Chapter Six: A Not So Safe Day Out

The familiar tone from Kazuki's mobile phone filled the room. No, not now... He reached over to the bedside drawers and picked it up. He clicked the answer button. "Hello? Yes. Yes, I understand."

Keita stirred from his sleep and looked up at Kazuki through fatigued blue eyes. They can't keep doing this to him!

"Yes. The weekend?" Kazuki sighed. "Alright. I'll be there shortly." He hung up the phone and let out another sigh. He noticed Keita was awake. "I'm so sorry, Keita."

The smaller boy shook his head. "It's alright, it's not your fault. I understand that you still have to attend to everything. It's not fair on you, that's all that upsets me about it."

"I'm so lucky to have you, Keita. Thank you for being so understanding." He held him tightly. "I'll have to be away for the whole weekend."

"Kazuki..."

"I'm sorry..."

Keita smiled and returned the embrace, although not as tightly. "It just means that I'll be looking forward to seeing you again on Sunday night, right?"

"I never thought of it that way."

"Anyway, I can hang out with Tracey."

"Good idea." Kazuki broke the embrace and climbed out of bed.

Keita watched as his beloved changed from his pyjamas to his business suit, and then packed a suitcase. "I am going to miss you, Kazuki."

"I'll miss you as well, Keita. I'll try to get back as soon as I can."

Keita climbed out of bed and stepped over to Kazuki. He embraced him again.

Kazuki returned the embrace and bent down so he could give Keita a parting kiss.

Keita closed his large eyes as he felt Kazuki's lips on his. He parted his lips to allow entrance and felt Kazuki's tongue slide in there. The redhead wound his tongue around his beloved's in a slow dance. When the kiss ended due to a need for oxygen, both males were smiling sadly. "I love you, Kazuki."

"I love you too, Keita." Kazuki gave him one last kiss, a much quicker peck, and then made his way out of the room, case in hand. He took one more look back at Keita, then closed the door after himself.

Keita flopped back onto the bed. Kazuki, I wish you didn't always have to do this...

Marill opened her eyes as she heard footsteps outside the room. She could recognise them, they were Kazuki's footfalls. But, what was he doing awake? Where was he going? She nuzzled her trainer.

Tracey opened one eye and saw Marill had woken him. "Marill? What's the matter?"

"Rill ma ma rill rill ma marill." Kazuki's going somewhere again.

"In the middle of the night?" He opened his other eye and sat up, taking the opportunity to look out the window. He spotted Kazuki, but why was he wearing a suit? "I'd better go see Keita."

Marill nodded. "Marill rill ma marill rill ma." Kazuki came from his room but I think Keita was there too.

"You stay here, okay? I'll be right back." Tracey climbed out of bed and made his way out of the room. He walked down to the second door he'd come across and knocked. "Keita?"

The door opened, and there stood Keita. "Hey, Tracey."

"Marill heard Kazuki leave, and I saw him. Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, he's just taking care of business for his family." That wasn't an all out lie, Kazuki was the Suzubushi heir after all. "He had to leave now because they live so far away. He's going to be gone all weekend."

"Are you going to be alright?"

"I'll be fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'm used to this. It happens a lot, but I know it can't be helped. I just wish Kazuki was allowed to sleep for once."

"Hey, do you want to go into town tomorrow?"

"Sure. It is Saturday, after all."

"Great."

"We can head out after breakfast."

"Alright then. Goodnight, Keita, I'm sorry if I woke you."

"You didn't, I was already awake. Goodnight, Tracey." He watched Tracey return to his room before closing the door. He then lay back on the bed. Kazuki...

Keita knocked on the bedroom door. "Tracey?" He heard some small scritching sounds. "Is that you, Marill?"

"Rill marill ma marill. Rill rillma marill." Yes, it's me. The door's open so you can enter.

Keita turned the knob, and sure enough, the door was unlocked. Either Tracey has the same habit I do of leaving the door unlocked, or Marill was able to unlock it just now. He approached the bed and saw the Watcher was still sleeping.

Marill jumped back onto the bed. "Marill ma, rill marill marill rill. Ma ma rill marill rillma." Tracey, it's time to get up now. Keita's here. She nudged her trainer, but he didn't stir this time.

"He must still be tired after losing sleep the night before. It's alright, we can let him sleep a bit longer."

