hatesthefood | open action

"He'd make me clean."

Ken gave a mock shudder but chuckled again. Things always seemed so strained between him and Mamoru, but honestly, he was glad for the light-hearted comments.

"Good."

"You actually care about her already, don't you." Which wasn't a question but an obvious conclusion. There was gratefulness in Umi's voice: deep and soulful and filled with understanding. "Ken..."

"Psh. I'm a big softie. I seem to like all three of you girls next door."

He glanced down at the seedling again, then lifted it to the new pot that was waiting for it.

"You're all like family to me now. Especially you, Umi."

"Ken, that's--- You know I've felt that way about you for the longest time now." Ever since Aya was around. Ever since the million awful moments they'd been through together. Not that Umi had to list those for Ken. Her smile grew maudlin, but she couldn't care at all. It was always so comforting to hear this. It made her think that despite all their arguments the truth remained just that: family.

A family away from home... wasn't that what she and Fuu had been talking about lately?

She reached to help Ken out with the seedling. She was getting better at these delicate things, even in sentimental moments like this, when she grew clumsy. "Sometimes we both are jerks to each other, let's face it. I... lose my temper a lot. But that doesn't mean I ever stopped caring about you like I can't tell you."

"I know. Trust me, I can be an ass at times and I snap waaay too easy some days, but you're someone I know I can rely on. Someone I can trust. I think that's why we irritate each other so easy sometimes. If we didn't care, we wouldn't give a damn about hurting the other."

Ken's fingers stilled on the plant, his gaze locked on the digits. He'd been hesitant to touch anyone but Mamoru lately, thanks to his skin being so cool now, but he couldn't keep going on like he had been. He was used to hiding on missions, not in everyday life.

"Isn't this little thing amazing? It's something Aya'd been thinking of before he left, and thanks to a little of Shin's parting gift, I think it'll finally grow."

"That's a great way to think about it. And something to keep in mind, the next time we yell at each other." Which Umi certainly hoped wouldn't happen any time soon. But it felt relieving to finally say this, without the fear of sounding sappy or maudlin. Ken understood this. And if a tough guy like him could say these things, why not her too?

The Water Knight chuckled and let the matter go, holding the pot for Ken's expert management to mind its little inhabitant. Her smile gained a touch of melancholy at the mention of Aya.

"So what is it? I don't think I recognize it at all!"

He settled the new 'baby' a little more securely into its new pot, then brushed his hands down the sides of his sweats before curling an arm around it, already looking for a good spot for it.

"It's a hybrid rose. Sapphire blue, if I've got it right. The only blues they can come up with back home are a light almost silver, or something treated with dyes or spray."

"...Blue roses?" Umi couldn't hide her amazement. Had Aya been working on that before he-?

Stop, she told herself. This was stupid. The color was just coincidence. It wouldn't do to get ridiculously melancholy NOW. She did her best to focus on the rest of Ken's words as she followed him around the greenhouse.

"I didn't know they could even exist! At least not in my world..."

"They don't. Not in nature, anyway. I aim to change that."

He found a good spot for the newly repotted plant, right where he could peek in the door and see it easily.

"Like I said, we'll see if it works out. If so.. well. I think I'll let you name it."

"What, really??" Now she sounded like a little girl who'd just been told she was getting what she wanted for Christmas or something, jeez. But her eyes were wide and her face filled with enthusiasm and surprise all rolled into one.

"You sure? I mean-! It's your own effort. I got nothing to do with it! Other than... watering it, if you want me to." Now she sounded outright stupid. Oh gosh. But she had to make one thing clear here. "I'd absolutely love to, d'uh. It'll look wonderful when it blooms!"

Ken laughed and padded back to the worktable to start cleaning up the mess that always seemed to be left behind after repotting.

"Hey, you think a jock would be good for coming up for a flower name? I'd name it something soccer related and everyone'd think I'm nuts."

"---Aw, here. Let me!" At once she rushed to the table to help. Never mind she hadn't had time to get her florist gear on: she needed to give Ken a hand with that to keep herself from stammering stupid stuff out.

"I'm not terribly inspired for these things, mind! But I'll give it my best shot. You can count on it! This will turn out beautiful." She started clearing up the soil remnants and earth alongside Ken. Today was already looking up, far as it seemed.

He just chuckled at her enthusiasm. It was almost infectious, after all. Once things were cleaned up, he moved wash his hands, scrubbing dirt from under his nails. He might not be a clean freak, but he never knew when he'd be called on for his night job, and having the weapons he did, he didn't chance any dirt getting into them. They got dirty enough on their own.

