TITLE: Who Says College is Easy?
PART: Eleven of Eleven (END)
GENRE: Yaoi/Shounen-ai
PAIRING: Atobe x Tezuka, Ohtori x Mizuki & Akutsu x Shishido
DISCLAIMERS: The series I'm referring to does not belong to me… only this weird story does.
PART 11: FORGIVE AND NEVER FORGET
"What are you doing here?"
Atobe Keigo just smiled his usual diva smile and pushed through him, catching his arm and yanking him away from the door of his flat. Hugely built men followed, and with a snap of the Magical Atobe Finger, scattered to pack up at record speed.
"Keigo..."
"Leave the furniture behind." Atobe ordered efficiently, eyes centering on the huge painting covering the living room wall. "And pack that up carefully – it's priceless."
"What are you doing?" Tezuka Kunimitsu, the current victim of the most blatant form of robbery ever recorded in history, asked. He was close to exploding for all the stuff that was being sealed in moving crates.
"Ah, no." Atobe wagged the infamous finger in front of him. "The right question is what you, Tezuka Kunimitsu-chan, are doing." He amended arrogantly.
Tezuka's glasses glinted angrily under the light of the afternoon sun permeating through the opened windows. "What am I supposed to be doing then?"
"YOU, Mr. President, are moving out of here and into my home."
"Why would I do that?"
Atobe smirked. "For starters, you have a bad taste in decorating." He ticked the reasons off. "Second, you're going to grow even thinner since you don't believe in eating out whenever you're busy. And third, we can see each other more often if you move in." He finished with a flourish.
Tezuka rubbed the tired muscles at the back of his neck. "You can move here instead."
"That would be a problem."
"Why?"
"With just walls separating you from neighbours, how could we ever do the nasty?"
Tezuka growled as he heard the sudden snickers of the people who worked around them and his cheeks coloured in mortification. "Keigo..."
"What? You're the one to complain – you cry out louder than Ore-sama does!"
OxxxOxxxO
Mizuki hated dumping his problems on someone else. It made him feel weak and helpless. Instead of feeling his burden lighten, it felt heavier, what with the added knowledge that he had just been weak in front of someone he knew.
"What are you going to do now, Hajime?"
However, with Shishido Ryo, he felt the exact opposite. Maybe he had finally found his true friend, not even Akazawa made him feel so safe when unloading his excess emotional baggage.
Mizuki stared at Shishido forlornly, hopelessly. "I have to do it now – or I would break further." He answered quietly. His friend looked thoughtful for a moment as he smiled wanly at him. "I have been meaning to do it for quite a while anyway... and I know you know that, right?"
Shishido smiled back just as wanly. He hadn't recovered from his injuries yet, and was still resting in the same hospital that housed Kurobane before – and ironically, the same room. "Yes... I know... and I understand... but, Hajime... do you think it's a wise decision?" He placed his uninjured hand on his.
The action, coupled with the warmth of the fingers resting on the sensitive skin of Mizuki's hand was enough to make the tears in his eyes well up. Quietly, he controlled them, trying to contain the outflow of pain that seemed to be the focal point of his psyche for months now.
Struggling with his emotions, he nodded, placing his other hand on top of Shishido's.
"Yes." He spoke clearly, tears finally rearing back and subsiding before they overflowed. "I'm sure."
"What about Choutarou?" Came the dreaded question.
He stiffened. "What about him?"
Shishido's eyes bored into his own. "Are you going to leave him behind as well?"
"He already made it clear that he didn't want anything to do with me." Mizuki answered quietly, turning away to where he could see the outside world through the bay windows. Briefly, he wondered why the weather was fine when he was not the least bit emotionally stable. "I'm going to leave everything behind."
"Everything? Even the good stuff?"
"Yes." He answered truthfully. "I'm going to leave everything behind."
"Memories?"
Mizuki shook his head and looked back at him, smiling genuinely. "No. That one stays with me."
"I thought you're going to leave –"
"My memories are part of me... they will always be."
Shishido was about to say something when he was cut off by the sound of the door opening. Surprised, he and Mizuki turned to see who it was. His friend didn't seem surprised, only resigned. Silently, he ogled the newcomer, unable to believe his eyes.
You've got to be kidding me... He thought in shock. What is he doing here? He shot Mizuki a questioning look, which was answered by a knowing glint as he stood and ruffled Shishido's dishevelled long hair. "I'll be going now. I'll call you later." He allowed, a full-fledged grin erupting from his coy features.
