FIC FOR COURTNEY_BUBBLE
For: courtney-bubble
From: dusk037
Title: Death and Peaches
Pairings/Characters: Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya (only if you squint). KAT-TUN gen
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death, some supernatural themes. Would the “butchering (of) a certain anime series” also count?
Notes: I’ll hold you to your word on the sign-up b/c *points to pairing*. Please don’t be thrown off by the (first) warning, I promise it won’t stay that way. Hopefully you’ll find this enjoyable, courtney-bubble. orz I’m also sorry I took forever, Hyphen-chan; thank you for being so patient with me.
Summary: AU. When juvenile delinquent Jin dies trying to save someone’s life, it comes as a surprise; and the Underworld decides to give him another chance at life.
Jin’s momentarily startled out of his cloud-gazing when the door to the roof deck crashes open. He doesn’t have to look at the intruder to know who’s there; the sound of their approaching footsteps is enough to clue him in.
“I knew you’d be here,” Kame says. “Now get your ass out of there, homeroom teacher is looking for you.”
Jin snorts. “For what, so he can threaten me with how hard I’d fail his class?” He turns to look at Kame, now that he’s come closer. “I’ve already heard all about it,” he says matter-of-factly.
Kame plops on the floor right next to Jin, his head lifting towards the bright late-morning sky. “It wouldn’t hurt to try, Jin. You’ve made it this far, just one more term and we’ll be done here.” He rises and dusts the back of his pants. Kame walks off and Jin follows after, once he gets bored of watching the clouds pass by.
He is passing by the teachers’ lounge on the way back to class when he hears voices from inside the room. Two of his teachers are discussing something, someone, with contempt. Curious, Jin ducks his head and presses his ear to the door.
“…I really don’t know what the director sees in that kid,” one teacher says.
“He’s so stupid. That Akanishi kid is just good for nothing,” the other adds. “At this rate, I wonder what will become of this school if we keep him here.” They share a laugh at the sheer irony of it, and they move on to other things.
There’s a difference in knowing what the teachers think of him and hearing it straight from their mouths. He may have a reputation being the delinquent everyone seems to be wary of, and while he tells himself he doesn’t care what they think, the words still cut deep. Jin doesn’t stay for more; his hands are already clenched into fists as he squashes down the urge to barge in and give those teachers a piece of his mind. He never goes to homeroom class that day.
…
He wanders aimlessly, kicking up dust or stray pieces of pebbles while grumbling to himself. Soon his wandering leads him to a busy street, when the afternoon rush is in full boom. A ball rolls its way near his feet. When Jin looks up at the owner, he hides a small smile at the sight of a little boy bounding towards him.
“Is this yours?” Jin asks the boy.
The little boy nods shyly.
Jin smiles at the boy as he gently nudges the ball back towards the boy, careful not to kick too hard. “Be careful, okay?” he tells the boy. The child happily takes the ball, and he goes to where his mother is busy buying groceries. The mother pats her son’s head and lets him walk off again to play by himself. Jin watches the exchange with a sense of nostalgia and goes forward.
The sound of a ball hitting the metal roadside railing has Jin turning around once again, only to see the ball bouncing off to the middle of the street, the child going right after it. Out of the corner of his eye, Jin can see a car coming on too fast, and he doesn’t think of anything else-he jumps over the railing and pushes the boy away.
…
Jin touches the back of his head and groans, then begins to stand up. He gingerly turns his head to look for the boy he’d pushed out of the road, but it’s difficult with a crowd beginning to form on the street. With the pain beginning to overpower his senses, his usually short temper more easily runs out. Aggravated by the swarm of people keeping him from finding the child, he growls out a “shut up!” in order to get them to stop. It falls on deaf ears, with people coming closer instead of further, the tone of their voices varying from pity to hysteric chatter, until they part to make way for the paramedics.
He turns to the uniformed men, a hasty “please look after the boy,” dying on his lips as they pass right through him. He stands there, bewildered.
“You seem far more concerned about the boy than for yourself,” a voice tells him.
Jin turns towards the sound and sees a young man in traditional garb smiling creepily down at him. His jaw nearly drops-the man is quite a sight riding an oar, of all things. Jin follows the man’s gaze as it shifted; he takes a look at the paramedics’ subject of focus to find his own body sprawled out on the pavement.
“What-“
“You’re dead,” the man happily informs Jin.
“I think I can see that, thanks,” Jin deadpans.
“And pretty much in vain,” the man continues, more to himself than for anyone else, oblivious to Jin’s tone.
“Just who are you?” Jin demands.
“Oh?” the man lands and the oar fades into thin air, his hands now free to make flaily gestures as he says, “Iriguchi, deguchi, Taguchi-desu~”
Jin stares on, unimpressed. The man deflates for only a second, but soon enough he’s back to his bouncy self. “I’m a reaper from the Underworld, Taguchi Junnosuke. I guide souls into the afterlife.”
