Author's Notes: This is the continuation to the one-shot Chocolate.' I had mixed reactions to it. Some people wanted me to continue with it, others liked it as the one-shot. So, to make everyone happy, I came up with this. I'll leave Chocolate' as the one-shot or pre-story to Semi-sweet,' which will continue with the same ideas I had as Chocolate' and focusing around the same relationship with Rock and Kenichi. I hope this is alright with everyone, and if not then...ummmmm... (runs away)
Disclaimer: (drools)
Summary: Rock, twenty years old, is becoming more and more depressed every day. The gun he keeps under his pillow is starting to look very tempting. Can a young japanese boy pull him out of his somber state and teach him what lies beyond the sky?The damage was minimum, but the landlord still is uncertain whether he wants to take the said incident to a court hearing. He... uummmm... Rock flipped through the papers he was reciting from, a small amount of sweat forming at his brow. The Duke's eyes fell away from the nervous man, his hand writing down something on a piece of paper. Rock's eyes stayed on his father's hand, slowly moving, writing down words, words that he couldn't see. Finally, it stopped, and he looked back up at Rock, the same apathetic stare on his face as always. The stare Rock had become all too familiar with. The room was filled with the board of directors, some men that were involved in the case Rock was pushed into, and some Rock had never seen before. He... he didn't... Rock shot out random words just to stall as he flipped violently through the papers looking for the page he needed. I'm sorry... he said, as his eyes darted rapidly back and forth through the text. I had it figured out this morning...Take your time, my boy. The vice president of the meeting smiled reassuringly at Rock, but the Duke leaned back in his chair and focused his eyes on the desk. Rock had known his father long enough to know when he was angry. Found it. Rock pulled the piece of paper he was looking for out of the pile and put it on top of the others. He regained his posture and continued to read, trying his best not to pass out from the fumes of awkwardness and embarrassment billowing in the room. .. Semi-sweet .. Metropolis was so very cold. Not like it wasn't cold in Japan, it was, but not like this. Kenichi wrapped his scarf around his neck a little tighter and remembered the country that he left behind. When it snowed in Japan, it was pure white and like flowers, like flowers fluttering down from heaven. And the cold, well it only stayed on the outside. Here, however, in this city, the cold seeps underneath your clothes and bites your skin, so that you're never safe no matter how many layers you're wearing. The snow falling from the sky mixes with the ash and smoke from factories, and it rains down like tears from the clouds. Kenichi wrapped his arms around his body and moved around a bit. The bus was a little late, and he was anxious to site down in a seat and warm up. It was about two miles to his apartment, but he didn't feel like walking. Not in this cold. It was about 10 P.M., when around this time the city comes alive. The sun had long since set and darkness had found it's chance to overlap the sky, but the lights of the city were so bright that they covered the stars like a blanket of entertainment, pornography, and cinema. Light pollution..., Kenichi muttered under his breath, he couldn't understand how these people got used to it. He'd been in Metropolis almost a month now and still couldn't get it through his head how people could live like this. He frowned. Of course, this had no merit coming from him. After all, he was the one who decided to stay here. There was something about the city, something he couldn't quite put his finger on, that he knew he would miss if he ever left. Finally, the bus pulled up, and the doors flew open. Cold and tired people pushed in front of the young japanese boy, eager to sit in a seat and warm up. Kenichi was the last to step on, and he put seventy five cents in the tray and moved to the back. He was lucky and found an empty seat by the window that he could stare out of and into the bustling city. As the bus drove on, making stops here and there, Kenichi remembered the conversation he had with his uncle last night. His uncle had made a habit of calling Kenichi every night, just to check in and see how the boy was doing. Kenichi closed his eyes and thought back. .. I got good news, kid!Really? What? Kenichi moved around his tiny, cluttered kitchen, fixing himself dinner and holding the phone up to his ear with his shoulder. I'm gonna come visit you in six months. My boss gave me some vacation time. I'll come there and see what kinda conditions you're living in, see if I need to smuggle you back to the country. He laughed. Kenichi smiled. That's great. I can fix up my place, too. Kenichi looked around his closet sized shit-hole of an apartment. Or, maybe not.So, Ken, ya still working at the flower shop?Mmmm hmmmm.Is the pay enough?Uncle, you ask me this every time you call.I just want to make sure you're doing okay.I'm not going hungry, if that's what you're wondering.Do you have heat and running water? He lied. Okay Ken, you hang in there. I'll call you tomorrow.Bye, uncle. He turned off his cell and stared out his little window over the sink. It was a horrible view. Just the brick wall of the building next door. He went back to mixing the rice. Kenichi didn't really mind not having heat. He found a lot of warm blankets at the thrift store that he could wrap tightly around himself before he