"Marill rill ma marill ma rillma marill?" Weren't you and Tracey supposed to get breakfast together?

"Yeah, but the cafeteria will still be open in an hour."

Tracey did start to stir. "Turn the television down..." he moaned as he pulled his blankets over his head.

Keita chuckled. "Sorry for disturbing you, Tracey. I'll come back later." Keita reached out to pat Marill on the head. "See you later, Marill." As he was turning to leave the room, he heard more stirring coming from the bed.

Tracey pulled the blankets back and opened his eyes. "Keita?"

"Yeah, it's me."

He sat up and yawned. "What time is it?"

"Ten thirty in the morning."

His eyes opened wider in alarm. "What? That late already?"

"Well, it's early for a Saturday, but yeah, that's really the time."

"Oh man, I'm so sorry. We're supposed to be going into town today, aren't we?"

"It's alright. As I told Marill, the cafeteria will still be open. They have breakfast hours a little later on weekends because of students who like to sleep in."

Tracey scratched his head before letting out another yawn. He then leaned over to give Marill a pat on top of her head. "I'll get up now, I did have enough sleep."

"Are you sure?" Keita's blue eyes were filled with concern. "After the night before, are you sure you don't want a break?"

"I'm sure. While too little sleep is bad for you, too much has the same effect. I'm fine, Keita."

"Well, okay then." He turned to leave the room. "I'll meet you outside."

"Alright, then. Hey, do you know what the weather's supposed to be like?"

"Perfect weather for a day out. There's not meant to be a cloud in the sky, nor is the wind meant to be too strong. Just a warm, sunny day."

"That does sound perfect."

"Okay, I'll be outside." Keita took the last few steps and made it to the doorway. He opened the door, stepped into the hallway and closed the door after himself. He could hear shuffling coming from inside the room. "You don't have to rush yourself, Trace!" he called with a chuckle. He could hear footsteps approaching. He looked over and saw Omi and Kaoru. They looked quite serious. "Shichijo-san, Saionji-san, good morning."

"Good morning, Itou-kun," Omi replied while Kaoru just nodded his greeting.

"Is everything alright?"

"Not really. We need to talk to you very quickly," Kaoru responded.

"Okay." He raised his voice. "Hey, Tracey, I'll meet you in the cafeteria, something just came up!"

"Alright, we'll see you there!" Tracey could be heard calling back.

"Follow us," Kaoru ordered as he and Omi turned down the hallway. Keita was in hot pursuit of them.

"What did you want to talk to me about?" Keita questioned.

"I discovered something very serious last night," Omi responded as he sat at the computer. He started repeating the steps he took the night before to get into the confidential students' profiles.

"How much do you know about Tracey?" Kaoru asked.

"Kazuki told me last night, after I asked, that we met Tracey once before. He'd been attacked, and we were the ones who looked after him when he was recovering. He has no recollection of that time, most likely a trauma block," Keita replied.

Omi had found Tracey's file again. "Then, you won't be surprised when I show you this." He clicked on the link leading to a photograph.

Keita's eyes widened. "Isn't that the gang that was finally granted release from Juvenile Detention?"

Kaoru nodded solemnly. "And, chances are they may go after Tracey again, as it was thanks to you and Endou finding him and reporting them they wound up there."

"Is there any news on their whereabouts?"

"None. They're keeping a low profile," Omi explained. "I've tried to find out more about them after their release, but nothing has come up yet."

Keita frowned. "Then, it wouldn't be safe to go into town, would it?"

"No, I wouldn't advise it," Kaoru answered. "Even if you were extremely cautious, there's still the chance they might recognise you and Tracey. I take it Endou is tending to business again?"

"Yes."

"I see. You'll have to come up with other plans."

"But, I've already said to Tracey last night that we would. He'd get suspicious if I said actually, we shouldn't go into town today."

"Well then..."

"Kaoru, we can keep watch. I'll also let Niwa-san and Nakajima-san know about this," Omi stated as he closed down all paths he'd taken, cleaning up as he went. "If worst comes to worst, they can come to their aid."

"That does sound like a good idea, Omi, but the question is if they would do it or not. Even if it was for Keita and Tracey, they don't like being told what to do."

"That's a good point."

