Yet more HikaGo fic
Jul. 23rd, 2005 10:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
sakon76With just a slight reference to ![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
aishuu's Seance do Go:
"Hmm." Touya looked up, and Hikaru saw speculative thought in his face. "Shindou, why are you telling me this?"
"Because you know me better than anyone," Hikaru answered. He took a breath, feeling the cold fear that he'd been trying so hard to master since the night before. "And because if anything happens, there should be someone who knows." He smiled, but it was bitter. "Vampires are supposed to be killed by stakes through the heart, or sunshine, or lopping off their heads and burning the body."
Touya's eyes were wide now, horrified. "Shindou--"
"I suppose there might be other methods too. It's all Western stuff. I wonder if a priest or an onmyouji might work?" Hikaru mused. His eyes met Touya's again. "If I turn into a monster, I'd rather be dead." He smiled again, but it was calmer now. "After all, it's not like dead's the end. I can personally guarantee that."
"You can't expect me to kill you."
"I expect you to do whatever's necessary," Hikaru replied, harder now. "Do you really think Waya or Isumi-san would believe me about this?"
He held Touya's eyes for a minute before the other conceded, reluctantly, "No."
*
It took three days for Hikaru to die.
He'd felt it coming, and wanted to rebel, but couldn't. There was no place to run, nowhere to hide, and nothing to fight but his body itself. The "sick" excuse held good for the fact that he had no appetite. The liquids he ingested under his mother's watchful eye were barely held down until he she left the room and he could throw them up. Only water would stay down, and not very much of that. Everything started tasting nasty in short order.
He didn't hurt, but it became hard to breathe. Moving from his bed to sit opposite his Go board from Touya wiped Hikaru out for a few minutes. The game was a balm--even though he found it hard to concentrate on whatever Touya was telling him had happened at the Institute that day, the game itself still absorbed him and stopped the world from sliding out of focus.
He spent the nights after Touya left gazing out of the window at the moon, falling in and out of short naps, wondering if he'd been fair or even right to put this on Touya's shoulders. Maybe he shouldn't have. Maybe he should have let Touya, too, think he was just down with the flu.
Maybes didn't change things and it was too late now to go back.
And maybe he was only dying for real, and wouldn't come back....
Hikaru curled around his fear, cold, and didn't try to deny that tears were leaking into his pillow.
*
Shindou lay on his bed, eyes closed, as they played a game of mental Go, mapping the board in their minds alone. It had taken fifteen minutes the day before for Shindou to recover from the three foot journey between bed and Go board; today he hadn't even tried.
"Touya?"
"Mm?"
"If I don't come back, mind if I haunt you?" Even like this, Shindou retained his sense of humor.
"As long as we play Go."
"Of course. 10-3."
Akira visualized the move, noted its significance, decided to ignore its threat in favor of consolidating more territory. "9-7."
"Aa." Shindou thought for a moment. "Touya. In case I don't come back. Sai--"
"Don't tell me," Akira bit out. He closed his eyes against the sudden heat behind them. His throat felt tight. "You're going to come back, one way or another. Tell me then. Whenever you're ready. Not just because--" His voice broke.
Shindou was quiet for a moment. "All right. When things are normal again."
Things would never be normal again, Akira thought bitterly. No matter what happened.
Later that afternoon, Shindou died.
*
One moment it was afternoon, the next it was twilight. Hikaru blinked and wondered if he'd fallen asleep. He pushed himself up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, still a bit sore.
Touya sat against the wall by his desk, staring at Hikaru, eyes wide, mouth a little open.
"What?" Hikaru asked.
"You're alive," Touya said amazedly.
"Of course I'm--" The missing afternoon hit and Hikaru's eyes widened in comprehension. One hand crept over his heart, which beat a steady pulse. He felt cool, though. Like he'd spent a few hours lying dead, he realized, with no heartbeat to pump warming blood through his body. "I died, didn't I?"
Touya nodded and swallowed. "You seem to have come back."
"You stayed?"
"Someone had to keep your mother out."