“…and you’re here to take me now?” Jin asks.
Junnosuke nods. “Yes! Though I must say, what you did today was unprecedented.”
“What’s so surprising with-“ Jin starts, “Oh, right. I pushed a kid out of the way and I… was hit by a car.”
“A lot of these accidents happen, of course, but your case surprised us.” He’s now tinkering with a notebook he produced from somewhere on his person. “Let’s see, Akanishi Jin, 18 years old, lazy, brash, impatient, likes picking fights …sounds every bit like a bad boy to me.”
“Oi, what’s with that?!” Jin protests.
“The thing is, since your death is untimely,” Junnosuke continues, “There’s no place for you in the afterlife.”
“You said something about my death being in vain, is that why?”
“So you heard that. It’s a yes and a no.” Junnosuke puts the notebook away, looking at Jin with some sympathy. “The boy was supposed to have miraculously survived anyway; the boy would’ve gotten all the way across before the car hit.”
Jin takes all that in with his head low, the long fringes of his hair hiding his expression from view. He suddenly raises his gaze to meet Junnosuke’s eyes, “Well, that was a lot to take in.” He forces a laugh, every bit as awkward as he feels, until he switches back to his first concern: “How is the child now?”
Junnosuke points to the other side of the road, where another ambulance is parked. A paramedic has just finished bandaging the boy’s head, and he’s now cradled in his mother’s arms. The woman tries to discreetly wipe at her cheek with one hand to hide the tracks her tears have left there, and her arm tightens just a bit, her relief only slightly tainted by something Jin can’t identify from where he stands.
“Well, he’s safe, and that’s good enough for me. I’ll go with you, wherever the heck that’ll be.” Jin says with only a smidge of resignation.
Junnosuke chuckles. “Oh, but I’m not exactly here to take you away. I was sent to ask you if you’d accept a test of revival, so you can come back to life.”
“Pfft,” Jin snorts. “What’s the point? Everyone I know would probably be celebrating the fact that I died today.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Junnosuke chides. “Maybe you ought to see something first before you make your choice.” He conjures up his oar, and then he takes off. “I’ll see you at your soul watching; later, then.”
…
The bell rings and the students rise to bow to their teacher before gathering their things. Kame just sighs, a little exasperated; it’s another whole day of his best friend skipping classes. He stays behind to help with whatever his classmates might want to ask, ever the helpful class rep, but today he feels something odd. Like something’s about to go horribly wrong.
Kame takes a different route home that day, and the odd sinking feeling he felt at school turns ice-cold at the sight he finds when he passes by Jin’s house. A few people are moving about, a few of them carrying in white flowers, and two men handling a long, rectangular box. He makes his way inside and he sees Akanishi-san sitting by the wall, clutching her son’s portrait. Kame falls to his knees, hardly able to process that his best friend is dead. He recovers quickly enough from the shock and he comes up to give Jin’s mother a tight hug, her wracking sobs enough to shake them both.
When the house is rearranged to suit the circumstances, the people begin trickling in.
…
“So have you decided yet?” Junnosuke asks when they meet again that night. Junno is sitting on his oar; they’re hovering in midair as they watch the people below pay their respects at the altar and offer sympathies to Akanishi-san.
Jin’s eyes are on his mother who’s now staring blankly ahead, having cried all her tears while the arrangements were being made. Junnosuke clears his throat, ready to repeat the question. He snaps back into attention, turning his gaze from the scene below, his answer about to leave his lips when there’s a shout from the sides.
“YOU IDIOT-GETTING YOURSELF KILLED LIKE THAT. WE HAVEN’T EVEN SETTLED THE SCORE YET, GET UP! GET UP!”
Long, wavy hair hides his face from view as he struggles in the hold of two of his lackeys, but Jin would know that voice. It’s an old friend from junior high, and yet, they turned into bitter rivals when they entered different high schools. Yamashita Tomohisa all but manages to remove himself from his lackeys’ tight grip on both his arms, and he completely surrenders to the ugly sobbing he’s been trying to hold in. His lackeys take him away, bowing all the while to apologize for their leader’s trouble-making.
Jin gets a little shaken by his old friend’s outburst, but his heart drops at the sight of another visitor. The child he’d saved earlier had come with his mother; he looks so simply clueless, utterly baffled by the atmosphere with all the people in black and the smell of incense burning too strongly. He wonders why they’re kneeling in front of a huge box with the onii-san’s picture on top of it, with his mother bowing down and offering a prayer. He does as his mother tells him to, bowing down in front of the box with his hands together, but without understanding any of it.
The child’s mother holds him tightly in an embrace when the child asks, “When can I play with onii-san again? I want to thank him, too.” And Jin feels his heart break a little at the innocently-spoken question. He looks away then, and what he finds next solidifies his resolve.
“Hey, Taguchi,” Jin starts without looking away from Kame, whose calm expression is otherwise marred by the tears quietly falling. “That test of revival? I’ll do it.”
