Sukisho Fan Fiction ❯ 10 years ❯ chapter 11 ( Chapter 11 )

10 years

 

By Sapadu

 

A/N: I thank you all for your support and comments- though, for those of you who are all 'This is so sad' and 'I'm gonna cry now'... These next two chapters aren't going to be your cup of tea, then...

 

Don't shoot me- I'm only the fanfiction writer!

 

“You're still sleeping with that thing, Hashiba?” Sunao asked, giving Toushizou a curious look, “How can you possibly sleep with it poking you in the face or something?”

 

Sora shrugged, moving Toushizou so that Sunao could sit down.

 

“Maybe the same way you manage to sleep without something in your arms?” He guessed. Sunao sighed and sat down, keeping a distance away from Sora, “Sorry I don't have more comfortable chairs... Did you want some tea or something?” Sora finally asked. Sunao shrugged.

 

“It's okay.” He said. The two sat in silence for a moment, before Sunao suddenly started.

 

“...Hashiba... what have you been doing all these years? Like... with a job... or anything...?” He asked. Sora sighed a little and propped his chin up on his hand, contemplatively.

 

“I took over Nii-chan's position as a math teacher at our old high school- except it's not just a boys-only school, anymore...” Sora muttered, before turning the question back, “I know what your job is... what else have you been doing?”

 

Sunao shrugged.

 

“Work... mostly... Nakou-chan and I were only engaged really recently... I guess I just wanted to get ahead early on so I didn't end up in trouble later...” He replied, noncommittally. Sora raised an eyebrow.

 

“So... wait... these last ten years... all you've been doing is working?” He asked, incredulously, “You haven't been seeing anyone or... anything at all?” Sunao shot Sora an irritably tired look.

 

“I don't need relationships or adventures to make my life exciting- it was chaotic enough learning how to live by myself, pay bills, and other adult things like that on my own.” The other responded, almost impatiently. Sora looked away again.

 

“Gomen... I guess it's just hard for me to understand...” Sora mumbled- he had meant to say 'believe', but changed his mind before he said it. Sunao shrugged again.

 

“It's okay... what about you, Hashiba? You mentioned that you were with Hiromu for a while...” Sunao asked, looking away, almost wondering if he wanted to hear or not.

 

“...Um...” Sora was also going red, and Sunao suddenly wanted to take back his question as he realized he didn't want to hear this.

 

“...Don't laugh!” Sora suddenly said, which almost made Sunao smirk in and of itself, “...For one thing... if Minato came out a few times and hit on me, that doesn't count and it's not my fault.” Sora finally said. Suano rolled his eyes, having a clear idea of what that meant, before Sora finally answered his question.

 

“...Well, after high school, it was mostly me and Matsuri... For, like, three years, there was that guy Chris...” Sunao's eyes narrowed, though Sora couldn't tell if it was with displeasure or trying to remember who he was talking about, “...You know, from the church...”

 

Sunao's eyes remained narrowed, which made Sora stop from going into details. (Including, but not limited to, that one incident when they'd managed to have sex on the altar in the church- a feat Sora was still puzzled at HOW they'd accomplished it.)

 

“...Soushi asked me out for dinner once, but it didn't really go too far... You heard about Hiromu... and we had also been staying in contact as friends since graduation... Did you know he's a model? It took me forever to figure it out.” Sora's voice was strained, like he was trying to be cheerful, but Sunao didn't take notice of it.

 

“I kind of figured, Hashiba- Hiromu would be good for something like that.” Sunao said, before asking, “...You and Matsuri-chan were alone for a few years?”

 

Sora took it the wrong way and went red.

 

“...Well... it was only once...” Sunao's eyes snapped in his direction, “He'd just gotten his veterinary license, I was still depressed that you'd disappeared, and we went out drinking...” Sunao covered his ears, making a noise.

 

“... Omae to... Matsuri-chan... ew... Hashiba... tell me that's a joke...” Sunao muttered, as Sora went very red. After a moment, though, they both started to snicker, almost as though nothing had happened, “Only you, Hashiba... if your supposed 'Most precious possession' was a pink elephant, I should have known you'd like alcohol a lot...”

