The complete and total lack of proper sleep was only further emphasized when the boys alarm went off at 7 am. The obnoxious thing buzzed damn near loud enough to rattle the frazzled man's skull. But more importantly it served to wake the boy snoozing just inches from him. Raidou shifted, muttering something along the lines of 'that time already?' as he woke. The alarm was swatted by a tired hand and the boy sat up, face blank and eyes half closed. He looked about as good as death warmed over.
After the clock, the first thing that Raidou's eyes would fall upon was the lightly snoring detective curled up at his bedside. Was he asleep? Or was he just pretending to appease whatever worries the boy had? Raidou couldn't help but smile; the man looked so peaceful like that. Raidou slowly moved closer, reaching over to gently shake his shoulder.
The hand landed in his hair instead, soft curls nestled around lean, rather dainty fingers. Raidou had no clue what had driven him to do this. What he did know was that it felt nice, made him smile if only a little. But he knew he shouldn't have let his childish desire manifest in this way. This kind of thing was forbidden, not allowed. He wasn't supposed to get too close.
And running his hands through another man's hair wasn't proper of a Kuzunoha. This idea firmly planted in his mind he slowly pulled away, got up to dress and gather his things. He left the futon on, just incase the worn out detective woke and wanted to use it. He was sure he hadn't slept well if he was on the floor. Ever the thoughtful one.
In just under twenty minute he was dressed and ready, face washed and hair brushed with his usual hat in place. Sans cloak and plus shoulder bag he headed out the door, leaving Narumi to sleep with a short note on the kitchen counter for him.
Off to school; he caught the bus to Yumizuki Boys School at the usual place two blocks down the way. As he made his way to school he couldn't help it as his thoughts kept trailing back to the detective sleeping at his flat. He'd saved his life twice now and had asked for nothing in return. He wanted to protect him, even if he himself didn't think he needed protection. But still...that kind, thoughtful resolve that always lingered in Narumi's eyes when he looked at the boy had to mean something. It made his heart flutter thinking of it, made his pretty full lips turn up into a smile. He'd have to do something to repay him. With that in mind he hurried off the bus and through the gates of the prestigious private school with a smile in his eyes and energy to spare.
When he returned that night, the apartment would be empty. The futon folded and placed back in the closet, the table and cushions all neatly arranged in the center of the room. The tea set had been cleaned and put away, the counters wiped down. The apartment was tidy before, but now it was immaculate. Narumi must have taken the time to clean before he left. A note on the counter was all that remained:
Rest when you get home. I'll come by with more medication.
~N.S.
A promise to return from the detective. Seeing this was just a little surprising. A little, but somehow Raidou expected it. With a small smile he set the note aside and sat at the table to do his homework.
"You seem to be walking better today, Jouhei." Gouto remarked from his designated spot near the window. He had kept quiet most of the day with the silent hope that the boy would take it easy. So far, nothing going, but at the very least the pain appeared to have lessened. That, or Raidou was damn good at hiding it.
"The painkillers Narumi-san provided have been helping," he replied, setting up his books and notebook on the table to study. The cat grinned, hopping over to join the boy at the table, looking over his books with him. "Potent stuff. Makes you wonder where he gets his supplies. Better not be any place shady."
"He said he was a police officer before. I doubt it's anywhere like you're thinking."
"Before. Keyword." Gouto lay down next to the open book, tail swaying in the air. "Did he ever say why he was an ex-cop?"
Beginning to take down notes for the test he had on Monday he replied, "Corruption, he said."
"Corruption." He mulled that over, trying to think on what sort of corruption would cause the man to leave. It could be many things, but none of them would lead to him being on positive terms enough to get high-powered drugs from anyone still in the force. There had to be something else, another source. "Just be careful, Jouhei."
Raidou offered a nod in response, nose buried in his homework. He would not have long to work, however, for a knock at the door signaled the arrival of a guest. Gouto's ears perked up, eyes narrowing at the door. "Who could that be?"
