by Empath no Tenshi
They say that summer is the season of the sun. Someone tell me why the said sun suddenly disappeared and was replaced by dark clouds and roaring thunder. Of course, the rain had to fall down right when Hisoka and I went for a swim. Talk about perfect timing.
We hastily swim back to the shore to gather our belongings. I grab my coat and wrap it around Hisoka, and use the beach blanket to cover myself. Then we run back to the hotel along with the others who also had just gotten out of the water to seek shelter.
It’s a good thing the elevators are just a few steps from the hotel’s main entrance otherwise we would’ve been thrown out by the concierge for walking on these shiny marble steps dripping wet all over.
We ascend to our room and once outside the door, Hisoka pulls out from one of my coat pockets the book that he was reading earlier. He flips through the pages and stops at page 118 where he had apparently inserted the card key.
“Thank goodness. It’s not wet.” He sighs in relief.
He swipes the card key and turns the knob to open the door. We walk in and I close the door behind me. As I put our stuff down, Hisoka heads straight for the bathroom and comes back out bringing a towel for both of us. “Here.” He hands one of them to me, which I gladly accept.
“This won’t do. I’m going to take a shower.” Hisoka tells me then saunters to the bathroom while I’m rubbing my hair dry. I guess he doesn’t like the idea of taking a bath in the rain.
Cold. I peel off my wet shorts and dry myself. It always feels good to be in fresh, dry clothes. An accidental glance at the window and I notice just now that the curtains are still open. It’s a good thing that we’re on the top floor or else that wouldn’t have been what I’d call a not-so-embarrassing experience.
I was planning to let down the curtains, but the big drops of water distract me again. I always get the same feeling when it’s raining. Looking at it makes me feel so relaxed and allows me to reminisce. The rhythmic pounding of the raindrops feels like the perfect background music for the sullen atmosphere brought by the gray surroundings.
~ “Kohi-chan… Kohi-chan…” ~
~ “Asato-chan? Why are you crying…?” ~
~ “Kohi-chan won’t wake up…” ~
~ “I see… I guess it’s time for the little kitty to go…” ~
~ “But… but… I want to be with Kohi-chan forever…” ~
~ “Asato-chan, in this world, nothing lasts forever… But, it’s not the time that matters; it’s how you cherished every moment of it. So if you find something you want to keep, hold it close to your heart… because it’s meant to disappear someday. And when it does… it’s gone forever.” ~
“Yes… oneechan. I’ll remember that. I won’t let his hand ever slip away from mine.”
The sound of the trickling water from the bathroom dies down and a swishing noise of the shower curtain signals that Hisoka is already done taking a bath. The translucent door opens and he steps out wearing a towel. Only a towel. It’s wrapped around his slim waist leaving the rest of his upper body bare.
I’ve always known that Hisoka has a shapely figure. Even with his clothes on, I could easily make out his perfect curves. But now that I can see what’s underneath those long-sleeved shirts that he’s so fond of wearing, I only have one thing to say:
I never thought that my little partner could be this… sexy.
Once again I can feel my body moving on its own. As my feet slowly take me to him, I begin to feel a fluttering sensation my stomach, as if it has butterflies in it. Then I stop right in front of him and touch his cheek, making him automatically blush. Through a caress, I feel the smooth contour of his jaw then I move my fingers down to his slender neck and shoulder. I love feeling the smooth surface of his flawless skin. And I let my index finger trail down… down… down… until I reach the towel wrapped around his waist. I play with the edge of the rough fabric until I spot the tiny fold holding it together.
And with a single flick of my finger…
“You PERVERT!!!”
Hisoka’s voice shatters my eardrums before something hits me on the face. Hard.
“Owww…” I moan in pain as I try to soothe my broken nose by running gentle rubs over it.
I look at him to demand what’s wrong and I notice only now that he had just walked out of the bathroom, breathing fast and very red in the face.
And he’s wearing a bathrobe… not a towel.
Darn it.
Another daydream. I’ve been doing that more often lately. And Hisoka sleeping next to me every night since we came here isn’t helping me get rid of them at all.
