Chapter Twenty-Six
“What happened?” Kamui asked as Subaru knelt down beside Hisoka. It had been very strange; Hisoka had simply walked into the room, looked at Hinoto, and fallen. Kamui had managed to catch him as he went down, and laid him gently on the floor. Subaru checked Hisoka’s breathing and his pulse, as Hinoto made concerned noises in the background, and then looked at his eyes.
“He’s gone Within,” he pronounced, and looked very puzzled. He gave Hinoto a suspicious glance. People just didn’t go Within that suddenly; it was a slow process caused by trauma. But it could be caused . . . and who better to lock someone into their own mind than a Dreamgazer, who could see into them?
He wasn’t about to try to reach Hisoka in this current setting. Kamui was stammering some explanations to Hinoto about how Hisoka was a Shinigami and had wanted to see her, but Subaru wasn’t listening. He stood up, lifting Hisoka with him. “I’ll take him somewhere quiet and see if I can help.”
Kamui nodded and trailed after him. Subaru’s apartment was closest, and also probably the quietest, so he loaded Hisoka into the car and brought him there. “Let’s see if I can help him out,” he said. “If not, we’ll have to call Tsuzuki.” He didn’t particularly relish this idea, and if he’d had any of the idea of the situation, he’d relish it a lot less.
He laid Hisoka down on the bed and put his hands on his temples, beginning to chant. He came up against blocks almost immediately, and couldn’t fight past them no matter how hard he tried. After an exhausting half hour, he gave up and dialed the number Kamui gave him.
“Moshi moshi?”
“Tsuzuki-san?”
“Hai!”
“This is Sumeragi Subaru . . . I’m afraid Hisoka is in trouble.”
Tsuzuki nearly fell off his chair. “What? How? Why? What’s going on?”
“I’m not quite sure what’s going on,” Subaru admitted. “He’s here with me, and at the moment he’s relatively safe, but he’s withdrawn into himself and I can’t get him to come out. I can’t get past his shields to get in to him.”
“I’ll be right there,” Tsuzuki said, then paused. “Uh . . . where is there?”
Subaru gave him directions to the apartment, and was astonished by how quickly Tsuzuki made it there. He let Tsuzuki in and watched as he walked over and sat on the edge of the bed, taking Hisoka’s hand and calling out to him. Not surprisingly, there was no change. Subaru explained what had happened quietly, giving him the whole story.
“She did this to him,” Tsuzuki stated.
“I strongly suspect so, but can’t prove it,” Subaru said.
“I know her. She did it,” Tsuzuki said flatly. “He’s trapped into a dream of his own creation; it’s similar to being Within, but not exactly the same. That’s why you couldn’t get in. It’s not his shields that are stopping you; it’s blocks that are set up by her.”
“I have no Dreamgazing ability whatsoever,” Subaru said. “I can’t get in.”
“Fine,” Tsuzuki said. “I’ll take him to Kakyou.”
~~~~
Tsuzuki was somewhat dismayed, upon entering the basement, that neither Kakyou nor Fuuma was there. And they weren’t likely to return any time until the next day; they had moved into an apartment. Not about to be discouraged by such minor setbacks, Tsuzuki sent a tracker spirit out to look for them. Unfortunately, it came back with no results. Apparently they were hiding. Tsuzuki was ready to either tear his hair out or cry, and realized that he should probably call Seimei and tell him what was happening.
Unfortunately, Seimei was sleeping off his hangover. Tsuzuki, being upset, didn’t think to explain to Seishirou why he was calling, and thus didn’t think to ask him for the location of the apartment.
In the end, he went back to the Meifu. If he couldn’t find Kakyou, Watari might be able to help; he’d never failed yet.
Watari poked and prodded for almost an hour, but got no response. In the end, all he was able to do was confirm what Tsuzuki had said; Hisoka was locked into his own mind and couldn’t get outside unless someone went in and dissolved whatever he was trapped in.
