The Night We Met (KamiShin)

Free As a Bird?

He stared at his legs anxiously as the vessel moved quickly through the web-like layout of the city. He was already regretting this decision. He pulled out his cellphone, noticing many missed calls and texts from Shinso. Violent moths fluttered about in his gut as temptation threatened to rule over him. He couldn't answer those messages. After all, Shinso was just another face in the crowd. Just another face that would forget about him in time's notice.
Denki sighed deeply, unlocking his phone and placing in his earphone. He played some songs on shuffle, but ended up skipping through most of them, especially since none of them correctly fit the odd mood he was in. A rush of thrill and adrenaline ran through his veins. He was doing something so naughty— so forbidden. Something about that made the hairs on the back of his neck stand. It made him feel queasy— in a good way.
However, at the same time, he couldn't get Hitoshi Shinso's look of horror out of his head. The last look the taller boy gave him as he was swallowed by the mass. Shinso was frightened, but of what? Denki simply couldn't tell. He came to the conclusion that the indigo-haired male simply wasn't his type. What he needed was someone to live the thrill with. Someone easy to deduce. Denki simply didn't have enough time to play detective.
He looked over his shoulder, noticing a pretty, foreign tourist holding a map of the metro's routes. Denki eyed it carefully, as sneakily as possible, and began to choose where to get off. In the end, he couldn't ride the metro for the remainder of his life. The new him consisted of quick thinking and reckless decisions.
Nonetheless, his brain began to panic as the tourist got up to leave at the next stop. He did, however, catch one last glimpse of the map before her frame was out of sight.
The train station. It seemed like a reasonable option if he wanted to get away from society. He anxiously sat, imagining all the beautiful things the near future had in store for him. And then he'd die peacefully while skydiving or doing some other fun activity.
He got off the metro, quietly wandering to the train station. He was guided only by his blurry memory of the map and hope for a better life. In less then twenty minutes, he arrived. He'd never traveled with his parents, no less alone. His face showed puzzlement as he went to buy a ticket physically, considering he did not have a credit card.
He checked his wallet, and found immediate jackpot. His parents always gave him a weekly allowance, and by the looks of it, he hadn't spent any of it yet. Usually, he'd go to the record shop and buy a trendy album, or go out to eat or have fun at the arcade with his friends. This was perfect. He had enough for a ticket, two nights worth of fancy dinner, and a one-night-stay at a four star hotel. Having CEO's as parents sometimes had its perks.
"Uh... what's cracking?" he said awkwardly.
The lady behind the counter raised her eyebrow.
"You want a ticket?" She asked.
Denki smiled, nodding.
"Yes! How'd you figure?"
She sighed, rolling her eyes. Evidently, she'd had a rough days.
"People who come up to me usually do. Where to?"
Denki eyed the screen behind her. He was anxious to leave as soon as possible, so he pointed to the train leaving in ten minutes. He didn't even read the name of the place.
Shortly, the woman and him exchanged currency for a single, printed ticket. She asked for his ID, which he responded to by giving his student one. Surprisingly, se accepted it.
Before he knew it, he was boarding a train to wherever, leaving whatshisname behind along with all his troubles.
Or so he thought.

