Of bratty demons and mushroom heads

CHAPTER 6

It was a Friday night and Kirihara was on the prowl. He was in desperate need of a date after his little sleep over with Hiyoshi. He was sexually frustrated and wanted to drink and find some random girl or guy to have a one-night-stand with. As he entered his favorite bar, Shochu, he scanned the room with his expert eye. It was a busy night, of course, but it was mostly business men and couples. He turned on his mischievous smirk, these were not ideal conditions but he would work with what he had.

He walked over to an open bar stool and sat down next to a girl who looked vaguely familiar, maybe he'd seen her on campus or something, but he couldn't place it. "Hey, how's it going?"

Keiko had been nursing her martini for quite some time now. She had invited Wakashi here in hopes to get him to relax a little and maybe even open up to her a bit. Her stoic and hot fiancé was a little on the innocent side and, despite her efforts, he seemed to elude her every attempt to get them alone together. The one time she’d managed to finally get them alone in his room, that vulgar boy with the ridiculous hair and weird eyes had infuriatingly interrupted them. If it wasn’t for the fact that it had been the first time her sweetheart had been forward enough to kiss her, she would have definitely made him regret it.

It had taken quite a bit of convincing to even get her fiancé to agree to come here in the first place. She had finally talked him into it by assuring him it was a more upscale bar and they would leave if things got too rowdy. Having determined that Wakashi-san didn’t do well around large crowds, this was an opportunity to get him to loosen up and maybe even convince him to go somewhere more private after.

Her sweetheart was currently using the facilities when another man came up next her and started hitting on her. Being the beauty that she was, it was expected. Turning around and giving the somewhat familiar man a cold smile, she replied to his unoriginal pick up line, “Sorry, that seat is taken.”

Once the girl spoke to him, Akaya frowned. She was the best looking girl in the place, and not only was she apparently taken, she was a bitch, great. He growled to himself and ordered a shot of tequila; he was going to need it. "Oh? And who's it taken by?" He smiled, not quite ready to give up the charm just yet. After all, he wasn't planning on talking to her all night; he only wanted one thing from her.

Keiko smiled wickedly, enjoying the attention. She knew she was by far the most beautiful girl there and the poor thing was doing his best. Too bad she had to break his little heart. “My gorgeous and sweet fiancé,” she smiled cutely at him. Teasing those that tried to pick her up was a fun past time.

"Oh?" Definitely a bitch. Akaya’s smirk only grew though. "I see. Gorgeous, huh? Maybe I chose the wrong person to pick up on." It had been a while since he'd been with a guy and since the tension from the other night was because of a man, maybe it would be best to spend the night with a man. Besides, they were easier to deal with and didn't expect a relationship from a one night sexual encounter.

The silly boy’ words made her laugh; a high pitched giggle she demurely covered with her right hand. With a conceited lilt in her voice, she teased, “You’ll have to pardon me for saying so, but what makes you think my Wakashi would ever be interested in a boy like you when he already has a woman like me?”

That caught Akaya off guard. "Wakashi..." Now he understood why the woman was so familiar. "You—heh, heh. You have no idea what he really likes," Akaya mumbled and downed his shot then ordered another. Not that he really knew what Hiyoshi liked either, but he knew more than she did. He was pissed that Hiyoshi had agreed to come there with the bitch after he'd turned him down and said he never went to bars, the liar. "And you're no woman. You're a stuck up spoiled brat."

Taken back by the complete behavioral change towards her, and vulgar remarks. Keiko sat there perplexed for a moment. Wait… She thought that hair looked familiar, but the eyes were a completely different color. “You can’t be…” She immediately righted herself in her chair and threw him an icy glare. “You must be the mentally troubled friend my Wakashi took pity on.” She was not happy about this turn of events and was about to get up and look for her fiancé when what he said registered. “What do you mean I have no idea what he likes? Of course I do! I’m his fiancé!” What right did this boy have to presume he knew her fiancé better than her!

"I'm not the mentally troubled one, princess," Akaya mumbled and downed his second shot. "And I mean just what I said. So tell me, princess, how does he kiss YOU?" He smirked devilishly at her and leaned forward so his face was just a few inches from her. He couldn't help but mess with the woman, she made it too easy. That it was the truth just made it all the sweeter.