Tsuzuki somehow ended up sitting in the office, trying not to cry, until Tatsumi came in, gave him a look, and said, “What’s wrong?”
Tsuzuki started to babble, starting with “we had an argument” and detailing the whole mess. Tatsumi took a seat and listened patiently to all this, not speaking.
“Well,” he said at the end, “tomorrow morning, go to the Angels and wait for Fuuma and Kakyou; they’re bound to get there eventually. Then Hisoka will be fine and you can apologize to him.”
Tsuzuki blinked. “Why didn’t I think of that? What is my problem?”
“You’re upset,” Tatsumi said. “And when you’re upset, you don’t think clearly.”
“Okay.” Tsuzuki took a few deep breaths. “I’ll go wait for them.”
“You may as well stay here for tonight,” Tatsumi said. “I don’t think carting Hisoka around like a sack of potatoes is very dignified. You may as well move him as little as possible.”
“Right.” Tsuzuki was still concentrating on his breathing. “I’ll stay here with Hisoka.”
Tatsumi gave him a long look. “Are you going to apologize?”
“Yes,” Tsuzuki said. “If I get the chance.”
“But you still don’t plan on telling him anything.”
Tsuzuki looked away.
“I didn’t think so.” Tatsumi stood up. “Get some sleep, Tsuzuki-san. You’re worn out, and it isn’t good for you.”
Tsuzuki nodded slightly.
~~~~
Seishirou had rather reluctantly let Subaru out of his sight for the afternoon; the Seal wanted to talk to Kamui about Hinoto’s behavior. However, he managed to talk Subaru into coming back over late that night, after Seimei had gone to bed. Seimei was getting used to Subaru; he was slowly getting over the automatic urge to bow a lot whenever Subaru came into the room.
“How’d it go with Hinoto?” Seishirou asked, getting Subaru a mug of tea and putting a box of cookies on the table.
“We think she tried to off Hisoka,” Subaru explained.
Seishirou blinked. “Oh?”
Subaru, getting extremely tired of the story, explained again. Seishirou listened in silence, then frowned. “I wonder if that was Tsuzuki on the phone earlier. Someone called for Sei-kun, but didn’t leave a message.”
“It’s possible,” Subaru said. “Tsuzuki looked a bit . . . frazzled. Understandably so.”
Seishirou groaned. “I really don’t relish the idea of explaining to Sei-kun that his best friend is in a coma that he may be irretrievable from.”
“How long will it be before he’s missing?” Subaru asked. “Tsuzuki was going to go find Kakyou and try to clear the whole thing up.”
“Hisoka meets him for lunch every day,” Seishirou said, shaking his head. “I’ll have to tell him something.”
“Oh dear.”
“Yeah.” Seishirou drank his tea in glum silence. “Well, I’m sure Kakyou will be able to help, in any case.”
“If anyone can, I think it would be him.”
Seishirou sat in silence for a minute. “Ano . . . may I ask you something, Subaru-kun?”
Subaru relaxed, leaning back in his chair. He was marveling a bit at Seishirou’s politeness. Apparently Seimei really had gotten it from him. “You can ask me anything you want.”
“It may take me a bit to explain,” Seishirou warned him, shifting uncomfortably.
“Calm down,” Subaru said, smiling slightly. “We have all night.”
Seishirou blinked and paused. “Are you actually going to stay the night? I didn’t really want to ask you, because I figured that you would say no.”
“I’ll stay if you want me to.”
“I . . . I’d like that. Thank you.”
“You’re so polite,” Subaru said. “It’s throwing me.”
Seishirou blinked. “Sorry. You didn’t seem to like it when I was an obnoxious, overbearing bastard.”
“I think it’s the overbearing part that got to me the most.”
Seishirou laughed slightly, then began to explain his relationship with Meiri and what she had said prior to his misadventure at Rainbow Bridge.
“Maybe we should lock your grandmother into a room with my grandmother and see what happens,” Subaru said thoughtfully.