…
“Where exactly are we?” Jin asks, taking in the vast fields flanking each side of the long river they are currently traveling over.
“The river Styx; we’re on our way to the Judgment Hall, to the deity who will explain how the test will work.” Junnosuke replies, briefly looking behind him to check that Jin’s still holding onto the paddle of his oar.
“Who on earth would that be?”
Junnosuke smiles briefly, “You’ll see.” He swerves a bit while Jin yelps, heading straight for a landing dock in front of the huge, majestically ornate doors. It’s the Judgment Hall of the Underworld. The doors open just a bit, enough for them to fit one in front of the other.
Inside the Hall is complete chaos not unlike that on the set of an office drama he comes home to, on the rare occasion that his mother is there as well. A beautiful young man with flowing, auburn hair runs around barefoot, stopping every once in a while to smile at something that only he claims to be able to see.
“That’s Ueda Tatsuya. Don’t let his looks deceive you, and never say anything that would anger him.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Jin asks, already plotting mischief.
“He’s the King; so please don’t say anything that would warrant your banishment from these halls, or you’ll never make it back to the living realm,” Junnosuke warns. “Come along, we’re nearly there.”
Jin obediently shuts his mouth, letting Junnosuke take the lead. They enter a small closed-off space at the very end of the hall, stopping in front of a plain desk, and the first thing that Jin sees from among the piles and piles of paperwork is a very large nose. The person behind the desk stands up, revealing a man with kind eyes, a strong jaw, and that large nose Jin had first zeroed-in on.
“I’m Nakamaru Yuichi, second in command. Everybody here calls me Yucchi. Let’s just make this quick.” Yucchi reaches for something beneath his desk, and tosses it out to Jin.
Jin fumbles with the object Yucchi threw his way, regarding it with some degree of uncertainty once he’s secured it in his hold.
“Your act of selflessness baffled us, and since it’s not your time yet, we’re giving you a chance to come back to life.”
“And this… egg… is gonna help me, how?”
“That’s why it’s a test!” Yucchi says. “At the moment, your heart’s already beginning to beat again. We’re just waiting to find out whether or not you’ll be able to return to your body.” He fixes Jin with a pointed gaze. “Within that egg is a beast of the Underworld, and you have to take care of it until it hatches. Keep it with you at all times, understood?”
…
“I don’t get it, why an egg?” Jin asks aloud, turning the egg round and round, familiarizing himself with the weight of it in his hand. They’re back in the living world after Yucchi explained what the test entails, and Junnosuke’s right with him as a moderator of sorts. “D’you know why, Taguchi?”
Junnosuke replies in the negative, shrugging even though Jin’s back is turned from him.
Something dawns upon Jin and then he’s up on Junnosuke’s face, startling the reaper from his musings. “That’s right! If I could be revived, then… my body-it’ll be cremated tomorrow. Is there any way I could tell them-”
“That’s already taken care of, I think,” Junnosuke says, pointing to the window of Jin’s house, where his mother is staring down at Jin’s open casket. Akanishi-san’s hand is on Jin’s cheek, tracing a slight flush there, and the fresh tears that flow from her cheeks isn’t that of sorrow anymore.
…
“The test. You passed it,” Junnosuke greets Jin one fine morning, months since it all began.
“Are you serious?” Jin asks, incredulous. He hadn’t done anything particularly good, at least not in his eyes; and watching over his mother (and a certain turtle) had become something he got used to doing in his current form.
“He’s serious,” Yucchi interjects from seemingly out of nowhere. “You can finally return to your body. Congratulations.
“But there’s something important that needs to be done first…” Yucchi continues; and he goes on to explain the ritual, watching as Jin’s expression progresses from mildly curious to thoroughly traumatized.
…
“A kiss?” Kame asks, incredulity lacing his voice.
“A kiss,” the reaper, a tall man in traditional garb named Junnosuke, nods in affirmation while smiling so widely it almost (almost) scares Kame.
“The energy from a living being is necessary to balance out the errant forces moving within Jin’s body, so that he can properly return to life,” Junnosuke continues, twirling the oar in his hand. “What better way to do it than a kiss?”
Kame has yet to find a retort; it’s just too… odd that he has to kiss Jin, his best friend, in order to bring him back to life. He thinks of Jin’s seemingly slumbering form-the lines of his face, the unmoving plane of his chest-back in his apartment, alone where his mother barely has time to watch over him. He’s brash, he always picks fights, and he gets low marks in class because he skips A LOT, but inside, Jin’s a kind-hearted person. He thinks about how Jin died trying to save a child from getting hit by an oncoming car.