"Raidou? You home?" A familiar voice seeped in through the door, hardly muffled; the walls were thin. One could recognize it right away.
Raidou stared at the door a good few seconds before bolting for it, far faster than he should have. He nearly lost his balance and landed on his face when the jolt sent pain up his leg. He barely held in a yelp and caught himself against the door. Smooth, real smooth. Shakily he opened the door to greet his guest.
Narumi stood with a small grocery bag of vegetables and dried noodles; groceries. Apparently he had gone by one of the local markets before coming to the apartment. There was a smile on his face when his eyes met the boy's, but happy expression quickly turned to that of worry when he saw the state the boy was in. "Hurt, didn't it?" He asked, frowning a little and motioning to his leg. So he heard him running, and probably the little cry of pain.
The pout he gave told him it had indeed hurt, but he wasn't interested in admitting it. He stood aside, allowing Narumi to come in. "How was school?" He asked, setting the groceries down on the tiny amount of counter space the boy had in the kitchen. "Stayed off that leg, I hope."
The front door was closed and Raidou returned to his school work, assuming Narumi was intending to cook. He wasn't about to stop him. "It was fine... I got a perfect score on my test and got high scores in kendo today..." he rattled off as if he were being asked by someone high up in the force. Yet the response only seemed to garner a negative attention, "I'm glad you did well but should you really be doing kendo when you're still recovering?"
"It's important to keep up with my sword training."
Narumi quirked a brow but turned to the bag he had brought in, "If you say so." He muttered, rummaging through the contents. The dried noodles and what appeared to be ready-made frozen steak cutlets were set out on the counter, followed by a bottle of medicine and a large, rectangular pouch of sorts. "Raidou, take your pants off."
That got the kids full attention right quick, head turning to stare up at the man. Gouto hissed, suddenly on the offensive, on his feet with back arched. Narumi, realizing what he just said and how it sounded, sought to correct himself. He held up the pack, showing it to the boy. "Not like that! It's a heating pad for your leg. It sticks to the skin. I'm not intending anything unscrupulous!" Panic, embarrassment, was Narumi's face red? Raidou continued to stare, now seeming mildly confused. But he did as he was told, much to Gouto's protest.
To be polite, Narumi politely turned away, pulling a blanket from the closet and tossing it to the boy. "Cover up with this..." Raidou muttered a word of thanks and pulled the blanket over his shoulders, ignoring the yowls from the cat to 'put his pants back on this instant'. He folded them neatly and set them aside then continued with his homework while Narumi did as he pleased.
The man knelt next to him, peeling the adhesive off and holding it up for the boy to see. "You put this over the stitching and it helps with the pain." His eyes wandered over the blanket and up to the boy's face again, "Want me to do it or would you rather?"
"You can do it if you'd like..." he muttered, busily taking notes. He really didn't seem to mind all this. It was the cat that was having a fit.
Somewhat perturbed, Narumi pulled the blanket back just far enough to expose one marred, milky thigh, seeing a bit of inflammation. "You really need to stay off of this, kid..." He ran a finger across the raised stitches, noting it was hot to the touch. He immediately stuck the backing back onto the heat-pack, "You need to ice it for a while. It's swelling."
"Think it's infected?" Raidou asked this so calmly. Did he even care if it was? He could lose his leg if he'd gotten an infection in a vital place like that. The nonchalant attitude put Narumi on edge. "We better hope not. I'm gonna clean this thing first, then ice it. Be honest, is it painful?" He leveled a look with the boy, staring right at him. He needed the kid to be truthful otherwise it could greatly affect his health.
Their eyes met, Raidou looking up at him so innocently past that stone faced facade. "I took one of your painkillers." Meaning that yes it did indeed hurt. Truthfully, without the medication it was throbbing. The detective sighed, getting to his feet. "Cleaning, pain pills, ice pack, then the heat pad... Good thing I came over." The tone in his voice easily denoted that he was not amused. All the while Gouto was yowling unpleasantly at the man. For what? He wasn't sure. "The hell is your cat going on about, Raidou?"