He watched in disbelief as Mizuki wandered away, nodding once to the source of intrusion. Soon, the door was closed, the room Mizuki left filling with both tension and something akin to fear. Shishido could understand where the tension lay, but the burgeoning fear was something that was alien to him.
"Drama Queen."
He frowned. Apparently, they were back to insults again.
"Perverted Devil." He shot back just vehemently. A response that was met by a sudden flash of emotion in the other's eyes. There was a resulting moment of awkward silence before Shishido finally broke it, curiosity and something resembling hope filling his senses. "What are you doing here, Akutsu?"
Akutsu Jin, the reputed Oni, just sauntered to where the visitor's chair was and plopped down unceremoniously.
"They told me you were awake, so I came to visit."
Shishido snorted in disbelief. "No. You just came to harass me." He concluded, scooting back a bit until his back was against the steel headboard of his hospital bed. "You don't even like me." He murmured softly, eyes focusing on his hands clasped on his knees.
The other ran a hand through his messy silvery hair. "I'm here to talk." He admitted gruffly, which made Shishido look up at him in surprise.
Big mistake.
Their eyes met, golden against plain old brown, both of them too mesmerised to look away, each pair searching unconsciously for what they wanted to see.
It was Akutsu who saw it first, and he visibly relaxed, causing Shishido to feel uneasy as a small smile issued forth from the other's thin lips. "You don't hate me, do you?" He asked.
He already knew what to answer, but he was still uncertain as to how to deliver it so that there wouldn't be any misunderstanding. "No." He responded carefully. "No, I don't hate you as much as I think I do."
Akutsu nodded, guarded eyes surveying his seemingly frail form on the bed. "I don't hate you as much as I think I do either." He remarked quietly, the soft tone making Shishido's head spin. "But I don't plan on changing who I am just to accommodate you."
"I barely know who you are." Shishido murmured. "Sometimes you're the bad guy, sometimes the cynic. Sometimes I see that you really are more tame than you show the world, and sometimes you're so impossible..."
"Maybe I'm all that."
Shishido finally looked away. "Maybe."
"I don't know you that much either." Akutsu retorted, straightening up and then leaning forward, elbows digging on his thighs. "You nag and you scold. You make sure the fact that I'm impossible is hammered into my brain, and then turn a complete one-eighty and take care of me when I was attacked by the guys from Sengoku's group in the first month we started living together. You're being difficult as well."
It was one of the times when Akutsu was gifted with eloquence, Shishido thought, nodding once in acknowledgement of the other's observations. Maybe he was just temperamental, and that was the crux of their problem. He was one too, and they were living under one roof. It was a miracle they hadn't killed each other yet!
"You think it's a good idea to stick together after this?" he asked, taking note of the deep searching look those intense golden eyes were giving him.
"My mother told me she was thinking of me living together with her and her new husband." Akutsu revealed slowly. "If you're uncomfortable, I'll just pack my bags and leave. Entirely up to you."
Silence.
"No." Shishido murmured. "Don't."
Akutsu was surprised at the desolation he heard in his voice. Shishido was rarely like this, and he should be milking it for all its worth, however, he couldn't make fun of the fact that it was a decision that would alter the course of both their lives.
To stay or not to stay... to be housemates or not to be...
And Shishido chose to continue. A huge wave of relief washed over him. "I wouldn't be able to change. Believe me, people have tried, I tried, but I ended up still like this."
"Are you stupid?" Shishido gave him a small smile. "You are quite different from the way your acquaintances described you back in high school.
Akutsu cocked an eyebrow in question. "What do you mean?"
The other shifted to a more comfortable position and gazed at him with knowing eyes. "You came."
Another bout of silence came with the realisation, and Akutsu couldn't help the grin that suddenly plastered itself on his face. "So I did." With a snort, he stood up and sauntered to the door.
"What, leaving so soon?" Shishido asked teasingly. "Can't handle the truth?"
He opened the door and was about to step out when he stopped and turned around. True to his reputation, his eyes gleamed brightly, and a smirk was once again on his face. "I can handle it – but can you?" He chuckled evilly. "But for the record, Drama Queen, I came because I didn't want to miss seeing you looking so weak and pathetic on a hospital bed."
