Chapter Text
The next day was a bit uneventful for Kenji, though for his senior, he had heard he had gotten severely injured while fighting the weretiger. He felt bad for him, knowing it was his own fault for not helping, and so he decided to visit for a quick moment while on his break. He never talked to him much, but it never hurts to finally do so. He remembered that Akutagawa had liked tea (how'd he know? He would always see Akutagawa drinking tea in the cafeteria.), and he figured that he'd bring some for him, as an apology and hopefully as a beginning of a new friendship.
Kenji walks inside a building, walking through a empty hallway and going inside a room akin to a hospital room, everything being covered in white with some color of blue all around. He sees a blonde woman who was sitting on a chair, sleeping beside Akutagawa who was covered in bandages. It was Higuchi. She was keeping Akutagawa company, how caring! Kenji wanted to praise her, though fought the urge and walked to the other side of the bed as to not disturb the sleeping Higuchi.
He looks down at his senior who had his eyes closed, though it was clear to Kenji that he was only pretending to be asleep to listen to what Kenji was doing. Liars know liars, afterall. He decides to not say anything about it, "Hello, Akutagawa-san! I heard what had happened to you, I'm sorry of that happening, since I think I would've prevented all of this if I had helped better." The kid apologized, watching the small twitches Akutagawa would make. He was right, he's awake. "I brought some tea for you... And I just realized I should've brought water and cups with me- Whoops!" He chuckles lightly, placing the plastic in his hands on an empty table that had different tools that was could be find in a hospital.
"I don't need your pity." Akutagawa spoke, opening his eyes as he watched Kenji put the plastic bag down. "You may be Chuuya-san's apprentice, but don't let that get into your head and make you believe you can just speak to me so casually." The senior spoke with a hard glare, Kenji swore he saw Akutagawa wanting to clench the sheets under him but stopped due to a sudden pain that shocked throughout his body.
Right, he had to speak formally. Most of his seniors would prefer to talk to not so casually unlike his mentor and Kajii. He struggled with this a lot since he was too used to treating everyone equally. "Apologies, Akutagawa-san. I've realized I had forgotten my place. I- uhm.. Sincerely hope you'll get better quickly." Kenji holds his head down, paying some respect, struggling a little since he doesn't know a lot of big words.
"Get lost."
Kenji hums, understanding that Akutagawa wanted him gone immediately. He bows down, waving a quick goodbye before running outside the hospital room. Maybe one he could bloom a friendship with this senior of his, but at least he had a proper conversation with him that wasn't just Akutagawa shooing him off before Kenji could even say 'Hi!'. For now though, baby steps.
Akutagawa watched as Kenji walked out of the hospital room, staring up at the ceiling while zoning out. He wanted to get out of bed, he felt so vulnerable it made him feel pathetic, and he hated that with his whole heart. What use does he have if he's just injured and weak? He wanted to get up and work, but his body refuses to. He can move his hands, but it still made him hiss whenever he does so. He wanted to get up and work, but his body refuses to. He can move his hands, but it still made him hiss whenever he does so. Maybe some tea would help him..
He gazes to the plastic bag beside him, it looked like it had one or two boxes of tea inside of it. He wondered what kind of tea Kenji had bought, was it the one Akutagawa would always drink or was it just normal tea? He tried to sit up to check, a shock of pain spreading out his body before he could even lift himself slightly. He lays back down, grumbling in annoyance. He glanced to the sleeping blonde beside him, sighing.
"Higuchi." Akutagawa called out, nudging Higuchi's head as she was laying beside his arm. The blonde sat up immediately, rubbing her eyes a bit and fixing her hair to face her senior.
"Ah- yes, Akutagawa-senpai. What is it?" She asked, checking Akutagawa up and down to see if there was anything wrong, although he looked completely fine at first glance, it doesn't hurt for her to check.
Akutagawa suddenly remembers how he had apologized to Higuchi, still embarrassed about it. He pushed the thought away and bites his lip. "Make tea for me." Akutagawa gestures to the plastic bag beside him, the slight difference in his tone could easily be mistaken as a request of you knew him long enough.