 

Sora kept chuckling as Sunao spoke.

 

“I remember when I got Toushizou, then I heard Niichan talking about 'The Pink Elephants'... I made a private promise that when I was old enough, I'd drink so much that Toushizou had grandparents and aunts and uncles, because I thought he would have friends then.” Sora shared, smiling a little.

 

Sunao smiled a little at that, too, as though thinking about something, but an uncomfortable silence settled in again, before Sora finally spoke again.

 

“...Fujimori... can I ask you something... about when we were kids?” He mumbled. Sunao looked up at Sora, an eyebrow quirked.

 

“...Why not?” Sunao replied, sitting up a little straighter. Sora tugged on one of Toushizou's ears, much like a little child nervously asking something of their parent.

 

“...It just occurred to me... when we met up again last time, how much we fought, and how, when I ran into you again last year, the first thing we did was argue... when we were little... did we fight a lot like that or...” Sora mumbled. Sunao blinked, with earnest surprise.

 

“Hashiba...” He whispered. Sora looked away.

 

“...Gomen... I know it might not be something you want to talk about... but... even if I know all the events that happened... it makes me feel bad that I still don't remember what I was always smiling for. Even after being told stories by Matsuri, Nii-chan, and Nanami-chan... even after looking at old photographs, or reading old diary entries... I still feel like I don't know who I was back then... or who you were or who Matsuri was... it's like we're completely different people now...”

 

Sunao's eyelids lowered and he stared down, his knees coming to curl up next to his chest.

 

“... Ii yo, Hashiba... But, about how we acted...” Sunao mumbled, “Well, little kids always fight sometimes... but... we didn't fight as much as others did, and it wouldn't be over stupid things, but over something like 'Should we sneak out- no, we shouldn't, we'll get in trouble- but we promised Matsuri we would'...” Sunao kept staring at his knees as Sora gave him a sidewards glance, “Demo... we always made up afterwards... we couldn't afford to fight like other kids did... because we depended on each other... more than anything...”

 

Sora grimaced and then looked back down.

 

“...Gomen, Fujimori...” He whispered. Sunao's eyes shifted towards him, but his head didn't move.

 

“Nani ka, Hashiba?” The other asked, as Sora put Toushizou aside and leaned over, pulling his old friend into a hug- one which made Sunao's eyes go wide with shock.

 

“...I'm just sorry that... you had to lose the person who you depended on...” Sora mumbled, and Sunao had a feeling that Sora wasn't just saying that for himself, but actually, truly meant it. His voice shook as he responded.

 

“...We're adults now, Hashiba... we would have had to stop, anyway... so you don't need to be sorry...” His words sounded hollow, even to him.

 

“'Kedo... maybe if it had been like normal kids... if we'd just grown apart slowly, instead of all at once... It wasn't fair to you, at least...” Sora muttered, his mouth pressed into Sunao's shoulder and voice muffled. Sunao didn't reply to this, but his arms came up and wound around Sora's back.

 

“...It's okay, Hashiba...”

 

They stayed that way for who knows how long, before Sora whispered something which Sunao had honestly not expected to hear.

 

“I missed you.” Sunao's eyes widened and he blinked for a few minutes, completely taken off guard by this.

 

“...Ha... Hashiba...” Sunao stammered, but Sora stopped him.

 

“...Not just... because I was upset about the break-up... but... I just missed having Fujimori around... to talk to... to listen to... to sometimes tease because most of his clothes were pink, and to have around to punch me when I was being stupid...” Sora mumbled, grip tightening around Sunao's shoulders and waist, “...As soon as we moved out of the dorms, I kept waking up every morning, wondering where you were before I remembered we weren't roommates anymore... and when I went to sleep, I would end up staring at the ceiling, because the room felt too big without someone else, even if they were in a different bed...”

 

Sunao was quiet for a long moment, resting his forehead against Sora's shoulder and just breathing in that same old smell.

 

“...I missed you, too... Hashiba...” Sora's clinging subsided, just a little, and he pulled back to stare at his former lover's face for a while. For some reason, the words 'I missed you' seemed to have gone deeper than 'I love you' or anything either of them could have said, but either way, Sora couldn't stop staring at Sunao's face, right to the point where Sunao looked back up at him, with a similar expression.