"He's upset with me, not you. Please don't concern yourself." Of course Gouto was upset with him. The boy had been neglecting himself and possibly had an infection in his leg thanks to his idiocy. The cat paced around the room, yammering on and on about how he needed to stop being so careless and learn to take it easy when he needed to. Raidou seemed to be getting this lecture a lot recently.
Narumi returned with a cold cloth and a bit of alcohol, ready to clean the wound out. "This is gonna sting a bit, not gonna lie." And without further ado, he began dabbing the harsh chemical onto the stitching.
Damn right it stung and more than a bit. The boy gasped in surprise, damn near to crying out. He tug his nails into the tatami mat below him, hissing softly in pain, eyes focused intently in Narumi's working hands. Yet even with the burning, Narumi was surprisingly gentle when cleaning the wound, wary of where it would be tender, knowing that the boy was already in enough pain. "I really wish you'd stay off the leg for a couple days... At least until your Pixie heals this. If you don't, it's going to get infect and rot off... You don't want that, do you?"
Raidou frowned at the idea, slowly shaking his head. No, he couldn't have something like that happen. He'd be useless to his clan if he lost his leg. With much chagrin he agreed. The next day was Sunday anyhow. No school.
The detective finished cleaning the wound and went to make-up an icepack. Not much in the way of food in the fridge, he noticed. Narumi absently wondered what the boy usually ate. There was an icemaker at least. He quickly filled a zip-seal bag with ice and wrapped it in a towel, handing it to the summoner. "Keep that on your leg while I fix up your dinner. It'll help the swelling." The man fumbled for some of the pills that he had given Raidou, handing two and a glass of water to the boy. "Keep up with these too."
The summoner nodded in reply and downed the pilled, taking a good sip of water. After that it was back to his school work... and muttering apologies to Gouto. The cat turned up his nose, "You should take the advice of your elders, Jouhei." And with that, he went over to the kitchen, fully intending to get underfoot with Narumi. And thanks to that idea the cat got his tail stepped on.
"Ouch!" The old summoner yelped, "Jouhei, the oaf stepped on me!"
"You were trying to trip him up." Seems even Gouto couldn't put one over on Raidou. The cat frowned and trotted over, glowering at Narumi. The man was glowering right back. "Your cat hates me, doesn't he?"
Raidou shook his head softly and shrugged. Narumi sighed, going back to preparing the meal. "What's your homework over tonight anyway?" He asked, checking the consistency of one of the long udon noodles. "It's not really homework. I'm just studying." He smiled a little over at the man, reaching for his glass of water. "I figured you would have wanted me to stay home tonight instead of patrol."
"Damn straight." Narumi pulled the pot from the hot plate and dumped the excess water into the sink, setting it aside. Now onto the steak. "If it were up to me, you'd stay home from school, but I'm not your mother."
"I'll stay home a few days if you want..." That got a rise out of the older man; He'd do it if he wanted it? Narumi quickly shook his head, "Do you want to stay home and rest? You make the decision. That's not my job."
"I don't have any cases right now. I'm enrolled as an exception, so it won't matter if I miss a few days." Cool, polite, straight forward, and completely personally unattached. This kid was way too weird, too mechanical. It was giving Narumi the creeps. "Raidou." He turned to face him, arms crossed, a disparaging expression on his face. "What would make you happiest?" A simple question; based on the boy's opinion what would please him most. A test, clearly. Raidou turned his eyes back to Narumi, looking utterly lost. What would make him happiest? It was so foreign a concept. He just shook his head, perplexed.