Junnosuke interrupts Kame’s thoughts. “It has to be you, or anyone who’s close to his heart, and it has to be soon. If it isn’t done before the moon shifts and the cycle starts anew, it’ll take another 50 years to gather that much energy to bring him back,” he says with a surprising note of urgency-
-The sound of the alarm clock rips through the room, and his arm shoots up to shut it off. Kame groans, bleary eyes squinting up at the display on the clock (which flashes 6:50 AM), and promptly whips the blanket off of him. He makes a run for the bathroom and he’s out of the shower in record time, dressed in a white shirt and his school pants. He grabs his uniform jacket from where he left it the night before, stopping by the kitchen only for a quick “I’m off,” a peck on his mother’s cheek, and the bento she prepared for him.
Kame barely hears his mother’s hurried “Return safely!” as he rushes out of the house.
…
Kame gets to class just in the nick of time, but from there, the day passes by in a blur of motions of the routine. Moving from one class to the other, avoiding the rush towards the cafeteria at lunch time (though he doesn’t quite dare come up to the rooftop), and the next thing he knows is that he’s walking back towards home.
He hardly even notices someone grabbing his arm, just in time to avoid crashing into the person in front of him.
“Hey, are you all right?” a worried-sounding Koki asks.
The tone of that voice wakes Kame from his musings, and he shakes his head as if to clear it.
“You’re so out of it, are you sure you should be up and about? You are going to be a danger to yourself and to the poor people around you,” he teases.
That about earns him a punch in the arm from Kame, but there’s no sting to it.
“I was just thinking about something,” Kame replies. He doesn’t quite allow himself to sag into Koki’s hold, but doesn’t pull away either.
“I can only imagine what you’re stressing about, but you know I’m here for you, right?” Koki says, his hand on Kame’s back warm, comforting. Kame appreciates the gesture; he could feel the sincerity in Koki’s words long after his hand had withdrawn back into his coat pocket.
They walk on in relative silence, savoring these few moments of peace. They part ways at the footbridge where Kame crosses, and they exchange goodbyes, a simple see you tomorrow, as Kame walks up and Koki saunters straight ahead.
Kame’s halfway across when he sees the moon, a tiny crescent in the early night sky. He stops in his tracks-the memories, bits and pieces of a dream from nearly a fortnight ago, coming unbidden.
He remembers dreaming of talking with a tall young man who claimed he was a reaper from the Underworld; the easy way he carried himself, and the huge smile that never seemed to disappear from his face. More than Junnosuke, though, Kame suddenly remembers his words, the urgency laced into it.
“It has to be you … and it has to be soon.”
Kame dashes like he’s never done before.
…
He reaches the apartment complex at a run, hardly sparing the security officer a glance and just shows him his ID pass. The sole elevator is still on its way up towards the roof deck, but Kame’s in too much of a rush to just stand there and wait. He curses quietly and turns left, already knowing where to take the stairs. The sprint to the 4th floor is quick, and soon enough Kame is at Jin’s apartment door.
He fumbles with the keys in his haste to find the right one. He’s still getting used to this spare set, one that Jin’s mother entrusted to him on the very day she signed the lease to this apartment. She’d moved to a smaller place after Jin died; partly because the old house held too many memories, and partly to get away from snooping neighbors. It wouldn’t do if people began talking about how losing her only son brought Akanishi-san on a downward spiral, keeping his body past the acceptable grieving period. She’s always been busy with work to support their needs all on her own, and she barely had time to watch over Jin when he was alive. Kame leaves that train of thought as the clock chimes midnight, and he finally gets the door open.
“Please let me be on time,” Kame pleads to whatever deity above as he toes off his shoes at the entryway. He tears through the place and right into Jin’s room, where he quickly leans down to press their lips in a kiss.
The room plunges into silence as the clock ceases its chiming. Kame slowly raises his head, eyes on Jin’s serene face. The glow surrounding his best friend’s unmoving form a few moments ago has already faded to nothing. A few more moments pass, yet Jin remains completely still. Kame feels himself sag in defeat and he lays his head on his arm, the sound of his despair muffled by the bed. He didn’t make it in time.
He musters up his composure, swallowing through the thick lump in his throat in order to pull himself together. He raises his head with resolve when he hits something, and his hand automatically bats at whatever it is. He touches something warm and fine and soft, and Kame whips his head towards the source. Jin’s eyes are on him, the hand he’s holding poised in an attempt to pat his head.
“I’m back,” Jin says; his voice a hoarse whisper.
Overcome with surprise, Kame flings himself at Jin, enveloping the other man in his arms. He doesn’t realize he’s crying until they break apart, as Jin holds him at arm’s length and wipes at his cheeks. Kame leans into the touch, breathes in deeply, just happy that his best friend is back.
…
Outside in mid-air, unseen by the rare passerby, two entities watch the scene inside Jin’s apartment.
“It’s done. Kame made it after all,” Junnosuke says, relief evident in his voice.
“You’d think,” Yucchi corrects him. “The real test has only just begun.”
He doesn’t say a word, but Junnosuke tilts his head in askance of clarification. Yucchi shakes his head but he obliges, “There’s a reason why he was brought back to life. His post as a spirit detective officially starts now.”