 

Sora wasn't entirely sure of this, either, but he felt... perversely happy... that Sunao had missed him as well. Maybe he was more pleased that Sunao was ADMITTING it, or maybe that it implied something similar to how he felt but... Sora also couldn't help but feel bad for being happy about it...

 

Sunao's eyelids lowered, just a little bit, but it seemed to signal something and Sora leaned forward. Sunao's head tipped a little to the side and he felt Sora's lips brush over his cheek. Sunao felt his face flush, before he suddenly froze.

 

“Hashiba, yamero.” It was a command, and a firm one at that. Sora froze, then pulled back. Sunao released his grip and pulled away, eyes averted. Sora glanced away, too, in the same direction, as though they both found something on Sora's floor incredibly fascinating.

 

“...Gomen, Fujimori...”

 

“...Iya... Gomen nasai, Hashiba... but we can't...” Sunao mumbled, guiltily shrinking back. Sora wore an equally guilty expression.

 

“Because of Nakou... right?” He finished. Sunao made a noncommittal noise in the back of his throat. They both knew that Nakou wouldn't care- she'd probably celebrate if they kissed or something like that- but they also knew that, either way, she was Sunao's fiancé, and kissing or sleeping with someone else was still infidelity.

 

After a moment, Sora carefully put his arms back around Sunao's shoulders, in a way that could be considered as a friend or a brother as much as a lover.

 

“Fujimori... is just this okay?” Sora whispered, and Sunao's gaze softened a little, his arms coming back up and curling around his old friend.

 

“...Aah...” He whispered, breathing deeply and letting his eyes close.

 

“...Fujimori... if you want to just spend the night- just staying here, I mean... but not... doing anything... I could wake you up when you needed to leave or when Nakou called you...” Sora murmured next to Sunao's ear. Sunao didn't answer for a few moments, each dragging out so long that Sora wondered if Sunao had fallen asleep on his shoulder, before Sunao mumbled a reply.

 

“Zutto...” He whispered, and when Sora pulled away to give him a questioning gaze, Sunao continued, “Everyday... Hashiba... I would wish that you were still there... and every time Ran came to see you at night, I was always watching... and wishing that it was me, instead of Ran... sleeping next to Hashiba...”

 

Sora blinked, gaze soft.

 

“Fujimori...” Sora put a hand on the side of Sunao's face, tilting it down and stretching his neck to press a kiss against Sunao's hair. Before he could though, Sunao lifted a hand, brushed Sora's away and tilted his face up, softly meeting Sora's lips with his own.

 

Sora didn't react in a surprised way, but just went along with it. After a moment, one of the hands around Sunao's shoulders slid down, lifting the bottom of Sunao's shirt up, before pulling it off completely.

 

The two laid back down, Sunao's arms locked tightly around Sora, as though the world would cease to exist if he let go.

 

)&%^%#%^#@^^(*&%^#

 

Kitamura found Sei before Shiina did- he was bruised, bloody, and practically unrecognizable, but it was Sei, alright, crumpled inside a phone booth, a pool of blood gathering around him, while streaks of it were smeared on his skin, clothes and down the glass walls of the booth. Almost immediately, he called Shiina, who arrived with an ambulance as soon as he could.

 

Kitamura opted to go ahead and find Sora-senpai, as well as Shinichirou-sensei and Nanami-sensei, while Shiina rode with Sei in the ambulance. Kitamura reached Shinichirou-sensei's apartment first, and waited, impatiently, for him to open the door.

 

“Sorry for disturbing you so late.” Kitamura panted, but Shinichirou-sensei didn't reply, “Shiina and I need you to come to the hospital- Sei was beaten up by someone and he said something was an emergency about Sora-senpai...”

 

Shinichirou-sensei visably started, but went with him, quickly.

 

Then, many hours later, they still could not contact Sora-senpai, and Nanami-sensei was nowhere to be found.