“In case you’ve forgotten, I’m an empath. I could sense your…” And his blush deepens “naughty thoughts… Even from the other side of this wall!” He scolds, pointing at the bathroom.
“S… Sorry… Hisoka.” I stammer.
I can’t look him in the eye, so I opt to keep my head down. That’s when I see a bar of soap on the floor. Oh. So that was what hit me.
Hisoka briskly walks to the cupboard and hastily snatches some clothes. He walks back into the bathroom to change there instead.
I guess I’ve gotten myself in trouble. Again.
Oh! I know!
I dash to the kitchen eager to make a cup of tea for him. Peace offering? Maybe. But I guess I’ll make one anyway because I’m sure he’s feeling cold by now after what happened earlier. Besides, it’s always nice to sip warm liquid after taking a shower. It balances the cold feeling by warming the insides.
I fill the kettle with water then put it above the stove. I check the cabinets for tea packs but find none. Oh dear… I forgot that we still haven’t bought any groceries yet.
“What are you looking for?” Hisoka asks upon entering the mini-kitchen, now wearing a fit, navy blue sweatshirt and jeans.
“Um… I was hoping to make tea but we don’t have any.”
I walk over to the stove and switch it off. No use heating water now.
“Hm… we’re out of food too. What do you say we go out and buy some groceries?” Hisoka asks with his usual mellow voice.
“You… you’re not mad at me anymore?” I ask, still nervous.
Wrong move. Hisoka answers my question with a deadly glare.
“Don’t push your luck.” He answers, frighteningly calm.
~)-0-(~
The walk out of the hotel was filled with uneasy silence. Even now that we’re out here walking in the damp streets, neither of us starts a conversation. I don’t dare talk fearing that if I say the wrong thing, I might ignite Hisoka’s wrath and make him snap. Trust me, I know how scary he can get when he’s angry.
The rain has stopped, but it’s still very cold. Even if his sweatshirt has long sleeves, Hisoka is visibly shivering. Now I wish I brought my trench coat. I’d wrap it around him, but it’s soaked so I left it in the hotel room.
“Excuse me.” Hisoka mutters after sneezing.
“Did you catch colds?” I ask him. Then I walk closer to him and feel his forehead with my palm.
“I think I have one coming.” He sighs.
I survey him and he does look pale.
“Do you want to go back?” I ask, my anxiety very audible.
Hisoka shakes his head. “No, it’s okay. The convenient store is just one more block from here anyway. Let’s just buy what we need as fast as we can then head back.”
“Are you sure?” I ask him, and he answers with a nod.
“By the way, how much money did you bring?”
I fish my pockets for my wallet. Not here. Wait, if I remember it correctly, the last time I touched that was when I bought breakfast this morning, then…
Uh-oh.
So I said Hisoka’s wrath is scary. I think I forgot to mention the part that I never seem to learn my lesson.
“Um… um… Hisoka…?” I start, very- very- nervous.
“What?” He looks at me, eyebrows raised in curiosity.
“I… er… left it.” I’m biting my lower lip now. “The wallet.” I finish and automatically cover my head.
“You WHAT!!!?” He cries out in surprise.
“I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry! I’m so sorry!” I frantically utter, cowering in fear.
“Tsuzuki, how do you expect to buy anything without any money!?” He reprimands, almost yelling at me.
“I forgot that it was still in my trench coat!” I desperately try to explain.
“Really.” He sighs in exasperation then turns on his heel. He starts to head back to the direction of the hotel but I step in front of him and put my hands on his shoulders. “You don’t need to go back. I’ll do it. You just go ahead to the convenient store and get what we need. I’ll be back as soon as I can, okay?”
Hisoka scowls at me with that very cute scowl of his again, but his expression soon softens.
“Oh all right.”
~)-0-(~
I race back to our room and get my wallet from my still soaked trench coat. Lucky the bills in it didn’t get wet. Right, now that I’m done here, I should get going. Hisoka doesn’t seem to be feeling well so it’s not a good idea too keep him waiting.