Seishirou laughed again. “Anyway, what I wanted to ask . . . what I guess I was hoping you could explain . . . is why I care what some old bat thinks about me.”
“Because she’s your family,” Subaru said. “It’s one of those things that’s hard to explain. It’s just the way it is.”
“She’s hardly my family; I have tons of other relatives who all apparently like me a lot. I don’t see why her opinion matters.”
“Maybe because she’s in charge, and hard to avoid, and makes you uncomfortable?” Subaru suggested.
“Maybe,” Seishirou said softly, “it’s because I feel like she’s right.”
“I didn’t want to say it,” Subaru said with a shrug. “But you are aware that she’s off her rocker and you’re not to blame for your mother’s actions, right?”
Seishirou shrugged. “As has been pointed out to me many times in the past few months, knowing and feeling are not the same thing.”
“I’m not quite sure what to say,” Subaru admitted. “But I figure that if people keep telling you that she’s wrong long enough, eventually you’ll feel that it’s true, because you must have started feeling this way by telling yourself that she was right.”
“But in a way . . . she is right. I’m not saying that what happened was my fault, but . . . sometimes it really does seem like my very existence is a mistake.” Seishirou stared into his tea mug, stirring the contents with his finger.
“Everybody that is born causes a lot of good and bad things,” Subaru said. “You’re just unfortunate enough to know about most of the bad things your existence caused. Seimei is a good thing; that never would have happened if you hadn’t existed. And you saved my ass at least a few times.”
“That doesn’t really count,” Seishirou said, shifting uncomfortably.
“Yes it does.”
“But I tried to kill you.”
“If you’d really tried to kill me, I would be dead,” Subaru said. “You pointed that out yourself. And your mother still probably would have killed my father, and you’re bringing that to an end.”
Seishirou sighed. “I suppose you’re right, it’s just . . . it just doesn’t feel like that. I felt this way even before Meiri opened her stupid mouth. Like I have no worth, nothing to offer to the world at all.”
“That’s not true,” Subaru said. “You’re offering something good to every single person who wants you alive.”
Seishirou’s lips twitched. “So, two.”
“Your family likes you, except for Meiri. That’s one out of how many?”
“I’m not quite sure,” Seishirou admitted. “Quite a few.”
“You’re good for the smooth functioning of the government.”
Seishirou looked pained. “Let’s not bring my occupation into this. I’ll only feel worse.”
“Okay,” Subaru said. “But really, you are a worthwhile human being.”
Seishirou smiled slightly. “I’ll have to keep that in mind.”
“See that you do,” Subaru said. He lit up a cigarette.
“Uhm,” Seishirou said, “do you want to go out to the balcony?” At Subaru’s questioning look, he added, “I don’t smoke in the apartment.”
Subaru looked at the ashtray on the table.
Seishirou turned vaguely pink and actually began to stammer. “Well, Sei-kun doesn’t like the smell, but I only found out a few days ago, and anyway secondhand smoke is bad for him and -- ”
Subaru started to laugh. Then he picked up the ashtray and headed for the balcony.
“Why are you laughing at me?” Seishirou asked, following him with a rather hurt expression on his face. Sort of like a kicked puppy.
“You were stammering and babbling,” Subaru said, stepping out onto the balcony and waiting as Seishirou closed the sliding door. “It’s the first time I’ve seen you be genuinely cute in your entire life.”
Seishirou glared at him. “I’m never cute.”
“Right,” Subaru said. “I’ll remember that.” If the sarcasm got any thicker, it would knock them off the balcony.
Seishirou just plucked Subaru’s cigarette from his fingers, took a drag, and handed it back. “He wants me to quit,” he said. “He hasn’t actually come out and said it, but I know that he does.”
“Do you want to?” Subaru asked. “And don’t steal my cigarettes; you have your own.”
“I don’t know if I want to,” Seishirou said. “I think I’d develop a nervous twitch. That or just drop dead from the stress.”
“Maybe you can go for a compromise,” Subaru said. “Smoke less.”