 

)*&(^^$%#%$()&&$$#^

 

“At last, no more mortgage payments- we officially OWN this place!” Ichikawa Gaku cheered, throwing a pillow at his roommate cum husband. Nagase Kai caught it without looking up from his work.

 

“It's just a condominium, Gaku.” He reminded the overly enthusiastic other, who was still grinning madly.

 

“Nagase-bucho-ou-u! We should still go out and celebrate for this!” Gaku struck a pose, “Like... Vive la France... or something...”

 

“You just said 'Long live France'- that has nothing to do with dinner.” Nagase reminded him, wondering- however fondly- how his lover could have such an IQ level that they were both founders of their own research institute over here, and yet, he could still be so DUMB!

 

“Bu-cho-ou!” Gaku whined, before Nagase handed him the phone.

 

“We're settled in now- you could give Hashiba Sora a call if you wanted to, now...”

 

“Oh, yeah- Sora-senpai's probably been wondering where we went...” Gaku brightened, taking the phone and preparing to dial long distance.

 

(*^&^$%^#%&(_^%#^%&(

 

“Hashiba... your phone's ringing...” Sunao mumbled, burrowing a little under the blanket a little more, before he realized he was alone in the bed. For one thing, the spot next to him was empty, and for another, it was cold. Sunao sat up, skin goose bumping as it was exposed to the cold air, and looked around the apartment, groggily.

 

“Hashiba...?” He called, quietly, still half-asleep, “Kuu-chan?”

 

There was no answer. Sunao was alone.

 

After a moment, he got out of bed, dragging the sheet with him around his waist, and walked over to the phone, wincing as stiff muscles stretched.

 

“Moshi moshi...” Sunao mumbled as he answered Sora's phone. There was a pause, before Sunao heard Matsuri's voice.

 

“...Nao-kun? Did I get the wrong number?” He asked. Sunao blinked, then felt his face go red.

 

“...No, this is Hashiba's phone... but Hashiba's not here, if that's what you mean...” Sunao mumbled, again, and he heard Matsuri make an 'Oh' noise. Three times, the first in comprehension, the second in delight, and the third in disappointment.

 

“...So... Nao-kun... you spent the night?” Matsuri finally said, and Sunao could see him grinning madly.

 

He rolled his eyes.

 

“...Hai, Matsuri-chan...” Sunao answered, and he heard Matsuri cackle, “It's not funny- Hashiba's gone and I don't know where he went. He didn't even leave a note.” Sunao snapped, as he started to wake up and his senses were suddenly alert as to what this meant.

 

Matsuri paused.

 

“...Gone...?” Matsuri asked, as though clarifying it. In all fairness, Matsuri probably thought that before, Sunao had meant Sora was in the shower or something like that.

 

“Hai... and he didn't take his phone with him, so we can't even call him...” Sunao added, though that should have been obvious, as he was talking on it right now.

 

“Mmm... Nao-kun, stay where you are- I'll go out and find him...” Matsuri finally said, as he hung up.

 

Sunao stared at the phone for a while, looked around the empty apartment, then started to get dressed in his clothes from yesterday.

 

He paused.

 

Sora's clothes were still crumpled right next to his at the foot of the bed...

 

()(&^$^%#%^*&&))(*&^$%^())&Y

 

“I'll get Nao-kun, you go out and look for Sora.” Nakou was putting on her own shoes as Matsuri hung up the phone. The look on Matsuri's face was serious as he looked down at the floor.

 

“...Demo... why would Sora walk out on Nao-kun like that?” He said, frowning. Nakou paused, then handed Matsuri his shoes.

 

“Nao-kun is probably wondering the same thing. That's why I'm going to go check on him.” She said. Matsuri sighed, slipped on his loafers, and both of them took off.

 

Nakou made it to the apartment Sunao and Sora lived in, but paused to see Sunao out in the hall, staring off into the distance with his hands on the railing.

 

“Nao-kun...” She whispered. Sunao slowly turned to stare at her, but his eyes were unfocused, like he didn't even see her.

 

After a very long second, Sunao's knees gave way and he fainted forward. Nakou ran over and caught him, arms shaking as Sunao's body, much heavier than hers, nearly dragged her down.

