Chapter Two

Key:
~Mental/Spirit Talk~
'Thought'

Electrocution. From the outside in, of mind and spirit, he was being fried alive. His throat bled from his screams, or so he thought; he could no longer discern the taste of copper from the salt of his tears. Nor could he remember for how long this had been his reality, his existence, and part of him feared he would not last to see the end of it.

He was being consumed within by pain doubled and fear twice over that. Voices filled his head, voices not his own screaming and reverberating off the inner walls of his mind. Not a word was to be understood, especially once they mixed with a voice reaching his ears.

"…What…happening…?" he made out in a brief moment of clarity. But was it a voice outside of him, or inside? A dark presence loomed over him, touched and held him. "-in!"

~Ra…jura….~ he whispered, discerning the source of his suffering before the trail vanished.. And he was lost once more to his pain, his screaming and writhing body trapped in the Yami Ma'Sho's arms.

"-ake up. Shin!"

Eyes snapping open, Shin shot up on the couch, chest heaving and grip bruising tight on the arm holding his shoulder. It took him a minute to focus; he quickly released the arm he held and pushed himself back on the couch until he hit the couch arm.

"Shin?" a calm, almost hesitant voice spoke; it snapped the boy back to himself, gave him clarity.

"Seiji?" Shin questioned, confused for a moment as the affects of shock wore off and those of sleep took hold. He brought a hand up to his head as if to steady it and sort things out.

"You awake now? You looked to be having a nightmare." Seiji leaned forward over the couch back, arms folded and tucked beneath him.

Releasing a heavy breath, Shin sagged against the couch arm. "You could say that," he replied, then smiled weakly. "Thanks for waking me." Then his eyes widened as his thoughts settled, and he remembered the night before. "What time is it? What about the train?"

"Calm down Shin, we haven't bought tickets yet. Don't worry about it; Shu's still passed out as well." Seiji smiled easily.

Shin relaxed back into the couch once more. "I suppose that gives me time to cook breakfast while you wake him then." Seiji just hummed and nodded, though he didn't otherwise move. Combing fingers through his mussed hair, Shin ignored the obvious hint of concern in Seiji's eye and spirit. Standing from the couch, Shin stretched his arms above his head with a groan and several pops.

Seiji arched a brow and straightened as well. "You weren't joking about it being uncomfortable."

Looking back at the blond, Shin had to think for a moment before he realized Seiji meant the couch. Shrugging, he smiled a touch sheepishly. "I think it's more I didn't move once I fell asleep."

Seiji's contemplative gaze was tempered by a touch of sympathy. "Must have been some nightmare." Turning before Shin could respond, Seiji made his way back to the bedroom to wake Shu. Blinking after the blond, Shin shook his head and turned towards the kitchen.

Entering the room silently, Seiji toed Shu's shoulder until the larger youth groaned and rolled over on the futon. "What…?" Shu grumbled. Eyes still closed, he dropped an arm over them to block the light Seiji turned on instead of answering.

~Shin's making breakfast,~ Seiji prompted after a few more minutes.

Removing his arm, Shu sat up with a groan and stretched. ~That…was the best sleep I've had in days. Touma can drag Ryo around next time.~ Leaning back against the door, Seiji chuckled. It earned him an odd look from Shu. ~What's wrong?~

Shifting, Seiji sighed and dropped his gaze. ~…Shin…was having a wicked nightmare. …Did you sense anything?~

A serious expression took shape upon Shu's solid face. He shook his head slowly and folded a leg up to lay an arm over his raised knee. ~No. You?~

Seiji shook his head, though Shu expected as much. ~…Also, Mouri-san never came in last night. …You don't think something happened?~

Shu was already thinking along the same line. ~Her heart condition…. If she was admitted, it would explain his behavior yesterday.~

Humming softly, Seiji felt a frown pull at his lips. ~But…he said she was still at work when you asked about her. Why would he lie?~

Sighing, Shu pushed himself up to his feet. ~You said it last night. It's been two years. People change.~ Still…Shin and lying in the same sentence didn't feel right to either young man.

oOo

Inhaling deeply, Shu grinned and followed Seiji to the bar. "Smells great Shin!"

"Sorry to take so long." Smirk pulling at his lips, Seiji glanced at Shu beside him. "Growing up together, Touma's poor sleeping habits seem to have rubbed off."

Chuckling, Shin flipped the final omelet onto an empty plate. "Yeah, I remember. Although." Smiling, Shin turned and carried all three plates to the bar with practiced ease. "Unlike Touma, it didn't matter when he went to bed."

