Good heavens I'm writing like the wind right now! Well, my Internet connection is still crappy so I can't really say anything.. Anyways, I've named the chapters! And I shall gladly inform you the names of each chapter;
Knave - a term for someone who's a troublemaker, or liars or does pranks. This shos the prankster Strains.
Know - because Yata and Fushimi finally knows what to do to make the cuffs and string disappear.
With that settled, I now want to thank ALL who faved, reviewed and alerted! You people are the best! I was surprised so many people followed the story, so now I'm going to work my best! *smiles*Enjoy the story..
After successfully changing clothes –with Yata complaining that he had to wear Fushimi's clothes- and taking a short shower each, they both got ready for bed. The string that was once long, now shorten a bit after their banter but still long enough for them not to actually sleep so close together.
Donned in a shirt and pants clearly a little bigger than his size, Yata climbs into bed and scoots over to the right side. The double bed is big enough for the both of them, as with the whole house. Yata still couldn't believe the size of the place when he first stepped in; it made his own apartment area puny in comparison. And to think Fushimi lived on his own, why would he need such a big place?
"Misaki, stop thinking so hard, I can smell your brain from here," Fushimi mumbles out as he too got under the covers. Since the string isn't long enough, they have to face each other as the slept. Yata sleeping on his left side and Fushimi sleeping on his right so that their bounded wrists can be free and not get tangled.
"Shut up! I can still think logically without your help, not like you helped me anyways," Yata roars back vehemently while pushing Fushimi's face with his free hand.
Clicking his tongue, Fushimi grabs the other boy's wrist with his cuffed hand and holds it far from his face. The constant pushing had knocked his glasses askew so he had to sit up and folds it away with his free hand before putting it on the bedside table. Yata stares up at his friend's face intently, he hardly sees Fushimi without his glasses. And silently he thought, Fushimi looks rather good without it.
Yata continues to look up at Fushimi, not realizing that he's been staring. The taller of the two grins slightly before going back under the covers and gently releasing the other's wrist. "You were rather hard to teach, and close your mouth or you'll catch a fly,"
Yata quickly snaps out of his daze and thumps Fushimi on the shoulder. "My mouth wasn't even opened," he grumbles before covering his face with a pillow. Fushimi only snorts before closing his eyes for the night. Never in his dreams would he even imagined to have his old friend back by his side, he should thank those Strains, but then again they're Strains so he shouldn't hope for much.
Outside of the apartment complex, the two Strains are languidly lounging around at the parking area with Ayame using her ability to locate the boys' room. Her eyes flash a yellow-green light as she beams with excitement when she manages to locate them sleeping soundly.
"Found them!" she chirps happily before turning to her friend. "What do you think? I see their strings are somewhat long now, I'm impressed they managed to make it that long, but I still think it's rather short and pathetic,"
"Correct," Yua answers back coolly. "In comparison, the string may be long but their bond is still very fragile. You can't judge by the string alone, feelings may lie sometimes and those two need serious help. Until they can work together without spitting fire at each other, those cuffs aren't going anywhere,"
And with that, the two Strains went off. Though they look indifferent to the boys, they're actually quite interested in how they would mend their broken friendship. In truth, the Strains meant well, jokers perhaps, but their intention is nothing more than to make two people close together once more. They know the pain of a broken heart, which is why they only target couples instead of friends. But in Yata's and Fushimi's case, it involves both friendship and the heart.
Those two are idiots, they thought simultaneously before disappearing into one of the alleys.
After a few hours, dawn finally arrives and showering the city in an ethereal light, rousing Shizume City's inhabitants from their slumber to do their normal routine. In a certain apartment complex however, a pair of boys find the light to be somewhat annoying as they curl more into their covers to shield their eyes.
Yata is at bliss, the warmth of the cover seeps in to his cold skin as the air conditioning system continues to blast freezing air into the room. He unconsciously nestles closer to a source of heat and murmurs something intelligible before his sleep-muddled brain finally realizes something.
It's not his bed, his room has no air conditioning system, and the 'source of heat' is moving. At first he doesn't know where he is but after seeing the glaringly obvious red cuff on his wrist, only then he let loose an ear-piercing shriek which effectively woke Fushimi. The younger of the two then proceeds to drag Yata back down to the cover where he quickly shuts him up with a pillow.
"Wake up you lazy-ass monkey! Why the heck do you think you can cuddle me in the middle of the night? I said wake up!" Yata shrieks while hitting the other boy on the arm. Fushimi only groans and covers himself with the blanket, intending to get more sleep.
"Shut up Misaki, and let me sleep. It's too early for this crap," Fushimi grumbles as Yata continues to hit him. Much to his annoyance, Yata is using both his hands to smack him so in turn; his left hand is being shaken violently. "Stop that! Do you want my arm to fall off?" he snaps irritably and got up from under the covers.
"It'll be better if your arm falls off! That way I won't have to deal with this shit any longer!" Yata snaps back. Before they both know it, the string shortens drastically and pulls their wrists together causing them to stumble forward onto the bed. "I'll kill those Strains if I ever see them again," the shorter boy grumbles out.