How much courage must that have taken, Hikaru wondered, to stay in a room with the dead body of your friend, not knowing if you should call someone or if he really was going to come back as a monster? He read Touya's eyes, imagined the passing minutes and hours, the underlying fear, the emptiness, the not knowing....
"Thank you," Hikaru said quietly.
Touya nodded in response. "Do you feel any different?"
Hikaru took stock and considered. "Not really." He stretched. "Like I've been in bed too long, maybe."
"Not... thirsty?"
Touya wasn't talking about water. "No," Hikaru answered honestly.
"Hungry?"
Hikaru smiled. "Ramen sounds good," he admitted. He frowned. "If it still tastes the same."
*
Ramen, unfortunately, did apparently not taste the same. Akira held his chopsticks still while Shindou muttered "I wonder if everything's going to be like this." Shindou looked up. "Oh, go ahead, eat," he admonished. "Just because my tastebuds are whacked doesn't mean you should starve." He sighed and inhaled the steam rising from his bowl. "At least it still smells good."
"If you're sure," Akira replied, and resumed eating. "At least you're over your... flu."
"Yeah. Let's see if I can make my game tomorrow," Shindou replied.
"Did you have any thoughts on that?" It was like trying to talk in code where others could hear them.
"I can either leave before dawn, or see if I can make it like regular." Shindou smiled thinly. "If I'm not in tomorrow, it'll be because I tried to go later and couldn't."
"You're going to try so soon?"
"I have to try it sooner or later. Better sooner so I can get on with my life." Shindou stared meditatively into his bowl. "Unlife," he whispered.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "At least you're still around to have one," he commented tightly.
Shindou twitched in reaction. "I know. Be grateful it didn't kill me all the way, right? Stupid mugger freak," he spat. Akira had to agree.
There was a long moment of silence at their table before Shindou gestured at Akira's bowl. "Eat up. I'm paying, after all."
aishuu's Seance do Go:"Hmm." Touya looked up, and Hikaru saw speculative thought in his face. "Shindou, why are you telling me this?"
"Because you know me better than anyone," Hikaru answered. He took a breath, feeling the cold fear that he'd been trying so hard to master since the night before. "And because if anything happens, there should be someone who knows." He smiled, but it was bitter. "Vampires are supposed to be killed by stakes through the heart, or sunshine, or lopping off their heads and burning the body."
Touya's eyes were wide now, horrified. "Shindou--"
"I suppose there might be other methods too. It's all Western stuff. I wonder if a priest or an onmyouji might work?" Hikaru mused. His eyes met Touya's again. "If I turn into a monster, I'd rather be dead." He smiled again, but it was calmer now. "After all, it's not like dead's the end. I can personally guarantee that."
"You can't expect me to kill you."
"I expect you to do whatever's necessary," Hikaru replied, harder now. "Do you really think Waya or Isumi-san would believe me about this?"
He held Touya's eyes for a minute before the other conceded, reluctantly, "No."
It took three days for Hikaru to die.
He'd felt it coming, and wanted to rebel, but couldn't. There was no place to run, nowhere to hide, and nothing to fight but his body itself. The "sick" excuse held good for the fact that he had no appetite. The liquids he ingested under his mother's watchful eye were barely held down until he she left the room and he could throw them up. Only water would stay down, and not very much of that. Everything started tasting nasty in short order.
He didn't hurt, but it became hard to breathe. Moving from his bed to sit opposite his Go board from Touya wiped Hikaru out for a few minutes. The game was a balm--even though he found it hard to concentrate on whatever Touya was telling him had happened at the Institute that day, the game itself still absorbed him and stopped the world from sliding out of focus.
He spent the nights after Touya left gazing out of the window at the moon, falling in and out of short naps, wondering if he'd been fair or even right to put this on Touya's shoulders. Maybe he shouldn't have. Maybe he should have let Touya, too, think he was just down with the flu.
Maybes didn't change things and it was too late now to go back.
And maybe he was only dying for real, and wouldn't come back....
Hikaru curled around his fear, cold, and didn't try to deny that tears were leaking into his pillow.