Shu made a face at the two laughing at him, only to chuckle ruefully a few moments later. "Yeah yeah," he brushed it off, amusedly-exaggerated. "At least I never kept you up all night with a reading light."

Chuckling, Shin leaned against the counter-top, facing his friends at the bar after passing the plates out. "Only because the game systems were downstairs."

Shu stared at him in disbelief, his mouth agape. Beside him, Seiji ducked his head to hide his own laughter. Growling, Shu took a large bite of his omelet, shooting the two a sour look. Swallowing it down with a gulp of milk, he pinned Shin with a look. "So," Shu started, tone serious, killing the laughter. "How long did you pack for?"

Blinking, Shin rolled his eyes and relaxed. "A couple weeks."

"That's all?" Shu complained.

Rolling his eyes skyward once more, Shin pinned the youth with a flat look. "You weren't exactly helpful with a time-frame."

"Oh yeah…."

oOo

"So," Shin asked as he cleaned the dishes. "Is Touma waiting for us at the station?"

Drying the dishes, Seiji shook his head. "No. I couldn't get ahold of him last night. He'll likely assume we went ahead without him, and get a ticket as soon as he reaches the station."

Nodding once, Shin passed the last dish to Seiji, then dried his hands. "Well, since we have the time, why don't you two bring me your cloths from yesterday, and I'll get them washed. I need to pick something up in town before we leave anyway. You're both welcome to the shower while I'm out as well."

Both young men shared a look and nodded gratefully. "Thank you."

Waving the blonde's words away, Shin shooed them off to get their cloths. "Oh hey," Shu said, as if remembering something. "What about the guy you were suppose to meet yesterday? You leaving town isn't going to make it worse will it?"

Blinking, Shin's expression did something odd, and he was grateful Seiji was already in the bedroom. "No, it's fine," he assured, smiling easily. "Don't worry about it. He called after you both turned in."

When Shin didn't elaborate, Shu just grinned, his disappointment hidden. "Well, that's good." Hesitating a moment, he turned and joined Seiji in the bedroom. Taking both sets of cloths from the blond, he told him he could have the shower first, then rejoined Shin in the main room.

"Shin," Shu started slowly, following the redhead to the small closet-housed units. "Is your mother well?"

Humming questioningly, Shin didn't pause or hesitate as he started the washer. "Yes," he answered calmly, an oddly neutral tone to his voice. "Why do you ask?" Turning around to take the cloths from Shu, he wore an unnaturally pleasant expression.

Shu frowned, aggravated and agitated by the false attitude. "She never came home last night."

Arching a brow, Shin turned his back to Shu and placed the dirty cloths in the filling washer. His heart was beating hard and fast in his chest, while he felt strangely calm with a sickly warmth spreading out from his chest. "And you know this…how?" His voice was calm…even…and completely unreadable.

Slate-blue eyes narrowed. Shu reached out with a growl and spun Shin around to face him. Shifting his grip to a fistful of the front of Shin's button-up, he gave the boy a hard couple of shakes. "What the hell's gotten into you?"

Teal eyes narrowed, their hard edge surprising Shu, but the larger boy didn't release his hold. Even after Shin grabbed his wrists. "Let. Go," Shin fairly growled, a cold anger in his tone that Shu had only rarely heard, even during the wars.

It caused Shu to hesitate, but only for a moment. Tightening his grip, he fairly lifted the smaller boy until only the toes of his slippers were touching the floor. "Not until you explain what's up with the attitude."

Twisting his hands, Shin dug his fingers into the pressure points in Shu's wrists, forcing the larger boy to release him. Kicking the washer with the flat of his foot to drop the lid, he side-stepped Shu and smoothed his shirt out. "Perhaps it's the disrespectful tone and the rude approach. I am not one of your kid brothers Shu. Nor am I child." Walking away, he exchanged his slippers for his sneakers at the door, then grabbed his keys and wallet as one from the bowl upon the small side-table beside the recess. "It's about time you both…all of you understood that." He left the apartment without looking back.

oOo

Eyes closed as he rinsed conditioner from his hair, Seiji arched a brow when he heard the bathroom door close with a restrained force. ~I didn't hear any yelling,~ Seiji's soft voice was pleasant, soothing even. ~Did it go well?~

~If by well you mean no punches were thrown, then yeah, it was perfect.~ Dropping with a growl, Shu took a heavy seat on the closed toilet. ~But only just so.~

Pushing his hair back, Seiji leaned forward to poke his head out through the curtain. ~You look about as pissed as you sound.~ Pulling back into the shower, he lathered up the washcloth he'd found. Shu silently fumed until Seiji stepped out and toweled off. ~Your turn,~ the blond promoted, having left the water running.

