Project I.D.I.A.

Fatal Rain

Second Draft (January 2006)

(Incomplete)

            It was a quiet windy November day. Gentle breezes snatched the orange and red leaves of the trees from their branches, and carried them off in a final dance before they hit the ground. Squirrels and chipmunks were scurrying across piles of already fallen leaves collecting acorns, and dodging between college students on their way home or to class.

            Ibetsu Muttsu was one of these students, on his way home for a midday meal and studying before his next class.

            His long ankle length rose-colored hair was tied back in a high ponytail and flew out behind him like a fan, wrapping around his single grey draconic wing. His purple cat like ears flicked back and forth constantly, as if interested in everything at once. His clothes were a simple white t-shirt with light blue mystical symbols on the sleeves, dark blue jeans with a blood red dragon embroidered along the left leg, and heavy black combat boots. A black bandanna was folded and tied across his face, so that it covered both of his eyes, and stood out in sharp contrast with his pale ivory skin.

He wasn’t that out of place at this university, a school that was commonly chosen by most Anthromorphs, like Ibetsu. After the wide outbreak of genetic engineering, Anthromorphs were an almost common sight. Some were born from genetics projects, others were people who had chosen to undergo the horrifyingly painful transmutation process, and a few were those born naturally.

Ibetsu was one of the genetic projects, and because of this he loathed scientists and how they meddled with the natural order of things. But he could not deny his strong attraction to the art of science and how it found a way to break down even the most complex solution into small tiny elements or how seemingly simple laws governed everything that happened everyday.

Of course there was no reason for him to actually show enthusiasm for it; just enough to pass the class.

Showing I actually care will mean they’ll start expecting me to worry about EVERY little thing. It’s not worth the effort or time…

He snapped out of his thoughts as the breeze stopped going past and he heard footsteps in front of him, coming towards him, stopping just a few feet away.

“Yo.”

Ame, the owner of the footsteps and voice, was a very painful thorn in Ibetsu’s side. He had started following Ibetsu around about a week ago, declaring that Nagoyaka Inc had assigned him as Ibetsu’s assistant.

Ame was almost as tall as Ibetsu at just a few inches shy of six feet, though he was three years younger just having turned seventeen in the spring. His build was sturdier and his skin was slightly tanned from exposure to the sun. His faded navy blue hair fell loosely just above his shoulders; unrestrained by any manner of hair tie. He wore a purple tank top that fit shapelessly over his black fine net shirt. Just underneath were his dark green cargo pants, also with a baggy fit to them. He fashioned an ever so interesting pair of shoes that were an odd combination of old fashioned white tabi socks and Tatami sandals; comfortable, but out of place in the middle of the city.

Ibetsu sighed and tilted his head to the side, ears laid back in an annoyed manner.

“What do you want now?”

            Ame stepped forward, shoving a piece of paper into Ibetsu’s hand.

            Ibetsu ran his fingers over a smooth seal on the top center part of the paper. It was cold and vaguely metallic feeling, and he traced the pattern of a star surrounded by the letters of Nagoyaka Inc.’s motto; ‘What we do can help you.’

            ‘Never did ask what they do… Probably should’ve before-’

            Once again Ame cut into his thoughts, pulling his mind back to the present time.

            “So? Did you read it?”

            Ibetsu was about to snap back about not being able to read when his hand slid over the paper to discover it was in Braille.

            ‘Should’ve known. He made sure I can read it.’

            Ame didn’t wait for a response, his voice masked by a bored tone that revealed only a hint of annoyance.

            “You know it took me forever to get that. It’s a copy of the official document the board of directors made when they assigned me to be your assistant.”

            Ibetsu crumpled the paper up in one hand with ease, tossing it back at Ame. He began to walk forward again, passing by Ame’s right side. His voice was a cold and feral growl, and a snarl was painted across his face to match.

            “You people are annoyingly persistent. I don’t need an assistant. I can take care of myself.”

            Ame caught the paper, and shoved it back into one of his many pockets. Right as Ibetsu passed his right side; his voice dropped to a low and threatening whisper.

            “The late Nagoyaka-sama seemed to think you do. It was in his will that the company assigns an escort and assistant to you. You wouldn’t want to ignore one of his few last requests would you? But then again, it was your fault he was killed, and you didn’t even have the courage to stand there as he drew his last breath. Why should you care?”

            Ibetsu halted in mid-step, a look of shock on his face.

            “Inji-kun?”

A torrent of thoughts rushed through his mind at once, and for a few moments he couldn’t even move.

            ‘That’s a lie. It wasn’t my fault! I stayed as long as I could! He told me to go!’

            Ibetsu turned to face Ame with a grimace on his face, his fists shook, pale skin tinged red, and the air around him seemed to grow warmer and wavered like grass in a strong wind.

