A/N- "This week, on Stay: Yoshimori and Sen's secret might be in peril! Is someone about to find out what they've been trying to hide?!" ...Yeah. That's basically it. Hope you like my take on Tokiko. And I'm sorry if Yoshimori is starting to seem consistently OOC now; I think I need to go back and revisit the anime sometime soon... -sigh- Anyway...chapter six. -OA
Disclaimer: Nah.
Chapter Six
It was a bit warm for the time of year, Yukimura Tokiko decided, standing on the top of the wall and watering her plants. It was still cold enough for jackets, but the sun was shining brightly overhead for the third day in a row, without any rain and hardly any clouds. It was a nice change from the usual frigid weather, but her plants might suffer if the relative heat continued.
Humming softly to herself, the petite woman glanced down into her neighbors' yard, sniffing at the general décor of the place. Sure, the grass was clipped neatly and the weeds kept back, but that was about all that could be said for the Sumimuras' gardening skills. There were hardly any flowers in the flower beds, nothing colorful to compliment all the green and brown. A house full of useless men, that's what it was.
…Though, perhaps not all of them were useless. She had tasted Shuji-san's cooking before, and it very nearly rivaled that of her daughter-in-law; that was definitely a redeeming point in his favor, but the rest of them-
The train of thought was derailed as her sharp eyes took in the presence of a not-so-familiar face. She searched her memory for the applicable name as she watched the blonde young man cross the Sumimura backyard; with a barely audible sigh, he seated himself on the bench set against the house, leaning back against the wall. If he looked up to the top of the wall that separated the two homes, he would be able to see her, in plain sight. But almond-shaped brown eyes were fixed on the ground, tinted with a downcast expression.
Tokiko made no move, no sound, as she stood there and observed in secret. Under normal circumstances, the boy- Kagemiya Sen- would have sensed her presence. If she recalled correctly, he was half-ayakashi, and member of Masamori-kun's Yagyou squad. He should have known she was there almost instantly.
And yet…
The blonde gave that sigh again, running a hand through his tousled hair. The other came up to rest over his stomach, smoothing the fabric of his shirt over a small bump in otherwise lean musculature. The old woman frowned; it seemed unlikely that a trained member of the Urakai would be permitted or even have the opportunity to achieve an obvious weight gain like that. And for what reason was he staying with the Sumimuras? It couldn't be an issue of Karasumori's security, or she would already have heard about it. So then…
Completely unaware of his silent watcher, the teenager closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall of the house; his posture spoke of weariness. The hand tangled in his hair dropped to join its twin on his stomach, both palms flat against his flesh, almost as if-
Tokiko's eyes widened only slightly as realization hit. Could it be…?
So. Those rumors she had heard all those years ago might be true after all.
"Boy," she called; his eyes snapped open instantly at the sound of her voice, his frame going rigid as he sat upright. His hands jerked away from his abdomen as if they'd been burned. It took less than a second for him to find her, perched atop that wall with the garden hose still in her hand. She shifted the aforementioned hose slightly, reminding herself not to drown the plants closest to her in her preoccupation. "When are you due?" It was a chance she had to take to prove the theory.
She felt a sense of mild satisfaction to see the blood drain from his face and his eyes widen. It was satisfying not because he was obviously starting to panic, but because his reaction was proving her theory correct.
"Wh-what?" the blonde stammered, rising to his feet and staring at her. Yes. Definitely panic. Definitely proving. "What did you say?"
She tilted her head to the side. "I asked you when you're due," the old woman repeated. "You're with child, aren't you?"
"It is a little known fact that male half-ayakashis are similar to their full-blood brethren in the matter of breeding. Regular ayakashi males can reproduce themselves, if there happen to be a lack of females in the surrounding area; this has been proven. However, this condition also applies to half-ayakashi males, regardless of whether or not their permanent form is humanoid. Even if they are human-form, they still possess the ability to bear young."
She had never imagined that what the crazed physician told her so long ago would be proven true, much less in front of her own eyes.