Higuchi smiles with a slight pink tint on the corner of her cheek, noticing the slight difference in tone and stands up. "Of course." She walks over to the plastic bag and walks out. She opens the plastic bag when she was out of the room, talking to herself and wondering who exactly gave Akutagawa tea in the first place, she doesn't remember bringing any.
The Akutagawa in question was muttering to himself on his bed, glaring at nothing, the spark of pain that would happen whenever he ever just move his ankle making his mood worse by the second. The stupid weretiger was stronger than he thought, and it pissed him off, he felt embarrassed about losing, and obviously when he was held hostage not too long ago made it much, much worse. Higuchi wouldn't take too long to make the tea, though he decides to get a quick shut in to calm himself down a bit.
Meanwhile, a very weak Kenji could be seen walking in the streets of Yokohama. Whenever he walked forward his direction would slightly change to the left or even the right. He held his stomach tightly, grumbling a bit. It wasn't long before a peculiar guy with ginger hair who was with a girl who Kenji assumed was his sister, asked him if he was alright as in his words the kid seemed 'Sickly'. Kenji would deny, but the kind guy asked if he had eaten at all yet.
In which Kenji realizes, he hadn't eaten for more than he supposed to. How many missions had he done? Ten or maybe fifteen? That'll mean he hadn't eaten for three days-
The ginger's sister then invited the blonde to lunch, in which the brother immediately agreed to. The kid hesitated at first, but after a hot minute he agrees and so now he was sitting in a little restaurant with two people he had learned were named Tanizaki Junichiro and Tanizaki Naomi, and like he had guessed they were brother and sister. Their dynamic is something that confuses him, though he doesn't any questions as he thinks its none of his business. The two siblings were very kind and asked him why a kid like him was alone outside, in which the kid in question made up a lie; Being that he was coming home after playing with some friends. The two luckily believed him. The more they talked, the more Kenji had anticipated a particular question they would ask him;
"Why haven't you eaten?"
But it never came.
Did they not want to invade his privacy at all? How respectful, each city folks really are different than the other huh. He smiled while they continued the conversation, it being awhile he had eaten a full fledge meal and not some scrambled eggs with vegetables. He would soon immediately departure from the two when they all finished the meal, sincerely thanking them and waving goodbye as he walked to his apartment.
A few days later, Kenji was now staring down at the paper on the table, grabbing a yellow crayon to write the word 'My' and switching to a black one to write 'most prized possesion'. It may be a bit messy, and he might've misspelled a word, but he's sure it's not important. His mentor had asked him to make a list or draw the things he had held close, be it a thing or someone. His mentor said the reason was that he wanted Kenji to experience what kindergarten is like since the blonde kid never had any education, and Kenji would've believed that, if he was naive and didn't notice how his mentor was too focused on his own body language rather than his words. He didn't expect Chuuya to be a good liar or anything, it's not as easy as it seems.
He knows his mentor is just making him do this to get more information about him, maybe even planning to use those he held dearly against him, so lying and putting things he didn't exactly care about would be reasonable enough for him to do. He'll draw some of the stuff he actually cared about just to make it more believable, like the hat he was given by his mentor on the first day he joined and also his pet cow that he had back in his village, Hanako. He misses his pet and wonders how she was doing, as he was not allowed to bring her with him and neither was he allowed to visit. It makes him realize he doesn't exactly remember his family's reaction to him leaving, and nor does he remember his family even giving him the permission to leave them forever. Did his family really let him go so easily? God, he's even starting to forget their faces.
"Ehhh, where'd my green crayon go?" Kenji pouts, checking his little crayon package before looking below his table and floors. He finally found it under his chair, reaching to grab it and places it on the table before he notices a piece of paper in his pockets. After putting the crayon away, he pulls out the piece of paper to see a worn out picture drawing used with crayons, a bunch of it seemingly being burnt away. The most he could make out was a drawing of him smiling, and someone else right beside him who he can only see the arm of. He doesn't recall making it. Neither does he remember putting it in his pockets. His mind is completely hazy, whenever he tried to remember something before the Port Mafia he ends up thinking of a blank empty space. He doesn't know why, but maybe it's a good thing, right?