“I don’t actually smoke that much when I’m not actively trying to deal with something,” Seishirou said. “It’s just that lately there’ve been a lot of things to deal with.”
“What does that say about me, that every time I see you, you’re smoking like a chimney?”
Seishirou smiled. “That you’re something I have to deal with.”
“I’m flattered,” Subaru said dryly.
“You should be.”
“You know, you’re a real jerk,” Subaru told him.
“I know. But you wouldn’t want me any other way.”
“You’re right,” Subaru said, smiling. “You’re much more fun this way.”
“I love you,” Seishirou said abruptly.
Subaru practically gaped. Then he stopped, wondering if Seishirou knew he had been waiting nine years to hear him say that. “I love you too,” he said, though he was fairly sure that Seishirou already knew that. He wanted to give him a hug, but had a feeling that the man might bolt.
“And . . . I’m sorry,” Seishirou added. “For everything.”
“I forgave you for all the big stuff a long time ago,” Subaru said.
“I’m sorry for the little things too.” Seishirou looked oddly relieved that he hadn’t been forgiven for everything.
“Oh, in that stuff I give as good as I get,” Subaru said with a wicked grin.
“Oh God,” Seishirou groaned. “Please don’t not call me for a week, no matter how much I deserve it. I don’t think I’d survive. You’re really way tougher than I am.”
“No, I let that one go right after I bitch slapped you.”
Seishirou was silent for a long minute. “Will you . . . will you stay with me, Subaru-kun?”
“You haven’t gotten rid of me yet,” Subaru said with a slight smile.
“I know,” Seishirou said. “I just worry, that’s all.”
“You don’t need to worry.”
“But will you stay with me . . . here? I mean, together?” Seishirou looked profoundly uncomfortable with his own suggestion. He wouldn’t meet Subaru’s eyes.
“Are you asking me to move in with you?” Subaru asked, slightly amused.
“Or I could move in with you,” Seishirou replied.
“I have a one-bedroom apartment, and I don’t think you’re willing to give your son up. And that would drive me insane anyway.”
“Well -- I was thinking about getting a bigger place now that Sei-kun will be staying with me all the time, anyway . . . he wanted to get one closer to the rest of the family, maybe inside the family compound. There are some open there; I checked. I just have to argue Meiri down first.”
“And they’d let a Sumeragi onto their property?” Subaru asked, still amused.
“Are you kidding? Senichi would laugh his ass off if he knew about the two of us, and he’s almost as much in charge as Meiri is.”
“What about Seimei’s mother?”
Seishirou laughed slightly. “Why do you think it has to be a bigger place?”
“If we can all get along, I’d be delighted to move in with you.” He paused. “As long as I get to pick out some of the decorations and furniture.”
Seishirou looked monumentally relieved. “You can have whatever you want.”
“You’re being so accommodating. It’s very strange, and kind of unnerving.”
“Sorry,” Seishirou said.
“See? You’re doing it again.”
“How about this?” Seishirou slid an arm around Subaru’s waist and pulled him into a hug. “Is this accommodating enough for you?”
“Quite,” Subaru said, and hugged back.
Seishirou yawned. “Are you tired?”
“Yeah,” Subaru said, leaning against him.
“Me too. Let’s go to bed.” Seishirou opened the balcony door and waited while Subaru ground out the remains of his cigarette.
Subaru assumed he meant to sleep, and only sleep, so he agreed. He hadn’t brought any pajamas, but Seishirou didn’t even make a suggestive comment; he just handed Subaru a T-shirt. Subaru privately thought this was very cute, but of course Seishirou was never cute, so he didn’t say anything.
“Sei-kun will be surprised in the morning,” Seishirou yawned, crawling underneath the covers.
“Yes, how did you raise a kid so polite?” Subaru asked, getting in next to him, not even realizing that he’d been just as bad as a teenager.
“By accident.” Seishirou wrapped an arm around Subaru’s waist and pulled him close. “Do you mind?” he asked, as an afterthought.
