Return To Me
Next chapter! Yay!
Disclaimer: Still don't own. Wish I owned something as awesome as Maximum Ride or Freezing Flame.
Chapter 4
The plane trip back to Japan was just as stressful as the ride to China had been. On the first trip, everyone had been so tense and quiet, dreading what might await them at University. Now that the families had been reunited, the noise level was significantly higher. Several infants had started crying as soon as the plane roared to life. The parents' voices came next, soothing their distressed children. Several of the toddler and younger children had never been taught to talk while they had been imprisoned, and their families had decided that now was the perfect time for speech lessons. Yoshitaka twitched as the woman behind him repeated 'Mama' for the umpteenth time. Katsumi was sitting in the seat beside him. His cat ears twitched in every direction, taking in every sound, but he still had the same blank look on his face. Yoshitaka, Wakabayashi, and Eiji had all attempted to draw him out of his silence and into a conversation, but to no avail.
"Hinako! Come back!"
A woman's loud cry made them all stop and look towards the back of the plane. A little girl was stumbling up the aisle. She stopped next to Yoshitaka's seat, steadying herself by holding onto the arm rest. She appeared to be fairly normal, but when Yoshitaka saw her almost luminescent-orange eyes, he shrank back instinctively.
"Hello!" she chirped brightly, blue curls bouncing as she spoke.
"Hello, little one," Wakabayashi replied hesitantly. "What's your name?"
"Lady who pick me up say me name Hinako," she told him, wrinkling her nose and frowning, "but everyone else call me Bee!"
"...Really?"
She nodded her head vigorously. "Can me sit with Katsumi-nii?"
Yoshitaka started to protest, but she was already crawling over his lap and onto Katsumi's, giggling. When she looked up into his face, however, her smile faded.
"Katsumi-nii, why you still got sad eyes?" she asked innocently. When he didn't answer, she turned to Yoshitaka. "Make Katsumi-nii have happy eyes again." Yoshitaka started to reply, but she kept talking. "When me meet Katsumi-nii, he talk 'bout Yoshi-something lots, and he have happy eyes. Then he stop talk one day, and eyes go sad more each day. Me miss Katsumi-nii talk. He try teach me talk, but not finish."
"I see..." he said slowly, staring at the little girl.
She grinned, opening her mouth to say something else, but was interrupted when a woman appeared in the aisle next to them.
"I'm so sorry, sirs," the woman said nervously, wringing her hands. "She got away from me, and I couldn't get my seatbelt off fast enough." She bowed quickly, before straightening up again. "Hinako, sweetie, come back to mommy."
The little girl scowled. "Me no Hinako! Me Bee!"
"Sure you are, baby. Now let's leave the nice men alone."
Bee huffed, but nodded. She wrapped her arms around Katsumi's neck in a quick, firm hug, before crawling back into her mother's arms. "Bye, Katsumi-nii!" She called as she was carried off.
Yoshitaka watched for a minute, then turned back around to look at Katsumi. Nothing about him had changed, though the older man wished the bubbly little girl would have reawakened something within him. He reached out and brushed back some of Katsumi's long, brown hair, tucking it behind one of his human ears.
I'm going to help you, Katsumi, he promised silently. I'll do whatever it takes.
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It was dark by the time the plane landed. Most of the children had fallen asleep, but Katsumi remained awake. Yoshitaka remembered what Mei had mentioned about Katsumi not falling asleep when others were nearby. He was definitely tired, though. There was no denying it. He stumbled as he walked off the plane, and the dark circles under his eyes had become deeper. Eiji drove them all home. Yoshitaka sat in the back seat with Katsumi, trying to convince him to get some sleep, but only received the same blank stare in return.
They finally reached the house and walked inside. Yoshitaka ushered Katsumi into the living room while Eiji and Wakabayashi went to the kitchen to make tea. It took Yoshitaka a few minutes to get his lover to sit down, but he managed.
"You're safe now," he said quietly, pulling the other man into his arms. "I won't let anyone hurt you. Never again." He blinked back tears as he nuzzled the top of Katsumi's head. The velvety-soft cat ears brushed against his face as they moved, tickling his nose. As tired and upset as he was, Yoshitaka couldn't help but chuckle weakly.
"Yo-chan?" Eiji called from the kitchen.
"What is it?" he called back.
"We kinda need your help. Can you come here, please?"
The older Mimuro sighed. "Yeah, I'm coming." He gently stroked the top of Katsumi's head. "I'll be right back."
He walked into the kitchen, and immediately understood why Eiji need him. While Katsumi had been missing, Yoshitaka had barely cleaned, only doing so when it became absolutetly necessary. The kitchen was a disaster area. Boxes and plastic bags were strewn over ever surface. Dirty dishes were piled high in the sink. Wakabayashi was digging through one of the cabinets, while Eiji picked at the containers on the counter.
"I think your kitchen ate the tea," the younger Mimuro told him matter-of-factly.
"Yoshitaka scratched his chin thoughtfully. "Last time I saw it, it was on the table....I think."
Eiji made a noise in the back of his throat, then began sorting through the mountain of dishes and trash on the table. He finally managed to find the tea and the teapot, and immediately got to work boiling the water. Once it was done, they managed to find a clean tray to carry out the teapot and the mismatched cups. Eiji lead the way back to the living room. He paused as he reached the doorway, before setting the tray down on the coffee table, chuckling. Yoshitaka glanced over at the couch, not even bothering to hide his smile. Katsumi was curled up on the couch, fast asleep at long last. He ears layed almost flat on his head, and his tail was tucked along the backs of his legs. His breathing was deep and even. Yoshitaka just watched him for a few minutes, his eyes soft, before walking back out of the room. He returned with a heavy wool blanket, which he draped over Katsumi's sleeping form. The younger man stirred, turned over, and went still again.
For the next half hour, the three other men drank tea and talked in whispers so as not to disturb their sleeping friend. Yoshitaka inquired after his company, something he hadn't cared about since the police had called off the search for Katsumi over two years ago. The company was still in top form; Eiji hadn't wanted to take over the company, but it had fluorished under his control. Wakabayashi admitted that he considered both of the brothers his rivals now.
After a while, when they had all started yawning, they agreed that it was time to bring the day to a close.
"I'll come by tomorrow to help you clean up, 'kay Yo-chan?" Eiji told him as he stacked the cups. "I don't think Katsumi-kun will enjoy living in such a mess."
Yoshitaka smiled softly. "No, I don't think he would."
Final goodbyes were said, and Yoshitaka shut the door behind his two companions. He went back to the living room to check on his lover, and found him still asleep. The older man contemplated picking Katsumi up and taking him upstairs. He abandoned that idea a second later, realizing that he didn't want to chance waking Katsumi up; he was too tired to even carry the tray back to the kitchen. As his eyelids began to grow heavy, he layed his head down on the couch, letting his forehead rest against Katsumi's back. The gentle sound of his lover's breathing soon lulled him to sleep.
Aw, sleepy little kitty-Katsumi-chan!! I wish I had some cat ears and a tail. I'd be making them twitch just for the hell of it. So, I recently became a ZoroxSanji fan (if you don't know who those people are, you should go read/watch One Piece. It's got pirates!!!! Plus, Luffy's big brother Ace is bangin'. I'd hit that in a heartbeat. Sanji too! XD
Anywhoo, please review!