From: dusk037
Title: Death and Peaches
Pairings/Characters: Akanishi Jin/Kamenashi Kazuya (only if you squint). KAT-TUN gen
Rating: PG-13
Warnings: Character death, some supernatural themes. Would the “butchering (of) a certain anime series” also count?
Notes: I’ll hold you to your word on the sign-up b/c *points to pairing*. Please don’t be thrown off by the (first) warning, I promise it won’t stay that way. Hopefully you’ll find this enjoyable, courtney-bubble. orz I’m also sorry I took forever, Hyphen-chan; thank you for being so patient with me.
Summary: AU. When juvenile delinquent Jin dies trying to save someone’s life, it comes as a surprise; and the Underworld decides to give him another chance at life.
Jin’s momentarily startled out of his cloud-gazing when the door to the roof deck crashes open. He doesn’t have to look at the intruder to know who’s there; the sound of their approaching footsteps is enough to clue him in.
“I knew you’d be here,” Kame says. “Now get your ass out of there, homeroom teacher is looking for you.”
Jin snorts. “For what, so he can threaten me with how hard I’d fail his class?” He turns to look at Kame, now that he’s come closer. “I’ve already heard all about it,” he says matter-of-factly.
Kame plops on the floor right next to Jin, his head lifting towards the bright late-morning sky. “It wouldn’t hurt to try, Jin. You’ve made it this far, just one more term and we’ll be done here.” He rises and dusts the back of his pants. Kame walks off and Jin follows after, once he gets bored of watching the clouds pass by.
He is passing by the teachers’ lounge on the way back to class when he hears voices from inside the room. Two of his teachers are discussing something, someone, with contempt. Curious, Jin ducks his head and presses his ear to the door.
“…I really don’t know what the director sees in that kid,” one teacher says.
“He’s so stupid. That Akanishi kid is just good for nothing,” the other adds. “At this rate, I wonder what will become of this school if we keep him here.” They share a laugh at the sheer irony of it, and they move on to other things.
There’s a difference in knowing what the teachers think of him and hearing it straight from their mouths. He may have a reputation being the delinquent everyone seems to be wary of, and while he tells himself he doesn’t care what they think, the words still cut deep. Jin doesn’t stay for more; his hands are already clenched into fists as he squashes down the urge to barge in and give those teachers a piece of his mind. He never goes to homeroom class that day.
…
He wanders aimlessly, kicking up dust or stray pieces of pebbles while grumbling to himself. Soon his wandering leads him to a busy street, when the afternoon rush is in full boom. A ball rolls its way near his feet. When Jin looks up at the owner, he hides a small smile at the sight of a little boy bounding towards him.
“Is this yours?” Jin asks the boy.
The little boy nods shyly.
Jin smiles at the boy as he gently nudges the ball back towards the boy, careful not to kick too hard. “Be careful, okay?” he tells the boy. The child happily takes the ball, and he goes to where his mother is busy buying groceries. The mother pats her son’s head and lets him walk off again to play by himself. Jin watches the exchange with a sense of nostalgia and goes forward.
The sound of a ball hitting the metal roadside railing has Jin turning around once again, only to see the ball bouncing off to the middle of the street, the child going right after it. Out of the corner of his eye, Jin can see a car coming on too fast, and he doesn’t think of anything else-he jumps over the railing and pushes the boy away.
…
Jin touches the back of his head and groans, then begins to stand up. He gingerly turns his head to look for the boy he’d pushed out of the road, but it’s difficult with a crowd beginning to form on the street. With the pain beginning to overpower his senses, his usually short temper more easily runs out. Aggravated by the swarm of people keeping him from finding the child, he growls out a “shut up!” in order to get them to stop. It falls on deaf ears, with people coming closer instead of further, the tone of their voices varying from pity to hysteric chatter, until they part to make way for the paramedics.
He turns to the uniformed men, a hasty “please look after the boy,” dying on his lips as they pass right through him. He stands there, bewildered.
“You seem far more concerned about the boy than for yourself,” a voice tells him.
Jin turns towards the sound and sees a young man in traditional garb smiling creepily down at him. His jaw nearly drops-the man is quite a sight riding an oar, of all things. Jin follows the man’s gaze as it shifted; he takes a look at the paramedics’ subject of focus to find his own body sprawled out on the pavement.
“What-“
“You’re dead,” the man happily informs Jin.
“I think I can see that, thanks,” Jin deadpans.
“And pretty much in vain,” the man continues, more to himself than for anyone else, oblivious to Jin’s tone.
“Just who are you?” Jin demands.
“Oh?” the man lands and the oar fades into thin air, his hands now free to make flaily gestures as he says, “Iriguchi, deguchi, Taguchi-desu~”
Jin stares on, unimpressed. The man deflates for only a second, but soon enough he’s back to his bouncy self. “I’m a reaper from the Underworld, Taguchi Junnosuke. I guide souls into the afterlife.”
“…and you’re here to take me now?” Jin asks.