Just as the door closed, an orange hurtled to the air and smacked against the wood.
"Perverted Devil!" Shishido said in a sudden burst of fury – but irony of ironies...
He was smiling.
OxxxOxxxO
It's lonely. Mizuki thought as he waited for his mother to fetch him in the one of the university's waiting sheds. But I have made my decision, and I have to go back or else I'm not going to survive here... back to St. Rudolph... Enrol in the university there... see Yoshirou, Atsushi's grave and his brother Ryou. It would be better –
His train of thought stopped at the familiar sound of whirring tires – it directly corresponded to his mother's preferred brand of car... and her preferred kind of driving. He smiled inwardly. Some things never change. Upon seeing the telltale signs, he stood up and waved, flagging his mother down
The black family van stopped in front of him, and out came the joyful figure of his mother. Without warning, she came running straight at him and held him so tight that Mizuki gasped for breath at each squeeze. She had always been the same. Despite of his physical features, she never seemed to think of him as someone frail enough to break.
Mizuki was shorter than her by a lot of inches... she stood as tall as Ohtori was back in junior high whereas Mizuki never grew taller than an two inches. Now, with his hair longer than hers since she cropped it again, she looked like a guy and he looked like her girlfriend. He smiled wryly.
"Hajime... I missed you so much! I'm so happy you're finally going home and you're going to study back in St. Rudolph again!" She raved; letting go and helping him transfer his things at the back of the van. "Yoshirou-kun is so psyched to see you again too – and Ryou-kun... and Yuuta-kun too!"
Her laughter was contagious, and soon, he was laughing with her over what my cousin did to Yuuta with a water balloon the other day. And then, without warning, her mirth suddenly subsided.
"Jime-chan, it's not as if I didn't want to come here and fetch you, but... you have your own car... why did you...?" She murmured gently, training inquisitive eyes at me.
Mizuki looked up at her and smiled. "I wanted to see you... that's all..."
Gently, she stroked his hair. "Jime... could it be that you're scared you wouldn't want to go after all if no one dragged you away?"
A lone tear trailed down a cheek then followed by another, and another, and another until he found himself crying openly, gathered in her arms, head buried between her breasts, pillowed in the softness Mizuki had found comfort in ever since a child. He felt as if he was six again... so powerless... but it didn't matter. His mother understood him... like she always did... and that was enough.
OxxxOxxxO"Shishido-san?" Ohtori opened the hospital room door and peeked inside, just in time to see Kurobane smashing the Monopoly board on Amane's head, after, no doubt, another of his corny puns.
Shishido, obviously torn between amusement and horror (No one got kicks out of seeing those two squabble violently), turned to him and he could see the genuine relief on his face upon the prospect of having someone new to spend time with. "Choutarou! Come in, come in!"
"Ah, Ohtori-kun!" Kurobane nodded distractedly as Amane acknowledged him with a vague wave while flailing.
"Stop it you two!" Shishido ordered. "Pay respects to injured people would you?"
At once, the commotion stopped. "Yes ma'am." They chorused, only to erupt into sniggering afterwards. Shishido just 'Hmph-ed' and turned back to him.
Ohtori pulled an empty chair and sat down. "Are you doing okay, Shishido-san?" he asked anxiously.
"Well, everything hurts – a bit..." he trailed, then shook his head, brightening up. "Other than that I'm okay. Thanks for visiting. Mizuki told me you looked after me while I still wasn't awake."
Mizuki-san... The guilt was starting to inch its way in his heart once again. He nodded quietly. "Have you talked to Hajime yet?"
There was that urgent tone in his voice, something Ohtori recognised as a prelude to something really important. "Not yet, Shishido-san."
"He didn't come to your place or something?"
"No."
Shishido groaned. "Hajime you idiot."
"Is there something wrong with him?" The panic in him was rising. Is he going to die? Did he have an accident? Did he –
His best friend gave him a level gaze. "Listen to me Choutarou." He started, intense eyes doing its darnedest to aggravate the hysteria he felt. "Hajime filled me up on what happened between you two the other day, and he said he had plans of going back to St. Rudolph and enrol there. If you really want to straighten up the mess you two have, now's the time to do it."
"What?" Ohtori asked dumbly. "He's leaving?"
"Yes."
"Everything?"
"Afraid so."