"That's insane!" the teen exploded, hands clenching into fists. Even from where she stood, she could tell he was shaking, and she was fairly sure it wasn't from anger. Likely it was closer to fear. For obvious reasons, this was a secret he didn't want exposed. So how much did the Sumimuras know, then? "You've lost it, obaasan." She knew he was hoping that she wouldn't hear the frantic note in his voice. "In case you hadn't noticed, I'm a guy."
Tokiko gave him a sharp look for insulting her intelligence and state of mind. "I'm aware of that, boy," she replied. "Maybe I would be insane if I didn't know that male half-ayakashis can bear children."
He wavered, furious expression melting into shock and denial. And panic. Can't forget the panic. "No," he whispered, shaking his head. "How can you- how can you know that? Chief didn't even know-" He held an arm over his middle, looking away. When she studied him closer, she saw further negative evidence of his condition; underneath the blush of shame and embarrassment, his skin was paler than she remembered, and faint circles rested beneath his eyes. His body was unused to this new capability it had been presented with and didn't know how to respond correctly.
"You didn't answer my question," she pointed out serenely.
"Six months!" he snapped with a venomous glare. In the next second he looked startled, realizing that he'd actually offered up the information. Tokiko nodded absently; he looked about the right size for the time frame, perhaps slightly underweight.
Now the next question was, who was the father? Presumably Masamori-kun had left Kagemiya Sen with his family for a reason. It was possible that the eldest son of the Sumimuras was just looking for a calmer place for the teen to stay for a while, but that seemed too disconnected to her. Surely with the resources of the Urakai, Masamori-kun would have been able to find other safe places for the pregnant half-ayakashi to stay. So why his home…?
Ah.
She glanced down at the boy, eyeing him critically. There was no denying that he was very pretty, in a sharp, irritable sort of way. Of course, she knew better than to assume that this pregnancy was Masamori-kun's doing; the young man didn't seem the type, regardless of how pretty the boy. And even if he was the type, she didn't think the Yagyou leader would risk his standing and reputation by involving himself with a subordinate. An underage subordinate, at that. So if she was searching within the realm of the Sumimura family, that only left one more option.
Legitimate successor indeed.
That impulsive brat…
A furious shout captured her attention, drawing her out of her thoughts. She hid a smirk, turning toward the source of the commotion. Eventually, if she stood on the wall long enough, she was bound to attract his notice.
"You! What are you doing up there, old hag? Stop spying on our house!" Sumimura Shigemori dashed over to the base of the wall, glaring up at her and waving a fist. She noticed the flicker of his eyes in the direction of the blonde teen, but no further reaction was forthcoming
Tokiko sniffed, lifting her nose in the air. "Why would I want to spy on a house of unmannerly men?" she inquired loftily. "I'm merely standing on my wall, watering my plants."
It was most amusing how everything she said served to incense the old man. "That wall is on our property!" he roared. "It belongs to us!"
"This wall was built by my grandfather!" she shouted back. The only problem with incensing him…was that she always ended up getting drawn into it herself. "It belongs on our property!"
"You crazy old hag!"
"You batty old coot!"
"You imposters! We, the Sumimura family, hold the blood of the legitimate successors!" The old man leapt nimbly onto the wall, facing her. Tokiko jerked the garden hose up and sprayed water into his face. He sputtered, jumping back out of reach, his face cast in fury. The two elderly kekkaishi would have continued the fight, but a rustling sound caught their attention.
A brief glance showed that Kagemiya Sen was gone from the yard below. A solitary figure disappeared into the distance, jumping over the rooftops of the neighborhood.
"He might hurt himself doing that," Tokiko observed neutrally. She shot Shigemori a look. "Or the baby."
A flash of shock appeared in his eyes and then vanished. "So you know," he stated.
She snorted. "I'm a woman, old man," she said pointedly. "It's easy enough to tell. Anyway, I heard of the possibility of these kinds of pregnancies years ago."
