genessia | Moving in together...

Entry tags:

Moving in together...

Who: Shinjiro Aragaki and Akihiko Sanada
What: Getting a place, together, and possibly figuring out the whole working thing.
When: After Aki finally got snapped out of it.
Rating: PG-13, because they certainly don't have the mouths of saints.

Well, he's definitely glad to have Aki back to normal, that's for sure...

After figuring out that they weren't going to be leaving anytime soon, they realized that they needed a place to live. Shinjiro reread the pamphlet and searched through the device. With that, he was taking Aki to look for apartments. Of course, this left Shinjiro contemplating asking what they should do with the Kirijo girl. She'd need a place to live, too, right? Well, he'd worry about figuring that out, later. For the time being, he and Aki had to get off of the streets. It was weird- the idea of them living on their own. Even in the dorm, they'd had a "housemother", of sorts, who cooked the meals for them...and made sure everyone behaved, or whatever.

So, it was going to take some getting used to, that was for sure, "Alright, let's go."

Shinjiro let out a sigh and stared up at the building, steel-colored eyes narrowing just a bit. Time to check out the inside. Glancing to his best friend, he walked up the steps and opened the door.

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His arrival memories were still a little foggy, from the mental state he had been in. Of course, Akihiko felt bad for attacking Shinji and Mitsuru, let alone someone he didn’t even know. The Shadows were really dangerous, like they had been warned about, long ago. He just hadn’t thought they would be capable of controlling his mind.

Akihiko was a little subdued during this time, not eager at all to revisit memories of when he had been helpless and unable to change anything. He didn’t want to live in the room that he first woke up in, though, so when Shinji suggested they find their own place, he jumped at the opportunity. It also meant they would need to find steady jobs, since the money they started with, wasn’t going to last very long.

He was looking around as they walked, taking mental notes of the neighborhood, and wondering if there was a gym or some sort of training grounds nearby. Without any opponents to fight, he would lose his edge in his boxing techniques. He didn’t want to get any weaker while stuck in this unknown world.

“Hey, uh… what kinda jobs do you think we can work at, Shinji?” Akihiko asked as they entered the building together. “I mean, we haven’t graduated yet… Do you think they’re gonna expect us to have diplomas already?”

His steps came to a pause at the questions. Staring at the floor a moment, he could only let out a sigh, at first. That was a good question- and one he'd already asked himself. Turning just a bit, he leans against the wall of the hallway, arms folding across his chest.

"...Guess we'll just have to ask around. See who needs help, or whatever. I'm sure there'll be somethin' we can do. Don't worry."

Steel-colored eyes rested on his friend with those last two words. He meant it, after all. He didn't want Aki worrying over anything unnecessary. He'd had enough happen to him in his life, after all.

Shinji always knew how to calm him down, while keeping a level head. It was one of many things Akihiko admired about his best friend. Bolstered, he grinned and pumped a fist into the air, eager to check out the new apartments. It was going to be an interesting adjustment, from living at the orphanage to the SEES dorm, and now this.

"If they have a gym, I wanna work there! Or maybe a beef bowl shop!"

Truthfully, Akihiko wasn't all that worried about school, but he sure as hell didn't want to slack off on his training. He knew there was a group called Fairy Haven full of strong fighters… he would definitely have to visit them sometime soon. Surely one of them would be okay with sparring, right?

“Huh… I wonder what Kirijo’s gonna do,” he mused out loud as they were heading to one of the rooms, “She’s really smart… She’ll probably find a job first.”

There was a pause as he watched Aki continue walking a bit. With just the faintest grunt, he pushed himself from the wall, one hand in a pants pocket. The other hand casually swayed with each step as he peered off to the side in thought. Heh...no surprise Aki wanted to work at a gym. It'd definitely suit him...that was for sure. The beef bowl shop, too.

"I kind of wanna work in a kitchen." Actually, it was more than just 'kind of' a thing he wanted to do, but details.

Shinjiro wasn't all that worried about school, himself. Besides, there were more important things to worry about at the moment. Like...how the hell they were going to get back home. To the question regarding one of his concerns, he blinked to his friend.

"Yeah...she is pretty damn smart. I'm sure she'll be fine." He said as he began looking around the room they'd just entered.