“No,” Subaru said, who was in truth glowing like the sun in Arizona.
“Good.” Seishirou closed his eyes. “Night, then.”
“G’night.”
~~~~
Seishirou’s alarm went off at seven the next morning, which he was somewhat annoyed about, given that it had been very late when they’d gone to bed. Subaru flailed on his side of the bed, looking for the alarm clock. Seishirou snickered and turned it off, then shook Subaru gently to remind him of his presence.
It slowly dawned on Subaru that the reason the alarm clock was not there was because he was not, in fact, in his own room. “Well,” he said sleepily, “this isn’t my own room.”
Seishirou laughed. “No, it isn’t. Glad you noticed that.”
“Why did the alarm go off?” he asked, sounding like he might start to whimper.
“Because I have to leave in forty-five minutes to take Sei-kun to school,” Seishirou explained. “And I should cook some breakfast for him.”
“If we live together, I’m never getting up to take that kid to school,” Subaru warned him.
“It’s taken me some getting used to, too,” Seishirou said dryly. “Remember, he only started staying with me after that whole thing with Muraki.”
“Oh, yeah,” Subaru said.
“Besides, if we move onto the compound, he can just catch the school bus with Teiji,” Seishirou added. “And then we can both sleep in.”
“Oh,” Subaru said. “That sounds nice.” He rolled over and put an arm around Seishirou so he couldn’t get up.
Seishirou was not particularly averse to this, and was beginning to ponder whether or not Seimei would accept frozen waffles for breakfast. Maybe he’d stick them into the toaster if the kid was lucky. He hugged Subaru tightly to him, and leaned over to kiss his forehead.
Subaru was having none of that. He tipped his face up so Seishirou missed and ended up kissing him on the lips. Not that Seishirou minded in the slightest, kissing him with enthusiasm.
“That was very nice,” Subaru mumbled, glassy-eyed. Whether it was from lust, sleepiness, or some bizarre combination of the two, Seishirou didn’t know. He settled for just kissing Subaru again. This went on for quite a bit. Seishirou didn’t quite dare try anything else, especially given that they really did need to get up . . .
Subaru pulled away. “Don’t you need to take him to school?”
“Yeah, sure,” Seishirou agreed, pulling him in for another kiss.
Subaru laughed and kissed back. Unfortunately, this went on for quite a bit, causing Seimei to be a little concerned. He always got up early to take Jack for a walk before school, and thus was always up and dressed when Seishirou crawled out of bed. In fact, it was far more likely for Seimei to make breakfast than Seishirou. At quarter past seven, he knocked on Seishirou’s door.
Seishirou was still sleepy, and therefore it did not occur to him that he should probably not let Seimei in, so he simply called, “Come in.”
Seimei opened the door. “Dad, if you don’t get up soon we’re going to be -- uh -- ” he stammered to a halt, going bug eyed. “Right-o,” he said, and shut the door, leaving the room.
“Whoops,” Seishirou mumbled.
“Yeah,” Subaru said.
Seishirou sighed and forced himself to disentangle himself both from Subaru and the bed, sitting up and pulling some clothes out of his drawer. Given that he possessed not a shred of modesty, he pulled off his pajamas and started to put the clothes on while Subaru tried to watch without embarrassing himself.
“Aren’t you going to get up?” Seishirou asked, still buttoning his shirt.
“Oh, sure, why not.” Subaru crawled out of bed in his boxers and T-shirt, and pulled his pants back on. The two of them walked out into the kitchen, where Seimei was setting a third place at the table.
He looked up and his eyes nearly popped out again. “Ano, isn’t that T-shirt yours?” he asked Seishirou.
Subaru looked down and realized the T-shirt was far too large to masquerade as his own. “The overnight visit was impromptu, and therefore I didn’t pack anything.” He looked around and noticed Jack sitting in the front hallway. “Ooh, big dog.” Having not lost his love for animals, Subaru went over and extended his hand for Jack to sniff. “I didn’t know you had a dog,” he said to Seishirou, scratching behind Jack’s ears.