"Itou-kun, go into town anyway, but stay in very crowded areas. The gang won't act around others."

Keita nodded. "We'll be very careful."

"Good. Now, you shouldn't keep Tracey waiting, should you?"

"Oh right!" Keita dashed out of the Treasury Office.

Kaoru crossed his arms and turned to Omi. "Will they really be alright?"

Omi nodded. "As long as Itou-kun heeds my advice. I can tell by the way we haven't heard about that gang causing more trouble. If they wish to keep their low profile, they can't act on their violent whims around other citizens."

"I only hope you're right..."

"Tracey!" Keita called as he carried his tray to the table. "Sorry I'm late!"

"Itou-kun, please keep in mind that you must use a quieter voice," Kouji scolded from nearby.

"Sorry, Shinomiya-san." Keita sat down at the table. "Sorry I'm late."

"It's alright, Keita. Is everything okay?"

"Yeah. Saionji-san and Shichijo-san wanted to show me something."

"Okay." Tracey wasn't the type to pry, so he dropped that subject. "You appear to get along with a lot of people here."

Keita nodded. "Because of being an out-of-season transfer student, everyone was going out of their way to make me feel welcome. Well, almost everyone. The Ozawa twins didn't seem to like me at first, but they're not so bad around me now."

"That's good."

"Your welcome was also warm here."

"I have you to thank. When I first came here, I didn't know anybody, but you instantly approached me after learning we're neighbours. You showed me around, you introduced me to your friends, you've been by my side a lot ever since. Thank you for everything, Keita, you're a wonderful friend."

Keita blushed lightly in modesty. "Well, going to a new school is difficult."

"And you made it a lot easier for me. So, thank you."

Marill paused in eating her food to look up at her trainer and her friend. She smiled, glad to see that they were good friends.

"So, what is there to do in town?"

"Well, let's see...there's an arcade, some shopping, a beautiful sightseeing tower, even just a walk near the ocean."

"That sounds awesome."

"Doesn't it?"

Tracey noticed Keita was appearing uncomfortable. "Are you alright? You don't look so good..."

"No, I'm alright."

"Well, okay then. But, feel free to tell me if something's wrong, okay?"

I want to, but how can I tell you that we have to stay out of town because your life is in danger if we go? Keita picked up his orange juice and started to drink it. It's best that you don't remember that time, and I don't want to be the one to bring the memories back.

Marill finished her food. She could sense the tension in the air. What happened?

They were on the bus, along with many other students who'd decided a day in town was necessary to wind down after their classes for the week. Normally, one would expect a bunch of teenage boys to be extremely noisy, but instead, everyone was well-behaved. The school's reputation was on stake after all, as was their privilege to leave the campus grounds.

Keita pulled out a bag of gummy worms. "Want one?" he offered to Tracey.

The Watcher accepted and picked out a red one. "Marill can have one too, but just one. Like I said yesterday, Pokemon can eat human food as well, but it's not advised that it happens often. They need to have special food as well, I give that to her every night, so she can have all of the nutrients required in her diet."

"Okay, then." Keita pulled a green worm out and handed it to Marill. "Here you go, Marill."

Marill accepted it with a squeak of gratitude, then started to nibble on it to make it last.

I hope this day goes well. Maybe we won't come across those guys. Keita turned to look out the window. Please. Don't let them be in town.

"Keita?"

He jumped slightly and turned to Tracey. "Yeah?"

"You look like you're feeling troubled again. Are you sure you're alright?"

"I'm sure."

Tracey cocked his head to the side. "You miss Kazuki, don't you. No matter how used to it you are, you must still miss him."

Keita took that misunderstanding as an opportunity. "Yeah, I do miss him."

"Keita..."

He smiled. "But, I'm alright."

"You haven't been looking alright. I'm sorry to pry, but I'm just worried."

"No, it's alright. I appreciate your concern."

Tracey realised Keita wasn't going to talk about what was troubling him, so he decided to drop it. The rest of the trip was quiet between them. He could feel Marill fidgeting, so he started to scratch behind her ears in hopes of comforting her.

They arrived in the town. Tracey followed Keita off the bus and looked around at the new surroundings. He'd never been into the town before. When he first arrived at Bell Liberty, it was through teleportation thanks to an Abra. A lot of his spare time was taken up assisting Umino-sensei with his Pokemon data files, or trying to find something worthwhile of sketching, a perfect memory to always have.