She could tell he was interested, and perhaps wanted to ask her more, but pride stood in the way. "This is Sumimura business, Tokiko," the old man said flatly. "We can manage it on our own."
The old woman hned. "I wonder."
"What was that, you hag? Are you insulting the Sumimura name?!"
"You couldn't manage your way out of a paper bag on your own! Just look what happened with Kokubourou!"
"That's completely unrelated, and- Wait, what do you mean, 'what happened with Kokubourou'?!"
And so the war began again.
Kagemiya could feel his heart beating against his ribcage, so hard that he thought it might burst out of his chest at any moment. A mantra was pounding inside his head, almost in time with his heart; the combination was so loud and dizzying that he could scarcely think.
She knows, she knows, she knows, how does she know, why does she know? Kami-sama, what am I going to do? She knows-
Karasumori loomed before him, drawing him closer to the one person he needed to see. The blonde hurtled over the school gate- So much for not leaping over houses and stuff in broad daylight, huh?- and across the grounds, narrowly avoiding a PE class of girls before reaching the school building.
"…I fell asleep on the roof…"
Please, kami, please let him be skipping…
His head tilted back as he stared up toward the roof, seemingly miles away. For a fleeting second he considered giving up and waiting for Yoshimori to come home from school. But the panic was still running through his bloodstream, his heart was still pounding, the mantra was still echoing in his skull- He couldn't wait.
It took a while, even with his abilities, to find a route up to the very top of the roof. It would have been much easier if he had Yoshimori's kekkais to use as footholds, but all he had was the fear and adrenaline and that incessant mantra to drive him upwards.
She knows, she knows, someone knows, how the hell did she find out?! What are we going to do?!
Kagemiya stumbled over the edge of the roof finally, staggering to a halt. Relief crashed down on him when he saw that the kekkaishi really was skipping; the dark-haired teen was stretched out only a few feet away, arms folded behind his head and resting on a small pillow.
He opened his mouth to say the other boy's name- Yoshimori!- but nothing came out; his lungs were empty of air. The blonde hunched over, clutching his knees for support as he tried to drag in a breath. His body wouldn't cooperate with the demands of his brain- Breathe! Say something, damn it!- but it didn't really matter. Black eyes jerked in his direction, attention captured by the sounds of the other's appearance. The middle schooler jolted upright, those eyes wide with shock.
"Kagemiya?!" Yoshimori scrambled to his feet, hurrying over to the other teen. "What are you doing here? Did something happen?"
Kagemiya gasped out "-She knows-" before lightheadedness swept over him, the edges of his vision going black. Maybe he was falling; it was hard to tell. Everything was drifting away, and he was being pulled under a heavy blanket of that darkness-
"Kagemiya!"
The pure terror echoing through every syllable of his name brought him back to the surface. The darkness receded, clearing his vision. Though the interim had hardly felt like more than a few seconds, Kagemiya found that the scene had changed somewhat. He shifted his head, blinking, and realized he was slumped forward against a familiar broad chest. "…Yoshimori?" The dark-haired boy was on his knees, staring down at the blonde with something akin to panic. Kagemiya thought idly that that was probably the same expression he'd been wearing himself.
Yoshimori released an explosive breath, relief dancing across his features. "You're okay," he whispered, so quiet that Kagemiya wasn't even sure he'd been meant to hear it. The pregnant teen leaned back, trying to sit up, and felt strong arms steady him. "Careful," the other boy cautioned. "You passed out, remember?"
Oh… Was that what that was? When did running across roofs get to be so exhausting? He guessed he knew the answer to that one.
Why did I come here in the first place…?
The blonde's eyes widened, and Yoshimori stiffened as if preparing himself for another fainting spell or something. Kagemiya reached out and grabbed the front of the middle schooler's shirt, fear taking over again.
"The Yukimura obaasan," he choked out. "She knows…that I'm pregnant."
"…Eh?! The old hag knows?!"
