Nomen Nescio: Chapter 6

Dec 13, 2006 15:36

Title: Nomen Nescio
Chapter: 6/13
Author: yuki_scorpio
Rating: PG
Genre: AU, Romance
Warning: None
Characters: Yukimura, Yamato, Sanada, Sengoku, Tezuka and a cameo by Shiraishi
Summary: One night, a man with wings fell onto Yukimura's balcony...
Previous Chapters: Here


Nomen Nescio
Chapter 6

Yukimura wasn't sure what happened (well, Yamato asked him if he had any plan for the morning and he said no), but somehow he ended up at a chapel, attending Sunday Mass. When he asked Yamato, the angel said that he could worship anywhere, any day, but the Mass involved singing. "And singing is fun," he said.

Even with Yamato's loud, and not very good, singing in his ears, the chapel was a comfortable place to sit and think. It was cosy, with chairs instead of pews and carpet rather than wooden floor boards. It was terrible in terms of acoustics (and thank God for that. Yamato's singing need not get any louder) but together with painted walls, double-glazed windows and pulled-back curtains, it created a non-oppressive atmosphere, unlike a traditional church which Yukimura would never step into. He didn't even mind too much about having to stand or sit when everybody else did, although he did feel a little bit odd taking part in religious celebration when he wasn't a believer. Though, now that he had met Yamato, it was impossible to deny there was Someone Greater Up There, and that angels were real, and so was afterlife in Heaven, where Sanada probably was.

Yamato never confirmed if Sanada was in Heaven or not, but he said Sanada was 'fine' and if they really had met, it must mean Sanada was at least at some place nice. Yamato was an angel and angels belonged to nice places. What Yukimura wanted to know was what 'fine' meant. And if Yamato really just fell or if their encounter was planned. So far, Yamato had manage to evade the questions, but avoidance would not always work.

Yukimura gathered the loose threads of his thoughts, put them away for looking at later, and left the hymn book on his seat, ready to leave. The Mass had ended a while ago, but some people stayed behind, talking about parish activities or just chatting amongst themselves. Yamato was up near the altar, talking to someone. Judging by their body language, it seemed like they had known each other for some time. But was Yamato supposed to know anyone here on the ground?

Yamato's friend - they looked like friends - seemed unimpressed with something. His eyebrows were deeply knotted, and he shook his head as Yamato spoke, his disapproval evident in the way he crossed his arms and almost glared at the angel. It was impossible to tell what they were talking about, but if Yukimura was to guess, he would say it might be something to do with him, because the man turned his head and their eyes met for a very brief moment, then the man looked away again, as if he didn't want to be caught looking. But even before Yukimura had the time to start feeling offended, the man turned back to him and nodded in greeting, as if he had sensed that he was being rude.

What a strange man. But strange was infinitely better than impolite in Yukimura's book, and he saw this as an invitation to go up and say hi, which he did. Yamato introduced the man as 'Tezuka-kun'.

"Nice to meet you, Tezuka-san." Hmm, this man was rather good-looking up close, although those eyes seemed to be glaring daggers. "You're friends with Yamato-san?"

Tezuka nudged the frameless glasses that were slipping down his nose. "That is one way to put it."

"Oi!"

"...I do not recall ever becoming friends with you."

Yamato cocked his head towards Yukimura. "Don't mind him. He suffers from chronic constipation."

Tezuka coughed. "An honest piece of advice for you, Yukimura." He spoke as if Yamato wasn't there. "Remove him as quickly as you can."

"A...ah."

Yamato started to look slightly defensive. "Hey."

Tezuka looked like he wanted to say something more, but decided against it.

When Yukimura left, he had gained more questions that he wanted answers for.

"Is Tezuka-san... the same as you?" That was the first question. Yukimura felt stupid for asking it. But if he wasn't, then the fact that he was friends with Yamato would be hard to explain.

Yamato nodded. "He spends a lot of time on the ground because his tasks are quite specific. One really can't mingle with Men if he doesn't live among them. Not that he mingles very well, being socially challenged and all."

That answer raised another question. "So why can't you stay with him instead?"

The angel paused, then put on a hurt face. "You don't like me?"

"Yamato-san." Yukimura's voice was firm.

"You remember I said that there might be a reason to our meeting?" Yamato said, "also, Tezuka-kun is living with someone and I'd rather not get in the way."

Indeed, there must be a reason to their meeting. But was Yamato pretending not to know the reason, Yukimura wasn't sure. It was something he would rather discuss at home, though, not when they were walking through the streets. "You mean he has a partner?"