"Like what you see?"

"I do." He whipped a sketchbook out of his backpack. He opened it and started to make a sketch of his surroundings.

Keita smiled, glad to see Tracey was already enjoying himself. "Make sure you have some spare pages, there's even more to see. Though, how come you don't just take out a camera and get some pictures with that?"

"It's better making sketches of it, because it exactly as I see it. That helps revive memories even better."

"Oh, I see."

"My sketches might still be a bit rough, but as long as they capture what my view is, then I'm satisfied."

"I don't know how many have said this, but your sketches aren't rough. You put a lot of effort into them, it's not as if you've just scribbled on your page."

"Keita?"

Keita realised he got a bit snappy at that moment. "I'm sorry. It's just...I don't like hearing you criticise your own work like that when it's beautiful. We've had to tell the same thing to Iwai-san at times too."

"Do you really think my work is beautiful?"

"I do. I'm not just saying it because we're friends. Even if you showed it to a complete stranger, they would agree with my opinion. And, Iwai-san even said himself that you're a talented artist."

Marill tapped Tracey's leg. "Marill rill marill ma." Just like I've been saying all this time.

Tracey blushed lightly at the compliments. "Thank you."

"Anyway, when you've finished that, I'll show you a sight even more breathtaking. Kazuki took me there on our first unofficial date."

"Unofficial?"

"We weren't a couple, just friends. It was just an outing between two friends, but we agreed after we started going out for real that we could dub that day our first unofficial date."

"Oh, I see." Tracey finished his sketch, then carefully closed the book and put it and his pencil back into his backpack.

"Okay, let's go!" Keita started to run off. "Hurry up, you two!"

Tracey picked Marill up and ran after Keita. "Hey, wait up, Keita!"

Neither boys realised someone was watching them.

They had slowed their pace to a simple walk after Keita came to realise what he wanted to show Tracey was further than he remembered. "We're here."

Tracey looked up at a tower standing before them. He made a very quick sketch of it, just to add to his memories. He followed Keita inside and ascended the staircase, Marill on his heels. When he got to the top, he couldn't contain the gasp of awe at the sight before him.

Marill jumped up onto the ledge and let out her own gasp. Not in all of her life had she ever seen such a beautiful view.

"It's even better at sunset," Keita commented, "but right now, it's beautiful."

"The light of the sun reflecting on the surface of the water, the life you can see with the different boats." Tracey closed his eyes and inhaled. "The salty smell of the sea air." He opened his eyes again. He started to make a sketch of the view in his sights.

Keita turned to him. "Hey, I'm just going to find out something. I'll meet you at the bottom of the tower."

"Alright. Take care."

"I will. See you soon." He made his way down the steps.

Keita looked back up the steps of the tower. "It might be a while before he comes down. Maybe I should get a couple of drinks as well. Let's see, there should be a stand nearby." As he started to move, a group of five young men approached him. His eyes widened. Oh no...

"Well, lookie who we have here," the leader laughed. "If it isn't one of the little punks that had us detained."

"Too bad the other isn't here, I wanted to teach him a lesson real good," another of them had commented.

Keita stood his ground, even though he knew exactly what these guys were capable of.

"And, that little brat who survived, he's nearby too, ain't he?" the leader questioned, not expecting an answer. "Well, we'll just have to show him we mean business." He looked back to his companions. "Mess him up real good."

Keita's eyes widened even further. This can't be happening...

Back in the tower, Tracey had almost finished his sketch. "This one will be a masterpiece, it would be a shame to ruin such a beautiful scene."

Marill's nose twitched, she could smell something unpleasant. She really hoped her nose was playing tricks on her. The smell grew stronger with each passing second, and she knew something was wrong. She closed her eyes and listened, only to hear something she never thought she would. She looked up at her trainer, and saw he was closing the sketchbook. "Marill ma! Rill marill rill marill rill ma!" Tracey! Something's happened to Keita!

"What?" He picked up the mouse, dropping his sketchbook in his hurry. He ran down the steps, not minding if he tripped, and was soon at the bottom. The sight he beheld brought him to his knees. "Keita..."