went to bed. It wasn't too bad. He was lucky he was able to afford electricity. Two days a week he would leave all the lights off and wouldn't use the stove. That way it's not as expensive every month. However, not having running water was very aggravating. Every now and then his downstairs neighbors would let him use their shower. I guess they felt pity towards him. Fifteen year old foreign boy living on his own. Kenichi took their hospitality with open arms. A hot shower feels too good to pass up. Most of the time, however, he would just wash up in public bathrooms. Most bathrooms have locks on the doors, and he would just use the water from the sink and the soap from the dispenser to wash his body. Also, he would brush his teeth every day before he left work at the flower shop (they had a little bathroom in the back). So you see, life wasn't that hard. Kenichi finished his dinner and put his bowl in the tray he would bring to the wash station on the third floor the next morning. He wrapped himself up in a few blankets and laid down on the couch. Not enough money for both a bed and a couch. .. Kenichi fumbled with his key and finally unlocked the door. His apartment was just the way he left it. Small and squished. The main room was about fifteen by six feet with one couch in the middle and some bookshelves to store clothes on. An opening in the wall lead to a much smaller kitchen, with a fridge Kenichi kept unplugged most of the time (unless there was something in there), a stove, and a sink with no water. Kenichi was about to turn on the light but remembered it was Thursday. No lights on Thursday. He felt like he might cry but quickly shook his head and rubbed his eyes. Not to worry. The boss might be giving him a raise soon. That would be nice. He decided to splash some cool water on his face only to remember he had no water to do so with. He grabbed a blanket off the couch and wrapped it around his body as he trudged around the miserable and cold room. This sucks. He sighed, but his face brightened a bit when he heard a tapping coming from outside the window. The lights from the city were bright enough to illuminate the dark room anyway, so having the lights off wasn't so bad. Kenichi opened the window and shivered as a gust of cold air came in. Along with the air, however, came a little white owl. It hoped onto the bookshelf and then down to the floor. Hi, Barry. Kenichi said, as he pulled out a packet of crackers from his pocket. Look! I got you a treat. He put the crackers on the ground and smiled as Barry picked them up in his beak and crunched on them. Visits from the little owl were something Kenichi looked forward to at the end of a long day working. Being new to the city, he didn't have much time to make new friends, and he really didn't know anybody. Except, Kenichi's mind began to wander as it talked to him. Except you do know him...Kenichi spread his body out on the floor as he looked up at the ceiling. He closed his eyes for a minute and then opened them again. Maybe the cramped apartment was doing weird things to him. He realized now that whenever he was bored he'd end up having these weird arguments with his brain. He looked over at Barry, who was busy eating, and figured owls didn't care whether you were crazy or not. All they cared about is whether you had food. Except, you do know him and you like him...Kenichi frowned but couldn't help blushing. He rolled over on his side, his eyelids beginning to droop. You're right. I do like him. I know I'm right. Why do you like him?He closed his eyes. I... I don't know. Is it wrong that I feel this way? Is love wrong?Now that caught him off guard. He sat up slowly, which caught Barry's attention, and looked out the window at the dirty pollution over the sky. I don't know. .. The eyes that looked back at him were way too beautiful. The color of ice under a too hot sun, a glassy reflection of innocence and life. Gross. Rock picked up the sunglasses off the rim of the sink and put them over the pools of water. Much better. It was amazing to Rock how much colder a person can look with their eyes covered by darkness, for the eyes were truly the trap door to the human soul. But Rock preferred to keep all doors to his heart and body locked and bolted, with no loop holes visible to sneak inside. Rock locked the door to his bathroom and lifted up the seat. The window was next to the toilet, but it was impossible to see into his apartment from the street. Plus, while it was open, the cool air felt nice drifting in. Rock emptied his bladder and thought back to the day and how it screwed him over this time. His father, the look in his eyes... no matter how many times Rock saw the look, it never stopped hurting. He shook and zipped up. He walked out and looked around his room. Novelty guns all over the walls. Rock never knew when his fascination for guns started, but it was certainly strong. He could name every part on every riffle from smallest to largest, and in alphabetical order if he wanted to. Some of the guns could still be used, but most were just for show. Rock sat on the side of his bed and breathed in deeply. He stared at the wall for a moment until his gaze moved over to his pillow. He slid his hand under the soft cushion and felt around. Cold steel. He took his hand out and turned off the light on his desk. He laid down on the hard cot and looked up at the ceiling, tracing patterns in the paint with his eyes. Here he would wait for dreams to sneak up on him from the darkness and shadows in the corners of his room. Sunglasses and all.
RockXKenichi
No bathroom in the apartment.