His body abuzz with excitement, Akihiko bounced a couple of steps in place, and then took shadow jabs at invisible enemies. Honestly, it sucked that weren’t any monsters in this world. He didn’t want the place to be overrun with them, but he was just starting to get used to fighting on a consistent basis. To suddenly have peaceful times, well… it was like going backwards.

“A kitchen?” He repeated, pausing to turn full attention to his friend. “Okay! Let’s find a beef bowl shop to work in! Or ramen! That okay with you, Shinji?” He didn’t know exactly what kind of kitchen Shinji wanted to work in.

Akihiko made a mental note to check in with Mitsuru, after they got settled. Back home, they didn’t talk much, outside of SEES duties. Even when they met up in school, it was straight to business. He had to wonder, how would they get along here, without Shadow extermination to keep them bound together?

He quickly got distracted by the sights of the new apartment, and immediately ran into one of the bedrooms. He had to make sure it was big enough to store some training equipment, if they were going to stay here that long. “Hey, Shinji! Which room do ya want? How’s the kitchen and stuff?”

He smirked lightly at Akihiko's fighting the air, before glancing off to the side. He thought about the question, "Well, I was thinking ramen, actually." He glanced over to his friend, another smirk appearing, "What, you wanna work with me?"

He didn't have a problem with that, of course, nor did he sound like it. Actually, his tone was faintly teasing. Watching Aki taking off, the place he headed might have been easily predicted: the kitchen. A light smile appeared as he checked everything out. Well, it was definitely in good condition. Everything seemed new, which was a definite plus. The question had him blinking, then heading in the direction of the voice.

"The kitchen's good." Found him- leaning in the doorway, he shrugged, "Whatever room you don't want's fine with me."

Once satisfied with the space and size of the bedroom, Akihiko ran back out, heading straight for the kitchen. It was the only other room he cared about, because that was where the food would be stored! The living room, he thought might have a TV in it, if they made enough money, but they weren’t exactly spoiled back at the orphanage.

“Well… yeah, of course!” There was pure admiration in his eyes as he stared at Shinji with a genuine smile, an attribute that he rarely showed anyone else. It had been years since he last looked at his little sister with so much unbridled emotion. “I mean… we’ve always had each other’s backs, Shinji. That’s not gonna change, just ‘cause we’re here now… right?”

Akihiko raised a fist and hit him in the shoulder – lightly, just enough to hold a twinge of affection. Even after everything that had happened to them, all the events and people that passed through their lives, they would always have each other. He wouldn’t ever have to worry about losing Shinji… the way he lost Miki. And truth be told, there was no other living person that Akihiko cared for, more than his best friend. He was still getting to know Mitsuru, but their bond was purposeful and tentative, in the meantime.

He smirks and watches Aki explore, one hand pressing in a pocket- the one of the arm he'd been trying to avoid using, since it still hadn't healed. He didn't want to make a big deal about it, and still felt...weird asking Kirijo to heal him. He planned to stop at a store, later than day, and buy something for it.

And, like hell he was going to ask Aki to heal it, since he didn't want to make him feel bad for hurting Shinjiro. Listening quietly to his friend talk about having each other's backs. A smile appeared on his own lips, though softer than his friend's.

The smile was knocked off of his face rather quickly, though. Clenching his teeth, he attempted to play off the pain...only to fail. Fortunately, Aki hadn't hit him too close to the injury, but it was certainly close enough to make him flinch. Brow tensing, he looked to the side, pressing a hand to his arm, rubbing it quickly.

"Must've...pulled a muscle at some point." Yeah, guess who isn't a practiced liar when it comes to Aki, yet...?

Seeing that strong of a reaction, Akihiko’s face fell, immediately. Shinji wasn’t pulling his leg. Something was wrong with his arm. The boxer wasn’t all that knowledgeable about muscles yet, but he knew how to recognize pain. And… Shinji couldn’t have gotten hurt during ordinary training. He had gotten used to lugging around those heavy axes in a pretty short amount of time.

Something else must have happened.

That wasn’t the only thing on Akihiko’s mind, these days. He wasn’t stupid. Those holes in his memory needed to be filled eventually, or he would keep feeling uneasy. Shinji and Mitsuru had been vague about their initial arrival, rousing his suspicions immediately. But, there were other issues much more important to deal with first, so Akihiko had let it go, for the time being.