It was just as he feared. Narumi found himself sighing again, "First rule of living on your own; you have a job, yeah? But don't let that job dictate your world. You have a choice on what you do with yourself every day, and no one can make that choice besides you." Freedom, free will, things that, as he recalled, were not something the Yatagarasu taught to its disciples. It was sad, really, but a fact that Narumi was finding himself faced with more and more when it came to the summoner. He had been raised not to have a mind of his own but to obey the will of the Herald and the Yatagarasu. It wasn't that they didn't allow free thinking; it was that they wanted as little resistance was possible.
Raidou, of course, would protest. "This job is the only reason I'm here. I was assigned to protect the capitol and have a responsibility to do just that. That is my reason for anything." With words like that, it was just more and more proof of how the Kuzunoha clan worked. But he wasn't born into the clan, was he? Even so he must have had a life before. What about family? Parents, siblings? Didn't he have anyone that worried for him, would miss him if he was gone?
"But what about what you want, Raidou?" Narumi stepped away from the counter, leaving the meat to sizzle in the skillet as he sat on the floor next to the boy. "Don't you have any goals outside of serving the Yatagarasu? What about your folks, what do they think of all this? Don't they worry?"
Blue-grey eyes followed the man's every move as he came closer, looking more than a little confused. A goal outside of his service? He didn't understand. What higher goal could there be? And..."...Folks?" He didn't understand the meaning of the word.
"Folks, you know, your parents? Good ol' ma and pa in the old country?"
Parents? A family. No, he didn't know a thing about that. "...I don't have any." The room suddenly felt cold, the air thick. Narumi almost felt bad for asking. "So... You've been raised by the clan, haven't you?" There was no family. No wonder the kid was such a robot. Narumi had to fight the urge to give the boy a hug.
Raidou shook his head a in reply, not knowing what else he could really say. He had no family. He was fine. That was really it. Still, Narumi couldn't fight the urge to wrap the boy up in his arms. Why? Even he was beginning to question his sudden need for physical contact. He settled for a pat on the shoulder, "Ehn, well... Do you plan on doing anything for yourself? Or is it all the summoning biz."
A good question; something that required a well thought out and complex answer. Raidou had none. Instead he simply shook his head. All the more reason for Narumi to worry. He returned to his cooking with a sigh, "We'll work on that... the whole life goal thing. Doesn't do a kid your age any good to not have a destination in mind." He mused, poking at the sizzling steak with a two-pronged fork. Raidou continued to watch him curiously, unsure as to what he meant. He was always under the impression that his life goal was to fight for the clan, protect the masses. He didn't know he was meant to do anything else.
Within a few minutes Raidou was presented with a bowl of noodles topped with steak cutlets, served with a smile. "Here you go, kiddo! Sorry, the deli was closed by the time I got there, so it's not as fresh... but it'll taste great with a bit of soy sauce, I'll bet!" Narumi looked almost disproportionately satisfied with his handiwork. Perhaps he didn't get to cook for others much? The kid seemed grateful enough. With a small smile of thanks he took up his chopsticks and put his hands together in a little prayer. A quiet 'itadakimasu' later and he was tentatively picking at the meal, nibbling on a bit of cutlet. To Narumi's surprise a moment later he smiled around his utensils, looking very pleased.
"Any good?" Narumi took a seat next to him, nudging his study material out of the way to save it from the drip of any sauce that may stray from the bowl. Or the boy's cheek, either or. His answer was only that the boy continued eating, happily at that. It was all the answer he needed.
Satisfied, Narumi reached into the grocery bag and fished out the can of coffee he had picked up along with way. Raidou didn't have anything in the way of bean-related beverage preparation in the scant supply of appliances he had in the flat, so he'd have to do with pre-made stuff. Upon tasting the chilled beverage he made a face, sticking out his tongue. Sugary tar water, but it was caffeine. It'd have to do. "At least you're eating. You don't make much food here, do you? Your fridge is emptier than my savings account." A bad joke, but it was accurate. Most of his funds went directly into bills, or his bad shopping habit.
The boy finished his food silently, sure Narumi needed no answer, that he already had one of his own. After he'd finished his meal he got up from the table, dish and utensils in hand, and moved to wash them in the sink.