The kid continues with his drawings, grabbing his green crayon and making a three-leaf clover with the burnt out crayon drawing set aside. He drew things that were around his apartment which were things he doesn't exactly held precious, so he wouldn't care if something actually happened to them. It'd make his apartment feel more empty to him, yes, but at least he can (hopefully) buy some replacements for them. After he finished drawing he held the paper up to look at it more properly, careful not to make his hands that were stained with various colors of crayons imprint on the corners of the paper. He felt proud of himself. Carefully, he puts his crayons inside its package and grabs the paper of his 'Most prized possessions', looking back at the burnt crayon drawing and shoving it inside his pockets once more. He goes out of his apartment, moving from one building to another, strutting his way to the cafeteria like always. The guards became too used to his visits so they just let him in.
Kenji finds his mentor drinking a small glass of wine, the kid had noticed his mentor had usually drink it on a specific day each month, the 1st and the 27th. He never knew or even bothered to figure out why. He snaps out of his quick thoughts and pokes his mentor whom jumped a bit from the suddenness, careful enough to not spill his glass of wine, setting it down while coughing a bit.
Chuuya wipes his mouth, "Jeez kid, you nearly gave me a heart attack!" He scolded, covering his mouth a little bit. His coat being draped over the chair he had sat on. "The hell is it?" He properly turns his body to face his apprentice, his hand still on the wine glass.
"I'm done with the uhm... thingy you told me to do!" Kenji showed the paper to his mentor like a toddler showing their parent a drawing they did, a wide grin adorning his big doe eyes. He had forgotten to wash his hands beforehand, thus now some of the drawings were smudged, but it had seemed like he hadn't noticed at all as he was too busy looking at his mentor for his thoughts.
"Oh, right, uhm.." The red head grabs the piece of paper and looks at the various different drawings such as the hat he gave to Kenji, the pet cow, a three-leaf clover, a marigold, and a few other things. "Okay. Thanks, Kenji." He sets the paper on the table to look at it a bit more. As he feels Kenji still staring at him, he mentally rolls his eyes in frustration before commenting on the drawings, "..They look nice. Good work, kid."
Kenji smiled brightly, clasping his hands together, "Thank you, sir!" He bowed as an unnatural bright and flowery aura shone all around him. He remembers the random crayon drawing he had found and pulls it out of his pockets, showing it to his mentor. "Oh, by the way, I found this in my pocket earlier. I don't know what to do with it though.."
Chuuya reluctantly takes the burnt crayon drawing from Kenji's hands, a finger tracing its burnt edges. He seemed to know why it's damaged like that, but is too hesitant to say anything, Kenji having noticed his mentor biting his bottom lip slightly with slight furrowed eyebrows. "I'll.. Hold on to this. In case you need it."
"Hmm..? Alright then, sir?"
Kenji was a little puzzled, but nevertheless he bid his goodbye to his mentor and dashed out of the cafeteria, a bit happy on how he had gotten a compliment from his mentor. He saw a familiar red scarf that he ran passed who was heading towards the opposite direction of him, looking back to see a tall man with black silky hair. He didn't know who it was, though he seemed like an important figure in the Port Mafia. He kept on running and not thinking much about it.
He goes to hallway to hallway, waving at the other Port Mafia as usual. He was heading out to the exit, until he reached a slightly opened door that lead to down below the buildings; a place where those who were confined had been kept. He used to stay far away from the place when his mentor told him of what kind of people that laid down there, but sometimes curiosity gets the best of him, especially when the guards aren't there.
Walking down the stairs, he tries his best to not make himself obvious. He moves his way in front of various of empty rooms before finally reaching one specific one. One with multiple bars standing beside each other that had dents in them that were in various depths, a lone kid with unusual hair laying on a dirty bed with an old doll of some sort in their hands.
"Yumeno-kun?"
Kenji called out, knocking on the metal bars a little to hopefully get the kid's attention more. The kid eventually turns their head to face Kenji, their miss-matched pupils processing a bit before realizing who had came to visit them, their bored expression quickly turning to an ecstatic one. The kid jumps off their bed and to the metal bars and holding two with his hands, grinning widely with their old doll laying beside their legs.
"Miya-kun!! You visited me again, huh? It's been awhile!!"
Yeah this is how Kenji looks like guys <33 anyways haha cliffhanger. My art btw, your fanfic author is both a writer and an artist haha (help me)
It sucks but it's okay