            “You have no right… to talk about things you don’t know about.”

            Ame smirked, and held his hands up, palms facing Ibetsu.

            “I’m just saying. If I was wrong there’d be no reason whatsoever for you to be so angry, now would there? In any case, I’m here, you’re not getting rid of me, so it’s best we start fresh… Hi I’m Ame Arashi.”

            He held his hand out to Ibetsu, smirk turning to a smile.

            Ibetsu’s ears flicked forward and he tilted his face down to the ground, voice turning to an almost inaudible mutter.

            “Fine, whatever. If only for Inji’s sake. Just stay out of my way.”

            He brushed past Ame, continuing his walk home, trying to calm and sort through the whirlwind of thoughts and emotions swirling around in his mind.

            Ame turned and followed, taking on a stride that resembled that of a young puppy, carefree, sloppy, and a playful. His face however, bore a sharp almost mocking grin and his eyes had a steely glint to them.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            Ibetsu fumbled through his pockets looking for his keys. His fingers brushed against the cold steel of his key ring, and he latched onto to it, tugging the keys free of his pocket. He shook them for a moment and selected a key with the word ‘HOME’ etched into the side of it. Sliding the key into the slot, he turned it until he heard the distinct click of to lock.

            The house was large and rather out of place with all the small company housing units and apartment complexes. Unlike most of the larger houses, it was built in a very western style, four stories with a full attic and basement, and lacking any traditional Japanese design aside from a small place near the front door to remove one’s shoes.

            His ears pricked up as he slowly opened the door. A slight disturbance in the normally calm air in the house tickled his nose and caused his ears to rotate to find the source of the abnormality.

            Ame stood behind the door, struggling to hold in laughter, his short breaths causing the air to spin into the breeze Ibetsu had sensed. When the pink haired youth had frozen at so faint a change, it had set off another wave of barely contained chuckles. Ame shifted his weight towards his toes, waiting for the perfect moment to spring.

            Ibetsu took several steps into the house, ears focused alertly forward in the direction he assumed the disruption was coming from. His hand carelessly pushed the door closed behind him, after retrieving his key. Once he was satisfied with a few minutes of silence, he shrugged and kicked off his shoes, yawning.

            A faint scratching sound sent Ibetsu spinning around, arm outstretched, hand gripping Ame’s shirt. His face was expressionless, but his ears were pinned against his skull and his voice dripped with acidic annoyance.

            “What the hell are you doing?”

            Ame yelped, cursing his straw sandals and the wooden floor in his mind. If it weren’t for them he would’ve succeeded in his task.

            “I’m sorry Ibe; I just wanted to surprise you. I meant no harm, honest.”

            He waved his hands wildly, palms facing Ibetsu, his voice a low-pitched whine. His eyes and mouth formed an innocent smile, but there was an unusual tension in his stance and a slight nervous twitch that went through his muscles.

            Ibetsu gave Ame a final cold glare then let go of his shirt turning around with a snort.

            “Whatever. I’m going to go make dinner… Go away.”

            With that he strode off silently down the hall, arms crossed, ears still laid back to listen for any response. His wing was pulled close to him, almost draped over his shoulder like a cape.

            Ame scampered after him, humming a lighthearted tune. He almost ran into Ibetsu when the older boy stopped suddenly, a growl forming in his throat. Barely managing to keep the growl from actually going off, Ame looked quizzically at Ibetsu, who had turned to face him.

            “Nani?”

            Ibetsu pointed at the wall, and Ame’s gaze followed, landing upon a very trippy picture. It was a very scattered and interesting assorted selection of multicolored dots, shapes, and lines.

            “Stare at that until you can read the hidden message.”

            Not thinking to question why, Ame did as he was told, staring intently at the shapes as if they would miraculously form letters. He didn’t even notice Ibetsu continue walking to the kitchen, or think to ask how Ibetsu had known it was there.

            Probably has the layout of the entire house memorized or something weird like that. Now that I think about it he doesn’t act like he’s blind at all. How the hell does he do it?

            As the shapes and colors began to melt and spin together in an incoherent hazy blob, Ame reflected on the past two weeks. At first both of them has been very hostile, simple disagreements evolving into fistfights. After one resulted in Ibetsu nearly dislocating Ame’s shoulder and Ame had given Ibetsu a rather nasty cut down his neck the two gave up on the violent solution and reverted to just verbal fights and insult competitions. Things were tense but after a while Ibetsu gave up, apparently assured that the annoying little pest he viewed Ame as, was going nowhere. Now they for the most part sat in silence on occasion commenting on the news.

            Ame shook his head sharply, shaking away the thoughts and the annoying dots in front of his eyes.

            What the hell am I doing?

            He turned with a sigh and began to meander his way down the hall stopping at an open doorway…into the kitchen to be exact.

