Gravitation Fan Fiction ❯ Fleeting Inspiration ❯ The Rescue of Kumagoro ( Chapter 14 )

[ T - Teen: Not suitable for readers under 13 ]
Fleeting Inspiration
by Anna Sartin

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Chapter 14: The Rescue of Kumagoro

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When given the choice between buying a new cell phone or fixing his old one, Eiri was surprised to find himself leaning toward getting his present phone repaired. He could easily get a new one now as opposed to waiting two weeks for his current one to be fixed and sent back, yet he still found himself wanting the old one. He regretted throwing it out the window in the first place and felt rather foolish for doing so. He just couldn't control his temper! He ran his thumb over the small photo on the inside flap, feeling even more foolish when he finally told the man behind the counter to repair it.

"Whatever you say, buddy," the man said, taking the phone from him. "It will be mailed back to your house when they fix it so you won't need to come back here."

"Good, and..." he looked around quickly, making sure Shuichi was nowhere in earshot before whispering, "Tell them not to mess with the photo sticker on the flap. I don't want it to get ruined."

The man laughed, but not unkindly. "I'll make a note of it when I send in your order."

"Thank you." The novelist's voice was gruff as he tried to maintain an air of dignity.

Loud shouting and crashing could be heard from outside, but Eiri ignored it. His blackmailing brat of a brother could clean up his own messes, he sure as hell wasn't under any obligation to help him. The little shit had no problem helping himself to his beer, his bed and his credit card; Eiri wasn't helping him with anything else!

Now to find his brat. He wasn't in the section where the radios were displayed, so the novelist wandered around in search of him. He found his pink-haired companion dancing in the back of the store with a pair of headphones on. A salesman stood a few feet away, smiling politely.

"Look at this Mp3 player!" Shuichi called loudly, apparently trying to hear his own voice over the music blasting in his ears.

"You already HAVE an Mp3 player," Eiri said.

"But this one has a radio in it! Now I won't have to lug a radio around!"

And I won't have to listen to it, Eiri thought, immediately seeing the positive side to this purchase. "Fine. Hurry up so we can get out of here."

Shuichi smiled and nodded to the salesman, before taking the headphones off and handing the Mp3 player back to him. The man returned the display model to the glass case and handed Shuichi a packaged one, then motioned for them to follow him. Shuichi grabbed Eiri's hand, dragging him along.

The noise outside was getting louder. A strange banging noise started up, accompanied by Ryuichi's loud wailing.

"What's going ON out there?" Shuichi asked.

"Who cares?" Eiri replied, getting out a credit card to pay for Shuichi's new $100+ toy. "Better them than us."

When they had finished paying Shuichi ran to the door to see what was going on. "Yuki, come here! You've got to see this!!!" he yelled, running out the door. Eiri followed him, shoving the sales receipt in his pocket as he exited the store.

The homeless woman was running down the middle of the street, rolling a garbage can in front of her and beating it with a stick. Ryuichi ran close behind her, wailing like a toddler who'd lost his favorite toy. Tatsuha and another man (a bum, Eiri surmised by the state of his clothes) struggled to keep up with them.

"What the hell is going on NOW?" Eiri asked no one in particular as he took in the strange scene.

The trash can soon got away from the woman and she struggled in vain to catch up with it. She waved her stick in the air, hitting anything that crossed her path. Tatsuha was yelling for Ryuichi to wait for him, but Ryuichi only continued to cry as he chased the homeless woman. The bum was shouting that he wanted his trash can back.

"What the hell is that idiot's problem?" Eiri asked.

Shuichi tugged on the writer's sleeve to get his attention and pointed to the garbage can as it rolled past them. Something pink was rolling around inside it.

"Can't we DO something, Yuki?"

"It's not our business."

"Please?"

Eiri rolled his eyes. "Give me that book."

Shuichi handed him "Four Gay Elves" and the author threw it at the crazy woman as she ran past them. The book hit its target and she tripped, falling flat on her face. Ryuichi ran past her in hot pursuit of the rolling trash can. Tatsuha passed her next, followed by the bum who (purposely?) stepped on her head. After yelling something in English that was definitely NOT Christian, she picked up the book that had caused her to fall.

Eiri smirked, glad to finally be rid of the book that haunted him. Guess she found a new bible to replace that damned cookbook. She could keep it with his blessing!

Ryuichi finally caught up to the garbage can, stopped it, and crawled inside to rescue his beloved Kumagoro. Tatsuha finally caught up to him and helped him out again, before the bum finally caught up to them and a loud shouting match broke out between them.

"Let's get out of here," Eiri said, heading for the car.

"Do you think she's going to sit there all day?" Shuichi asked, pointing to where the homeless woman was now sitting in the middle of the road reading her new book.

"No, just until someone runs over her," the author replied, unlocking the car. "Then they'll have to scrap her off the street like road kill."

"Yuki!"

"What?" the author asked in mock-innocence.

"That's gross."

"Yes. Yes it is."

"Do we have to go home now?"

"Yes. Why?"

"Well... I guess I just wish our vacation wasn't over yet," Shuichi said softly. "Can we go to the movies or something?"

"They're delivering our mattress this afternoon, remember? We have to be there to let them in."

"Oh..." Shuichi tried to hide his disappointment, but his voice dripped with it.

Eiri stared at him for a moment with an unreadable expression on his face before saying, "We could rent a movie though, and watch it together."

Shuichi's face lit up. "Really?"

"Yeah."

"Can I pick the movie?"

"Sure."

"Yay!"

"As long as it isn't something boring or retarded," Eiri quickly amended.

"Can it be like a date?"

"People don't have dates at their house, stupid."

"Well... can we snuggle on the couch and pretend we're on a date?"

Eiri fought to keep his lips from curling into a smile. "Whatever."

Shuichi squealed happily before asking, "Can we order take out? Can we make popcorn? Can we-

"Fine! Whatever! Just shut up!"

"Yuki I love you!!!" Shuichi cried happily, grabbing his lover.

"You idiot!!! Get off!" He tried to push Shuichi away as he swerved sharply to the right, missing the woman in the street by mere inches.

"Wow, she can move!" Shuichi said as they watched her scurry out of the road.

Eiri glared at the singer warningly as they drove away. "You do that again and you'll be riding home in the trunk!"

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~End chapter fourteen