The daughter of a traditional martial arts master couldn’t believe she was hearing this. “Are you insinuating that my Wakashi kissed you? That’s absurd!” She laughed at him and gracefully got up from her chair to put more space between them. The thought of her fiancé doing… things like that disgusted her and she wasn’t planning on sticking around to hear any more of his lies. What was taking Wakashi so long? She turned arrogantly towards the messy haired freak. “You must be seriously sick in the head to think such thoughts. Or maybe you’re just jealous.” She looked at him smugly. “I’ll have you know that my sweetheart is the sweetest man in the world and a very passionate lover.”

At that Akaya let out a loud barking laugh. "You're so full of shit." He stood as well and looked down at her with his devilish grin reaching ear to ear. "He's never gone all the way with anyone before, oh and sweetheart," he reached out and brushed back a strand of her hair, "I was his first kiss, trust me, I'm not jealous of a bitter old hag like you."

“You…” Feeling her cheeks burning red in embarrassment, Keiko picked up her purse and pushed away from the bar. She needed to find wherever Wakashi had gone off to and make him deny everything she just heard. Thankfully, when she turned around, she saw him right in front of her. He was across the room on the other side of the dance floor, looking around as if he was lost. Resolutely she made her way towards him without looking back at the pervert behind her.

Hiyoshi hadn’t wanted to go out that evening. After the previous night with Kirihara, he’d felt drained and confused, and more than a little guilty. That’s why he’d allowed Keiko-san to drag him out here tonight and even let her convince him to down a shot or two. However, they hadn’t even been there for long and the noise and crowd were already giving him a headache. Using the excuse that he needed to use the facilities, he’d quickly walked outside to the patio instead for some fresh air. He’d stayed out longer then he should have, but dreaded the idea of going back into that idiot filled space. Giving into the inevitable, he enjoyed a second longer of relative peace before making his way back inside.

These places always managed to give him a headache, especially when he was already dizzy from the alcohol. With so many people it was difficult to locate where he had left Keiko-san. Then he saw her coming towards him. She looked upset, and as if she were about to ask him something. Then, abruptly the music around them switched from a loud fast beat to a slow melody. Apparently changing her mind, she instead asked him to dance with her. This sort of dancing was not something he ever willingly did, but if he managed to put up with one song, he might be able to convince her to leave after.

This was what Keiko had wanted. She was grateful Wakashi had almost immediately agreed to dance with her. How could she even think that her fiancé would do the things that boy had said. Letting him lead her out onto the dance floor, Keiko placed her arms on his shoulders and leaned her head onto his well muscled chest as they slowly swayed in time to the music. His arms were gentle but firm around her. Her fiancé was always so gentle with her, as if he was afraid to touch her. It was sweet, but someday soon she would break him of that. Suddenly, he stopped, even as the music continued playing. She looked up at his face to ask what was wrong when what she saw made her eyes widen.

The expression on Wakashi’s face was one she had never seen before. He looked… surprised at first, then almost sad, before a smile finally threatened to overtake his finely set features. He never made those faces with her, always looking either bored or contemplative. She’d supposed that’s just the way he was, and she had no problem with the quiet brooding types, as long as they were hot. Nervously, she looked over her shoulder to see what or who he was looking at.

Still seated at the bar, with a shot of tequila in hand, Akaya watched the two dancing. Hiyoshi’s movements were stiff, but he was fairly certain it was just due to inexperience. Maybe he could give the mushroom-head dance lessons and get him loosened up. He pictured himself dancing with Hiyoshi and realized his face was flushed, must be from the alcohol. Yeah, that was it. Damn tequila.

Akaya couldn't keep the smug smirk off his face though when Hiyoshi finally spotted him and froze. The mushroom looked almost ready to smile. That was all the proof he needed to show the bitch he'd been serious, but it didn't hurt to get a little more.

Akaya stood and made his way out onto the dance floor, carefully maneuvering his way around the other couples. Once he made it to Hiyoshi and Keiko, he set a hand on his friend’s shoulder. "Mind if I cut in?" His smirk stretched from ear to ear as he turned his eyes to Keiko.