Ohtori closed his eyes and heaved a huge breath. "Maybe Mizuki-san will change his mind at the last minute –"
"Hajime-chan filed transfer papers already. He said he would be returning home today." Amane revealed thoughtfully. "I saw his files being carried to the record room this morning and –"
Ohtori didn't wait until he finished.
He was off in search of the one he wanted to be with the most.
OxxxOxxxO
Atobe's phone was ringing.
Or rather, it was vibrating in his pants pocket.
"Damn." He muttered irritably. He and Tezuka had just finished the whole moving process and they were walking side by side, exhausted towards the exit of the university. He was actually looking forward to a quiet time alone with his new housemate. And now, he wasn't even home yet and someone was disturbing him and no doubt, going to wreck his mood.
"Something wrong?" Tezuka asked, worry etched in his voice.
"Phone." He answered gruffly the vibrations from the contraption magnifying his momentary bodily frustrations. Shuddering from the repetitive movement, he took it out and flipped it open, answering the call.
"Ore-sama speaking." He growled.
/"Nice to talk to you too Atobe Keigo-sama." /
Shishido.
He sighed. He is going to pay once he gets out of that hospital, intruding on my precious time with my Kunimitsu... "Okay, what is it now? I said I'm going to give you a whole basket of oranges tomorrow, didn't I? It's your fault you threw the last one at your beloved Oni."
/ "I didn't call for that you stupid narcissist!" / Shishido growled irritably. /"I wanted to ask if you have seen Hajime somewhere!" /
He was about to say he hadn't when Tezuka suddenly stopped in his tracks and peered into the darkness. "Isn't that Mizuki, Keigo?" He asked, pointing at the waiting shed. Atobe squinted as well, then a slow smile spread on his face.
"Hmm, yes, I see Mizuki now. He looks like he's with some guy –"
"Girl. Woman." Tezuka corrected, turning to him, questioning with his eyes on who was on the phone. "Placing bags in a black family van."
/"Girl? Woman? Who's that?" / Shishido asked in succession.
Sighing, Atobe handed the phone to Tezuka. Talking to a panicked Shishido was even more irritating. Tezuka nodded and took it. "Shishido." He said in his usual no-nonsense way. "I don't think you're out to kill Mizuki-san, so I'm going to tell you this: He's here at the east side sheds with whom I think is his mother." As a second thought, he added, "Tell Ohtori too just in case he's looking for him as well. Ja."
With that, he pushed the end call button and handed it back to his companion. Sighing for the umpteenth time, Atobe grabbed it out of his hand and stuffed it inside his back pocket. "I seriously need to chuck those guys away, they're going to be the death of me."
Tezuka snorted. "As if you could." He started moving towards the direction of his new home – their home.
"Oi, Do you think Ore-sama is not stable enough to do that, ahn?"
"You love your fan club too much."
OxxxOxxxO
Shishido quickly dialled Ohtori's number as soon as Tezuka ended the call abruptly. I'll thank them next time. He thought. I obviously caught them in one of their one-on-ones. Geh. Quality time Schuality time.
/"Moshi moshi?" / Ohtori panted. He was running, that he was sure of. /"Shishido-san?" /
"Choutarou, listen to me." He said grimly. "Wonderful "Ore-sama" told me Hajime's at the east side waiting sheds – and apparently his mother is already there to pick him up."
/"East wing? Ah, I'm at the east side of the university!" /
"Go! And greet him for me!"
/"I will!" / Ohtori gasped for breath. /"Talk to you later, Shishido-san! Thank you!" /
As he hung up, Shishido felt much hope.
"It isn't too late, Choutarou. Good luck."
OxxxOxxxO"There!" Mizuki's mother said with childish flourish. "All packed in!" she turned to him and tilted her head invitingly... one that reminded him much about Ohtori's own encouraging motions. "I'll get in and wait for you when you're ready to go, okay?"
He smiled and nodded, sitting down for a while, commencing on looking back at the stars. Tears came unbidden down his cheeks. He was finally leaving.
I am leaving everything behind.
I am leaving Ryo's encouraging self that had gotten me through so much already.
I am leaving Fuji's addictive kisses that I had enjoyed even for a short while.
I am leaving Tezuka-san's quiet support and unparalleled leadership that had taught me how to give what I had to others.
I am leaving Atobe-san's airy countenance that had made me smile for a short while.
