Tainted (A soukoku fanfic)

Chapter 7

Atsushi walked at a brisk pace, with the red haired guest following close behind. He remained silent, not sure if he should disrupt Chuuya's deep train of thought, as he led him through different halls towards the dining room. Turning left, now less than a hundred metres from the door of the desired room, the auburn decided to speak up, "Thank you for earlier.. I, uh, I really appreciate it."

Beaming he started, "Ah, don't mention it I—," but halted briefly when he met eyes with Chuuya's glassy ones. Why was Chuuya tearing up? He really hadn't done anything special." ..It's okay, I didn't really mind Chuuya-san." The young servant shuffled, now mere inches from the door, suddenly feeling awkward. One hand was fisted, ready to knock on the intricate, oak door while the other rested at the silver door handle, yet he didn't turn it. Not yet, he reprimanded himself. Not when their guest was in tears. He couldn't bear presenting him in that state; he wasn't so heartless."Um..."

For a moment he thought: how could he stop those tears? He was never good at consoling others when they were going through hard times, but that didn't mean he wouldn't give it a shot. You can do it, he told himself. Then, he stole a glance at the auburn and frowned when he noticed tears brimming the corners of his eyes. Upon a closer look, the light grey haired noticed the collar about Chuuya's pale neck, marred by blue-purple blotches. Atsushi grimaced and tore his gaze away, heart clenching at the sight. He may not understand why either of those were there, but he knew better than to ask. "Are you okay, Chuuya-san? Do you not feel well?" he finally said in hushed tones in order to avoid announcing their presence, and subsequently tore himself from the door so he could turn to face the rufiscent youth. Chuuya looked up surprised, as if he hadn't expected anyone to care about his crying, which in return shocked him as well. They stared at one another in muted silence for a good ten seconds, before Chuuya looked back down in what seemed like embarrassment. "I, uh, I'm okay.. thank you," he said wiping away at his wet cheeks, "I'm just a little overwhelmed with everything that's going on..." Like being sold to the devil himself, he thought but didn't dare voice it for fear of upsetting the other youth. He seemed to like this place for reasons that were beyond him and he couldn't find it in himself to tell him he hated this place.

"Oh," Atsushi exclaimed, partly unaware of the other's situation, "Well, if that's the case then, you shouldn't worry! Just try to find the bright side in your situation and stick to it, it sure works for me!"  Chuuya sighed, a small smile gracing his puffy from crying face. "I wish it were that easy... But, I suppose I could try," he mumbled, not wanting to disappoint Atsushi who looked at him with such hopeful yellow-purple eyes."Great, I'm glad you'll try!" he beamed with a closed eye-smile, and turned to the door, proceeding to knock three times on it. Thud, thud, thud, the sound of the knocks matched that of his thumping heart. "Come in," a muffled voice came from the other side and Chuuya audibly gulped, his clammy fists clenching at his sides. Damn, maybe he wasn't ready to face his captor yet. Atsushi opened the door wide, letting Chuuya go first, while he let himself in last and shut the door behind him with a quiet click.

The dining room was... unlike anything Chuuya had ever seen – not even in movies. While it wasn't exceptionally large in length, it had a great ceiling that was decorated with paintings of angels and demons battling for dominance in the sky, and was surrounded by golden intricate patterns. The table was huge as well, able to host at least thirty people, but it was devoid of any chairs but two. Even though it didn't rouse any suspicion at first glance, Chuuya realized – after ogling at everything with awe, and possibly looking like an idiot – that the second chair was situated on the left of Dazai's. Too close for comfort, he thought as his gut twisted in anxiety. Just what was he planning?