keep it clean, don't be political
So it appears I'm young, free and single again. It's a relief, really, because I was getting sick of having the responsibility of a boyfriend without getting any of the good stuff. Spoke to the boy today for the first time in about two weeks, and after a little skirting around the issue we agreed that he's too busy to be going out with someone, and I've got too short an attention span to go out with someone I never see. Plus there's the whole thing of me leaving the country in six weeks. The conversation ended with me promising to burn him The Tick on DVD and him promising to burn Family Guy for me, and me threatening to drag him away from work to go drinking someday next week. Extremely healthy, as break-ups go, though I reckon it hardly counted as a "break-up" proper, really. Mine almost never do, for some reason... :/
And now for something completely different. I saw an announcement on MangaCity that there are going to be new Renka chapters, and that got me going back to reread the old ones, and that got me writing. This is set just after the end of the manga, as it stands, and it's not slash. Unless you want it to be. :3 Although Renka/Saikichi is just about as glaring as Tachibana/Hiiragi. Coincidence? I think not!
For the uninitiated, Renka.
Human Doubts
You would never have taken the dilapidated roadside building for an inn were it not for the crudely painted sign hanging over the door. Saikichi eyed the place warily as he followed Renka inside. The ceiling was sagging, and the support beams looked as if a good stiff breeze would take them down; the entire building seemed to be held up by a nail and a prayer. There were definitely better places they could have stayed, but as Renka had reminded him, they couldn't afford to be picky.
"You said yourself that we're short of money."
"Yeah, and whose fault is that? I know that Sarasa girl was cute, but did you have to give her all our cash?"
Renka had just shrugged. "It's my fault their home was destroyed and she was injured. It was only fair."
It was fair, and Saikichi knew it, and that was the worst part. Because he hadn't signed up to go around helping charity cases, even if it was his fault they were charity cases in the first place. Well, Renka's fault, but it worked out as the same thing, really. And he knew, too, that they were low on cash and had to take what they could get, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Besides, the inn smelled funny inside.
The fact that they were staying here settled, Renka almost immediately disappeared up the stairs, scarcely waiting for the innkeeper to direct him to the right room. Just like him to wander off, leaving Saikichi to conserve what he could of their remaining funds. Renka's attitude to money was like a kid's; he knew it came from somewhere, and you could use it to buy stuff, but beyond that he was uninterested in the details. Much the same as his attitude to accommodation, really - as long as it kept the rain off, the ambiance didn't concern him. Saikichi, on the other hand, preferred not to have bugs nibbling on his toes all night.
Having haggled the innkeeper to a satisfactory result, Saikichi was feeling pretty happy with himself as he went upstairs. He was even whistling as he walked into their room, but his good humour failed abruptly when he saw Renka; the hitokiri was sitting on the bed nearest the window, staring out into the dusk with the blank expression that he wore far less often these days. His killing expression, but more than that, the way he had looked when Saikichi had first seen him, when he had known himself as nothing more than his mother's puppet.
"Oi, Renka! What're you doing sitting here in the dark? You okay?"
It was obvious that he wasn't, and as Saikichi moved to light a candle he was only surprised that it had taken this long. The encounter with his "brother" had obviously shaken Renka hard, dredging up a past that he had spent a long time trying to leave behind him. It had been the girl, Saikichi supposed, and her brother, that had kept him distracted until now; as long as he was taking care of them, finding them somewhere to stay and pressing money on them, he hadn't had to think about what Nikkou had said to him, about him. But this morning they had finally left the town, and if Renka had been quiet while they walked, well, Renka was always quiet, and Saikichi was so used to filling the silence that maybe he hadn't noticed it being particularly deep.
He stopped just short of lighting the candle, instead dropping onto Renka's bed, sitting beside him in the semi-dark. Renka didn't look at him, and the silence yawned as Saikichi tried to think of something to say, some way to broach the subject.
"Renka - "
"Saikichi... what Nikkou said - do you think - ?"
"You might think you've become a 'person'...but you're just pretending to be one! A 'doll' is a 'doll' wherever it goes!"