 

“Nao-kun! NAO-KUN!” Nakou called, but Sunao had fainted clear away.

 

*(^$$#$@#@^%^&^@#$%^&*(_)&%

“Nanami-sensei is missing, so I couldn't even get in contact with him.” Nakou mused, as she and Matsuri watched over Sunao. Matsuri had quickly abandoned the search for Sora when he heard that Sunao had literally fainted right on top of Nakou, and helped her bring his old friend back to his apartment.

 

“Things are becoming difficult for all of us...” Matsuri mumbled, brow furrowed as Sunao stirred a little, pink eyes fluttering open a little.

 

“...Matsuri-chan... Nakou-chan...” He mumbled in a daze. Nakou smiled, though somewhat falsely.

 

“Good morning, sleepyhead.” She said, cheerfully. Sunao blinked, before he sat up, eyes glazed over.

 

“...Hashiba...” He finally said, staring at his hands, folded in his lap.

 

Matsuri grimaced a little.

 

“Sora's still missing. Don't worry, though, Nao-kun- I'll find him.” Matsuri said, but smiled somewhat reassuringly.

 

Sunao's face fell. Matsuri left the room so the engaged could talk while he made tea.

 

As soon as the door closed, Nakou grinned a little.

 

“Nao-kun, you're worried about Sora, aren't you?” She asked. Sunao's face twisted, like he was trying to stop himself from crying, but was trying to scowl at the same time.

 

It was a very guilty expression.

 

“Nakou-chan... ore... last night... with Hashiba...” Sunao hung his head and Nakou smiled a little.

 

“I think I can guess what happened.” She said, gently, and Sunao looked even guiltier, before Nakou patted him on the back.

 

“Gomen nasai... Nakou-chan...” He mumbled, eyes clenching shut.

 

“Nao-kun, over the past year, Matsuri-chan and I have been trying to get you two back together. You don't need to apologize...” But Sunao interrupted.

 

“...I meant... I'm sorry for causing you trouble, Nakou-chan...” He said, softly, “You were right... from the beginning, you were always right... I am in love with Hashiba... and I was always too much of a coward to admit it... because I didn't want to admit that I hadn't wanted to leave Hashiba in the first place...” Sunao paused to swallow, and then said, “You were right the whole time...”

 

Nakou smiled.

 

“That's what fiancés are for.” She said, grinning, but Sunao continued.

 

“Demo... We're still engaged... so... Hashiba and I... we can't...” Nakou tilted her head and could tell that Sunao was trying very hard not to cry. She put a hand on the top of his head.

“Nao-kun, I know that it might be hard for you, but I think it's alright for you and Sora to be together.” Sunao blinked up at her, peculiarly, “I won't be a jealous wife- if you want to stay with Sora, hold him, kiss him, or stay over night, I won't mind. Because I don't like seeing people be unhappy, Nao-kun should just do what makes him happy.”

 

Sunao gaped at her for a moment, before she added, with a wink.

 

“Besides, if we ever have any chibis running around, they'll need a Sora-jichan to come over and spoil them when we're not around.” Nakou meant it as a joke, but Sunao's lower lip trembled before he curled up, burying his face against his knees. Nakou patted him on the back, trying to ease Sunao's shudders, before she stood.

 

“Matsuri-chan went to make tea- do you want milk or lemon in yours?” She asked. Sunao shook his head, “Okay.”

 

Just as Nakou was about to leave, Sunao looked up and spoke.

 

“Nakou-chan...” She paused, and turned to look back at him, “...Anata mou...” Nakou frowned, puzzled, before Sunao finished, “Nakou-chan... if there's someone who makes you happy... you should spend time with them... I won't be a jealous husband... that way...” He said.

 

Nakou stared for a moment at Sunao, who was offering a weak smile, before she smiled back, almost as though Sunao had read her mind.

 

“Arigatou, Nao-kun.”

 

She left. Outside, Matsuri already had a tray with teacups on it, his expression reflective.

 

“Nao-kun is a good friend if he can tell that easily.” Nakou smiled, relieving Matsuri's hands and going back in, the other following her.

 

It was just then that Sora's phone rang, and Sunao immediately dove to answer it.