            He poked his head in and looked around seeking out his pink haired charge, his eyes lighting up when he spied said person in front of the sink, peeling potatoes, wearing a very frilly pink apron that had ‘Kiss the Cook’ emblazoned across it in purple letters.

            Snorting with amusement at the apron, Ame walked up behind Ibetsu and put his arm around Ibe’s shoulders, leaning forward to whisper in his ear.

            “Can I?”

            Ibetsu almost jumped out of his skin at that moment. Startled, but too confused to move, all Ibetsu managed to say was a very strangled, “Wha!?”

            “Your lovely little apron.”

            It took a few seconds for the words to sink in but when they did Ibetsu tilted his chin down, ears twitching. He hadn’t remembered what color this apron this apron was, let alone what it said. Inji’s voice floated through his mind, reminding him of the day he had gotten this apron.

            “To match your hair, Ibe my dear.”

            “Hey! That’s not funny Inji-kun!”

            Once again the ever-annoying voice of Ame pulled him out of his daydream.

            “So can I?”

            “That’s not funny…”

            “Its not a joke.”

            Without waiting for a response, Ame moved forward to brush his lips against Ibetsu’s cheek. He stepped away grinning at the faint pink blush that colored Ibetsu’s cheeks as the older boy returned to peeling the potatoes mumbling about Ame needing to let him cook in peace.

*-*-*

            Two hours later both Ame and Ibetsu were comfortably seated at the dinner table, silently sipping hot ginger tea and eating homemade curry with udon noodles, beef, carrots, and potatoes.

            The dining room was a large spacious room with finished wooden floors, not covered by a rug anywhere, and simple unadorned cream walls. The only pieces of furniture were an average sized oak dinner table and two chairs set in front of a lit fireplace.

            The silence was almost deafening, only occasionally interrupted by a crackle from the fire. Rain poured down outside, the sound of the raindrops not even audible from behind the panes of glass.

            Ame looked up at his companion, and made a brave but very foolish attempt at breaking the silence.

            “What happened to your other wing?”

            Almost immediately Ame regretted asking that, and sat paralyzed when Ibetsu turned his face back towards him with a cold grimace, ears pricked forward aggressively.

            “Not that it’s any of your business, but it got torn off.”

            Ame went back to staring at his soup while he sipped the spicy ginger tea. Ibetsu’s answer had only created more questions but he wasn’t feeling like pushing his luck. He glared at his reflection in the glossy surface of his tea, silently cursing himself for being so tactless and Ibetsu for being so damned apathetic and antisocial.

            Thinking back to his own childhood he tried to remember the last time he’d ever had this much trouble dealing with anybody. He was naturally social, and got along well with most everybody, so this situation took away his blanket of security and punched holes through his theory of infallible social skills.

            He reminds me of Kin. They’re both stubborn and antisocial. At least Kin shared an interest in video games. Ibetsu is just totally unreachable.

            Thinking of Kin brought a slight tear to Ame’s jade colored eyes, his thoughts flying back to the accident when he was eight that had claimed the lives of both his brother and his godmother.

            At the other end of the table Ibetsu struggled with his own inner demons. Ame’s appearance had set off a wave of memories and emotions Ibetsu thought he had long since buried away.

            He remembered when he had first meet Inji. Inji’s soft face appearing in front of his cell, bearing news of new freedom. Inji had helped him get out of that horrid life, working as a messenger for whatever gang happened to need information transferred or packages delivered.

            How did I repay him? I got him shot. All because I wouldn’t go back.

            He clenched his fist, an angry, grim look fixing itself on his face.

            And now… I make his last wish impossible to complete.

            Sighing slightly, the anger passed from his face and was replaced with a look of annoyance.

            He knows I don’t need to be babysat. I survived for so many years on my own. He’s just trying to mock me from the grave…

            …No… He took many things lightly, but this is not a prank he would try. There’s a reason for this.

            Perhaps… I should try and be tolerable. See just what it is that Inji feared, or what he’s trying to accomplish after death.

            He looked up, forcing his expression to become one of gentle nonchalance, clearing his throat to catch Ame’s attention. He was a little surprised to not hear the younger boy respond at all.

            Did he leave?

            He cleared his throat a little louder, this time he heard Ame jump. He heard the sudden clenching of Ame’s muscles and the sharp crack of his foot hitting the table leg. The whispered curses were as clear as if Ame had been talking aloud.

            Still smiling he took a sip of tea, resuming an apathetic, pensive look on his face.

            “Ame, have you ever seen the cherry blossoms in Meijo Park? You know, near Nagoya Castle.”

            Ame shook his head, thoughts flickering towards the magnificent castle that stood in the northern part of their city of Nagoya. It was very beautiful from what he had heard and seen from a distance but he had never had the time to actually visit the castle.