Shu released a heavy breath once the warm water hit his tense muscles. As he slowly unwound, he related his confrontation with Shin to the silent blond. ~That…is odd,~ Seiji agreed. Towel wrapped around his waist, Seiji carefully drew Shin's brush through his towel-scrubbed hair. ~Two years…I could understand if it was a result of the wars, but…he didn't act anything like that during the break between them, on our trips. What could have happened these last two years?~ Obviously…hopefully it wasn't related to his mother. 'No…that subject just set him on edge. What really set him off seemed to be his belief that we treat him like a kid. What on earth would give him that idea?'

Shu echoed his thoughts as he shut the water off. ~I mean, what the hell? We fought a damn war together! Not even Jun acts his own age. We certainly don't treat him like an average eleven-year old, let alone expect him to behave as one.~ Stepping out of the shower, he grabbed the towel Seiji was holding out for him and roughly scrubbed himself dry. ~What's going through his head?~ Growling, he bowed over to scrub his hair dry.

~Maybe….~ Seiji started slowly, hesitantly. Shu made a questioning sound; taking a heavy seat on the edge of the tub, he straightened up and dropped the towel from his head to hang over his shoulders. ~Well…he left the manner without a word. Just his home number in Hagi on your dresser. We didn't settle into a sense of normality as we did during the break. Maybe he's…uncertain of how he fits back in? It has been two years, we've all changed….~

Shu frowned. ~So…you're saying that he's worried we won't acknowledge these last two years?~

Seiji sighed and shrugged. ~Something like that. Maybe.~ Setting the brush aside, he shook his head. ~I just don't know.~

Still frowning, Shu stood and pulled Seiji up to his feet without a word. They stood there for a moment before Seiji caught Shu's eye questioningly. The larger youth grinned then; it was small, but no less genuine. ~Come on,~ Shu prompted, his earlier anger and frustration gone. Hands on Seiji's shoulders, he turned the blond around and gently pushed him forward. ~Why don't you lay down while I deal with the cloths? I know you stayed up most the night thinking.~

Seiji winced minutely, even as he let himself be guided back to Shin's bed. It wasn't obvious, but he knew there was a chastisement in the other's words. ~You were tired. I wasn't going to keep you up with thoughts and things I couldn't put into order.~

Shu arched a brow as he pushed Seiji down to sit on the bed. ~Why not? Touma never had a problem with it.~

Seiji's expression went flat, unamused. ~So now you're comparing me to Touma?~ Shifting back on the bed and out from beneath the boy's hands, Seiji twisted to lay down with his back to Shu and the door. ~Thanks Shu, that's just what I wanted to hear.~

Shu hesitated for a moment, uncertain before he grabbed the pillow Seiji wasn't laying on. He swatted the blonde's damp head then dropped the pillow and took a seat on the bed's edge. ~I almost couldn't tell if you were joking that time. This is bothering you more then you're letting on.~

Pulling the pillow away from his face, Seiji curled his arms around it to hold it to his chest. Rolling over onto his back, he gave the slate-eyed boy a small smile. ~I know. Sorry.~

Releasing a heavy breath, Shu just shook his head. ~I'm going to throw our cloths in the dryer, then I'll be back.~ Standing, Shu removed the towel from around his shoulders to tie it off around his waist. He couldn't remember if Shin had any windows open. ~You figure out where you want to start by then.~ Sighing, Seiji nodded and closed his eyes.

Stepping out of the room, Shu pulled the door to and checked the towel. Looking around the small hall, the second closed door further down, past the bathroom, caught his eye. 'We assumed it was his mother's room. But if Mouri-san doesn't live here too, if she's still in Hagi…then who's is it? If it were a guest room, then why give up his to us, and stay on the couch? …He has extra slippers, but are they all for guests, or does he have a roommate?'

Shrugging, Shu turned and made his way to the unit closet with a sigh. 'Regardless of how much time has passed, we all went through the same thing, the three of us especially. And while that does allow for some leeway, as we said, he's still younger then us, whether he likes it or not. His attitude is not acceptable.'

TBC

A/N: To answer review questions, yes TeaLeafs, Secrets is more Shin-centric then my other works, but all the boys are "suppose" to appear. Quotations because while it may be my intention, it's not yet written, and we all know how that goes. ^_^; And yes, the delay in TWWW is Zorra Reed's fault; every time I ask if she's got something on it, she says: "Yes, but Ryo's being stubborn. Are you sure I can't just kill him?" ...As for the medication, we'll have to wait and see when one of the others find out. Shin's being rather secretive. ^_^ Love you guys, hope you've enjoyed; I'm certainly having a blast, as Shin's my fave Trooper.