Marill jumped out of his arms and approached her friend. He was bloody, beaten and unconscious. His arm appeared to be broken. She listened for breaths and could hear them faintly. "Marill ma, rill marill!" Tracey! Call for help!

He shakily nodded and pulled out his mobile phone, the one he'd been given on his first day at his new school. He pushed the buttons required to dial the emergency number. His voice was shaking as he explained what had happened.

They rushed the bed through the hospital, Tracey running beside it. "Please tell me, will he be alright?"

"We'll need to operate," one of the doctors told the nurse.

The nurse turned to Tracey and stopped him from going any further. "You can't go any further, young man. You have to wait here."

"Please...please take care of him..." Tracey pleaded weakly.

"We'll do what we can." The nurse followed the doctors through a large pair of doors.

He stood there in shock. How could a day that was meant to go well turn out like this? How was he going to tell the others? How was he going to break the news to Kazuki? "Kazuki! I have to call him!"

Marill looked up at him, worry in her dark eyes. There were few times she'd seen him so upset, but this was one of the worst.

Tracey selected Kazuki's number, hoping the other would answer as he held the phone to his ear. A few rings, and then finally, he heard Kazuki's voice. "Kazuki! It's Tracey!" He heard Kazuki try to tell him to calm down. "Please, you have to come back right away. It's Keita. He's in surgery." He heard a shocked exclamation. "He...he was attacked...I'm so sorry, Kazuki, if I'd gone with him instead of working on one of my sketches, he wouldn't be in this condition." He could hear reassurance that it wasn't his fault, and that Kazuki would be there as soon as possible. He could also hear instructions to call the others immediately, they had to know. "I will. Please, hurry." He heard Kazuki's reassurance that he was going to be there as soon as possible before the sound of a click and a flat tone, meaning he'd hung up.

Tetsuya answered his phone. "Hello? Oh, Tracey! Never expected you to...what? Keita is? What happened?"

Hideaki turned to Tetsuya as he heard the alarm in his tone. "Something happened to Itou-kun?"

Tetsuya hung up. "He was attacked and is in surgery. Tracey told me which hospital they're at. Let's go."

Hideaki abandoned his latest virus war against Omi, hurrying after Tetsuya.

Omi answered the phone. "Tracey? Itou-kun was? Which hospital? Alright, we'll be there shortly." Omi hung up. He turned to Kaoru and could see the shock in his large, green eyes. "Itou-kun didn't follow my advice."

"How bad is it?" Kaoru asked as he set down his teacup and rose from his seat.

"He's in surgery." Omi held Kaoru before he could keel over in shock. "Let's hurry, Kaoru."

"Yes. Of course."

Shunsuke was lying on his bed when the phone rang. "Hello? Oh, hey, Tracey! What's up? What? Keita is in surgery? Which hospital is he in? That one...okay, be right there!" He hung up, sat up and hurried out of his room.

Yukihiko had set down his tennis racquet, nothing wrong with weekend practice, only to hear his phone ringing. "Yukihiko here. Tracey? Why the sudden call? Keita is? I know that hospital. Be right there!" He hung up his phone, running off the courts.

Kouji heard his phone ring, so he picked it up and answered it. "Hello, this is Shinomiya Kouji. Yes, Tracey, Takuto is also here. Itou-kun is where? Yes, I know that one. We're on our way." He hung up and turned to Takuto. "Itou-kun is in surgery."

Takuto's golden eyes widened in shock. "What happened?"

"He was attacked violently. Let's go, you can eat that on the way."

Takuto nodded and picked up his plate, following behind Kouji.

The group met outside the school gates. "You got a call as well?" Shunsuke asked Yukihiko.

"Yes. Tracey sounded very upset, it must be very serious," the tennis club captain responded.

"Where's Endou-kun?" Kouji asked as he noticed the absence of someone important to Keita.

"He's taking care of family business over the weekend," Omi responded. Only he, Kaoru and the Student Council members knew what that meant. "I'm certain Tracey called him first."

The bus pulled up, the driver was Umino-sensei. "Come on, everyone, let's go see Itou-kun!"

Everyone piled onto the bus quickly, all eager to see if Keita was going to be alright.

Marill tried to reassure Tracey, but nothing she tried was working. "Marill ma...rill marill marill rill ma marill ma rill rill." Tracey...what happened to Keita was not your fault.