            “Nope. Never had the chance. Its out of my way usually… the only times I went to look at the cherry blossoms was on my way home from work, and that took me through Shirakawa park.”

            Ibetsu nodded. He had been to Shirakawa a few times. It was very nice but didn’t compare to Meijo.

            “So… before you got assigned to be my assistant, guard, whatever… what did you do at Nagoyaka Inc.?”

            Ame was silent for a few minutes, and Ibetsu heard his feet shuffle under the table and his fingers drum against the tabletop. When he did begin to speak it was barely a squeak, so he had to stop to take a long drink of tea before he tried again.

            “I worked as part of the Statistical Source Code Control and Web-Based Intranet Installation Department. Meaning I was a low ranking lackey that was sent out to get coffee for my superiors. Never even got to try coding anything… wasted four years of my life in college for nothing.”

            Ibetsu looked up, ears straining forward. His face bore a slightly confused frown, and his eyebrows were arched.

Four years? That doesn’t make sense. He’s only 17.

            Not ready to push the limits of this pleasant little conversation, Ibetsu drained the last of his tea and stood up, collecting his dishes.

            “I’m going to go wash the dishes then go to bed. G’night.”

            Ame nodded and returned to his now fairly cold soup. The abrupt end of the conversation had left him with a myriad of thoughts.

            Did I say something I shouldn’t have? Well… at least we had a decent conversation.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            The rest of November flew by, as did most of December. The two argued less but didn’t seem to talk very much more. The few conversations were courteous and on occasion they had enough backbone to throw in a few attempts at jokes at the other’s expense.

            Now they were faced with a very troublesome holiday. Christmas.

            Ibetsu regarded the entire season with contempt. In his lifetime he’d only ever actually celebrated Christmas three times. Those three times had been with Inji, and he’d only put up with the annoying carolers and Christmas decorations and songs to make Inji happy. Now he had no reason to, except of course, for a certain annoying blue haired teenager hanging onto his arm dragging him throughout the mall in an attempt to make Ibetsu catch the addictive Christmas cheer bug.

Ame was quite the opposite of Ibetsu, and loved the holiday season as fiercely as a child or an immature adult stuck in their child years.

He had insisted on decorating the entire house with pine and red ribbon. Ibetsu was for once grateful for his lack of sight, so he did not have to see the most likely very flashy attempts at light Ame had strung on the outside of the large three story house. Unfortunately, he did have to deal with the overwhelming scent of pine and cookies. Both were tolerable in small doses, but being assaulted with a strong whiff of the overused scents first thing in the morning usually put one in a bad mood and quite often gave the person a horrid stomachache.

And now he’s making me shop.

Ame had used a very under-the-belt tactic to convince Ibetsu to come Christmas shopping with him. He had started a long, guilt filled rant about how Inji would want Ibetsu to experience the best the holidays had to offer.

In the end, Ibetsu had just given up and agreed to escort Ame to the mall, and even hang out there. But only for three hours. Then he was leaving, and if Ame wasn’t ready by then he could walk home.

Ibetsu had set a stopwatch to go off after three hours, but Ame had ‘borrowed’ it for a moment, swiftly terminating the countdown and removing one of the batteries for good measure.

Now Ibetsu was suffering through a full nine hour shopping expedition. And it was making him quite irritable and snappish. He had lost his temper with some passing carolers and had tossed a cup of hot coffee at them, telling them to ‘shut up with their shitty kid songs’.

Since then they had a security guard tailing them throughout the mall, following them closely, into every shop or vendor stall lining the walkway.

Ame was carrying nearly a dozen brightly colored different bags, each stuffed with presents or more decorations. Despite the burden he carried, he had a smile on his face and eagerly ran from shop to shop, looking through everything, on occasion buying an interesting trinket he thought might make a good present.

Ibetsu, on the other hand, only had one very small dull white plastic bag which didn’t seem to contain much of anything. He followed Ame reluctantly, lips set in an annoyed grimace. Every few minutes he would fiddle with the stop watch around his neck, trying to make time speed up so he could go home and go to bed.

He heard Ame squeal with giddy childish delight, and his ears flicked forward trying to filter some sensible words out of the incoherent jumble of high pitched whines and shrieks that punctuated the sentence. He managed to decipher ‘Finished... Third floor… now … fourth and fifth….’, before Ame ended up coughing violently and he was cut off from finishing the sentence.

Ibetsu shook his head, turning back the way they had come.

“Nope. I’m heading home now. Stay if you want… You’ll have to walk though.”

With that he strode off, retracing the path they had taken from the subway station, not even pausing to check if Ame was following.

*-*-*

Ibetsu stood at Sakae station, standing on the waiting platform for the Meijo Line Subway to arrive.

His ears flicked backwards, and he heard heavy footsteps coming towards him, fast, the owner probably sprinting. He sidestepped quickly and the steps passed him by, skidding to a halt a few feet away.