 

“Moshi moshi?” He asked, praying that it would be Hashiba calling from a pay phone somewhere.

 

“...Fujimori-senpai? Is Sora-senpai there?” Sunao paused at the sound of Ichikawa's voice.

 

“...Ichikawa-kun...? Why are you calling for Hashiba?” He asked, curiously. Ichikawa made a noncommittal noise.

 

“I thought I should call and let him know that Nagase-buchou and I are coming back- we're going to the airport now- and that he shouldn't be surprised if he sees us soon.” Ichikawa said. Sunao paused, then said.

 

“Oh. Where will you two be staying- I'll tell Hashiba when I see him and we can have a housewarming ready...” Sunao was cut off by Ichikawa's puzzled noise.

 

“No- not MOVING back. Nagase-buchou and I are just coming back for a little while- y'see, when I called Sora-senpai earlier this morning and was talking to him, I must have said something wrong, or something must have happened, because Sora-senpai suddenly started talking weird, and Nagase-buchou got worried, so we decided to come back to check and make sure everything's okay or if we could help.” Ichikawa explained, talking very quickly. Sunao froze.

 

“...D-Do iu... koto da?” He asked, slowly. Ichikawa made a frustrated noise- their flight was probably going to leave relatively soon, so he probably didn't have much time- but he explained, anyway.

 

^$#!@(&_&%^%#$!#%#&&*^

 

Sora awoke much earlier in the mornings than he usually did. With a contented little sigh, and a stretch, he looked down at the fluffy pink hair splayed out on the pillow next to him, and the peaceful face that was pressed into the crook of his neck and shoulder.

 

Pressing a small kiss against the resting head, Sora closed his eyes again and slid a hand around Fujimori's waist, palm kissing the bare, semi-warm skin as his lover snuggled in a little closer. Sora could feel the lower extremities of Fujimori's body press against him, but... he didn't really notice. More what he remembered was how that chest had felt as it rose and fell under his hands, how those arms felt wrapped around his shoulders, how the skin on those shoulders had felt under his mouth, how wet and hot that mouth and those lips had felt against his...

 

Sora was about to lay back down and go to sleep again when his phone rang.

 

With a groan, Sora got out of bed and picked it up.

 

“Moshi mosh...” He droned, grumpily. On the other end, he heard a loud squeal.

 

“SO-RA-SEN-PAI-I-I!” Sora held the phone away from his ear before he recognized the voice.

 

“...Ichikawa teme... why are you calling so early?” He demanded. On the other end, Ichikawa made a confused noise.

 

“...Sora-senpai... it's almost noon... oh, wait...” There was silence on the other end as Ichikawa disappeared for a moment, then returned, “HA HA HA... Gomen, Sora-senpai, I forgot about the time difference...”

 

Sora blinked.

 

“...Time difference? Where the hell ARE you, anyway?” Sora grumbled, with a frown. He practically heard Ichikawa smiling over the phone.

 

“Guess.” He chirped. Sora rolled his eyes, then mumbled.

 

“...Hawaii.” Ichikawa made a disgusted noise in the back of his throat.

 

“Sora-senpai, do the math- where would we be if we're seven hours ahead of you?”

 

“I don't know- I always failed geography...” Sora growled, running a hand over his face. Damn it, he wanted to go back to sleep and curl up next to Fujimori for at least a few more minutes before he had to leave for the school.

 

“We're in France! We can see the Eiffel Tower from our window!” Ichikawa cheered. Sora blinked.

 

“...We? Oh, yeah, you're living with Nagase...” He finally said, “Why are you in France- don't you like us anymore?” He couldn't help but tease his old classmate, who didn't laugh at the joke.

 

“Actually, Nagase-buchou was just concerned about work- he figured if we lived far enough away, we could never be tracked down.” Ichikawa said, “Actually, that's why I didn't call you all these years- we wanted to be sure we could cover our tracks before we made contact with anyone- Nagase-buchou found out a way to erase calls so they can't be tracked.”

 

Sora frowned.

 

“...Tracked? Ichikawa... did you two kill someone or something before you left?” He asked, very seriously. Ichikawa made an offended noise.