Junnosuke nods. “Yes! Though I must say, what you did today was unprecedented.”
“What’s so surprising with-“ Jin starts, “Oh, right. I pushed a kid out of the way and I… was hit by a car.”
“A lot of these accidents happen, of course, but your case surprised us.” He’s now tinkering with a notebook he produced from somewhere on his person. “Let’s see, Akanishi Jin, 18 years old, lazy, brash, impatient, likes picking fights …sounds every bit like a bad boy to me.”
“Oi, what’s with that?!” Jin protests.
“The thing is, since your death is untimely,” Junnosuke continues, “There’s no place for you in the afterlife.”
“You said something about my death being in vain, is that why?”
“So you heard that. It’s a yes and a no.” Junnosuke puts the notebook away, looking at Jin with some sympathy. “The boy was supposed to have miraculously survived anyway; the boy would’ve gotten all the way across before the car hit.”
Jin takes all that in with his head low, the long fringes of his hair hiding his expression from view. He suddenly raises his gaze to meet Junnosuke’s eyes, “Well, that was a lot to take in.” He forces a laugh, every bit as awkward as he feels, until he switches back to his first concern: “How is the child now?”
Junnosuke points to the other side of the road, where another ambulance is parked. A paramedic has just finished bandaging the boy’s head, and he’s now cradled in his mother’s arms. The woman tries to discreetly wipe at her cheek with one hand to hide the tracks her tears have left there, and her arm tightens just a bit, her relief only slightly tainted by something Jin can’t identify from where he stands.
“Well, he’s safe, and that’s good enough for me. I’ll go with you, wherever the heck that’ll be.” Jin says with only a smidge of resignation.
Junnosuke chuckles. “Oh, but I’m not exactly here to take you away. I was sent to ask you if you’d accept a test of revival, so you can come back to life.”
“Pfft,” Jin snorts. “What’s the point? Everyone I know would probably be celebrating the fact that I died today.”
“I wouldn’t say that,” Junnosuke chides. “Maybe you ought to see something first before you make your choice.” He conjures up his oar, and then he takes off. “I’ll see you at your soul watching; later, then.”
…
The bell rings and the students rise to bow to their teacher before gathering their things. Kame just sighs, a little exasperated; it’s another whole day of his best friend skipping classes. He stays behind to help with whatever his classmates might want to ask, ever the helpful class rep, but today he feels something odd. Like something’s about to go horribly wrong.
Kame takes a different route home that day, and the odd sinking feeling he felt at school turns ice-cold at the sight he finds when he passes by Jin’s house. A few people are moving about, a few of them carrying in white flowers, and two men handling a long, rectangular box. He makes his way inside and he sees Akanishi-san sitting by the wall, clutching her son’s portrait. Kame falls to his knees, hardly able to process that his best friend is dead. He recovers quickly enough from the shock and he comes up to give Jin’s mother a tight hug, her wracking sobs enough to shake them both.
When the house is rearranged to suit the circumstances, the people begin trickling in.
…
“So have you decided yet?” Junnosuke asks when they meet again that night. Junno is sitting on his oar; they’re hovering in midair as they watch the people below pay their respects at the altar and offer sympathies to Akanishi-san.
Jin’s eyes are on his mother who’s now staring blankly ahead, having cried all her tears while the arrangements were being made. Junnosuke clears his throat, ready to repeat the question. He snaps back into attention, turning his gaze from the scene below, his answer about to leave his lips when there’s a shout from the sides.
“YOU IDIOT-GETTING YOURSELF KILLED LIKE THAT. WE HAVEN’T EVEN SETTLED THE SCORE YET, GET UP! GET UP!”
Long, wavy hair hides his face from view as he struggles in the hold of two of his lackeys, but Jin would know that voice. It’s an old friend from junior high, and yet, they turned into bitter rivals when they entered different high schools. Yamashita Tomohisa all but manages to remove himself from his lackeys’ tight grip on both his arms, and he completely surrenders to the ugly sobbing he’s been trying to hold in. His lackeys take him away, bowing all the while to apologize for their leader’s trouble-making.
Jin gets a little shaken by his old friend’s outburst, but his heart drops at the sight of another visitor. The child he’d saved earlier had come with his mother; he looks so simply clueless, utterly baffled by the atmosphere with all the people in black and the smell of incense burning too strongly. He wonders why they’re kneeling in front of a huge box with the onii-san’s picture on top of it, with his mother bowing down and offering a prayer. He does as his mother tells him to, bowing down in front of the box with his hands together, but without understanding any of it.
The child’s mother holds him tightly in an embrace when the child asks, “When can I play with onii-san again? I want to thank him, too.” And Jin feels his heart break a little at the innocently-spoken question. He looks away then, and what he finds next solidifies his resolve.
“Hey, Taguchi,” Jin starts without looking away from Kame, whose calm expression is otherwise marred by the tears quietly falling. “That test of revival? I’ll do it.”