Hiyoshi was genuinely shocked at first when he saw Kirihara sitting at the bar, then realized how ridiculous that was. The reason why he would be there was pretty obvious. He really shouldn’t be that surprised. A small smile formed on his lips, thinking about how predictable the brat was. He was surprised though when Kirihara came toward them. That really wasn’t a good idea. When Kirihara asked to cut in, his first thought had been a puzzled ‘Why would he want to dance with Keiko-san?’ He looked at him questioningly, not noticing how silent the girl in his arms had fallen.

"Come on, the next song’s about to start." Akaya all but pushed Keiko out of the way and stepped in front of Hiyoshi. "Naa, Wakashi?" He wasn't jealous per say but he definitely wanted attention. Though he had a feeling this would just end in more sexual frustration. Oh well, that's why the gods gave him hands, right?

Keiko could only watch as it all happened in front of her. It was him, that boy. She couldn’t believe it. How dare he embarrass her like this! And why was Wakashi letting him do it? She didn’t want to believe that her dear sweet fiancé could be… but what else could it mean? Turning on her heel and feeling more humiliated then she had in her entire life, she ran out of the establishment without even once looking back.

What the hell!? How had this happened? One moment Keiko-san had been dancing with him, and in the next, Kirihara had replaced her. It was like one of those bad dreams where his brain wasn’t able to move fast enough to keep up. Maybe it was because of all the shots Keiko had placed in front of him when they first arrived. Kirihara put his arms around him and started to sway against him. “What the hell do you think you’re doing!?” He all but yelled into Kirihara’s face. He looked up and saw that Keiko was already half way to the exit. He quickly tried to pull away from the other man’s grasp to go after her.

"Let her go," Akaya said smoothly, seemingly un-phased by the other’s angry outburst, but released him anyway. He wasn't the type to hold someone back, especially not an angry martial artist. "She doesn't care about you anyway, why can't you see that?" There were a few people stopping to stare at them now, interested in the drama that was going on. He resisted the urge to growl; they weren't a damn TV show.

Hiyoshi knew he needed to go after her, but it was stuffy in there, and the room was swimming with couples, making him feel slightly unsteady on his feet. What Kirihara had said angered him. “What? And you do?” he snarled in Kirihara’s direction before attempting to waver his way unsteadily through the crowd toward the exit he’d seen her go out of. He got outside just in time to watch her drive away in a taxi. Damn it! He needed to sit down. He needed to go back inside and pay the bill. He didn’t want to go back inside. He backed himself up against the outside wall of the bar and tried to center himself again, taking deep calming breaths.

Akaya stayed rooted to the spot as Hiyoshi stumbled off. ‘What? And you do?’ The question echoed in his head and he frowned. "That's just stupid..." he mumbled and walked over to the bartender who was looking at Hiyoshi leaving with an angry disapproving expression. "Hey gramps, relax, I'm paying for them," he said calmly and paid the bartender what was owed.

After the three of them were debt free, Akaya walked out of the bar and looked around. Hiyoshi was probably long gone after that stupid girl now. He sighed and scratched his head, smiling at a mildly attractive girl who was walking by with her boy--...check the left ring finger... husband. Damn. He turned towards the way home and blinked in surprise as he came nearly face to face with Hiyoshi who looked a little worse for wear. "Hey... You alright?"

Hiyoshi didn’t need to look up to know who it was. “Go away, brat.” This didn’t just happen. How could he let this happen? It was his entire fault for letting Kirihara get to him, for thinking even for a moment that the brat could be anything more than a nuisance. Pushing himself away from wall and steadying himself, he went to go back into the bar to pay his bill.

As Hiyoshi tried to push past him, Akaya held out an arm and stopped him. "It's already paid," he said quietly. "You can't hold your alcohol can you?" He forced a little chuckle. Hiyoshi really did look horrible, how much had she forced down his throat? She had to have forced him; he was far too… innocent to have drunk much on his own.

Hiyoshi shoved Kirihara away, not bothering to thank him for covering the tab. He didn’t deserve it, the bastard. “I was just getting claustrophobic from being surrounded by too many idiots at once.” He dismissed the idea that he was at all drunk. What was going to happen now? Would Keiko-san listen to him if he tried to explain? What would his family do if she told them… Wait. Why had she run off like that, anyway? Yes, Kirihara had acted like a bastard, but that wouldn’t have warranted that kind of response. Unless there was something he didn’t know. Turning around and facing Kirihara again, he bit out furiously, “What did you do? Did you say something to her, brat?”