Fushimi too groans a bit and snatches his glasses from the bedside table. "Save some for me while you're at it," he then shuffles over to the edge of the bed followed by a reluctant Yata. "Whatever it is, I clearly can't work like this so I'm going to give a call to the Lieutenant. You go get a shower, I'm pretty sure Kusanagi-san wants to see what's going on,"
"Uhh...right," Yata nods slowly. Because the string is now very short, Fushimi has no choice but to walk with Yata all the way to the bathroom. The moment the boy's foot touches the tiled floor, the cuffs emit a soft red glow before disappearing. Fushimi took this chance to massage his wrist and his arm which was shaken just now.
As Yata cleans himself, Fushimi picks up his PDA and calls the Vice-Captain. Apparently she was informed of his situation and had relieved him of monitor duty and paperwork, but he's still to patrol around the city to find the Strain girls or any Strain he could find. Clicking his tongue, he hung up and stares at the direction of the bathroom.
It's been a while since he could actually talk to Yata like this without having to fight him for attention. That man, Suoh Mikoto had gone and left the world, stabbed by the hand of his former rival and also former friend. Yata was left devastated after the whole incident at Ashinaka High, but by some turn of events and a pair of joker Strains did the both of them end up stuck together.
He snorts upon thinking of that. They had intended to fight but were too tired and sleepy, so a pair of Strains saw the chance and stuck them together so that they'd be friends again. What crazy ways the world worked. But then again, he's also quite pleased to have Yata back by his side. If only he wouldn't scream so much.
Just then, his left wrist starts to glow red and he could feel his body slowly being pulled towards the bathroom door. Yata opens the door and the cuffs appear within a split second but since the two are on opposite sides of the room, they were hurled towards each other with a hard thump. Yata curses up a storm while rubbing his sore head while Fushimi only sighs in exasperation.
"I'll seriously kill those Strains..." the vanguard mumbles out before pulling Fushimi to stand up. He then adjusts the towel wrapped around his waist so that it won't fall. The last time Fushimi saw him naked, the former had teased him mercilessly for days. At least if the towel did fall off, there won't be anyone else in the room.
Grabbing his clothes, Fushimi made his way to the bathroom to shower while Yata wears his clothes. It's been agreed that after one of them showers, the other will bring their clothes in the bathroom to be changed later so that they don't have to watch each other change clothes.
"Oi Saru, where are we going after this? You said since you can't work with those cuffs, what are we suppose to do once I meet up with Kusanagi-san?" Yata asks whilst leaning against the bathroom door. His hair still wet and messy and he hadn't bothered to dry it or brush it.
There was no answer from behind the door at first, and Yata thought he should ask louder when he heard a soft sigh on the other side. "The Vice-Captain had relieved me from paperwork and monitor duty, not patrol duty. So after you see Kusanagi-san, we're going around Shizume City,"
Yata hums slightly at the information. Seeing how he'd probably spend a few nights here, he might as well bring his clothes from his own apartment; no way is he wearing the same shirt over and over again, that's disgusting.
After a while, Fushimi steps out of the shower dressed and ready while Yata waits for him beside the door. The cuffs re-materialize and they both got their things. Yata puts on his beanie and grabs his skateboard while Fushimi made a move for his saber and jacket. They both walk out the door and heads off to the direction of bar Homra.
The walk is similar to when they went to Scepter 4, quiet and somewhat awkward. Neither looks like they wanted to strike conversation anytime soon so they simply made their way looking around. The people around them could clearly see their hands bounded together but after a glare from both boys, none of them commented anything.
"We're practically at the centre of attention right now," Yata seethes silently but is clearly heard by his companion. Fushimi cocks a brow but only shrugs as they continue their walk to bar Homra. It's a bit of a hike but Yata can't exactly bring a passenger with how they're stuck together, and taking a cab is out of the question since it's rush hour and traffic's everywhere.
A couple of high school girls then giggle slightly at their cuffed wrists and Yata quickly went tomato red, avoiding eye contact entirely causing the girls to giggle louder. As they past them, Fushimi snorts at the shorter boy.
"And you're mad when I call you a virgin. How can I not call you that when you can hardly look at a couple of school girls in the eyes?" Fushimi taunts. "Seriously, one might even ask if you're gay,"
Yata's eye twitches when he heard that and strikes Fushimi with his free fist, only for said fist to be caught in the other's free palm. Fushimi quirks a brow at the attack and his trademark sneer isn't even on his face, which made Yata wonder slightly. Normally Fushimi is always sneering when he manages to hit his nerve, but not this time.
"Lashing out like that, can't you think before you act for once? You hardly change at all," Fushimi sighs out before releasing Yata's fist and walking forward again, not even caring if he's dragging the shorter boy with him. All he wanted to do right now is just find those Strains so he can give them a piece of his mind.
"And you've changed a lot!" Yata shouts back vehemently. "By this point of time, I hardly even know you! Ever since you went to the Blues, you've changed, Saruhiko! And to think...we were once friends," Yata mumbles out the last part so quietly that one might think he's just mumbling to himself, but Fushimi knows better than that. He always does.