…
“Where exactly are we?” Jin asks, taking in the vast fields flanking each side of the long river they are currently traveling over.
“The river Styx; we’re on our way to the Judgment Hall, to the deity who will explain how the test will work.” Junnosuke replies, briefly looking behind him to check that Jin’s still holding onto the paddle of his oar.
“Who on earth would that be?”
Junnosuke smiles briefly, “You’ll see.” He swerves a bit while Jin yelps, heading straight for a landing dock in front of the huge, majestically ornate doors. It’s the Judgment Hall of the Underworld. The doors open just a bit, enough for them to fit one in front of the other.
Inside the Hall is complete chaos not unlike that on the set of an office drama he comes home to, on the rare occasion that his mother is there as well. A beautiful young man with flowing, auburn hair runs around barefoot, stopping every once in a while to smile at something that only he claims to be able to see.
“That’s Ueda Tatsuya. Don’t let his looks deceive you, and never say anything that would anger him.”
“Why are you telling me all this?” Jin asks, already plotting mischief.
“He’s the King; so please don’t say anything that would warrant your banishment from these halls, or you’ll never make it back to the living realm,” Junnosuke warns. “Come along, we’re nearly there.”
Jin obediently shuts his mouth, letting Junnosuke take the lead. They enter a small closed-off space at the very end of the hall, stopping in front of a plain desk, and the first thing that Jin sees from among the piles and piles of paperwork is a very large nose. The person behind the desk stands up, revealing a man with kind eyes, a strong jaw, and that large nose Jin had first zeroed-in on.
“I’m Nakamaru Yuichi, second in command. Everybody here calls me Yucchi. Let’s just make this quick.” Yucchi reaches for something beneath his desk, and tosses it out to Jin.
Jin fumbles with the object Yucchi threw his way, regarding it with some degree of uncertainty once he’s secured it in his hold.
“Your act of selflessness baffled us, and since it’s not your time yet, we’re giving you a chance to come back to life.”
“And this… egg… is gonna help me, how?”
“That’s why it’s a test!” Yucchi says. “At the moment, your heart’s already beginning to beat again. We’re just waiting to find out whether or not you’ll be able to return to your body.” He fixes Jin with a pointed gaze. “Within that egg is a beast of the Underworld, and you have to take care of it until it hatches. Keep it with you at all times, understood?”
…
“I don’t get it, why an egg?” Jin asks aloud, turning the egg round and round, familiarizing himself with the weight of it in his hand. They’re back in the living world after Yucchi explained what the test entails, and Junnosuke’s right with him as a moderator of sorts. “D’you know why, Taguchi?”
Junnosuke replies in the negative, shrugging even though Jin’s back is turned from him.
Something dawns upon Jin and then he’s up on Junnosuke’s face, startling the reaper from his musings. “That’s right! If I could be revived, then… my body-it’ll be cremated tomorrow. Is there any way I could tell them-”
“That’s already taken care of, I think,” Junnosuke says, pointing to the window of Jin’s house, where his mother is staring down at Jin’s open casket. Akanishi-san’s hand is on Jin’s cheek, tracing a slight flush there, and the fresh tears that flow from her cheeks isn’t that of sorrow anymore.
…
“The test. You passed it,” Junnosuke greets Jin one fine morning, months since it all began.
“Are you serious?” Jin asks, incredulous. He hadn’t done anything particularly good, at least not in his eyes; and watching over his mother (and a certain turtle) had become something he got used to doing in his current form.
“He’s serious,” Yucchi interjects from seemingly out of nowhere. “You can finally return to your body. Congratulations.
“But there’s something important that needs to be done first…” Yucchi continues; and he goes on to explain the ritual, watching as Jin’s expression progresses from mildly curious to thoroughly traumatized.
…
“A kiss?” Kame asks, incredulity lacing his voice.
“A kiss,” the reaper, a tall man in traditional garb named Junnosuke, nods in affirmation while smiling so widely it almost (almost) scares Kame.
“The energy from a living being is necessary to balance out the errant forces moving within Jin’s body, so that he can properly return to life,” Junnosuke continues, twirling the oar in his hand. “What better way to do it than a kiss?”
Kame has yet to find a retort; it’s just too… odd that he has to kiss Jin, his best friend, in order to bring him back to life. He thinks of Jin’s seemingly slumbering form-the lines of his face, the unmoving plane of his chest-back in his apartment, alone where his mother barely has time to watch over him. He’s brash, he always picks fights, and he gets low marks in class because he skips A LOT, but inside, Jin’s a kind-hearted person. He thinks about how Jin died trying to save a child from getting hit by an oncoming car.
