Warnings and such in part 1

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Youji sat, hunched over on the couch, head resting in his hands. The blonde’s trademark sunglasses were sitting next to the half empty teacup on the low table. The phone sat nearby, earpiece and receiver face down. He’d just gotten off the phone with Omi, letting him know with as little detail as possible what had happened, and asked the youngest housemate if he could keep Ken out a little longer. Omi had understood and said he’d find something to keep the soccer player occupied for a couple more hours.

After Aya had slid to the floor, Youji had spoken to the doctor, gotten a few details, some he hadn’t wanted, but told the man that he and Aya would be by at some point the next day to take care of whatever arrangements needed to be made. The blonde was still coming to terms with the news. Aya-chan was dead. Aya had just been to see her, three days ago. Youji had driven him, had popped in to say hi to the girl who’d been sleeping the entire time he’d known her, then wandered outside until Aya was finished. Nothing had seemed wrong then.

Youji’s head popped up at the noise of the redhead’s boots on the wrought iron spiral staircase, hands falling into his lap. Youji shifted over on the couch so there was room for Aya to settle down next to him on the couch. The redhead leaned into the warm body briefly before taking the fuller of the steaming cups, setting his box in its place.

They sat in silence, each to their own thoughts, sipping the hot beverage. Youji had made Aya’s favorite blend, knowing exactly where the redhead had hidden the stash of tealeaves from his housemates. The TV continued to drone on, neither of them having bothered to switch it off. Youji welcomed the noise. He wasn’t sure what to say, what to do. Youji watched Aya watching his box, though the blonde pretended to watch the movie he’d long lost interest in.

When the cups were empty, Youji rose and fetched the still warm pot of tea to refresh their cups, giving Aya time to think and gather himself. The smaller man’s insistence that the thast be done as soon as possible had given Youji his direction for the night. Push, but gently. Let Aya think he’s leading, but take him down the path he needs to follow, Youji thought as he retrieved the tea.

“Aya?” the blonde asked softly as he topped off the mugs and settled back on the sofa. “What’s in the box?” The question was gentle, a soft nudge to keep the swordsman moving forward on the mission he’d setup for himself.

Silently, Aya reached for the shoebox, pulling it into his lap and tipping the lid off, placing it back on the table. His eyes slid closed as he withdrew two photos and handed them to his lover.

The wallet sized pictures had to be several years old. One was of Aya-chan, looking exactly as she had three days ago, with the exception of the bright smile lighting up her face. The other was of Aya’s parents.

Youji wrapped an arm around Aya’s waist as he studied the faces. “She looks like you,” he murmured, looking at the girl that he had only ever seen sleeping. Youji placed the photos gently on the table as a key was offered.

The bank safety deposit key had a small tag threaded through the hole at the top, with ‘hospital papers’ written in Aya’s handwriting. Two more keys followed, for a second safe deposit box labeled ‘Aya-chan’ and what appeared to be a key for a storage unit of some kind.

Youji tightened his arm around Aya’s waist causing the redhead to meet his gaze, sad violet eyes looking up at him.

“This one,” Aya touched the first key, speaking softly, “has the papers to transfer Aya-chan to a new hospital. This one,” he repeated the light touch, “has some things that I wanted Aya-chan to have, after she woke up, when she was old enough.”

Aya took back the third key, staring at it as it rested in his open palm. “It’s,” Aya started after a minute, gaze locked on the key that seemed to weigh so heavily in his palm. “It’s stupid,” he said softly, curling his hand around the key.

Youji placed two fingers under the pale man’s chin and turned his head so he was looking into his eyes. “It can’t be stupid,” Youji softly prompted, “if it was something you did for her.”

“I started collecting things,” Aya said quietly. “Our home was destroyed, all our belongings gone in the explosion. After I joined Kritiker, I started accumulating stuff, so she would have clothes, linens, things she would need for a life on her own, when she woke up.” He paused, taking a breath. “There’s not a lot there; medical bills took precedence. But it was enough that I didn’t have room for it. I got the storage, so it wouldn’t pile up.”

And so you wouldn’t have to remember, Youji thought. “It’s not stupid,” Youji softly declared, his voice deeper with emotion. He could feel tears pricking as his eyes and he willed them back. How much pain did his lover have to suffer in his life? Why did it seem the world conspired against the redhead living a happy life. Youji knew his life hadn’t been all peaches and cream, but it seemed that Aya had felt nothing but suffering. He wrapped both arms around Aya’s waist and the redhead let himself be held, slumping against the warm chest.

Youji whispered close to his ear. “You never gave up hope that she would wake up. There is nothing stupid in that. You took her name and avenged her and your parents, never thinking that she wouldn’t some day come back to you. You loved her, Aya, and made sure that when she did wake up she would be taken care of. There is nothing stupid or weak about that.”

Youji’s arms released Aya as he turned. The redhead wrapped his arms around the blonde’s waist, burying his face in Youji’s neck. They remained that way for a long moment and Youji didn’t try to fight the tears. At that moment, he wasn’t sure who he was crying for, but he felt as if something huge had been lost, and he couldn’t put words to what it may have been. Aya’s hope, his own, the light that seemed to be able to brighten Aya as much as he was ever brightened. Youji didn’t know, and that saddened him as much as the loss of another innocent life. Not an impersonal innocent life like the ones that flashed on the screen when Manx brought their missions, but someone he had known, had been growing to love in his own way, even if she never knew it.

When Aya finally pulled back, Youji surreptitiously ran a hand across his eyes, but he couldn’t totally hide the stray tear that rolled down his cheek. Aya wiped it away with a thumb and kissed the blonde softly in thanks, earning a soft sad smile in reply. Youji squeezed the smaller man again before letting him return to his task.

There wasn’t much left in the box, a couple scraps of paper, a picture of the four housemates taken in the koneko one day, most of the picture taken up by a surprised looking Aya in the foreground. One of their fan girls had taken it and made them all copies. There were better pictures of the four of them together, but this one showed them for how they truly were, or at least how they were in daylight. Youji watched Aya put it aside on the table.

A folded piece of printer paper emerged from the box and was placed gently beside it on the table without being opened. Older creases had been smoothed so that only one fold marred the paper. Though he didn’t know for sure, Youji had a suspicion as to what the creases were hiding. That sketch of Aya, the one he’d done while waiting for him to wake up several weeks ago. He’d been sketching more since them, the half remembered talent rising up and giving him something to do with his hands when he couldn’t smoke or leave the store. Aya had bought him a sketchpad recently. It was already half full.

Youji watched Aya stare at the tiny piece of paper in his hand. Silently, he dropped the phone carefully into his lover’s lap and made to rise. Youji didn’t think he needed to be there for the conversation that was going to take place.

“Stay?”

The soft request surprised him, but wordlessly, Youji nodded, settling back on the couch, wrapping one arm supportively around Aya’s waist as the smaller man took up the phone in hands that were barely not shaking and dialed.


Part 2 | Part 4


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