Gohda's grin towards her and screaming warning sign that said; ex gang member.
In no time the rest of them were leaving. Oni carried sleeping Rin to his car and Dan left with Jin as all ways. They wanted to walk even thought Oni offered a lift.
He looked at the rear-view mirror and saw them straggling on wards the street. Rin sighted in her sleep and he gave a look over her in the front seat. She seemed to continue her sleep. So Oni had all the space in the car to think how confused he felt after the friendly little gathering. Maybe it wasn't confusion but anger spiced with frustration.
He had heard Ayame and Rikimaru talking in the kitchen and felt terribly jealous. Rikimaru would probably never let him get that close as Ayame was to him. Why did everything seem like a mess in now days, he thought and again looked over Rin. Maybe he'd just drive her home and get his brain flat with some tequila he had in safe place. Or had he drank it already, he wondered and crew irritated even more of the thought that he would actually have to drag his ass to a bar.
Across the town Tatsumaru thus and turn restlessly in his bed. He had slept a few hours but waken and couldn't let him self sleep again in peace. It was just the one hour you shouldn't be awake to be able to sleep trough rest of the night.
He heard someone moving in the living room and raised his head up to see who it was. Still he failed to see was it Hitoha who moved there or had they left the door open. The thing bothered him more and more second after another and as he was already clearly awake it was all the same if he went to check upon it. The clock was only half one a.m. he noticed.
The apartment was dark like before as Tatsumaru walked on. The living room was empty at the first sight until Hitoha's figure came from the kitchen and stopped somewhere in the middle of the room as he spotted Tatsumaru. It was somewhat awkward situation considering they had been avoiding each other for couple of weeks.
"…I thought I left the door open and someone had come to rob us…" Tatsumaru said. "Sorry…" He waved his hand and thought to get back to his room.
"…Sorry if I waked you…"
Tatsumaru was surprised to hear Hitoha speak to him. His voice seemed familiar but distant to remember.
"No, no… I was already awake…" He said and went to his room. Maybe it wasn't the best time of the day to talk a man you fancied when both of you were already half naked and the judgement was blurred by the sleepiness. Maybe he could read a book, Tatsumaru thought hoping it would make him dose off.
Something made a sound near his door and he turned around, it was Hitoha.
"…What's the matter…?" Tatsumaru asked putting a book away.
Slowly Hitoha took steps towards Tatsumaru. "…I …I couldn't sleep…"
Tatsumaru moved away as Hitoha tried to reach him. "…Hitoha, don't…"
The boy looked confused. "…What…?" His voice seemed so thin and bleeding.
"Don't do this to your self again…" Tatsumaru's tone was completely the opposite.
Hitoha walked closer to the other. "…It doesn't matter…"
"In the morning it does…you'll feel different…"
"…You care really…" He smiled nervously and made a pass at him.
Tatsumaru pushed his hand away with a one simple move. "Yes, I do care, Hitoha… I don't want you to feel bad."
"It's not your business to worry my feelings…"
"But it is when we are living under the same roof… I just can't take your hate everyday trough the weeks, until you dissuade to come to me for a one night and then won't even look at me in the eye…! Can you think of how that makes me feel…?"
"…I promise…"
"Don't… promise… Please, leave me alone, we'll talk in the morning…"
"…What's this…? First you…" Hitoha's voice broke but it was more out of anger than hurt. "And then, you'll start judging me, like you'd be any better than I am…! You started this! It was you and now I… I don't know a thing anymore… I hate… you…! …I move out…" He said little surprised of himself and rushed out his door closing with a loud bang after him.
Tatsumaru stayed in his own room. God damn, he thought, the boy really knew how to push his buttons. He wanted to explode in the place he stood, scream his head of and spread all over the walls of his room. He was so angry he thought his teeth were going to split in any second if he wouldn't get a hold of him self. He took a deep breath and thought what Rikimaru would do in a situation like this.
After a moment he thought, of course he would go and get laid. Except that Rikimaru was busy with his friends and Hitoha was the reason of his irritation and thinking it further neither one of them actually fit the mood he was in. He needed to get used, feel used, be something he hadn't been in a some time. In times he felt so guilty, he needed to be punished.
He got an idea that felt very good at the moment; He would get in a bar, get slightly tipsy and look for the biggest asshole in there and go to his place. Yes, that sounded like a plan.
In the other apartment Oni was looking into a empty tequila bottle. There actually had been a trop on the bottom but he'd drink it and it didn't feel like enough. Now he really needed to go out and get some more. Maybe he would get lucky and some bum would drug him, get him to his private alley and fuck him up thoroughly.