“Hey… Don’t… Leave… Me… Behind…”

Ame stood there panting drenched with sweat despite the cold snowy weather.

Ibetsu couldn’t help but feel greatly amused by the thought of the teen sprinting all the way here from the mall, carrying his heavy burden of purchases.

Before he had a chance to come up with a witty comment, a train screeched to a halt in front of the waiting platform. A monotonous, static voice came over the intercom system;

“Meijo Line Subway now arriving at Sakae station. Please wait for the doors to open and enter quickly. The train will be departing in five minutes.”

The squeal of gears turning against each other and a heavy sigh announced the opening of the doors onto the train. Ibetsu got on without even saying a word to Ame, noting the scuffle of sandals as Ame followed.

It was late and Christmas Eve. There weren’t many people not at home, let alone traveling. Even business workers were at home by now. The train was empty, allowing Ibetsu to sit a fair distance away from Ame, still clutching the white plastic bag, turning to face the window though it really didn’t matter.

Ame sat several seats down on the opposite side of the train, balancing his purchases with great care. He glanced at Ibetsu, and then returned to fidgeting with a hole in one of his gloves.

I wonder if he found out the battery was missing. He can’t be that mad though. It was just a little joke.

The train shuddered as it began moving, a steady rhythm humming in both Ibetsu and Ame’s ears.

Remembering that they had taken a different, longer route to the mall, due to the need to stop at the bank first, Ame took out a map that he had picked up before getting on the train. Unfolding it he found Sakae station on the map and traced the path of the stations they were going to have to get off at, saying each name aloud to himself as a way to break the silence.

“Let see… First we pass through Yabacho... Then at Kami-Maezu we switch to the Tsurumai Line. We get off at Tsurumai station and then…”

He frowned noticing that that left them a fair distance away from the house. Squinting he tried to figure out a way that would drop them off closer to home. His efforts though weren’t needed. Ibetsu’s voice cut through his thoughts;

“We don’t get off at Tsurumai. We stay on through Gokisho and get off at Fukiage. From there it’s only a ten minute walk.”

“Oh…”

Ame folded the map up, and turned to stare at the posters that had been plastered to the train’s walls.

How’d I not figure that out? It’s more like I’m the blind one.

The silence persisted, even as they went past all the stops, switched trains, and sat down on yet another deserted train. Ame fidgeted in his seat, the silence pushing him close to the brink of insanity. Ibetsu on the other hand just sat there, not even remotely bothered by the lack of noise.

The train was nearing Fukiage station, the last stop, when the train began slowing down. The lights flickered on and off, and the heater ceased to function.

Ame stood up, frantically looking about for an answer to why the train had ceased.

The door at the front of the car opened and an old man in a blue uniform appeared, looking quite calm and unconcerned about the fact that the train had just stopped.

“Please remain calm everyone. The snowstorm has knocked the electricity out. We’re trying to get switched to a backup system. This delay should only last about an hour. Once again, please remain calm.”

With that the door shut and the man disappeared.

Ame sat back down, nervously gnawing on his nails. He hadn’t worn very cold temperature friendly clothing. He hadn’t even brought a jacket. Goosebumps rose along his arms as he shivered in silence.

Ibetsu’s ears had turned towards Ame, noting the rattling of his bones and teeth.

“You didn’t bring a coat did you?”

“No.”

“Idiot.”

Ibetsu was quite comfortable with the temperature. The cold had never really bothered him, and he had brought a heavy wool coat.

“Come here, idiot. No one deserves to freeze to death.”

He shifted so Ame could sit down next to him, taking his jacket off, holding it out to him.

Ame sat down next to Ibetsu, shifting to lean against Ibetsu.

“I’m sorry…”

Ibetsu shrugged, tilting his head back to lean against the cold glass and metal wall. His mind blanked and he sat there staring up at the ceiling with a peaceful, uncaring expression on his face.

Ame on the other hand was half curled up; cheeks flushed bright red, thoughts racing.

Dammit. I’m so stupid. I’m nothing but a burden to everyone around me… that’s why They went away. That’s why I have to do what I do… But… Why him? I can’t do this… I… can’t…

In a desperate rush to move his thoughts away from the troubling subjects, he reached into his pocket and pulled out a small book.

“Umm… Ibe? I got you this for Christmas. I was going to give you this tomorrow… but we might not get out of here till late so I figured you could have it now so you had something to amuse yourself with.”

Ibetsu felt the book pressed into his right hand and lifted it up so he could run his fingers over the cover. His face broke out in the most heart felt grin he had shown anyone in years.

“Icha Icha Tactics!? I didn’t know they had copies of it in Braille.”

“I had to special order it but the author was more than happy to make a copy for his blind fans to read. I remember seeing the other two books on the bookshelf. I figured you were a fan.”