"Yes. So it wouldn't be very nice to barge into their space."

Yukimura turned the thought over in his head. If God was all about love, then it was logical that angels would love, too. Yamato had said before, as well, that they weren't all that different from humans.

"Mind you, he would be happy to open his home if I'd asked. He might not look it but he is a very, very good person and always ready to help. So if you ever need anything, come to Mass on Sunday and you'll find him."

So this was why Yamato asked him to come to Mass.

Yukimura looked at the time. It was just past noon. "Let's grab something to eat. Then there's someone I'd like you to meet, too."

Yamato's eyebrows furrowed when they stepped off the bus and he realised where they were. Where Yukimura lived, while not the centre of town, was not too quiet. At this place, a half-hour bus journey away, one could almost hear the cracking of burning incense, the rustling of clothes, and whispered prayers.

The building was purpose-built to house the shrines of the rich. Well-located on a hill with good feng-shui, having a family shrine at this place was an indication of wealth and power. Anyone who entered the building had to pass through security, but the check with Yukimura was only a perfunctory exercise - those who worked in the building all recognised him.

Yamato followed Yukimura up three floors, and entered a room, arriving at the Sanada family's shrine. Up on a table against the centre of the main wall were framed photographs of the family's dead and before the photographs, pots of ashes with burnt-out incense sticks and red wax candles.

Almost every person featured in the black and white photographs were old, with thinning grey hair. A few looked only middle-aged, but still very mature compared with the one on the far right, a young man with black hair, tall nose and a very serious expression on his face.

"He doesn't always look like that." Yukimura said, "but they chose a good picture of him, don't you think?"

Hanging back several feet away, Yamato chuckled quietly. "A representative one."

Yukimura lit three incense sticks for each of the deceased. Some of them had long gone and Yukimura only heard a few stories about them from Sanada, but it was only a respectful thing to do when visiting a shrine. Coming to Sanada Genichirou at the end, he lit the incense, placed them carefully in the pot, then got a tissue to wipe the photo clean. "Not all of his ashes is here," he explained. There were small cabinets built into the wall, to store the family's ashes. "Some of it is with his family at home, and I have some."

"They let you have some." Yamato commented.

"I asked for it. Initially it was impossible for me to get into contact with them, because I was suspected to have played some part in the kidnap... do you know how Sanada died?"

"Yes..."

"But later on, the police cleared me and the real criminals were locked up. Then I finally got together with his family. When Sanada was alive, some of them thought I was after his money, but... when the person had gone, nothing really mattered anymore."

Standing far behind the man, Yamato chewed his lip, his frown deepening even further. "I wasn't aware of that."

Yukimura turned around. "Don't worry, nobody was. Especially not Sanada." He smiled. "Sorry, does this make you uncomfortable?"

"No, not at all," Yamato said. Yukimura needed someone to talk to and Yamato wanted to listen.

There was a long pause as Yukimura studied the photograph once more. "But his family are wonderful people. They offered to let me have something of Sanada's, so I took his baseball cap."

Yamato laughed.

"I could have had his apartment. They told me to take it. But I think it'd be too much for me to cope." Yukimura's voice became muffled as one of his hands went to his lips in an unconscious gesture to keep in emotions that were threatening to spill. "I still can't believe it. I used to kick his ass and sort him out, but I can't do anything on my own, now."

"Not true, Yukimura-kun." Yamato stepped forward, hands hesitating, hovering above Yukimura's shoulders, but finally he decided not to do anything. "You're doing very well. There are many stages to grief; now that you're able to talk about it, the worse is over and you're on the mend. It takes time, but you'll get there. And remember that Sanada-kun is well. So there is no real reason to be sad."

Yukimura didn't turn around. "You're right. I guess I'm just... a bit lonely."

Having another person here was strange. Usually, Yukimura came here on his own. But it wasn't the bad sort of strange. He was the one who brought Yamato here, after all. "Genichirou," he started, eyes fixed on the photograph. Sanada stared at him, intense and serious. It made Yukimura want to laugh and cry at the same time, every time. "Yamato-san said you're well. I hope he isn't lying." His voice was small, and fading even further. "I still miss you a lot, so much that sometimes I just... I can't seem to get out of bed on my own. Not that I was terribly good at it when you were here.

"Yamato-san wouldn't tell me, but I know you're in Heaven. It's silly for me to still be sad. But I..."

Yamato stepped back, a very, very quiet presence, and just listened.

There was nothing else he could do.

[to be continued]

sanada/yukimura, yamato/yukimura, sanada/sengoku, au, prince of tennis, series

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