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Always

Chapter Eight: Distant Memories

In the weeks that followed, Hisashi and Yuu worked side by side and shoulder to shoulder, but mentally, they found themselves wishing that they had been on different continents. Hisashi had made it a point to communicate with his co-worker with only wordless gestures, and Yuu silently complied. While the blonde was still angry, Yuu was just annoyed. The other assistants noticed that there was tension between the two, but they wisely chose not to comment on it.

But Ijuuin-sensei didn't.

"Oy Yanase," The mangaka replied. "I see you and Araki-kun are getting along quite nicely."

The curly blonde, who was currently correcting another one of Ijuuin's feet, didn't look up, but dragged the pencil over a paper a little harder than normal.

Yuu glanced up, his garnet eyes as hard as the birthstone they resembled.

"What would make you think that sensei?" He commented dryly.

The mangaka rolled his eyes, and having had his share of office drama in the past, he decided this was one riot he did not want to incite. The two clearly hated each other, even if they put up mere fronts of distaste.

Yuu stopped his work as his cell phone vibrated in his hoodie pocket. He flipped it open, glancing at the text from Chiaki to call him. He wondered what his air headed friend was up to now and decided to call him after work.

"Hello?"

"Chiaki, what's up?" Yuu asked as he flopped onto one of his couches.

"Oh Yuu! Good I was waiting for your call! Guess what I got!"

"What?" Yuu replied.

"I got a free voucher to the opening night of that new restaurant Koala-san! We get a table and half off all our food!"

Yuu's eyes widened.

"Wow, when does it open?"

"This weekend! I was thinking we could go."

Yuu chest dropped slightly as a puddle of mixed feelings swirled around in his chest. While Chiaki and him used to do things very regularly, things between them lately were strained, as the dark brunette had started putting Hatori as a higher priority. So why would be choose to go with Yuu instead of his stupid boyfriend? Even though Yuu had always had fun with his friend, there's was no way he was going to sit through an awkward dinner with that couple.

"Why aren't you going with Hatori?" Yuu asked. He kept the bitterness out of his voice but it didn't diminish the magnitude of negativity he felt.

He heard Chiaki sigh.

"Tori has to work all weekend. I probably won't see him at all. Yuu, will you please go with me? I don't wanna go alone and I miss you. We haven't talked in a week."

Yuu clenched his teeth, swallowing at his friend's pained words and his own strained heart.

"…I know. I'm sorry Chiaki."

"So do you wanna go?"

Yuu sighed.

"Yeah, sure."

"Great!" Chiaki boomed, making Yuu wince at the volume. He smiled as he heard the rolling excitement in his friend's voice. "I can't wait! I'll call you on Friday so we can agree on a time alright?"

"Alright." Yuu replied, the smile still set on his face at the warmth in his friend's voice.

It was Friday, and Chiaki was in a huge bind. He sat on the edge of his ungodly large bed, still fuming about his last telephone call with Hatori. When he'd casually mentioned his dinner plans with Yuu, the editor had all but blown up. Chiaki rolled his blue doe eyes. He and Yuu were friends! Yes, Yuu had confessed to him…twice actually. But that was awhile ago and Chiaki had rejected him anyways so what was the problem? Plus he was stuck here all alone this weekend while Hatori was holed up in the editing department of Emerald. What was he supposed to do? Sit here, pine, and wait dutifully for the man to return?

Chiaki rested his chin on the back of his hand, puckering his lips irksomely. Hatori had forbade him to go alone with Yuu, but Chiaki really wasn't in the mood to comply with him.

Suddenly, the dark brunette's eyes widened. Wait, Hatori had said he couldn't go ALONE, but he never said anything about…

Chiaki quickly sifted through the contacts in his cellphone for a certain number then hit send.

"Hello?" The voice answered.

"Araki-kun? It's Yoshino. Hey are you doing anything tonight?"

There was a long pause on the other line.

"…Umm…I guess I'm not…why?"

"I'm going to a new restaurant tonight with a friend and I was wondering if you'd come with me. I need another person."

"Uh…well…I don't know."

"Please? I'm really in a bind. Hey I know! How bout you come and it'll be my treat?"

"Oh no, I don't want to put you out."

"You're not, you're not! Seriously, will you go with us? You'd reaaaaallly be helping me out! And it'll be fun!"

He heard Araki sigh.

"Well…okay. I guess I could come."

"Over here Araki-kun!" Chiaki called from a corner of the ticket area. Hisashi carefully slid his way through the crowd, having just gotten off his train to meet up with Yoshino.

Chiaki smiled as the blonde as he approached, then scanned the crowd again.

"I hope I'm not late," Hisashi panted, a little winded from his brisk walk across the station.

"Oh no, you're fine," Chiaki replied. "But I still don't see him…he's usually on time. Wonder where he is."

Hisashi's brow creased as he thought of something.

"Yoshino-san, he never told me the name of your friend—"

"Oy Chiaki!" A voice from the staircase behind them. Hisashi froze. Was that voice…familiar?

"Yuu! There you are!" Chiaki said as Yuu walked down the steps. The auburn-haired assistant smiled at his friend, but when Hisashi turned around, both of their mouths dropped.

"Alright!" Chiaki cheered, bouncing up the steps. "I'm starving! Let's go eat!"

Chiaki sat between the two co-workers eagerly browsing through his menu and stirring his straw in his drink.

"Araki-kun, what are you gonna get?"

The blonde's eyes peered across the printed sheet again, occasionally flickering up to Yuu irritably.

"I don't know yet." He replied, looking over the menu again.

"What's wrong?" A cool voice piped up. "Can't make up your mind?"

Hisashi's lip subtly tightened at Yuu's casual tone, but condescending words. He bit back a retort, not wanting to cause a scene.

Yuu rolled his eyes as Araki didn't fight back, and refocused his attention on Chiaki.

"Oh Yuu look! They have giant tuna! Remember when we used to get that in high school?"

Yuu nodded, a slight smiling creeping over his face.

"Yeah, and I remember the first time you tried wasabi. You put the whole chunk on your roll and ate it, then you started screaming right in the restaurant that your mouth was on fire."

Chiaki stuck out his tongue at the distasteful memory.

"Yuck, I still can't stand that stuff. I like sweet foods. Spicy stuff is gross."

Yuu chuckled.

"I know you like sweet foods. You eat all my red bean buns when you come over. And you still haven't replaced the last batch you ate."

"I didn't?" Chiaki said, wide-eyed. "Whoops."

"And you drink all my beer and fall asleep on my couch." Yuu added, his smile growing wider. "You refuse to make rice, and if you didn't have your friends around you'd be dead within a week since all you can do is draw!"

"Yuu! Cut it out!" Chiaki laughed back.

The cheerful tones of the two friends brought the blue pebbles of Hisashi's eyes up from his menu. He watched silently as the auburn-haired Yuu talked down to his friend, but there was no hatred or bitterness in his tone. He laughed, and his rusty red eyes shimmered, as if he were listing all the things he loved about his friend, pouring affection into each word. The blonde saw friendship and love between the mangaka and the assistant, and while it might have warmed his heart, any heat he might have felt was blocked as a distant memory surface in his mind, causing a cold wind to wrap itself around his head and heart.