Ibetsu, now in one of the best moods ever, reached over and ruffled Ame’s hair playfully.

“Indeed I was… before I went completely blind. I thought I’d never get to finish reading the series… Thank you.”

He opened the book to the first page and began running his fingers over the raised dots on the page.

Ame watched him do this for several minutes before finally deciding to voice a question he had been curious about for ages.

“Ibetsu… How… How did you go blind?”

Ibetsu’s hand froze mid paragraph, and it seemed as if the good mood had evaporated in an instant.

“I… I was ‘born’ blind in my left eye. It’s a side effect of the genetic instability early generation morphs like myself suffer. I lost sight in my right eye the same day Inji died. My eye got splashed with a rather potent acid, and my vision just faded.”

Ame could sense the tension in Ibe’s voice. The tension one talks with when speaking of a traumatizing event or the loss of someone deeply precious. He looked down at his palms, chewing on his lip nervously.

He jumped when he felt Ibetsu’s hand set a small dark blue box in his hand.

Curiosity controlling his movements, he flicked the box open, starting with surprise at what was inside it.

On a fine silver box chain, a deep blue sapphire skillfully cut into the shape of a raindrop sat, twinkling softly in the dim light of the emergency lights.

“Merry Christmas. Thought I’d get you something to go with your name, eh ‘Rain’.”

“I… uh… you… I mean…”

“Try ‘Thank you very much, Ibetsu’.”

Ame flushed a deep crimson, standing up and bowing quite stiffly and formally, practically screaming, “Thank you, Ibetsu!”

Underneath his blindfold, Ibetsu rolled his unseeing eyes. He reached out and pulled Ame back onto the bench like seat.

“Your welcome. Now be quiet and keep warm…Idiot.”

~*~*~*~*~*~

New Years approached rapidly, pushing the train incident from both Ame and Ibetsu’s minds.

Ame had organized a New Years Eve party, and invited several dozen people from work, intent on proving that Ibetsu’s anti-social ness was making him miss out on so many great things in life. He had planned something special for Ibetsu’s ‘birthday’ that happened to fall on New Years Day.

Ibetsu, refusing to partake in any sort of merry making, had locked himself securely in his bedroom. The door was locked multiple times with deadbolts and barricaded with a bookshelf and a few chairs.

This didn’t deter Ame at all.

Using shuko and few dozen feet of rope, he climbed along the ledges that ran around the house under the windows, and managed to maneuver the window open enough to slide into the room.

Ibetsu, who was blissfully sitting on his computer, headphones on, blaring speed metal, didn’t notice Ame put a small floppy disc sized packet right between the center edge of the door that contained the locks and the wall.

Giggling, Ame made his way back to the window and slithered out undetected.

After retracing his path and returning safely to his room, a floor below and on the opposite side of the house, he took out a detonator.

Grinning manically, he pressed the button, and waited a few minutes.

His wait was rewarded with a loud explosion and an even louder stream of curses, coming from Ibetsu’s room.

Faking a look and tone of confusion and concern he bolted up the stairs and stopped outside the now decimated door to Ibetsu’s room.

‘Semtex does wonders…’

The blast radius had been small, taking a circle of about five feet in diameter out of the door and wall, as well as the bookshelf Ibetsu had set in front of it.

Speaking of Ibetsu, the pink haired man was clinging to his computer chair, headphones knocked askew, looking quite ruffled, screaming loud profanities for all to hear.

“What in the nine levels of hell was that!? What the fuck is going on!?”

Smirking to himself about his success in shattering Ibetsu’s calm manner, Ame pulled the door open, and stepped past the pile of debris. He stopped in the middle of the room facing Ibetsu, with an annoyed tone in his voice that did not match the look of pure giddiness pasted on his face.

“Ibetsu! What have I told you about playing with explosives?”

“I didn’t do anything!”

“Sure you didn’t… Tsk tsk… look at this mess…”

Surveying the room, he noticed that there actually hadn’t been much damage to the room itself, just the unfortunate door and wall.

‘Hah… Training pays off…’

Ibetsu, still clinging to the chair like it was his only link to sanity, was muttering incoherently. His ears were pinned back against his skull, wing shaking in a very undignified manner.

‘What the hell!? I didn’t do it! I bet Ame did it. He sounds so smug and amused… sick bastard. Probably gets a kick out of tormenting me. I did nothing to him. I was just sitting here leaving him alone… surely he has better things to do with his time.’

“Now Ibe, I’ll let you slide this time and I wont confiscate the keys to your lab if come to my party tonight.”

Ibetsu stood up sharply, ears flicking around threateningly and wing snapping menacingly.