Shindou lay on his bed, eyes closed, as they played a game of mental Go, mapping the board in their minds alone. It had taken fifteen minutes the day before for Shindou to recover from the three foot journey between bed and Go board; today he hadn't even tried.
"Touya?"
"Mm?"
"If I don't come back, mind if I haunt you?" Even like this, Shindou retained his sense of humor.
"As long as we play Go."
"Of course. 10-3."
Akira visualized the move, noted its significance, decided to ignore its threat in favor of consolidating more territory. "9-7."
"Aa." Shindou thought for a moment. "Touya. In case I don't come back. Sai--"
"Don't tell me," Akira bit out. He closed his eyes against the sudden heat behind them. His throat felt tight. "You're going to come back, one way or another. Tell me then. Whenever you're ready. Not just because--" His voice broke.
Shindou was quiet for a moment. "All right. When things are normal again."
Things would never be normal again, Akira thought bitterly. No matter what happened.
Later that afternoon, Shindou died.
One moment it was afternoon, the next it was twilight. Hikaru blinked and wondered if he'd fallen asleep. He pushed himself up, swinging his legs over the edge of the bed, still a bit sore.
Touya sat against the wall by his desk, staring at Hikaru, eyes wide, mouth a little open.
"What?" Hikaru asked.
"You're alive," Touya said amazedly.
"Of course I'm--" The missing afternoon hit and Hikaru's eyes widened in comprehension. One hand crept over his heart, which beat a steady pulse. He felt cool, though. Like he'd spent a few hours lying dead, he realized, with no heartbeat to pump warming blood through his body. "I died, didn't I?"
Touya nodded and swallowed. "You seem to have come back."
"You stayed?"
"Someone had to keep your mother out."
How much courage must that have taken, Hikaru wondered, to stay in a room with the dead body of your friend, not knowing if you should call someone or if he really was going to come back as a monster? He read Touya's eyes, imagined the passing minutes and hours, the underlying fear, the emptiness, the not knowing....
"Thank you," Hikaru said quietly.
Touya nodded in response. "Do you feel any different?"
Hikaru took stock and considered. "Not really." He stretched. "Like I've been in bed too long, maybe."
"Not... thirsty?"
Touya wasn't talking about water. "No," Hikaru answered honestly.
"Hungry?"
Hikaru smiled. "Ramen sounds good," he admitted. He frowned. "If it still tastes the same."
Ramen, unfortunately, did apparently not taste the same. Akira held his chopsticks still while Shindou muttered "I wonder if everything's going to be like this." Shindou looked up. "Oh, go ahead, eat," he admonished. "Just because my tastebuds are whacked doesn't mean you should starve." He sighed and inhaled the steam rising from his bowl. "At least it still smells good."
"If you're sure," Akira replied, and resumed eating. "At least you're over your... flu."
"Yeah. Let's see if I can make my game tomorrow," Shindou replied.
"Did you have any thoughts on that?" It was like trying to talk in code where others could hear them.
"I can either leave before dawn, or see if I can make it like regular." Shindou smiled thinly. "If I'm not in tomorrow, it'll be because I tried to go later and couldn't."
"You're going to try so soon?"
"I have to try it sooner or later. Better sooner so I can get on with my life." Shindou stared meditatively into his bowl. "Unlife," he whispered.
Akira's eyes narrowed. "At least you're still around to have one," he commented tightly.
Shindou twitched in reaction. "I know. Be grateful it didn't kill me all the way, right? Stupid mugger freak," he spat. Akira had to agree.
There was a long moment of silence at their table before Shindou gestured at Akira's bowl. "Eat up. I'm paying, after all."
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Date: 2005-07-25 01:34 am (UTC)Innnteresting...Hikaru has a heartbeat. I'm looking forward to seeing your take on vampires for this story. ^_^
Did not get HikaGo today because everywhere I went didn't have book 1. (And I saw book 1 two days ago and didn't get it. Grr.) Maybe later this week I'll find it. On the other hand, I did find DNAngel and Saiyuki and have been entertaining myself with those. Yum. ^^