I am leaving Inui's stupid juice that had me shaking in my pants whenever I was to be his partner in school and out.
I am leaving Hiyoshi's constant snotty remarks about how people should do stuff, for it helped me restore my worth even for a single moment when we were together.
I am leaving Akutsu's soft side when it came to the ones he cared for the most.
I am leaving...
I am leaving Choutarou's warmth... and comfort... and...
Mizuki shook his head, laughing softly. No sense in dwelling on it now. Slowly, he got up, making his way to the van where his mother waited patiently. He wanted to go away – desperately, but he knew that if someone he cared for chased after him, he would probably stay.
Maybe he was wishing for someone to stop him... not just someone... Mizuki wanted him to stop him from going...
I want...
"Mizuki-san!"
I must be hearing things...
"Mizuki-san!"
His wish just came true.
OxxxOxxxO
"Mitsu-chan... Sleep... Now. The light is blinding me." Atobe grumbled almost incoherently. He gazed up at Tezuka with dark bleary eyes. They were brown, nearly black in the dim light, and they closed around him warmly. And for once, he was happy.
They both have the same eyes... He thought fondly.
"Fine." Atobe liked it when Tezuka was not being entirely difficult. But then again, he wasn't exactly difficult – it had something to do with the other deciding something was difficult when it wasn't agreeing to his terms as quickly as possible.
Tezuka turned off the bed lamp. No sooner than it clicked shut when he was suddenly pulled into warm arms. "Keigo... you promised..."
"I lied." He growled, burying his head deep in the contour of my bare neck.
"I'm going to tell Ryo that you call him Drama Queen behind his back." He retorted.
"Tell him then." Atobe responded groggily. "You're so soft..."
"I'm not your pillow."
"No, you're my stuffed toy."
"Keigo... unhand me, I can't breathe..."
"Promise me you won't go away?"
Tezuka smiled, burrowing the back of his head deeper into his pillow.
"Yes."
OxxxOxxxO
"I'M LATE!"
Akutsu groaned, shifting positions on his bed, covering his ears with another pillow to muffle the endless pattering that would follow upon his flatmate's daily realisations or being late. What was the point of hurrying when you're late anyway, stupid? He thought crossly.
It had been almost three days after Shishido Ryo, the bane of his existence, was released from the hospital. The guilt was still there whenever he saw him, especially since nothing changed in their living plans. The still occupied the same bad, shared the same bathroom, and shared the same refrigerator.
Which meant that he would inevitably end up without pudding again in the evening when the Drama Queen clamoured for his dessert. Next time, he swore, he was going to but a whole box so he wouldn't have go out at night to buy from a convenience store.
"I'M LATE!"
Growling, he sat up and closed his eyes to stop the world from spinning. Apparently, he had low blood pressure ever since he started living with the idiot. Maybe he should eat a lot of chicken livers or something. Sighing in an effort to calm his thrumming nerves, he opened his golden eyes and stared at Shishido's still-bandaged torso.
"Where's my green shirt... I just bought it yesterday..."
The guilt came back full-force, but Akutsu pushed it away. It wasn't easy, but if he nurtured it he would end up on the floor with two black eyes and a bump on his head from a baseball bat courtesy of the former victim. That would end his nasty days since someone who hits like a girl decked him out.
That was a scary thought – not to mention humiliating.
After all, if there was one thing he learned about the other guy since day one of their living Calvary, it was that Shishido Ryo hated being baby-ed, with the exception of his family. He sighed. Reluctantly getting up and shuffling to where he spied the shirt the other was looking for frantically. He pulled it out of the overflowing dresser drawer and threw it at him.
"What the –" Shishido started, freeing himself so he could see who it was. "Akutsu, teme..."
"You're looking for that, idiot." He retorted, sauntering to where he stood half-naked.
"You didn't have to throw it, you oni!" Shishido fired back, less heatedly this time. His glare was wavering. Upon reaching him, Akutsu placed a hand on his head silently and then went on, moving towards the direction of the kitchen.
Just before he reached the bedroom door, he halted for a moment before starting out again.
"Call me properly." He called out, giving a vague wave.
"Eh?" Shishido blinked at his retreating back stupidly.
"I am Jin."
ENDE
A/N: Finished the main story! Two years in the making! XD I still have to finish the Akutsu x Shishido side story "Painful Interjections" though. Well guys, feedbacks are greatly appreciated!