“This is my house. You can’t tell me what to do. And you can’t take my keys anyway they’re-“

Ibetsu’s tirade was cut off by Ame removing something from his pocket, the certain something making a distinct rattling sound of keys and several key chains.

“You were saying Ibetsu?”

“Damn you…”

*-*-*

‘This is damned troublesome…’

Ibetsu stood pressed against the large bay window in the living room of HIS house.

Milling around the room were dozens of people he didn’t know or knew by face only. They were all dressed casually, dancing to the music of some local DJ, passing alcohol of various types around freely.

‘Why… Why gods? Do you all hate me?’

He moved to pick up a glass of light, watered down champagne, but stopped halfway.

‘I’m going to need something strong… I really don’t want to remember any of this…’

 His hand closed around a large bottle of Bicardi 151. Not even bothering to pour it into a glass, he removed the cap and tossed his head back, emptying a tenth of the bottles contents into his system at once.

Resurfacing, his ears pricked forward immediately, hearing the source of all this torture’s voice not three feet in front of him. His nose detected the sickly sweet scent of Ame’s beloved alcoholic drink, and quite and abundance of it at that.

‘One cup of Mountain Dew, and a shot of Ezra Brooks… So predictable.’

The loud, sharp voice of the DJ broke into his thoughts though, announcing a slow couples dance.

Without warning a hand shot out and gripped his wrist.

Stunned, Ibetsu didn’t have time to resist being pulled out onto the dance floor.

‘Umm… Wait… Wha-‘

Whoever had drug him out stopped, and Ibetsu stumbled, colliding with the person. Whoever it was, they were wearing a really soft shirt, and their hair smelled like freshly fallen snow.

“Ibetsu… Hehe… Let us dance!”

“Ame? Are you drunk?”

“Could ask you the same thing.”

Ame slipped and almost fell sideways into a nearby couple. Giggling he sat down and took another long drink from the glass in his hand.

“Ame… you are drunk.”

Ibetsu pulled the younger teen up, wrapping one arm around Ame’s slim waist, and the other across the front of his shoulders to keep him from toppling forward. Shifting his position so Ame was leaning most of his weight against him, Ibetsu took several careful steps forward to test his grip.

Finding it satisfactory he carefully wove his way through the crowd, and navigated his way down the hall until he found his way up the stairs and to Ame’s room.

Kicking the door shut, Ibetsu set Ame down on his bed.

Ame seemed unconscious so Ibetsu turned to leave and go break up the party going on downstairs. His hearing faded in and out, sending his balance spiraling out of control, the alcohol catching up to him and knocking him back on his ass.

He landed stiffly on the bed next to Ame, unable to control his muscles. A hand reached out and brushed against his chin, followed by a very slurred voice.

“Ya know… yer kinda… I dunno… cute…”

Starting slightly, Ibetsu felt the hand slide down to tilt his chin up, and soft lips press against his own.

*-*-*

            Bright light filtered in through the window in Ame’s room, the chirping of birds echoing in a certain pink haired youth’s purple cat ears.

            Ibetsu sat up abruptly, hand flying to massage his temples.

            ‘Holy shit… My head… It feels like someone smacked me with a sledgehammer.’

            Suddenly he shuddered, feeling the cold air against his bare skin, and his thoughts flickered back to the night before.

            His hand fell into his lap, and he turned, his other hand reaching out tentivly. It brushed against soft, warm, bare skin, and silk like hair. He let it fall a little and he traced out Ame’s lips.

            “What an interesting birthday present…”

            His words seemed to cut through whatever dreams the slumbering Ame might have been having, because as soon as they left his mouth, Ame stirred and blinked blearily.

            “Ibehtsooo? Huh… errr.. Happeh.. birfdahy.”

            Ibetsu reached over and ruffled the younger teen’s hair playfully.

            “Sush… go back to sleep…”

            Not seeming to mind that suggestion at all, Ame’s eyes closed and he slipped back into his cozy little dream world, leaving Ibetsu to ponder what had just happened.

            ‘Why? What the hell made me do that? Oh dear gods… I’m done questioning your judgments… I give up.’

            He fell backwards, landing with a very soft thud, curling up among the blankets. His hand reached out to find Ame’s and gently closed around it.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            April had come, and springtime was in full bloom. Literally.

            The cherry trees surrounding Nagoya Castle were covered in delicate pink-petalled Sakura. A sweet scent was carried throughout Meijo Park, along with the occasional stray pink petal.

            Ame and Ibetsu stood by the pond in Ninomaru garden, Ame taking in the amazing sight of twisting flowers dancing over the glossy blue surface of the water.

            Ibetsu reflected upon the last spring he had spent with the ability of sight, searching for the memory of what the cherry blossoms looked like. Much to his dismay, the only image he could recall was blurry and splotchy, like a photograph that had been soaked in water and then had coffee spilled over it.