Saikichi shook his head, not knowing what to say, only certain that he had to deny this train of thought before it could go any further.
"Nikkou was crazy - he hated you for killing that woman. He would have said anything to get at you."
"I know, but what if he was right? What if - oww!"
This last because Saikichi had jabbed a finger into his upper arm, hard, and was glaring fiercely at him, goggles torn off and tossed aside.
"Listen to me!" he snapped. "When we first met, you asked me to show you what it is to be a person, remember? And I agreed. At swordpoint, admittedly, but that's beside the point. The point is, if you're still not sure, I've failed. And I hope you're not calling me a failure?" He stuck his jaw out pugnaciously.
"No, I - no." The blank look was fading from Renka's face, leaving a thoughtful expression in its wake.
"Good. Because otherwise I'd have to beat the crap out of you. You're not a doll anymore. You're human. Got it?"
Saikichi lifted his left hand and hesitated only a moment before quickly grasping Renka's right. Renka didn't look down, but his mechanical fingers closed around Saikichi's own; Saikichi could feel the strength that might easily snap his fingerbones, but the grip was careful. He squeezed reassuringly, knowing Renka couldn't feel it, but hoping he understood what the gesture meant.
They sat there for a while in the almost-dark, flesh and metal clasped between them and that thoughtful look on Renka's face. It was Saikichi who broke the silence first.
"Of course, if you weren't quite so human then maybe you wouldn't have given away all our money."
A soft chuckle came from beside him, and Saikichi laughed too. It had taken a long time after they met for him to first hear that understated laugh, and even now it was not a common thing. But now it came natural, and easy, and hearing it always pleased Saikichi in some way he couldn't quite pin down.
Renka's fingers tightened for a second on his, then slipped away. He got to his feet.
"I'm going downstairs to get some food. Are you coming?"
Saikichi gave a snort of contempt and stretched out, folding his arms behind his head.
"No need," he said smugly. "I arranged for dinner to be brought to our room - it should be here any minute."
"Oh." Renka seemed to think that over for a moment. "Can we afford that?"
"With me negotiating? Naturally."
Renka laughed again, and sat down, and everything was okay. Tomorrow might be different, but right now everything was fine. Except for the inn, which was still terrible.
But Saikichi reckoned he could live with that.
[/fic]
That was so very, very random and pointless. But I like writing those two interacting. ^^;
And now for something completely different. I saw an announcement on MangaCity that there are going to be new Renka chapters, and that got me going back to reread the old ones, and that got me writing. This is set just after the end of the manga, as it stands, and it's not slash. Unless you want it to be. :3 Although Renka/Saikichi is just about as glaring as Tachibana/Hiiragi. Coincidence? I think not!
For the uninitiated, Renka.
Human Doubts
You would never have taken the dilapidated roadside building for an inn were it not for the crudely painted sign hanging over the door. Saikichi eyed the place warily as he followed Renka inside. The ceiling was sagging, and the support beams looked as if a good stiff breeze would take them down; the entire building seemed to be held up by a nail and a prayer. There were definitely better places they could have stayed, but as Renka had reminded him, they couldn't afford to be picky.
"You said yourself that we're short of money."
"Yeah, and whose fault is that? I know that Sarasa girl was cute, but did you have to give her all our cash?"
Renka had just shrugged. "It's my fault their home was destroyed and she was injured. It was only fair."
It was fair, and Saikichi knew it, and that was the worst part. Because he hadn't signed up to go around helping charity cases, even if it was his fault they were charity cases in the first place. Well, Renka's fault, but it worked out as the same thing, really. And he knew, too, that they were low on cash and had to take what they could get, but that didn't mean he had to like it. Besides, the inn smelled funny inside.
The fact that they were staying here settled, Renka almost immediately disappeared up the stairs, scarcely waiting for the innkeeper to direct him to the right room. Just like him to wander off, leaving Saikichi to conserve what he could of their remaining funds. Renka's attitude to money was like a kid's; he knew it came from somewhere, and you could use it to buy stuff, but beyond that he was uninterested in the details. Much the same as his attitude to accommodation, really - as long as it kept the rain off, the ambiance didn't concern him. Saikichi, on the other hand, preferred not to have bugs nibbling on his toes all night.
