Fushigi Yuugi Fan Fiction ❯ Scars ❯ Moving In ( Chapter 4 )

Ha! I can shut up!

------Scars------

-Kouji-

Genrou had finished shoving his belongings into boxes the night before, and now he was pacing restlessly up and down the one room of his "apartment."

"Calm down, buddy," I said, catching his shoulder as he passed me.

He shook off my hand, and sat down next to me on the floor. Every so often, he fidgeted.

We were waiting for Hikou, who was at Houjun's picking up the last of his stuff. He was going to come over and he and I were going to help Genrou move.

"What're ya so nervous about, anyway?" I asked.

He shrugged in a helpless manner, then stood up to rearrange the boxes lying piled near the door.

As he straightened an almost imperceptible tilt to the corner of the topmost box, there was a knock at the door.

Genrou jumped, startled,

"Knock, knock!

"Who's there?

"It's Hikou, Kouji's boyfriend, who's come to get Genrou out of this hellhole!

"Come right in, Hikou!

"Thank you!"

With this, the door was flung open to reveal Hikou, grinning like an idiot. Genrou looked at him, a knowing smirk on his face.

"Ya've been hangin' around Kouji too much, Hikou."

"No such thing," he smiled, coming across the room to give me a hug.

"Yer impression a' me is kinda scary," I said. "But there're a few things ya need ta work on."

"Tell me on the way," he said. "Houjun's expecting us in a few minutes."

--Houjun--

I was sitting in my kitchen, staring at nothing. I do that a lot, and I think it annoys people. I can't help it, though; when I'm thinking hard, I just sort of slip off into a sort of trance.

At this particular moment, I was fervently hoping that I'd made the right choice, allowing Genrou to move in with me.

He was nice. I knew he was. Yet, I couldn't shake the nagging doubts I had. I hoped that once I got used to having Genrou here, they would leave on their own.

A sudden pounding on the door made me snap back into the present.

"Houjun!" Hikou called.

I ran to the door and opened it. Sure enough, there they all were: Hikou, Kouji and Genrou. And a pile of boxes. They all seemed slightly out of breath. Probably from lugging those boxes around, I thought.

"We thought you were gone," Hikou said. "You didn't answer the first three times we knocked."

"Sorry," I said sheepishly. "I guess I just didn't hear you."

Hikou laughed. He knew what happened when I was thinking hard.

"Here," I reached for a box. "Let me help you guys."

It didn't take long to carry everything to Genrou's room.

--Hikou--

Houjun didn't seem nervous at all, I was glad to see. Not like Genrou, who'd been compulsively straightening boxes when I got to his apartment.

The only time I saw Houjun looking something other than cheerful the whole time we were there was when he reached for a box, only to find that Genrou was already holding it. He pulled his hand sharply off of Genrou's, blushing faintly and apologizing. Genrou looked surprised both by the contact and Houjun's reaction.

Smiling to myself, I filed that incident away for later use.

When everything had been moved to Genrou's room, we all went to the kitchen for tea. Well, Kouji and Genrou had coffee. Kouji's never liked tea. I'm not sure about Genrou.

This was pretty much a replay of the first time Houjun and Genrou had met. They couldn't find that much to talk about, though it was a little better than the last time. Still, Kouji and I ended up being the ones who talked the most. I was a little worried about Houjun and Genrou being roommates when they couldn't even carry on a conversation.

After Kouji and I had finished our respective caffinated drinks, Kouji and I left. After all, I still had to finish moving my stuff into Kouji's apartment.

As we left, I noticed Houjun starting to look nervous again.

"They'd make a cute couple, don'cha think?" Kouji pressed the button that would call the elevator, smiling.

"Real cute, Kouji. But I don't think it would work, seeing as they can't even have a conversation without long, uncomfortable pauses."

Kouji waved that away. "They just met. Give 'em a little time, an' ya won't be able t' shut 'em up."

"That may be so," I stepped into the elevator. "But Houjun's straight."

Kouji looked shocked. "He's straight? Are ya sure? "

I thought for a minute. "Well, it isn't like Houjun's had that many girlfriends. I think there were three...but he was pretty serious about Kouran."

"Well, what happened?"

I shuddered. "Even I'm not sure." Houjun had never told me anything about it. "But let me just say that it did not end well..."

-Genrou-

After Kouji and Hikou left, everything was pretty much silent again.

I hated this. I wanted to be able to talk to him. I was living with him, wasn't I?

"Do you want help unpacking your boxes...?" Houjun asked timidly.

I looked at him for a second. Was he really scared of me? "Yeah, thanks."

Houjun went to a drawer and got a pair of scissors. When I looked at him questioningly, he said with a completely straight face, "I'm planning on destroying anything I don't like."

I blinked at him.

"They're for the tape on the boxes, no da!" he laughed.

I laughed with him, relieved that he felt comfortable enough to joke with me. "No da?" I asked.

He looked a little confused. "I haven't said that since I was a kid, no d--" He closed his mouth sharply and looked bewildered.

"I don' care if ya say it 'r not, I think it's kinda cute,"

He shook his head, but he was smiling. "Come on," he said, walking into my room.

--Houjun--

"Now, look, I've got 'n idea." Genrou said as we got to his room. "I don' want any long, awkward pauses, so any time ya hear one startin' up, I want ya t' say somethin'. Anythin'. I don't mind the occasional friendly pause, but those long ones where yer thinkin' 'what th' hell'm I s'posed ta say?' have gotta go."

I laughed. "All right."

It actually worked fairly well. We both made some very odd comments over the course of the afternoon, but there weren't as many pauses.

There were fewer strange things said over dinner, where it's less necessary to be saying something all of the time.

I actually felt pretty good about everything that day.

That night, I had two dreams, both of which I remember vividly. The first was a happy one. It involved a monk with blue hair and a large scar over one eye and a bandit with brilliant orange hair. They were watching the sun rising, and though there were silences, they weren't the kind Genrou had tried to banish. Throughout the dream there was a general feeling of peace and contentment.

The second dream contrasted sharply with the first.

It was about her.

I saw it all again. My worst memories played out through the dream, and though I knew I was dreaming, I was powerless to stop the flow of images.

-Genrou-

I woke up in the middle of the night to hear whimpering from Houjun's room. Muffled sobs of pure unhappiness.

Blinking sleep from my eyes I crossed my room and I was almost at the door when I heard the door to Houjun's room open and close slowly. Footsteps padded across the carpet in the living room.

His crying had quieted a little now, and all that I could hear was the occasional shuddering breath.

I crept across the room and opened my door silently. Looking out through the crack, I could see Houjun standing at the window. The moonlight made his pale face glow, and by that glow I could see the glittering tracks on his cheek.

He whispered something softly to the stars, and fresh tears escaped from his eye. I closed my door gently, knowing he wanted to be alone.

--Houjun--

I slipped out of my room quietly, not wanting to wake Genrou. I walked to the window and looked out, remembering all of the times I had watched these same stars with her.

I wondered if she could see them, wherever she was.

I wondered if she could see me. I hoped she could hear me.

"I'm so sorry, Kouran," I whispered.

-------To be continued

Dun dun duuuun... What happened to Kouran in this life? I've only got a vague idea right now. I will figure it out, though! I hope you'll still be reading this when I do.

I know it's gotten a little cliched... I'm so sorry...I'll try to make it better next time.

~Ambika