He sounds like his grandfather. Kagemiya nodded and then wished he hadn't; the action made everything spin a bit dizzily. "She…asked me when I was due," the blonde said faintly, pressing a hand to his temple. The memory pulsed in time with the massive headache that was forming behind his eyes. What a mess, what a mess… "And I…actually…told her." Six months. Kami…I'm not going to make it.
Yoshimori blinked. "You did?" The blonde nodded again, miserable. "Oh. Okay… Well, we can't help it now that she knows."
Kagemiya groaned. "But we have to do something! What if she tells someone?"
The dark-haired boy gave him a look. "Who's she going to tell?"
"I don't know!" Horror crossed his face, brought on by a terrifying thought. "What if she contacts the Urakai?!"
Yoshimori raised a brow. "The Urakai doesn't know?" he surmised, sounding confused.
An absent shake of the head. "Chief said he would keep it within Yagyou for now. If I'm here on leave, there's no need to tell them, or something like that." Kagemiya muttered a curse under his breath. "Even if she doesn't tell anyone, she still knows, and…" He frowned slightly. "She said she already knew that guys like me can get knocked up," he mused, ignoring the blush that spread over Yoshimori's face like wildfire. "I wonder how she…?"
A bell chimed over the school's PA system, announcing the change in classes. The two boys glanced down toward the ground and then at each other.
"I should probably go," Yoshimori said uneasily. "Sometimes my shikigami doesn't remember to copy down all the assignments right…"
Kagemiya latched onto his arm, panicking. "But what are we going to do?" he demanded. "What if the old woman tells the girl? How are we going to explain this?" He panted, all out of breath, staring up at Yoshimori with wide eyes.
The dark-haired teen took the blonde by the shoulders. "Kagemiya, calm down. It's not that big of a deal. We'll figure this out, okay? Even if she does tell Tokine, we can work through it. Tokine'll understand."
"No one can understand!" the pregnant teen hissed. His stomach did a back flip and he stopped, apprehension shooting through him. Wait, wait, just breathe, alright? Stop freaking out…
Yoshimori studied him, gaze worried. "I promise, it's going to fine. Look, why don't you just stay up here and rest, okay? I'll go to class and then I'll come back up and get you." He rose to his feet, preparing to leave the blonde there in the middle of the roof. Kagemyia gritted his teeth and grabbed Yoshimori's sleeve as he went by, desperate. A blush worked across his face.
"Don't…go."
"…What?"
"I don't want you to go, bastard!"
Yoshimori crouched down by Kagemiya's side. "Kagemiya, it's only one more class. Come on, just wait here for a while. I…I don't want you to go back without me, alright? You still look kinda pale, and I don't want anything to happen… Class'll be over before you know it."
I'm. Not. Going. To. Cry. There's absolutely no reason for me to be crying. No reason in hell why I should be crying…
The blonde watched in silence, barely holding back tears, while Yoshimori darted over to get his pillow and brought it back, dropping it in the other teen's lap.
"Here, you can use this if you want," the dark-haired teen said, rubbing the back of his head in embarrassment. Kagemiya stared down at the pillow. It was ruffled. And pink. Um… "I'll be back in a little bit," Yoshimori said, heading for the ladder that led down from the roof. "Wait for me." He searched the other's eyes, still concerned. Kagemiya gave a slight nod, looking away, so the kekkaishi grinned and swung his legs over the lip of the roof, disappearing over the edge.
The blonde sat there for a while in silence, gazing into space.
She knows.
What are we going to do about it…?
"It's not the big of a deal. We'll figure this out, okay?"
Why…is everything so easy for you?
Heaving a sigh, Kagemiya curled up on his side, the pink and ruffled pillow under his head, and closed his eyes wearily.
"…I don't want you to go back without me… Wait for me."
He drifted beneath the sea of unconsciousness with Yoshimori's words ringing in his ears.
A/N- Geez, Sen really needs to calm down, huh? .......Review........? -crickets- -OA