A hand instantly grabbed for his wrist, stopping him in his tracks. "Ah-ah! Sit, I'll do it. Keep that ice pack on your leg." And before he could protest, the bowl and chopsticks were plucked from his hands and carried to the sink by the detective. Raidou watched him go, dumbfounded. But this only lasted a second. Seeing Narumi act like this, treating him well like this really made the boy happy. With a tiny smile he went to sit again, setting the icepack back in place and getting down to business with his studies.
"Wonder what his angle is." Gouto mused, yawning in a bit of boredom on the table.
The cat was ignored, Raidou busying himself with his school work. He didn't want to hear Gouto's theories on how the detective in their stead was evil, or crass, rude, an idiot or otherwise. If he wanted to talk with anyone about Narumi it would be to Narumi. All else was just speculation. Besides, it didn't' matter at the end of the day if the cat found him to be a respectable man or not. Raidou trusted him. That was all that mattered.
Dishes finished, Narumi took a seat again at the table, deciding that if was going to spend 200 yen on a canned iced coffee, he may as well finish it. "Those pain pills kicking in yet?" He asked, choking down a good half of the can's contents just to get it over with. What I would do for some fresh grounds... He thought woefully.
"Yes. Thank you." The first words he'd spoken in the last ten minutes. This kid as way too good at the silent treatment. That, or far too used to being silent.
Narumi sought to correct this with more pointless banter. "I'm surprised you've been able to walk around so well with that... It looks like it really hurts, kid."
"It's fine..." the boy muttered, still diligently working on writing down math formulas. So much for conversation.
Still, Narumi was determined to get the kid to be more sociable, even if it meant some low blows to the kid's pride. "...Do you normally ignore your guests when they're talking to you?"
Immediately the pencil stilled, Raidou slowly gazing up to meet the detective's eyes. The look he had on his face was of total guilt. He put the pencil down and set his now folded hands in his lap, offering a little bow of his head in apology. The man couldn't help but chuckle at that pathetic look, "Chill, Raidou. I'm not calling you rude, I was just hoping you'd... you know, try to talk to me?" Narumi trailed off, cupping his chin in one palm. "Or would you rather I leave so you can get back to your studying?"
"No, it's fine." As usual Raidou put everyone else before himself. Though at this point, Narumi wasn't so sure if he was 'fine' with that or not. "Raidou, if you want me to leave you alone so you can study, I will. You decide." Again with the freedom exercises. The man only hoped he could get him to actually decide at this point, to have an opinion.
It took a moment. A good few moments actually, but finally he spoke up with his opinion. "I'd like you to stay..."
Narumi: 1
Yatagarasu: Zilch
The detective mentally pranced in glee over the small victory, reaching for the icepack to check the condition of his leg. "Swellings starting to go down... Good." He grinned, placing the icepack back none-too-gently onto the sore wound. Raidou had to hold back a wince, doing so rather well actually. If there was one thing he was good at, it was masking his emotions. Pain was included.
The detective managed to catch the veiled reaction, but said nothing. "Is it all right if I come over tomorrow to take a look at it?" Because honestly, he didn't believe the boy would properly clean and ice it as needed himself. Narumi could tell already that Raidou was less than stellar at looking out for his own health.
"If you'd like." Meaning, of course, that he wanted him to come over, but he was masking it, turning it towards Narumi as if it were his decision. Ah, so he did have a way of expressing his wants. He just had a way of disguising them. Narumi grinned, "I wouldn't mind." His smile faded into something of a grimace when he looked at the can of coffee sitting on the table. "I'll just need to bring over my thermos of java. I've had better stuff than this at the station." The can was plucked up, crushed, and tossed into the waste bin just a few feet away, Narumi making a face of "good riddance" to the offending beverage.
Raidou watched this little show, lips finally perking up into the first smile Narumi had seen on the kid in a while. Soft, kind, cute.
"I saw that." The man pointed accusingly to the boy's face.