The taller of the two didn't say anything regarding to Yata's words, and Yata doesn't even comment on it. They simply walk towards bar Homra in utter silence and looking everywhere but each other. If one were to look closely, they could see utter pain and suffering behind both eyes.
Upon reaching bar Homra, Fushimi could see that some of the former red clansmen are all giving him weird looks. He merely ignores them and walks in with Yata by his side and Anna greeting them at the door. To see the girl without being beside Mikoto is weird, but he remembers the fact that the King is no more, as does his vassal.
"Izumo is at the back," she says emotionlessly before going back to the couch. Fushimi notices that most of the usual Homra members are no longer there, and he bit his tongue before asking any unnecessary questions. Homra is no longer his concern, this shouldn't even bother him.
"I'm back, Kusanagi-san!" Yata calls out before putting his skateboard in its usual place beside the couch. Fushimi silently made his way to the stools along with Yata and sat down, their bounded wrists on the counter so it won't look like they're holding hands from afar. The younger teen could see that the counter isn't as shiny and the place seems a little more run-down, but he's not saying anything.
There were some clanking from underneath and Kusanagi appears from behind the counter. Fushimi notes he still looks as good as before, as if the two deaths of his closest and eldest friends doesn't bother him the slightest. But he can also see the dimmed spark in the eyes behind those purple-tinted glasses.
"Ah, Yata-chan, I'm glad you're still in a piece," the bartender smiles out brightly. He then turns to a startled Fushimi who then clicks his tongue and looks away. "An' I'm glad you look fine too, Saru-kun," Kusanagi playfully rolls Fushimi's old calling over his tongue knowing that the teen hasn't changed by far.
"Don't call me by my name," Fushimi grumbles out causing Yata to look at him strangely.
Kusanagi merely chuckles knowing how ironic that is. He then notices their bounded wrists and leans in closer to have a better look. "Looks like you two are stuck real good," he murmurs. "Seri-chan told me what happened and how to make the string longer, you two have your work cut out for you,"
When he was met with silence, he looks up from the cuffs to the boys. Yata looks like his jaw is about to detach from his skull, Fushimi has an eyebrow so high up his forehead that Kusanagi's worried that his skin might stay stuck like that.
"Seri-chan?" they both ask. Yata with a shriek and Fushimi monotonously. Kusanagi realizes his little mistake and covers it by clearing his throat and glaring at the two boys.
"When you grow up a little more, you'll understand. My point is, I think the Strains meant well when they cuffed you two together like this. Maybe they want to see you be friends again," Kusanagi tries to appeal to them. Yata and Fushimi stares at each other for a short while before turning away with a huff.
"Those Strains are merely toying with us. From what we gathered in Scepter 4, they just like to prank people by jumping on them, tie them together and run off laughing. I find that as a public annoyance," Fushimi deadpans as he supports his chin with his free hand, his eyes never leaving the bartender.
Kusanagi sighs lightly and taps the cuffs twice. "They don't do this to everyone. Why didn't they do it to married couples, or engaged couples? Or even troubled couples? I have a feeling they're not just playing around, they want the right people to be together and separate those who might harm each other,"
The two boys didn't say anything to that, they slowly thought over his words and recalls their own predicament.
"Those Strains could see that you two are meant to be and stay as friends. In a sense, they're manipulating your luck with each other and with themselves. Perhaps they know you two won't work and dispels this thing," the bartender points to the cuffs before leaning down to look at the boys in the eyes. "Or perhaps they know you two WILL work and this thing will disappear on its own,"
Yata and Fushimi stares at each other again but this time, they look down at their bounded hands. Perhaps Kusanagi might be right, perhaps he might be wrong, after all that he said, this is just a game of luck. They might return as friends, or stay enemies. The two then turn to him and Yata opens his mouth to ask a question.
"You got this information somewhere, didn't you?"
Kusanagi merely laughs and winks at the boys before cleaning his wine glasses to perfection again. After getting that little boost, the two boys felt that perhaps they can at least try to mend their relationship and see where it goes.
"So, Yata-chan. Now that you're staying with Saru-kun for this time, you might want to get some extra clothes," Kusanagi says with that charming smile on his face.
"Yeah, I'm heading there after I'm meeting you anyway," Yata replies back. Kusanagi bid them farewell as they walk out of the door with Anna watching them without saying anything. He knows the girl's been watching them through her marbles the whole time, and she knows this is something she shouldn't interfere.
Looking at the door where the boys have long disappeared, Anna tucks her marble into her dress pocket and a small smile graces her lips.
Oh wow..it's 1am here and I am at the verge of collapsing on my keyboard. Because I write one and a half page at this hour, so excuse the suddenly bad writing near the end..it wasn't in my mind to even finish this so soon! But since I did, I might as well put it up. *laughs*
I just can't leave the part where Fushimi and Yata sleeps together..it's a must! So allow me to go to bed now and..please leave some reviews and make my morning wonderous~ *laughs*
Kismet - destiny or luck. As Kusanagi says, this is all luck and the destiny of their friendship is on themselves.