Now, he was stepping closer to Shinji, tugging at his jacket to get it off. He wanted to see what was wrong with his arm, for himself. If the injury wasn’t too bad, he could summon Polydeuces to cast a healing spell.

“Shinji, why the hell didn’t you say something sooner?” Akihiko chastised with a frown. “How long’ve you been like this?”

Shinjiro tensed as Aki began tugging his jacket off, brow tensing as he initially attempted to stop him. He didn't want to have to explain, because he didn't want Aki to feel bad. He just wanted to let the injury heal...then become water under the bridge. It hadn't been his best friend's fault, anyway. Why the hell should he have to feel bad for something he hadn't had any level of control over...?

"Look, it's fine!" He yelled.

Then he was pausing, expression strained, somewhat. Wow, he'd never actually...lied to Aki, before. He felt kind of bad. He was left wondering which thing would make Aki feel worse? Learning he'd hurt Shinjiro while under a spell? Or discovering that Shinjiro and Mitsuru had lied to him about it? One clearly outweighed the other, "..."

He gave a defeated sigh, "Alright...fine."

With that, he let the jacket come off, face turned away from his best friend. The brunette didn't say anything more. Just stood there. Well, he wasn't going to be the one to pull his sleeve up. Besides, he's wearing a long-sleeve shirt, so it'd be kind of...hard to do with one hand.

Edited 2014-04-29 10:26 (UTC)

Hurt flashed in his gray eyes at hearing that claim. “You’re lying,” he accused, his tone growing soft with amazement. What was so terrible that Shinji would go through this much effort to cover it up? Sure, he didn’t like to show weaknesses to anyone, but that rule didn’t apply to Akihiko. They were always honest with each other, sometimes to the point of pain.

That just made him all the more determined to see what Shinji was hiding from him. He was starting to think it was a serious injury, and that… scared him. What if Shinji had gotten some kind of infection from his wound? Would he suddenly fall sick and…?

Akihiko practically tore the shirt off, not giving his friend a minute to stop and recover. His expression was tense with worry as he chewed on his lower lip, almost hard enough to draw blood. There were doctors here, right? Someone with medical knowledge, if his healing spell didn’t work? Damn it… why didn’t Shinji tell him before this? Was it because he wasn’t strong enough to protect him? Did Shinji think he would let him down too, like with Miki…?

Once the shirt was out of the way, Akihiko drew closer to his arm, inspecting it carefully. What the hell had happened to him…?

“Who attacked you…?” He was gonna go find the asshole, and punch the shit out of him!

Seeing that hurt flash within Aki's eyes...sucked. He hated seeing that look on Aki, and it largely affected his decision to show his friend the injury. Anything to- well, anything to not see that look. Though, Shinjiro's teeth clenched together and he made an annoyed face as the shirt was being removed, "Aki, what the hell?! Give me a damn sec!"

Though, he didn't. At all. The shirt was off before Shinjiro really had a chance to assist. Hesitantly, Shinjiro removed teh bandage. The question made his gut tighten unhappily. He didn't...want to tell him. Shinjiro's brow tensed and he looked to the side.

"Know how...you can't remember what happened, when you first arrived?" He knew that wouldn't be enough to tell Aki what happened, though...

"You attacked us while under the Charm spell. I didn't wanna tell you since there's no point in..." He frowned and started over, "Look, you don't even remember what happened, so..."

...Never mind.

“......”

His frown creased even deeper as he inspected the damage, up close and personal. Akihiko was careful not to touch it, though he was already planning to cast his healing spell. More than once, if needed, by the appearance and apparent lingering pain. The wound looked pretty bad… almost fresh, like it had happened not long ago. The marks resembled… claws… and that was when he started to get a sinking feeling in his stomach.

And once Shinji confirmed where it came from, his fingers dug harder into his arm, unconsciously. “I… did this?”

His expression darkened with guilt. The hell was Charm? He didn’t remember a damn thing, after that one encounter with Shadows in Tartarus. What about Mitsuru? Had he hurt her too? His body tensed up at the possibility, and Akihiko had to look away for a few minutes. Why hadn’t he resisted those effects, somehow? Hadn’t anything changed, in the years since the fire?

Staying quiet, Akihiko took out his Evoker and pulled the trigger. Polydeuces appeared in front of him for a brief moment, and cast a soft green light over Shinji. The boxer kept his eyes on the injury, watching to see if it would heal completely, or needed a second dose of healing.