            He kicked the ground in annoyance, and heard the ripping sound of grass being separated from their roots.

            “Ibetsu? What’s up?”

            Ibetsu felt Ame’s breath on his shoulder, and Ame’s hand on his arm. He noted the hint of worry and anxiety in Ame’s voice. He shook his head and raised his hands up, palms outward, waving them.

            “Its nothing… Just a little chilly out here.”

            “Lets go home. Its pretty here, but a little boring…”

            Ame tugged on Ibetsu’s arm, pulling him along the path to the train station. Ibetsu didn’t resist, allowing the young teen to drag him along, glancing over his shoulder briefly towards the pond as if trying desperately to see a cherry blossom again.

            After a few minutes he turned back around with a sigh, forgetting about the fading memories for now.

*-*-*

            The pair were nearing the train station when Ame’s cell phone went off. Deciding to ignore it for now, Ame let it ring for several more minutes before finally giving up.

            He reached down and pulled it out of his pocket quickly checking the number.

            His face blanched and his tone became shaky.

            “Ibetsu… can… can you make it home without me… I have something I need to take care of.”

            Snapping out of his blissful stupor, Ibetsu nodded.

            “I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at home…”

            Ame took off, not bothering to respond, running like a bat out of hell.

            Finally several blocks away he ducked into an alley and slumped down against the wall, pulling out his phone yet again, redialing the number that had called him.

            His voice became sharp, militaristic, and down to earth.

            “Arashi speaking.”

            A deep, staticy voice echoed from the earpiece of his phone.

            “Arashi. Initiate plan 46743.”

            “But sir-“

            “No buts… I want this taken care of know.”

            The phone clicked off and Ame leaned forward, sighing, a single tear running down his face.

~*~*~*~*~*~

            The sharp click of an opening lock heralded the scraping of the front door opening as Ibetsu stepped into the house he now shared with Ame. In one hand he grasped his new class schedule for the summer quarter at Nagoya University.

            “Ame! I’m back!”

            He tilted his ears forward, straining for any hint of sound, as he slid out of his shoes and took several steps down the hall.

            “Ame?”

            His hand went to the nearest door, twisting the doorknob and leaning his weight in to push it open.

It didn’t budge.

He went further down the hall trying each door, only to find them all solidly locked or blocked.

             What in the hell…

Finally he found a door that was unlocked. It didn’t have a doorknob, just a smooth metal plate near the middle right edge of the door. He pushed gently and the door swung open, showing the way into the room it guarded.

            Ibetsu entered the room cautiously, his bare feet making no sound on found eerie silence. He stood there for several moments trying to figure out what room he was in. It was uncarpeted so maybe the entry hall or the dining room. But there was the scent of cherry blossoms and a light spring breeze dancing around the room from an open window to the… east?

            He moved to the window and placed his hand on the glass. It was cold and wet with morning dew. Sighing he turned back to face the room.

            Where am I? There is no window that faces east on the first floor. This doesn’t feel right…

            He faced the window again, one hand on its cool metal frame, the other reaching up to tug his blindfold free. Even with it gone all he could see was a black curtain of darkness all around him, but the chilly morning air felt nice on his face, calm and refreshing.

            The now familiar sound of straw sandals against wood sent him spinning around to face the room once again, purple cat ears focused forward anxiously. He reached out with his free hand and it collided with a soft, almost silk like fabric over a wiry net shirt. His hands closed, gripping the fabric tightly. His face bore a look of a curious surprise, his unseeing eyes trying to focus on the figure in front of him.

            “Ame?”

            A strong hand pulled Ibetsu forward into a warm embrace. Ibetsu’s face broke out into a joyful grin as he caught the scent of cinnamon and rainwater that clung to Ame, and fine silky hair brushed against his cheek.

            Then he noticed a sharp pain in his chest. He reached up and his hand found the source, a puncture wound on his left side. Red-hot pain blossomed from his lung, and warm crimson blood spilled down over his fingers.

            He fell backwards, white blue and cloudy purple eyes open wide in shock, mouth twisted into a mixture of pain and surprise.

            Time slowed down, the once silent breeze now a loud torrent that almost drowned out Ame’s soft, mocking voice.

            “Sorry Ibetsu… Nothing personal.”

            As his back hit the floor with a wet thud, Ibetsu’s mismatched eyes could see for the first time in years, and last time ever.

            He saw Ame standing over his prone and bleeding body, clothes soaked, a cruel dagger in hand, his face splattered Ibetsu’s blood. And from under that mask of crimson, two burning acid green eyes twinkled and a sly smile formed.

Through the open window a lone cherry blossom blew in, twisting in the wind. It came to rest on Ibetsu’s outstretched hand, and with the last of his strength he closed his fingers around it.

            The curtain of darkness fell again and Ibetsu’s consciousness slipped away with his still trickling blood.