I sprint to the elevator and out of the hotel. The moment I step into the street outside the resort, I see someone being roughly pulled into one of the hidden alleys. I hide on the corner first then slowly sneak closer to them. From what I can see, there are two men holding the young boy as he struggles to get free. There’s another guy leading them and keeping watch at the same time.
The kid’s hands are tied and he’s also blindfolded. His screams are muffled by another piece of cloth tied around the back of his neck, covering his lips. His voice is also nearly inaudible because of the roaring thunder.
And, as expected, the rain pours down again.
Perfect. I could use this to my advantage. I check if there are no witnesses first then turn myself invisible and rush to the boy’s aid. I reach them just in time to stop them from getting him into the car. I get behind one of the two guys holding him and hit the back of his neck, knocking him out. Now I only have two more goons to worry about.
The other guy holding the boy abruptly turns to look at his accomplice when he collapses to the ground. I deliver a rough punch to his face and the blow knocks him out too. The last one remaining freaks out after seeing what happened to them and runs off.
I turn myself visible again and half kneel beside him to untie the blindfolds, then the thin nylon rope binding his wrists. I have a slight problem undoing the tight knots for a couple of minutes before I finally see who it is.
“Ayase.”
His initial reaction was to glare but upon recognizing me he sighs in relief.
“Oh. It’s you. Thank you… for saving me.” He smiles wanly.
“Are you okay?”
Obviously not. Nice question, Asato.
“Yes… Yes, I’m okay.” Ayase answers. He’s cold, had been forcefully dragged all the way into this alley and had just nearly been kidnapped. He’s obviously lying.
“Let’s go back to the hotel. You’ve had a rough time.”
I get up and offer a hand to him. He takes it and gets on his feet.
“Thanks.” He takes a deep breath to calm down and we head back.
~)-0-(~
It’s a good thing they were handing out towels to the customers at the lobby due to the sudden downpour of rain, because we were already awfully drenched by the time we got back. We take a seat at one of the sofas to loosen up a bit. Ayase looks like he’s already feeling okay but he still seems a bit tense. He’s staring fixatedly at some invisible point in space.
“Ayase, who were those guys?” I ask him to wake him from his thoughts.
“Just another one of them I suppose…” Ayase answers with a casual shrug.
“Them who…?” I press on.
“People who want to kill me. Typical. I’m used to it already.” He answers impassively, his voice distant.
“There are people who want to kill you? Why?” I’m nosy. I know.
“I… have something that they want. My father refused to give me to them, so they killed him when I was just five. Even until now, they’re still after me. It’s a wonder I’m still alive. But… I am thankful they haven’t touched my mother. Probably because they know that if they kill her, I’ll follow right away.” He conveys, trying his best to sound calm but his voice has a very obvious note of melancholy.
“Don’t worry. As long as I’m here, I’ll protect you.” I lay a hand on his shoulder.
Another rash promise, and if Hisoka was here, he’d have smacked me by now. But I can’t help it. Ayase sounds so… lonely. So, I want to help him.
Speaking of Hisoka… Oh no, I completely forgot about him. Poor thing, he must be waiting for me.
“Thanks… but I don’t want your protection. I’ve had enough of people dying because of me… just like my father.” Ayase softly voices out with a wavering voice. “I wish… I just wish that they’d leave us alone…” He begins to sob.
Without any second thoughts, I wrap my arms around him and pull him into a hug. I try to comfort him by rubbing his back. I absently look around the lobby as more and more people enter and begin to fill the room. They probably decided that since they can’t go out anyway, they might as well spend the rest of the day here.
The entrance door opens and in comes a familiar figure, holding a bag of groceries. Hisoka’s back. He looks around and his gaze stops at our direction. I smile at him but he doesn’t respond. He merely continues to stare at us with a stunned look on his face.
And he runs off to the elevator.
I wonder what’s wrong…?
“Arigatou, Tsuzuki-san.” Ayase pulls away and dries his tears.
Oh no.
~)-0-(~