"I should've gone with him, then maybe this wouldn't have happened," he whispered in response. He wasn't hugging Marill, he was hugging his knees to his chest. "Please...please let Keita be alright."

Marill looked up as she heard numerous footfalls, all rushing towards their direction. She knew who they were, it was all of Keita's friends.

Yukihiko and Shunsuke were the first to arrive on the scene, closely followed by Tetsuya and Hideaki. Omi was supporting Kaoru, Kouji was supporting Takuto and Umino-sensei was parking the bus. "Tracey! What happened?" Shunsuke asked.

"I shouldn't have let him go alone. This would never have happened if I had been with him..." was Tracey's response. He couldn't even look at them.

Omi and Kaoru had to remind themselves that Tracey didn't know what had happened in the past, nor did he know about the same gang being in town, where it was not safe to go. It was the only thing keeping them from saying anything.

Takuto moved by Tracey's side and knelt beside him, a hand on his shoulder. "What happened was not your fault. You couldn't have known something like this was going to happen. You really must not blame yourself, Tracey."

The Watcher shook his head. "Keita must've known. He was acting uncomfortable all morning, but he refused to tell me why. I should've kept pushing...if he knew going into town wasn't safe, he could've told me. I should've stayed with him, instead of focusing on that stupid sketch."

Marill had never heard Tracey say something like that about his art before. She knew something was seriously wrong.

Kaoru moved forward. "Get up." His tone was fierce, but he wasn't going to yell. They were in a hospital after all. "Tracey. Get. Up." He saw the Watcher was just sitting there. "Then look at me." Nothing. "Telling yourself that isn't going to help anyone. It hurts you and is making no progress in helping."

Tracey started to tremble, but he wasn't doing so due to pent-up sobs. It was terror. "No...I thought I forgot about that..."

Kaoru's eyes softened as he realised what was happening. Keita's attack has triggered Tracey's blocked memories.

The trembling came even harder. He paled. He put his hands over his ears and squeezed his eyes shut. "No...stop it...please...!"

"Kaoru, what did you do to him?" Tetsuya asked.

"I didn't do anything. He's reliving past trauma," Kaoru explained.

Marill didn't know what was upsetting her trainer so much. She moved to nuzzle him, only to be stopped by Omi. She looked up at the silver-haired boy who'd picked her up.

"No, it's not safe right now. We don't know how his fits go," Omi explained to the Pokemon. "Stay back."

"Kaoru, you said he's reliving past trauma...what the hell do you mean by that?" Tetsuya demanded.

"The group that attacked Keita is most likely the same group that attacked Tracey years ago," Kaoru replied. He heard Tracey let out a scream before sobs sounded. "Someone get a doctor, he needs to be sedated."

Yukihiko ran off, never minding it wasn't a good idea to run through a hospital.

Tracey/Keita: HAMU-HAMU HEAVEN!

Tracey, still in that adorable chibified-hamster form, was appearing despondent. It seemed no matter where he looked, he still couldn't find the perfect thing to sketch.

Shunsuke, also in chibified-hamster form, approached him on his bike. "Hey, what's the matter, Tracey-hamu?"

"Oh, hello, Shunsuke-hamu. I'm just in a bit of a slump-hamu."

"A slump-hamu?"

"I've been looking all over the forest, but I still can't find anything that would make the perfect sketch-hamu."

"Well, don't give up-hamu! If you do, then you'll never find it-hamu! Keep looking, you'll find it-hamu!"

Tracey brightened. "You're right-hamu! I will-hamu!"

"Maybe it's over there-hamu?"

Tracey looked, but only saw a large tree and a rock. "Well, not over there...but somewhere-hamu."

"Then, maybe it's up there-hamu!" He pointed up. "Or there-hamu!" He pointed left. "Maybe it's everywhere, but you can't see it yet-hamu!"

Tracey was seen tapping that same blackboard with that same baton. His eyes were filled with renewed determination.

Shunsuke popped up. "After the attack on Keita-hamu, Tracey-hamu's traumatic memories have started to return-hamu. It's time for Endou-hamu to explain the secrets of their past. Next time in Newest Student At BL Gakuen: Hidden Memories Uncovered. Read up, and I'll give you some delicious food-hamu!"