Shinjiro watched the reality sink into his friend's head, for a moment, before looking away once more. He didn't even look at Aki as he heard the sound of the Evoker. He didn't look up until it was in time to see Polydeuces floating briefly. As he felt the warmth of the healing spell, Shinjiro looked down at the floor in silence. He could feeling a tingling sensation within his arm, and he didn't have to look over to see the wound closing.

That didn't stop him, though. Glancing over, he could see that the injury was almost completely gone. All that remained was a bright reddish-colored spot where a claw had gone in the deepest.

"Thanks, Aki..."

Steel-colored eyes moved to rest on the boxer. He was fine with the lingering spot, actually. Of course, if Aki wanted to use up more of his energy to heal a tiny spot- well, he kind of already knew there was nothing he'd be able to say to stop it. His friend was stubborn like that, after all. Not to mention, Shinjiro was steadily attempting to come up with something to say...He wanted to reassure his best friend that he hadn't actually done...anything wrong? It wasn't like he'd knowingly hurt Shinjiro. But, he basically knew what the look on Aki's face had meant. It was annoying, actually. He wanted to grab his best friend and just...shake him, or something.

A second shot rang out, and Akihiko could feel the slight pull of his spiritual energy dimming – just a little. Mitsuru had told them that as they got more combat experience, they would be able to last longer during the Dark Hour. But in the meantime, they needed to build up their endurance.

Not that any of this criteria stopped Akihiko from wanting to cast the healing spell again. When the soft light faded this time, he slid his Evoker back into its holster, still holding a somber expression. Why had Shinji been so damn stubborn when it came to an injury like this? Just to save his feelings? Stupid idiot…

Akihiko shook his head, blatantly refusing the thanks. He didn’t deserve it. He was the one that had wounded Shinji. True, his best friend had looked out for him the past few years, pushed him to keep moving forward, even when it seemed like the suffocating darkness would never lift. But this wasn’t something Akihiko could just… overlook, without feeling an ounce of guilt.

Turning his face to the side, he muttered quietly, “Is there anywhere else we’re supposed to look at…?”

He paused to study his friend a moment. Damn it, he knew Aki would take it about like that. He knew the boxer well enough to know he was beating himself up. But, it hadn't even been his fault! Shinjiro made an annoyed sound, and moved to stand directly where Aki was looking. Like hell he was going to avoid looking at him.

"Just stop, already! Damn it, this is why I didn't even wanna tell you!"

He wasn't even going to bother hiding his irritation. They'd kind of always been able to tell one another everything, save for that one incident- but, as he'd said, that was why he hadn't wanted to tell Aki. Shinjiro let out a sigh and scrubbed a hand through his hair.

"Look, I get it. I'd feel like shit if I hurt you, but...it still doesn't change the fact that it wasn't something you could've stopped. And, it could've been worse- a lot worse. But, it wasn't. In the end, we're all okay."

Edited 2014-05-15 10:08 (UTC)

So he didn’t have any prior experience with that mysterious status effect. It didn’t mean he couldn’t have tried to do more to get himself under control. Holy hell, it must’ve been a strong spell, to completely wipe out his memories of the incident. Did anything worse happen? There were other people in this new city. Maybe he had hurt some of them too? He was kind of afraid to ask.

By the time his friend came around to get into his line of sight, Akihiko had a pained look on his face. His frown deepened even more, and with a loud scoff, he turned away again. Yeah, that would have been real smart for Shinji to do. Keep things a secret from him, so that when he eventually found out, he could feel worse. And Kirijo was in on this too. She knew, and didn’t tell him either.

“Is Kirijo okay?” He sounded cold and detached, asking that, even though he didn’t mean to. Kirijo had that icy exterior whenever they talked, but he chalked it up to her usual attitude, thinking nothing was different between them. Maybe he was just being blind, this whole time. “Did I hurt her too?”

Tch… Akihiko knew he wasn’t going to just get over it, that easily. But he didn’t want to piss Shinji off either, so he just waved a hand at him, dismissively. “Yeah… not like it’d ever happen again or anything, right?” Because that was his second biggest fear, wounding Shinji even deeper, if he ever got Charmed again.

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Moving in together...

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