Junnosuke interrupts Kame’s thoughts. “It has to be you, or anyone who’s close to his heart, and it has to be soon. If it isn’t done before the moon shifts and the cycle starts anew, it’ll take another 50 years to gather that much energy to bring him back,” he says with a surprising note of urgency-
-The sound of the alarm clock rips through the room, and his arm shoots up to shut it off. Kame groans, bleary eyes squinting up at the display on the clock (which flashes 6:50 AM), and promptly whips the blanket off of him. He makes a run for the bathroom and he’s out of the shower in record time, dressed in a white shirt and his school pants. He grabs his uniform jacket from where he left it the night before, stopping by the kitchen only for a quick “I’m off,” a peck on his mother’s cheek, and the bento she prepared for him.
Kame barely hears his mother’s hurried “Return safely!” as he rushes out of the house.
…
Kame gets to class just in the nick of time, but from there, the day passes by in a blur of motions of the routine. Moving from one class to the other, avoiding the rush towards the cafeteria at lunch time (though he doesn’t quite dare come up to the rooftop), and the next thing he knows is that he’s walking back towards home.
He hardly even notices someone grabbing his arm, just in time to avoid crashing into the person in front of him.
“Hey, are you all right?” a worried-sounding Koki asks.
The tone of that voice wakes Kame from his musings, and he shakes his head as if to clear it.
“You’re so out of it, are you sure you should be up and about? You are going to be a danger to yourself and to the poor people around you,” he teases.
That about earns him a punch in the arm from Kame, but there’s no sting to it.
“I was just thinking about something,” Kame replies. He doesn’t quite allow himself to sag into Koki’s hold, but doesn’t pull away either.
“I can only imagine what you’re stressing about, but you know I’m here for you, right?” Koki says, his hand on Kame’s back warm, comforting. Kame appreciates the gesture; he could feel the sincerity in Koki’s words long after his hand had withdrawn back into his coat pocket.
They walk on in relative silence, savoring these few moments of peace. They part ways at the footbridge where Kame crosses, and they exchange goodbyes, a simple see you tomorrow, as Kame walks up and Koki saunters straight ahead.
Kame’s halfway across when he sees the moon, a tiny crescent in the early night sky. He stops in his tracks-the memories, bits and pieces of a dream from nearly a fortnight ago, coming unbidden.
He remembers dreaming of talking with a tall young man who claimed he was a reaper from the Underworld; the easy way he carried himself, and the huge smile that never seemed to disappear from his face. More than Junnosuke, though, Kame suddenly remembers his words, the urgency laced into it.
“It has to be you … and it has to be soon.”
Kame dashes like he’s never done before.
…
He reaches the apartment complex at a run, hardly sparing the security officer a glance and just shows him his ID pass. The sole elevator is still on its way up towards the roof deck, but Kame’s in too much of a rush to just stand there and wait. He curses quietly and turns left, already knowing where to take the stairs. The sprint to the 4th floor is quick, and soon enough Kame is at Jin’s apartment door.
He fumbles with the keys in his haste to find the right one. He’s still getting used to this spare set, one that Jin’s mother entrusted to him on the very day she signed the lease to this apartment. She’d moved to a smaller place after Jin died; partly because the old house held too many memories, and partly to get away from snooping neighbors. It wouldn’t do if people began talking about how losing her only son brought Akanishi-san on a downward spiral, keeping his body past the acceptable grieving period. She’s always been busy with work to support their needs all on her own, and she barely had time to watch over Jin when he was alive. Kame leaves that train of thought as the clock chimes midnight, and he finally gets the door open.
“Please let me be on time,” Kame pleads to whatever deity above as he toes off his shoes at the entryway. He tears through the place and right into Jin’s room, where he quickly leans down to press their lips in a kiss.
The room plunges into silence as the clock ceases its chiming. Kame slowly raises his head, eyes on Jin’s serene face. The glow surrounding his best friend’s unmoving form a few moments ago has already faded to nothing. A few more moments pass, yet Jin remains completely still. Kame feels himself sag in defeat and he lays his head on his arm, the sound of his despair muffled by the bed. He didn’t make it in time.
He musters up his composure, swallowing through the thick lump in his throat in order to pull himself together. He raises his head with resolve when he hits something, and his hand automatically bats at whatever it is. He touches something warm and fine and soft, and Kame whips his head towards the source. Jin’s eyes are on him, the hand he’s holding poised in an attempt to pat his head.
“I’m back,” Jin says; his voice a hoarse whisper.
Overcome with surprise, Kame flings himself at Jin, enveloping the other man in his arms. He doesn’t realize he’s crying until they break apart, as Jin holds him at arm’s length and wipes at his cheeks. Kame leans into the touch, breathes in deeply, just happy that his best friend is back.
…
Outside in mid-air, unseen by the rare passerby, two entities watch the scene inside Jin’s apartment.
“It’s done. Kame made it after all,” Junnosuke says, relief evident in his voice.
“You’d think,” Yucchi corrects him. “The real test has only just begun.”
He doesn’t say a word, but Junnosuke tilts his head in askance of clarification. Yucchi shakes his head but he obliges, “There’s a reason why he was brought back to life. His post as a spirit detective officially starts now.”