Uh-oh. This had to be one of those moments Yanagi-senpai was always warning him about, when your actions came back to bite you in the ass. He should have paused to figure out a decent lie, but it just seemed like too much effort. Besides, Hiyoshi wouldn't believe him anyway. "I just... told her the truth," he frowned and looked away. "I'm not a brat," he said under his breath.

‘I told her the truth… I told her the truth…’ The sentence swam around in his head for a moment. What was the truth? That they were supposedly friends now? That they had kissed? That he had let him spend the night in his bed last night because he had a fucking nightmare? Right now, he was dearly regretting all of the above. Feeling the anger rise, Hiyoshi grounded himself in a familiar stance. Even in his unsteady state, he could at least accomplish this. He pulled his right fist back and squarely punched Kirihara in the face, hard. He felt betrayed, he felt completely and utterly betrayed. Giving one last look back at the person whom he thought was becoming someone important to him; he stiffly turned around to walk back to campus.

Kirihara hadn't even had time to react before the fist connected with his face. It sent him stumbling back and he growled. He'd expected it, but it still hurt like a bitch. He clutched at his possibly broken nose through watery eyes that were probably a light pink tint now and blood dripped out from between his fingers. "Wakashi..." He forced his feet to move him forward and he grabbed Hiyoshi’s arm with his free (blood-free) hand. "Hey, don't just walk away. Look, I'm sorry alright? I just--" He fell silent, what had he been about to say? That he was just trying to protect him?

Hiyoshi had a pounding headache. He didn’t want to hear it. He didn’t even want to look at him. His chest hurt. He just wanted to go home and not think about the consequences of what just happened. ‘This is what happens when you trust too easily,’ he reminded himself. ‘This is why you only keep Choutarou and Gakuto around; at least you know what you can expect from them.’ He kept walking.

"Wakashi!" A couple tears ran down Akaya’s face. Nose injuries hurt a lot. "Please just listen to me, I didn't want to make you mad! I was trying to help!" He hurried after Hiyoshi, his words coming out a bit stuffy sounding from plugging his nose. "I'm sorry, please don't go..." He got in front of him and forced him to stop. "Please?" He gave him a pleading look. He hated having people mad at him, unless it was because of a tennis game he won. He could handle that and hell, he thrived on it. But mad at him because he messed up? He hated it. Especially when it was someone he saw as a friend.

Hiyoshi wasn’t going to put up with this. Kirihara apologizing? It was more likely it was just one of his attempts to make him feel guilty again and forgive him. He let Kirihara stop him, but refused to look at him; afraid he would hit the brat again if he saw his face. “Do you have any idea what you might have just done? I could be disowned you idiot!” He clenched his fist. “Do you think I wanted to go out with her? Do you think I wanted to be engaged to a ‘spoiled rich girl’ as you liked to call her? Of course not! All I want is to inherit my family’s dojo, and if marrying Keiko is what I need to do to achieve that, then I don’t give a fuck!”

Well, Hiyoshi knew exactly how to make Akaya feel like an ass. "I--" He dropped his head and stared at his feet then kicked at the ground a bit. "I'm sorry, Wakashi... I-I didn't mean to--...I--I'll find her and tell her I was lying..." He didn't even know where to start looking, but he'd do what he had to. He felt like it was Sanada standing in front of him, scolding him, instead of Hiyoshi. His fists shook at his side in nervousness and he could feel his jaw clench reflexively, waiting for the impact of the back of a hand. This wasn't something he could remedy with extra training though, and that scared him.

Kirihara actually sounded sincere in his apologies. Taking a chance, Hiyoshi finally looked up at him. At the sight of that bloodied, teary face, he could feel his fury fading. First rule as a martial artist: never strike in anger. Self mockingly he wondered if maybe he didn’t deserve to inherit the dojo anyway. Silently, he lifted a hand to the other boy’s face and gently inspected where he had hit him. He wasn’t ready to forgive him, but… “Let’s get you cleaned up.” Taking hold of his arm, he began to lead them both away, letting some of his own weight fall on the other boy since he still felt a little dizzy.