Seishirou nodded at Seimei, sitting at the table. “It’s his.”
“He’s very nice,” Subaru said, walking over and taking a seat.
Jack walked into the kitchen and sat at Seimei’s feet, obviously hoping for table scraps. “Yes, he is very nice,” Seimei said, “if something of a beggar. I think Mom feeds him off the kitchen table when I’m not at home.”
Seishirou opened his mouth to say something about the dog not being allowed in the kitchen, then sighed and gave up.
Subaru stared at the food. Given that his normal day involved getting up at noon and eating his first food at three, it didn’t look particularly appetizing, even though he was sure it was good. He drank some of his tea and hoped that it would wake him up. He was also privately waiting for Seishirou to laugh at his bed hair, but didn’t say that.
“Ano, Sei-kun,” Seishirou said, sounding a bit uneasy.
“Yes?” Seimei asked, digging into his breakfast.
“I think you may not see Hisoka today.”
Seimei blinked. Then blinked again. “Why not?”
“He and Tsuzuki got unexpectedly called away on business,” Seishirou said with a nod. “Subaru-kun told me.” He nodded earnestly, praying that his son wouldn’t ask for more detail.
“You’re hiding something,” Seimei stated calmly.
Seishirou face-faulted. That was even worse than questions. “Aa, well . . . by tonight it should be fixed so I wasn’t going to mention it.”
“Well, now that you’ve mentioned it, tell me what’s going on?” Seimei requested. “Please?”
Seishirou sighed slightly. “Have I mentioned Hinoto to you?” he asked, glancing at Subaru, who was diligently sipping his tea and avoiding the conversation.
“I don’t think so.”
“She’s the Dreamgazer for the Seals,” Seishirou told him. “And we’re beginning to think that she’s not exactly what she seems. She’s the one who sent Subaru-kun to Rainbow Bridge, knowing what I was going to do.”
“Interesting,” Seimei said.
“In trying to determine her intentions, the Seals asked Hisoka if he could meet her, since he’s an empath. She . . . did something to him. We’re not quite sure what yet, but we think he’s been locked into his own mind.”
“Oh, that’s not good,” Seimei said, in the same tone of voice he’d been using to discuss Meiri.
“Well, Tsuzuki was going to take him to Kakyou, the Dreamgazer for the Angels. He’s powerful enough that he ought to be able to free him. We’ll know by tonight. I’m going to find Tsuzuki once I’ve dropped you off at school to show him where Kakyou’s staying.”
“Somebody will tell me how it goes?” Seimei presumed.
“Aa,” Seishirou said. “I’ll have the Tree let you know as soon as I do.”
Seimei turned to Subaru. “If she’s a traitor, why haven’t you taken care of her?” Apparently he was very displeased with the situation.
“We were working on it,” Subaru said. “We have no proof. We’re not exactly sure how to get rid of her anyway.”
Seimei didn’t want to be rude, but he was also very pissed. “Right,” he said.
Seishirou coughed slightly. “I wouldn’t worry too much, Sei-kun. I’m sure that Tsuzuki will be taking care of her once he knows that Hisoka is going to be okay.”
“He seemed both very angry and very protective,” Subaru added.
Seimei wondered suddenly if Hisoka and Tsuzuki had ever made up after that argument they’d had. If not, that was a good reason for Tsuzuki to be upset. This definitely could not be good. “And you want me to go to school?” he protested.
Seishirou shrugged. “So don’t. I don’t care.”
“That was not the expected parent response,” Seimei said, blinking.
“I’ll even write you a note, but keep in mind we’re just going to be sitting around most of the day, waiting for Tsuzuki to get in touch with us.”
“Right-o.” Seimei considered it. “Why don’t I go to school.”
“Good choice,” Seishirou said.