"So what else has been up with you lately?"

"Not much, just helping Ferio settle in. Aw, and Ascot is looking for a job too!" She followed Ken in the cleaning process by going to the nearest sink and starting to wash her hands as well. "I think he may try the circus.

But what about you? Fully recovered by now? I guess that whatever problem you had is doing better, or so it looks from here."

"Good idea. I told him he should look into it."

Umi's question made him pause, glancing off tot he side before he sighed softly.

"... that's... a complicated thing, Umi. Yes and no."

"...At least there's a yes somewhere in there." She finished drying her hands and just stood there, staring back into Ken's eyes with a smile and waiting to see what came of it. This was what they'd been postponing all this time, wasn't it. For one reason or the other. "Want to talk about that?"

Sighing again, he made his way back into the shop proper, locking the door before he moved back into the greenhouse. He'd been trying to avoid this for a while now, but it wasn't the right thing to do, and if she found out from anyone other than him, it might do too much damage to their friendship.

"... the case the police have been working on? The cannibal that we had to let go today? It's been all over the network."

"You told me bits and pieces about that. But with all that's been happening, the apartment growing huge..." Truth be told she hadn't been paying much attention to it. It seemed to Umi as if she'd unconsciously been keeping out of the worst side of The City, with all her friends from Cephiro arriving, helping her see the few good aspects of living there.

But this now... A shudder went up her spine. Her expression reflected just what she felt about it. No wonder even Ken, who was so used to dealing with terrible things, had been so disturbed by it. "Cannibal. Gosh, that's... just nasty. And you had to let this guy walk??"

"We couldn't hold him. He can't be charged as a cannibal since he's... not human. So we're back to having nothing."

He paused, glancing to the side again.

"... I have a person thing with the case. I'm... I was one of the victims."

There. He'd finally said it. He kept his gaze low, barely visible under the fringe of bangs that had grown far too shaggy in his time back in the City.

"...What are you..."

There was this stab of pain somewhere on her side. Umi'd felt it very few times in her life. She always figured it was fear of the worst kind she could ever feel: not for her sake -- come to think of it, she was rather fearless when the danger affected HER -- but for those she deeply cared about.

She was telling herself this was stupid. That her friend had dealt with far more terrible things in that place, for this to give her such a bad feeling. But she was tense and breaking a cold sweat nonetheless.

"So... this guy attacked you. But you handled it fine, didn't you? Because-! You're here now. You dealt with it..."

He slowly shook his head as she spoke, closing his eyes, as if that were enough to negate the whole thing.

"Umi. I left the Koneko the Friday that was Mamoru's birthday. Something happened, and I don't remember what it was. I woke up five days later and I still can't remember what happened. They said there were teeth marks on my bones, like some of the other victims..."

A sudden nausea made her feel terribly dizzy, and Umi staggered where she stood. Maybe she'd moved. Maybe she'd tried to reach for Ken just to make sure he was--- but what if he--- did it even mean anything, that he was standing there talking to her, with the way things worked, in The City? It'd happened to Aya. It'd happened to Ken before...

Teeth marks...

Bones...

Ken-

She covered her mouth with her hands and steadied herself as best she could, her mind incapable of processing any coherent thoughts at the moment but this deep horror making her dizzy. "That's-!!"

Edited 2010-03-23 06:31 (UTC)

Without hesitation, he reached to support Umi. Once he had his hands on her arms, he realized she'd be able to feel just how cold he was now. The smile gone, dropped away into something sad and more than a little wistful, he looked down at her.

"Mamoru found me... what was left of me, under the sakura in Xanadu. Fitting, huh?"

Cold. So cold. Just like Aya. Umi shook her head. How come she hadn't realized it? All those days... Had she just closed her mind, shut it against the sole idea?? Unforgivable. But then again, what could she have done?

She knew it very well. She should have been there. She should have kept this from happening somehow. But now? What was left for her to do now?

"...This isn't right." Her voice sounded really feeble. The nausea hadn't gone away, but at least Ken's support was helping her get a grip. There was no time to be weak. Not if she wanted to do something. "This isn't--- that monster..." But he'd said the man wasn't even human! Could she even blame him? She felt she needed someone to blame. "Ken, we-! ...We gotta fix this for you."

Sighing, he shook his head again, squeezing her arms gently before he dropped his hands, shoving them back into his pockets.

"Ni, Umi. It's okay, at least for now. I don't want anything happening that'll put you in jeopardy."

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