Akaya blinked in surprise and stared at Hiyoshi. One hand dripped blood, and blood flowed from his nose freely still. He didn't dare speak though, in case he changed Hiyoshi’s mind somehow. He just nodded and wrapped his not bloody arm around the others waist, supporting more of his weight. Hopefully the action didn't get him thrown onto the pavement or end with him breaking a rib or something.

They made their way slowly and silently back to campus. It was dark out and there weren’t many people around, but there were still a few people who stopped to look at them. If Hiyoshi were in a better mood he might have found humor in the thought that they probably both looked like they just got out of a bar brawl. “Which dorm are you in?” He’d never been to Kirihara’s room before, it always having been the case that Kirihara came to him when he felt like it.

"Ao," Akaya said quietly, still hesitant to talk much. "Number 88..." He nodded in the direction of his dorm and wiped at the stream of blood coming from his nose with the back of his hand. He wiped it on his jeans; they were black so it wouldn't show anyway. One guy they passed laughed at him and he fixed him with an angry glare that shut him up immediately. He did NOT like being laughed at by people that he didn't know.

It was kind of funny how even with a bloody nose and teary eyes, Kirihara still managed to intimidate people around them. Honestly, he had always found Kirihara’s glare to be more amusing then anything, more like a pout in some cases. No, the only time he really needed to watch out (he’d learned from personal experience) was when his eyes starting turning weird colors. Finally arriving at the door, Hiyoshi waited for Akaya to open it. Unlike some people, he did not just walk into other people’s rooms without permission.

Fishing his keys out of his pocket, Akaya unlocked the door and opened it. "Come on in..." He forced a little laugh and led them into his room. It was very similar to Hiyoshi’s, but his had a lot more porn stashed away. It looked a lot emptier now that the dorm staff had taken away the stripper poll. Stupid room checks. He kicked off his shoes and walked over to his dresser, pushed some of the magazines out of the way, and pulled out his first aid kit. He felt gingerly at his nose and sighed. It was definitely broken, but it didn't seem to be too bad. "I'm gonna have to set it..." He mumbled, at least this wasn't the first time he'd done this.

Hiyoshi tried not to make a satisfied smirk as he watched Kirihara tend to his nose, which he knew to be broken. He may feel guilty that he had punched him in the first place, but didn’t feel sorry at all about his nose. The room was a bit messy but not terrible. Standing in the middle of it, not sure where to go, he offered, “Do you want any help with that?” He had asked out of courtesy even though it looked like Kirihara knew what he was doing.

"No, it's alright." Akaya took a deep breath and set it with a sickening crack. “Ow…” he muttered as he put some medical tape across it to keep it in place. “You have a damn good punch." He got out a wet wipe and started wiping up the blood.

“Che. I know.” But Hiyoshi didn’t know what he was supposed to do now. Just standing there, watching Kirihara clean himself up from an injury he had inflicted, was awkward. “I’m heading out then since you don’t need me here.” He turned to let himself out. It was getting late and Kirihara probably didn’t even want him there.

"Hey..." Akaya said quietly and looked at Hiyoshi with a little frown. "Um... I--" He scratched at the back of his head and stared at a spot on the floor. "About earlier... I'm sorry... I'll uh... I'll walk you over to your room... How much did you drink anyway?"

“Not enough that I can’t get to my own room.” Hiyoshi countered roughly. “I can get there just fine on my own.” He didn’t want Kirihara thinking he couldn’t take care of himself. Besides, it was probably for the best that they separated, maybe for good. The thought made his chest hurt again, but he quickly shoved it to the back of his mind. He was used to separating himself from his emotions.

"Oh... Uh... Ok... Then, um..." The still bloodied and messy boy looked up at Hiyoshi. His forced smile faded away to a frown, but then it was quickly forced back into a pained smile. He'd messed up bad and he knew it. He wasn't used to people being this mad at him because of his behavior off court. Generally he just got stern looks or laps, but being treated so coldly was new and scary. "I'll uh... I'll see you later?" Akaya’s eyes filled with a tiny gleam of hope that maybe, just maybe, Hiyoshi would be able to forgive him and that they could go back to their odd dysfunctional little friendship that he really valued. He hadn't even noticed it until now, that he did really like hanging out with Hiyoshi. Even though it almost always ended in him getting put into a hold of some sort, or getting thrown off some piece of furniture.