~~~~
Tsuzuki was in luck; he didn’t have to wait quite as long as he’d thought he would. When he arrived at the Angels’ the next morning, Seishirou was there, waiting for him. “You didn’t get hold of Kakyou?” he asked, not terribly surprised.
“I can’t find him,” Tsuzuki said.
“Why didn’t you ask me when you called yesterday?”
Tsuzuki stared at him. “Because I’m an idiot.”
Seishirou sighed and gave him the address, then called after him, “Let me know what happens,” as Tsuzuki made a beeline out the door.
~~~~~
Kakyou had just finished doing the breakfast dishes, and was feeling decidedly domestic, when the doorbell rang. “Just a second,” he called, drying his hands on the kitchen towel and going for the door. Fuuma was in Nataku’s room, most likely oohing and aahing over whatever new thing Nataku had gotten attached to. That or playing video games.
He was surprised to see Tsuzuki and Hisoka on his front doorstep. “Ohayo,” he said, and stood back to let them in. Tsuzuki was carrying Hisoka carefully, cradled against his chest. “What’s wrong?”
Tsuzuki gave Kakyou a rather abbreviated version, leaving out all things that weren’t strictly important to what had happen (like the entire argument they’d had). “Can you help?” he finally asked.
“I think so, but I can’t guarantee it,” Kakyou said. “Bring him into our bedroom.”
Tsuzuki followed Kakyou into the room and put Hisoka down on the bed. Kakyou called out to Fuuma as he passed Nataku’s door, and the teenager stuck his head in. “Hey, what’s going on?”
“We were right,” Kakyou said. “The wobbly-headed bitch locked Hisoka into a dream rather than let him tell everyone she was evil.”
Fuuma examined this statement. “But doesn’t this just prove that she’s evil?”
“We can’t prove it was her,” Kakyou said, shaking his head. “Not if he never wakes up to tell anyone.”
“What do you mean, if he never wakes up?” Tsuzuki asked, his voice cracking with panic.
“Even if I can get in, I can’t necessarily get him out,” Kakyou said, trying to be as gentle about it as possible. “He has to let me take control of the Dreamscape. He’ll have to trust me.”
“Hisoka’s not very good at trusting people,” Tsuzuki said in a small voice.
“We’ll just have to hope,” Kakyou said, and propped himself up against the headboard with some pillows. “Fuuma, why don’t you take Tsuzuki somewhere until I’m done? I’ll need to concentrate. And tell Nataku to make sure he stays quiet.”
Fuuma nodded. “No problem. Good luck. Kick gimpy for me.”
“Will do.”
~~~~
Kakyou had entered the Dreamscape Hisoka was trapped in with little difficulty, but he was finding it harder to actually find Hisoka within it. All there was consisted of a large mansion. The doors to the outside were locked; Kakyou presumed they represented the borders to the Dreamscape. He searched every room on both floors before giving into the inevitable and heading down into the cellar.
His hands trailed along stone walls as he walked, trying to decide whether this was a memory or some kind of representation. All of dreams worked on metaphors, after all; Hisoka could be envisioning himself in some sort of jail because he was in fact trapped in the dream. It was made even more likely by the fact that Kakyou didn’t know why a huge, extravagant mansion would even have a basement like this.
But if the cells here represented Hisoka being trapped, what did the rest of the mansion represent?
He crept along cautiously, and finally found the occupied cell. The door was shut, and Kakyou assumed that it was locked. He could see the latching mechanism. Hisoka was sitting inside, and Kakyou saw -- though it didn’t startle him -- that he was only about eight years old.
Memory, then; not representation.
Hisoka’s knees were pulled up to his chest and his arms were wrapped around them; the picture of a traumatized and frightened child. He was staring, wide-eyed, at the wall.
“Hisoka?” Kakyou asked quietly, not wanting to startle him. He knelt on the floor outside so he would be at eye level with him. Hisoka still didn’t look at him or give any sign that he had heard his voice. Kakyou examined it more closely, particularly the locking mechanism. It didn’t need a key, though it could only be opened from the outside. But too much of this depended on Hisoka. He could only get in if Hisoka let him. If he frightened Hisoka or had to force his way in, it could cause irreparable damage to his mind. Experimentally, he reached for the lock, his eyes never moving from Hisoka.