 

“Sora-senpai, how could you think such a thing? Actually, Nagase-buchou was really more worried about his father... after all, with what happened, if he ever found us, Nagase-buchou was sure that his father would have tried to use me in order to get Nagase-buchou back or something like that...”

 

Sora froze.

 

“Nani...?” Sora asked, eyes going wide.

 

“Sora-senpai, didn't you know? Nagase-buchou saw his father escape this fire- Nagase-buchou's eyes were damaged by the heat and his hands were burned when he tried to get out... but he said he saw his father break through a window and escape, so he thought that he might not have made it from all the glass falling on him and everything, but Fujimori-senpai told us just a few weeks before graduation that he'd been contacted, so Nagase-buchou thought it would be a good idea to get out of Japan...”

 

With every word, Sora lowered the phone away from his ear.

 

“Thanks, Ichikawa...” Sora said, in a monotone, before hanging up, not even hearing Ichikawa shouting,

 

“Sora-senpai? Sora-senpai, what's-”

 

Sora stared into space for a moment, before turning back and looking down at Sunao's sleeping face, as all the pieces fell into place.

 

!@%%^)(()$$#%$O#%#@)(

 

Sunao's hands shook as Ichikawa explained the conversation he'd had- not just his hands, but his whole body was trembling as he realized what this meant, now.

 

Hashiba knew... Hashiba knew now, and... oh God...

 

Sunao's mouth hung open as he tried to find words to respond, as Ichikawa asked if he was alright. Even Matsuri-chan and Nakou-chan were hovering around, asking if Sunao was choking on something or if he was okay.

 

Sunao couldn't hear them clearly. Everything seemed so far away, like his vision was tunneling out and all his strings were coming undone. Sunao put his hands over his mouth, curling up into a ball as he shook so badly, dropping the phone.

 

He didn't hear Matsuri picking up the phone and talking with Ichikawa. He didn't hear Nakou-chan trying to soothe him or bring him back to reality. He didn't even hear his own voice start muttering unintelligible sounds and nonsense words in a somewhat hysterical voice.

 

Hashiba knew now...

 

It was all over...

For the second time that day, Sunao fainted.

 

(*&%^%#^%^&())(&%#$$_(&%#$%&Z#@$

 

Matsuri finally thought to check the school and found, while Sora wasn't there, Nanami was.

 

“Honjou-kun, it's unusual to see you here anymore...” He said, with a pleasant smile, which dropped away as soon as he saw the look on his face. Nakou was right behind Matsuri, and was the only one who saw Shinichirou coming up the hallway.

 

“Nanami-sensei, I think you need to hear this.” Matsuri began, in a very business-like manner, before the Matsuri-duo came in fully and sat down on stools. Nanami blinked, but listened.

 

“For starters, Sora has been missing all day.” Nakou said, hands folded together neatly in her lap, but she couldn't help but squeeze them both with anticipation. Nanami's eyes went wide and his face went pale, but other than that, he didn't react.

 

“Hashiba Sei was also injured last night, and when he regained consciousness, he only kept saying something about how Sora was in danger and needed to be warned.” Shinichirou added in, coming into the infirmary. Nanami cast him a glance, but quickly looked back to Matsuri and Nakou to avoid meeting Shinichirou's eyes.

 

“Sou ka... Well, then Honjou-kun, do you know where he might be?” Nanami sounded sincerely worried, but also as though he understood that Matsuri was simply bringing him the news, instead of coming to look for a solution.

 

“We might, because we found something out from Ichikawa-kun over the phone just now.” Matsuri said, with a hard stare. Nanami blinked, utterly confused, before Matsuri explained.

 

“Apparently, Aizawa is still alive- for the past ten years, at least, Nao-kun has been contacted by him, repeatedly.” Matsuri's statement made everyone freeze, even Shinichirou, to whom, this was a great shock, as the two of them had been living and operating under the belief that Aizawa died in the fire that Sora and Sunao had escaped.