How was he supposed to reply to that? Hiyoshi wasn’t used to Kirihara looking so depressed, and his fake expressions were almost as bad as Choutarou’s. He hated it when someone looked at him like that. When Choutarou did it, he couldn’t leave him alone, but with Kirihara… Sighing, he sat down on the desk chair and put his head in his hands. “What do you want from me?” He really didn’t know. They weren’t friends like him and Choutarou who supported and trusted each other, and he wasn’t a friend like Gakuto who he couldn’t get rid of and then eventually became a sort of annoying senpai figure. He had originally thought Kirihara had just come on to him as some sort of stupid dare maybe Gakuto had put him up to, but then he had never forced anything serious on him. The brat kept coming around to bother him probably just to amuse himself. So why now did he seem to care so much?

"Eh?" Kirihara’s smile dropped and his expression changed to one of confusion. "What do I want from you?" He sat on the floor right where he'd been standing. "What do you mean?" He looked like a kindergarten student who was getting a lesson on not putting glue in the girl’s hair. His eyes were wide and curious and his lips formed a little frown. Was he asking if he just wanted him for sex or something? Well that was ridiculous. Despite Akaya’s best efforts, he wasn't getting any sex out of this. So that left Hiyoshi wondering what he was getting? Did he have to be getting anything? Hiyoshi was his friend. He thought the other boy knew that and understood, but maybe he was wrong?

Hiyoshi hadn’t thought it was a difficult question; he just wanted the truth as Kirihara had so willingly given Keiko-san that evening. “Why do you keep showing up at my door? Am I some kind of stupid dare someone put you up to? Why do you act like my friend one minute and the next either kiss me or embarrass the hell out of me? Why do you...” As he was talking his voice was slowly getting quieter until he was just mumbling to himself. “Akaya… please, just leave me alone if this is all just some big joke to you.”

Oh, so that's what he meant. "If you want me to, I'll leave you alone... but... you're fun and I like coming over... Yanagi-senpai said that no one besides my team would be able to put up with my 'antics' for very long... but you do..." Akaya laughed, but it came out as a bit forced. He wasn't used to saying things that were so emotional to anyone that wasn't his team and it was embarrassing. "So... it's not a joke or anything... no one dared me to hang out with you or nothing, I just wanted to..."

Hiyoshi had gotten his answer. He had a lot to think about and he couldn’t stay there any longer. “I’m going home.” His head was pounding and he needed to sleep so he could think clearly again and decide what to do about this mess. He stood shakily from the chair and made his way to the front door. He’d barely had any sleep the previous night because of Kirihara’s unexpected sleepover, and then he had spent a tiring day at classes and with Keiko-san, then, to have been put in a crowded room and drink more than he usually did in a month. It was time to go home.

"Oh, alright... Um..." Kirihara stood up and followed Hiyoshi as far as the door; keeping an eye on Hiyoshi's shaky form. "Be uh... Be careful going back," he mumbled and bit his lip. It was Hiyoshi, of course he could take care of himself, but for some reason he was still uneasy about him going alone.

Waving his arm tiredly behind him in a silent goodbye, without looking back, Hiyoshi slowly started his trek down the hallway to leave the building.

Waiting until Hiyoshi was down the hall and in the stairwell, Akaya followed him out at a discreet distance. He wasn't the best at being sneaky, but he knew he wouldn't sleep if he didn't make sure Hiyoshi got back ok, though he probably wouldn't sleep anyway. Maybe he'd go over to Sanada’s room, his senpai wouldn't turn him away. If he couldn't sleep, he could just call Yanagi-senpai and ask him to tell him about physics or something. Listening to Yanagi lecture was better than any lullaby.

Words could not begin to describe how relieved Hiyoshi felt when he finally made it back to his own room. Unlocking the door, he let himself in wearily. But when he turned to close the door and lock it, he paused. In the past he’d always been particular about keeping his door locked, but lately… since Kirihara had first barged into his room, he had unconsciously (or maybe consciously, he chose not to think about it) been leaving it unlocked. He must have stood there with the door open, staring at the door knob for five minutes. ‘This is ridiculous’ he scolded himself. Slamming the door, for once not caring about disturbing his neighbors, he went in and all but collapsed onto the futon. He was sound asleep within seconds.