Instantly the smile was wiped off his face. But only briefly. A moment later it returned in full swing, and just a little bigger, even cuter. Narumi could not help but grin in return, "You should do that more often. Smiling, that is."
"As you've said..." He could have sworn Narumi had said it before, sometime when he was half asleep or bordering on passing out.
"And I stand by that statement!" Narumi announced proudly, puffing out his chest. It seemed like the antics would continue, but their bubbly conversation was soon interrupted by the harsh beeping of the man's phone from his jacket pocket. "Ah, I gotta get that." He excused himself from the small table and went to retrieve his jacket from the hanging rack on the back of Raidou's door. It continued beeping even as he stared at it, face tense, lips that were usually turned up in a soft smile now straight in thin. He pressed a button on the screen and held the device to his ear. "This is Narumi." Not his usual greeting. Of all the times Raidou had witnessed the man use the device, he always answered with "Narumi Detective Agency", since it served as his primary office phone. But now... Whomever he was talking to must know him aside from his business. "Understood. I'll be there. Text me the details." The detective spoke in hushed tones, glancing over to Raidou as he did, as if checking to see if he was listening. The conversation ended, Narumi pocketing his phone with a grin. "Sorry kid, I gotta go meet up with a client."
Raidou blinked once, a curious look on his face. So he had indeed been watching the exchange. He also seemed mildly distraught about it. Could it be he didn't want the man to leave? But of course, after a moment he gave a small nod of understanding. He'd see the man the next day, right?
Sensing this, Narumi sought to reassure it. "Sorry, the guy won't wait till a better time. Switch from ice to that heat pack in another fifteen minutes or so, then keep it on until you go to bed. Sound good?" He gave him a wink, hoping the kid would remember the instructions... or even bother to do it at all.
Raidou nodded his agreement, making a mental note to also go to bed a little earlier. Narumi had said he wanted him to rest, didn't he? The nod earned him a pat on the head, sans hat. "Call me if you need anything, okay?" And before the boy could say anything, a word of thanks or otherwise, the man had left, closing the door behind him. Raidou watched him go, suddenly feeling something stir in his chest. It almost felt like it was colder inside the tiny flat, like a piece of him had left with Narumi.
His thoughts were brought back to reality with the annoyed voice of his mentor ringing in his ears. "That was an unusual exit for him." Gouto mused, pawing over to pull the latch on the door lock, "Wouldn't you say?"
"...A bit." Raidou pulled his books back over to continue studying. But for the life of him he couldn't concentrate. His thoughts kept going back to Narumi and the fact that he had indeed left abruptly. It really made him wonder why.
That cat returned to the table, making himself comfortable. "It's strange. He said it was a client, but that was very casual for someone conducting business. What sort of client do you think that was, Jouhei?"
Raidou thought on it a moment before responding. "Someone he must be familiar with to be so informal." Yet he sound hesitant, almost displeased. It was worrisome. "If it was, then you think he'd be a bit warmer. Narumi is self-employed, so it's not his boss... Something's fishy, Jouhei." The cat finally made his feelings known. The way Narumi had acted, a complete 180 from intending to stay and care for the boy to quickly making an exit to some undisclosed location with someone he was likely fretting over seeing... It was all too suspicious.
"I'm sure it's fine. Narumi-san is a respectable man."
"A respectable man that's an ex-cop with access to controlled substances and medical equipment even surgeons have trouble getting cleared for personal use. Something isn't right, Jouhei. You need to look into it." Before you get in too deep, he added mentally.
The kid, of course, didn't share the sentiment. He liked Narumi fine. Sure, he didn't know much about him, but what he did know of him was that he was a good man. The look in his eyes said that.
But even when he believed him to be a good man at heart he knew Gouto was just trying to look out for him. He knew he was young, naive. That, and Gouto had given him an order, indirect or not. What choice did he have but to clear the man's name? With a single nod he agreed, determined to prove the detective and honorable man.