Having haggled the innkeeper to a satisfactory result, Saikichi was feeling pretty happy with himself as he went upstairs. He was even whistling as he walked into their room, but his good humour failed abruptly when he saw Renka; the hitokiri was sitting on the bed nearest the window, staring out into the dusk with the blank expression that he wore far less often these days. His killing expression, but more than that, the way he had looked when Saikichi had first seen him, when he had known himself as nothing more than his mother's puppet.
"Oi, Renka! What're you doing sitting here in the dark? You okay?"
It was obvious that he wasn't, and as Saikichi moved to light a candle he was only surprised that it had taken this long. The encounter with his "brother" had obviously shaken Renka hard, dredging up a past that he had spent a long time trying to leave behind him. It had been the girl, Saikichi supposed, and her brother, that had kept him distracted until now; as long as he was taking care of them, finding them somewhere to stay and pressing money on them, he hadn't had to think about what Nikkou had said to him, about him. But this morning they had finally left the town, and if Renka had been quiet while they walked, well, Renka was always quiet, and Saikichi was so used to filling the silence that maybe he hadn't noticed it being particularly deep.
He stopped just short of lighting the candle, instead dropping onto Renka's bed, sitting beside him in the semi-dark. Renka didn't look at him, and the silence yawned as Saikichi tried to think of something to say, some way to broach the subject.
"Renka - "
"Saikichi... what Nikkou said - do you think - ?"
"You might think you've become a 'person'...but you're just pretending to be one! A 'doll' is a 'doll' wherever it goes!"
Saikichi shook his head, not knowing what to say, only certain that he had to deny this train of thought before it could go any further.
"Nikkou was crazy - he hated you for killing that woman. He would have said anything to get at you."
"I know, but what if he was right? What if - oww!"
This last because Saikichi had jabbed a finger into his upper arm, hard, and was glaring fiercely at him, goggles torn off and tossed aside.
"Listen to me!" he snapped. "When we first met, you asked me to show you what it is to be a person, remember? And I agreed. At swordpoint, admittedly, but that's beside the point. The point is, if you're still not sure, I've failed. And I hope you're not calling me a failure?" He stuck his jaw out pugnaciously.
"No, I - no." The blank look was fading from Renka's face, leaving a thoughtful expression in its wake.
"Good. Because otherwise I'd have to beat the crap out of you. You're not a doll anymore. You're human. Got it?"
Saikichi lifted his left hand and hesitated only a moment before quickly grasping Renka's right. Renka didn't look down, but his mechanical fingers closed around Saikichi's own; Saikichi could feel the strength that might easily snap his fingerbones, but the grip was careful. He squeezed reassuringly, knowing Renka couldn't feel it, but hoping he understood what the gesture meant.
They sat there for a while in the almost-dark, flesh and metal clasped between them and that thoughtful look on Renka's face. It was Saikichi who broke the silence first.
"Of course, if you weren't quite so human then maybe you wouldn't have given away all our money."
A soft chuckle came from beside him, and Saikichi laughed too. It had taken a long time after they met for him to first hear that understated laugh, and even now it was not a common thing. But now it came natural, and easy, and hearing it always pleased Saikichi in some way he couldn't quite pin down.
Renka's fingers tightened for a second on his, then slipped away. He got to his feet.
"I'm going downstairs to get some food. Are you coming?"
Saikichi gave a snort of contempt and stretched out, folding his arms behind his head.
"No need," he said smugly. "I arranged for dinner to be brought to our room - it should be here any minute."
"Oh." Renka seemed to think that over for a moment. "Can we afford that?"
"With me negotiating? Naturally."
Renka laughed again, and sat down, and everything was okay. Tomorrow might be different, but right now everything was fine. Except for the inn, which was still terrible.
But Saikichi reckoned he could live with that.
[/fic]
That was so very, very random and pointless. But I like writing those two interacting. ^^;