Dae lay on his bed that night, tossing and turning. He couldn't get Tsunami out of his head. He felt badly for what he had tried to do to this man, felt badly for breaking the guys window. Dae wouldn't be able to sleep until he done something about it. It had been two days, two sleepless nights. He had to do something about this, now. He stood and opened his closed, reached above the door frame inside it and grabbed the little jar where he hid all of his money. He had planned to go to college with this money, it had taken him two years to save up what he had. Two years of using as little of his paycheck as possible, paying only necessary bills, buying only absolute necesities at the grocery store. Hell, it's just money. So, Dae wouldn't go to college as early as he planned, replacing the window shouldn't cost that much, so it wouldn't delay his plans to much farther, maybe a semester or two. He grabbed some of the money and shoved it into his pocket, grabbed his leather vest and headed out. He wandered down the gritty streets, looking around, looking through the shop windows for something that could say "I'm sorry." Finally, he came upon a tiny little flower and gift shop. He remembered he had stole a rose from the place a few months ago, and had given it to her. Dae spit on the ground and walked in the little store. It smelled strongly of flowers, the smell was overpowering. Dae had been looking around for sometime when a voice rang from behind him, "Can I help you?"
Dae spun around, startled. "Yes, um, that is, you see... I need to get something for a... friend, to say I'm sorry."
"Have a fight with your girlfriend, eh? Well, red roses are the traditional flower for those..."
"No, it's not my girlfriend, it's somone else."
"Hm, well, lets see what we have. Yellow would be the roses which symbolize friendship, and it so happens, we're running a sale on them..."
Ten minutes later, Dae ran toward that strange art gallery, the roses wrapped in brown tissue paper to keep them from getting wet. There was a card inside the half dozen bouquet which read simply "I'm sorry." The rest of Dae's money was tucked inside the card. When he reached the gallery, he stood there a moment to catch his breath. He froze when he heard that voice around the crowd of people passing him. Tsunami's voice was easly recognisable. Dae panicked, would this guy be angery to see him again? Dae set the roses down by the door of the gallery and ran around the corner of the building. He listened as Tenku and Tsunami talked, hoping they would stop at the door to the gallery, and not proceed farther and discover his hiding place. Dae breathed a sigh of relief as Tenku exclaimed, "Hey, what's this?" There was a sound of tissue paper crinkling. "Huh, Tsunami, it's for you." Tsunami did not reply, or if he did, Dae didn't hear it. He had heard enough, at least he knew Tsunami had gotten his gift. What Tsunami did with it from here was Tsunami's business. Dae ran the fingers of one hand over the bandages of the other as he slowly walked down deeper into the ally. A content smile on his face, lost in his own thoughts, Dae started when a voice behind him rang "Now that was what is called 'noble.'"
Dae jumped and spun around to see Tsunami standing there in the ally, Dae hadn't even heard the man following him. Dae had to take a moment to slow his racing heart, he noticed the bouquet of six yellow roses was in the mans hand. "I... I just wanted to say sorry, and thank you."
"It takes a long time to accumulate this much money in this neighborhood, did you steal it?"
"No, I earned it."
"For what? You couldn't have known you would have needed it."
This was exactly the conversation Dae had been hoping to avoid by leaving the roses there on the step instead of handing them to Tsunami himself. "It was from my college fund."
There was an uncanny silence as Tsunami apraised Dae again with his eyes, and Dae studied the mud at his feet. Finally, Tsunami said, "Come, lets get out of this weather. It looks as though it will rain soon."
"It always rains here," Dae replied as he followed Tsunami back out of the alley, and into the lobby of the art gallery.
"I don't need your money, I have some of my own. The window has been replaced, so you can keep your college money."
"No, you keep it. I know when I'm wrong, and what I done was wrong. I'm man enough to admit it."
Tsunami tilted his head at the man, "So, your still trying to reclaim your pride, aren't you?"
Dae frowned at the man. "Why do you have to turn everything I do into something negative? Can't you just be content with the money and send me on my merry way?"