 

“...It's probably more than that- Nao-kun's work is much like what I've been told thus far about his experiences in the laboratory. He's often tired, sore, and sick during breaks, he wears long sleeves even on hot days, sometimes with bandages everywhere and making excuses that he injured himself in accidents in the kitchen or at work, and even though I'm allowed to see him during his lunch breaks, I'm often told that only authorized personnel are allowed past the front doors. It's entirely possible that Nao-kun has been blackmailed and threatened to being a test subject again, and only being paid a token amount so he can say it's a 'Job' and maintain an appearance.”

 

Nanami's face was very white at this point, as he looked down at his knees and whispered.

 

“...That also explains Ryouya-san's report when they both went in for an examination... Fujimori-kun had some sort of chemicals in his system that mimicked a designer drug... and that was what was making him sick...” He said, voice coming out strained. Shinichirou even looked pale.

 

“Then... Sei-kun being injured... must have been Aizawa's doing, too...” Nanami looked up, and met Shinichirou's gaze for the first time that day. Shinichirou's eyes went wide and even Nakou could see his pupils dilate before he ran out, mumbling something about having to find Sora. Nanami was out of his chair in a moment, going after him.

 

“Shinichirou!”

 

&^$R^%#%#&)(^^$$#%^))*$

 

At Matsuri's apartment, Sunao woke up.

 

Without even thinking about it, Sunao hypnotically stood up, left the apartment, and began walking for the research facility.

 

*(^&^$^#$#$##@^&()(&$$^)&(*

 

“Sora-kun, you're sure everything is okay, now?” Hiromu asked, seeing Sora to the door. Sora smiled, thinly, and patted Hiromu's head, reassuringly.

 

“Aah. Fujimori and I got everything straightened out- you don't need to be worried anymore.” He said with a smile, before he left. Hiromu closed the door with a wave, and Sora counted off on his fingers.

 

“Okay... Saw Chris, Soushi... Hiromu... Went to the school, playground, park, and coffeeshop...”

 

With a sigh, Sora admitted that he had just walked back through everywhere that he'd been his entire life. With nowhere else to revisit or anymore people to make peace with, Sora knew he had to go back.

 

He arrived at his apartment complex, said hello to the landlady and thanked her for always being so helpful and efficient- something she was surprised at, since Sora had almost never done that- before he left for the facility that was Fujimori's workplace.

 

Waiting for him was a man, at least twice his age, and in a familiar white coat.

 

“Hashiba Sora.” That familiar voice said. Sora stopped, and was determined not to freeze. He glared at the man who turned around, almost slow enough for Sora to swear he was deliberately trying to be dramatic.

 

It was unmistakably Aizawa, but he was practically unrecognizable. His whole face was covered in a large burn scar, his head had bandages wrapped all the way around it, with a hat over it to cover the damage. His ears and nose were deformed, as though they'd been melted and then not molded back into their proper shape- which was probably, more or less, what had happened.

 

Sora's scowl deepened, if possible, but he said nothing as Aizawa walked towards him.

 

&)&^^$^%#%#@^^^()(&^#!@#$%^&*()^#$%^&*(

 

At the hospital, Ren Shiina and Kitamura Fuuta watched over their injured friend and business partner.

 

**%^%#@$*(_)*(*%$^&(*^

 

“Shinichirou!” Nanami kept calling after Shinichirou, who wasn't looking back as they all ran for the place that Sunao worked- none of them had any doubt that they'd find Aizawa there.

 

“Shinichirou-san, matte!” Matsuri called.

 

“Matsuri-chan, what happened last time something like this happened?” Nakou asked as she managed to keep up. Matsuri's eyes narrowed and he couldn't answer.

 

A/N: Hoo boy... next chapter, everything will go straight to hell.

 

Be ready with the tissues- you'll need them.

 

For anyone curious as to why Gaki-no-Sora gets around so much... that was based on the games- depending on the choices that the player makes, Sora can end up with a lot of different people: Now that I think about it, he could end up with virtually ANY of the other characters except the chibi-tachis, Gaku, Nagase, Aizawa, and Ayano... seriously, there are even endings where Sora and Nanami are paired up or Sora and Shinichirou are together... which... isn't gonna happen here... but, in any case, that's why Sora had a lot of different relationships and bed warmers in the past ten years- kind of my tribute to the games.