His whole body seemed to tighten up, with an almost imperceptible whimper. It was obvious that he didn’t want Kakyou to come in. The yumemi let his hand fall back to his side. “Hisoka?” No answer. “I’m not going to hurt you. I want to help you get out of here.” He held out one hand through the bars, palm up in an obvious invitation.
Hisoka was rocking back and forth, his fear evident in his actions. He finally glanced over at Kakyou. “Who . . . who are you?” he asked, his voice trembling.
“My name’s Kakyou,” he said, ignoring the fact that Hisoka had already met him. If he was trapped in his memories as an eight-year-old, many of the things from his current existence would have been lost. He kept his hand out, not retracting the offer of freedom. “I know some of your friends.”
“How did you get here?” Hisoka asked suspiciously. He was still scared, but he was loosening up slightly.
“This is one of your dreams,” Kakyou said, reflecting that he was really surprisingly good at this whole gentle thing. “I’m a Dreamgazer. I can see and walk in other people’s dreams.”
There was a long pause while Hisoka took this in. “I’m . . . dreaming?” he finally asked.
“Sort of,” Kakyou said. “I think this is your memory. You’re dreaming one of your own memories.”
“But . . .” Hisoka looked around, obviously confused. “This is real. This is where Mommy kept me.”
Kakyou felt a rising tide of dislike for Hisoka’s parents and sympathy for Hisoka himself. He still managed to keep his voice terribly gentle. “There,” he said. “You said ‘kept.’ Deep down you know it isn’t like this anymore.”
Hisoka frowned, pressing his hands against his face. “I . . . I don’t remember,” he said, his voice shaking.
“That’s okay,” Kakyou assured him. “You don’t need to.” All Hisoka really needed to do was let Kakyou into the cell and give him permission to change the Dreamscape. From there, it would be a relatively simple matter to get him out.
“But if I don’t remember, how can it be different?” Hisoka asked, confused, his voice clear and childlike.
Kakyou didn’t really want to remind him of things like being dead. “It’s okay that you don’t remember as long as you understand that this is a dream. Then I can help you wake up.”
“Why am I here?” His voice was still trembling, but he had straightened up a little. He looked more like himself, and more alert, and slightly older. Kakyou now would have placed him around ten. It was a good sign; he was returning to himself.
“Why are you in this dream?” Kakyou clarified. “Is that what you mean?”
“ . . . think so,” Hisoka said, at length.
“Because someone has trapped you in it,” Kakyou said. “But we can fix that.”
Hisoka’s eyes narrowed and he appeared to grow another year. “Who?”
“Her name is Hinoto.” Kakyou was beginning to shift slightly; the floor was uncomfortable. He wanted to be let in, but he didn’t want to push Hisoka too hard. The little progress he was making could be ruined if he did.
“Don’t remember her,” Hisoka said. He still hadn’t moved from his position on the floor.
“You will when you wake up,” Kakyou assured him.
“How can I . . .?” Hisoka’s voice trailed off.
“Well, she’s keeping you asleep, but if you let me in, then I can help make her leave. Then you’ll be able to wake up.”
“Let you in?” Hisoka repeated, uncomprehending. “To the cell? Mommy keeps it locked . . . I don’t know how to get in.” He shrank into himself slightly. Kakyou cursed inwardly. He wasn’t sure who he hated more at the moment: Hisoka’s mother for putting him through this, or Hinoto for making him relive it.
“I can undo the lock,” Kakyou told him, “but not until you invite me in.”
“Undo the lock?” Hisoka asked. “How?”
“It’s just a latch out here,” Kakyou explained. “I don’t need a key, but you have to ask me before I can come in.”
“Why do I have to ask you first?” Hisoka asked, his voice still plainly confused.