After a moment, Tsunami replied, "I'm sorry, but a noble deed in this neighborhood is indeed a rare thing, so pardon me if I try to analyze a kind gesture. Thank you, for the money, and the roses."
Dae shrugged, "No biggie."
"Tell me your name."
Dae hesitated a moment. "Dae."
"Dae. Do you know what a yellow rose symbolizes?"
"The lady at the flower shop said they symbolize friendship. They didn't have any roses that symbolize appology in stock."
Tsunami nodded, and he brought the bouquet up to his face. Gently, he ran one leather finger over a delicate pedal. "I've never recieved flowers before, I must admit, I'm flattered."
Dae blushed bright crimson. "Hey, well, it's not... like that. I just... that is to say..."
Tsunami chuckled, it was a strange thing, he did so without smiling at all. Dae found himself wondering what could make this man smile. "Don't worry, Dae," Tsunami said, "your meaning had not been misinterpurted. How is your girlfriend? I'm curious as to what will happen between you two."
Dae shrugged. "She came up to me the other day, insisting I take her back. She said you weren't what she thought, and she wanted me again. In fact, she called you some rather interesting names."
Tsunami nodded. "She was by here, not so long after you left. I told her I could not enjoy the company of some one so selfish as to break the heart of someone who loves her for a stranger."
Dae smiled. "So that's why she was upset."
Again, Tsunami nodded. "And did you take her back?"
Dae shook his head. "It's not the same anymore. She hurt me, and I find myself wondering if she'll do it again. Without trust, a relationship is nothing."
Dae had been examining a demon to his left when he felt Tsunami's soft leather fingers on his chin. He looked back to the man to discover he was no more than a foot away now. Dae again had never even heard him move. Dae stared up into the mans dark eyes, and Tsunami stared back into Dae's ice blue ones. Dae didn't understand what was happening, but he didn't move, he just stared into the taller mans interested stare. "Forgive me," Tsunami said after a moment, not moving away, "I sometimes marvel at how pure your ideals are. You do not seem fit of this time. I wonder if your real."
"I am, honest," Dae replied with a timid chuckle. He felt a little awkward this close to a man. Tsunami didn't help his condition when he reached up and ran his fingers along Dae's cheek. Something deep inside Dae stirred at that touch.
"Yes, you certainly feel real, but still I wonder if your some ghost from another time, a time much more innocent than this. Your pure ideals are not customary of this time." Tsunami stroked his fingers back up Dae's face, palming the boys cheek. Dae couldn't help but turned to the caress like a pet cat. "I think I'll take that as a compliment," he replied, but his voice sounded just a little funny. Tsunami tilted his head, then gently released Dae's face. "Go home, Dae. And please, do be careful out there." Tsunami turned and disappeared into the recesses of shadows in the room. Dae was startled by the sudden change of mood, took a moment to recover, and left. He didn't go home imidiately, he walked the dreary streets. It started to rain, just as Tsunami had said, and Dae lifted his face to the rain. He opened his arms to it, let it wash the street grime from his face. When he opened his eyes he thought he could see Tsunami's eyes in the black clouds about. They were so like these clouds, dark but quiet, and holding some bit of strange mystery to them. When Dae arrived home, he found a box sitting at his door. He picked up the box and opened it, the rain pouring over them both. There was a single red rose in the box, and a note. In it, was Dae's money. The note read:
Love always and throughout your travels,
T.
Dae counted the money, Tsunami had almost doubled it! Dae had enough money to start college this semester! He swore, then and there, he would accomplish the task put before him by this remarkable man. He would do more than "raise a few ghosts" of a time long forgotten, he would revolutionize this town, he would save it from the grime that infected it's peoples minds. He would install Tsunami's precious ideals in everyone he met, and everyone they met, so on and so on, until all the filth is washed away, and the human race is again pure and innocent. This he swore, for his race, for himself, and for his beloved friend, Tsunami Shijo.