-o-

"He's this tall, thin, bold hair and big eyes. He has a really pretty smile and was wearing the same uniform as me."
The man shook his head, shoving past him and sinking back into the trance of everyday life. Hitoshi rushed over to another pedestrian, bombarding them with the same question he'd been asking for over twenty minutes.
He was absolutely infuriated.
How could Denki do something so stupid? Running out of school like that— it did indeed cause a scene. Deep inside, Hitoshi couldn't help but feel a bit guilty for what had happened. His statement was the one that made the other cry, which in short, led to Denki running away from school. Hitoshi's instinct was to run after him, of course. Unfortunately, he ran into his father in the midst of his getaway.
"Dad. I don't have time. Don't ask any questions, I'll be okay," was what he'd said to him in a deep, annoyed breath.
Just like that, he'd chased after the shorter boy, legs on fire as they threatened to give in. He hadn't done any cardio workouts in a long time. In fact, he was quite out of shape in that field. How did he ever expect to catch him? If he couldn't even run a-hundred meters without wanting to throw up?
At one point, he even thought he'd lost him. It induced horror into him. For some reason, something told him that he couldn't let Denki get away. He wasn't thinking about how far he'd have to go after him, or how long it was going to take. His worry was too strong, and an uncanny gut feeling have him the quest to retrieve the blond.
Then, from very far away, he saw the shorter boy drop to his knees, seemingly sobbing. This was the perfect opportunity to knock him back into his senses and drag him back to school. But when Denki noticed him, he took off running once more, leaving Hitoshi in the dust. Hitoshi cursed at himself, exasperated and tired.
He watched the blond disappear into the metro station, trying hard to get lost in the avalanche of people. He climbed down the stairs, almost tripping on the way down.
"Oh no you don't," Hitoshi grunted.
He dashed towards the entrance, sliding smoothly down the barre, not bothering to actually sprint down the stairs. He hopped off, landing ducked down. With determination in his eyes, he ran past crowds of people, shoving and pushing his way forward.
A blond head of hair, distinguishable and
bright, made its way into his peripheral vision. His gaze adverted, only to find that it was too late. Denki shot him a smug smile— as if he knew the true magnitude of the mess he was about to cause, and disappeared into the vessel.
Hitoshi ran up to the closed doors, banging on them to open back up. With fury, he clenched his fists as he screamed and poured at the train. However, he was pulled back by a security guard as it began to speed away. Now what would he do?
He pulled out his phone, beginning to search for the blond's contact. He begged that he'd pick up, but of course he didn't. Denki was probably headed to god knows where, perhaps to another, faraway part of the city. But Hitoshi wasn't about to give up, especially not now. That gut feeling— something was going to go terribly wrong and he knew it.
And thus, his search began.
He'd visited five different stops, all around the city. He'd gone around asking strangers if they'd seen any trace of the pretty blond anywhere. They all seemed to think he was crazy, with how desperate and tired he looked.
For the god-knows-what time that day, Hitoshi boarded the metro and sat down. The time read two in the afternoon. All his peers got out of school at that time. That meant that he'd been chasing after Denki for two hours. He should be headed home. He should be making dinner for himself, and then head to the gym. His parents would surely worry. Why was he putting so much thought into the simple idea of someone?
After all, Denki wasn't really special to him. Hitoshi knew very few things about him— all from the occasional conversations he'd had with him. Yet he still hadn't forgotten the night he first saw him. Did Denki even remember him? Did he ever even stare at his long-lost gray coat and think about the stranger who (somewhat) comforted him that night?
Surely not.
Of course not.
Denki had more important things to be doing than thinking of a hopeless idiot— an idiot who was madly in love with him. Denki's life was bright and wonderful. Hitoshi's life had no more color than a 40's cartoon.
"Ugh!" Hitoshi grunted loudly.
He grabbed two handfuls of his hair, pulling it slightly out of frustration. He wasn't going to fool anyone, not even himself. He was going after the blond because he prioritized his well-being, over everything else. Over his own safety.
It was love.
He frowned. It felt so much worse— admitting it to himself. The metro would soon fill up and he'd lose himself. He'd become a nobody. A nobody who couldn't be loved by the person he desired. He'd forget his own name. He'd begin living for the other— hanging on a dream stupid enough not to fade away. That's what love did to people, he thought. Love made one stop looking after themselves.
Sure, they'd kissed. They'd shared a nice moment. But immediately, right as they said their goodbyes that night, Hitoshi knew there was no real meaning behind the words the blond had said to him.
He was okay with that.
As long as Denki was happy, he was more than okay. He'd never felt loved or wanted, and it clearly wasn't about to change anytime soon. How was he supposed to be loved if he wasn't even sure he loved himself?
Hitoshi began to re-evaluate his whole life as he stared at a cockroach on the floor. He didn't hate himself. He loved himself enough not to let himself die. He didn't think he was ugly; just alright-looking. He'd never had issues with his confidence before. But he sure was lonely. It wasn't that he didn't have anybody. No, the thing was, nobody wanted to listen to him.
Denki was right. He was absolutely starved for affection.
Hitoshi slouched on his seat, watching the digital screen displaying the names of each stop. He'd probably have to give up soon. But just one more stop wouldn't hurt him.
The doors slid open, and he groggily made his way out. The train station was only a block away. It wouldn't hurt to look there. Perhaps in the heat of the moment, Denki had run off there, thinking he could get even further away.
"Yeah," Hitoshi smiled, sighing softly.
He'd walk into the station and find the blond laying down on a bench, snacking and playing some mobile game. That's what he hoped, at least.
Entering, he found the place crowded as ever. He briefly scanned the perimeter, finding the boy was nowhere in sight. He began to ask around, interrupting as many people as he could to see if they'd seen his lost love. Of course none of them did.
Thirty people. Forty minutes. With each second, the bags under his eyes grew deeper and darker. His energy began to drain. His anxiety grew. What if he'd really gotten on a train and left forever?
A sound came from his phone. It broke him out of his trance, causing him to look down. A message from his parents— in fact, many of them. And some missed calls too. Another incoming one was what brought him back to earth. This time, he picked up.
"Hello—"
"Hitoshi where the hell are you? Do you know just how much trouble you're in? Hizashi and I have been so worked up over what you just did!"
Hitoshi didn't answer.
"Are you even listening?"
"I am."
He heard his father sigh over the phone.
"I never expected my response and obedient son to pull of such a— questionable stunt like that!"
Hitoshi gulped. For some reason, that hurt. His father was right. He should go back to his parents and his sister and forget any of this had all happened. However...
"Okay. I understand. But.."
"But what?!"
Hitoshi closed his eyes, his head beginning to pound from stress.
"But... nothing. I'll be home in ten."
"Good. I hope I never have to have his conversation with you ag—"
Hitoshi hung up.
One last try.
Hitoshi went up to the main desk, crossing his fingers behind his back. A tired woman stared back at him, typing away at a computer.
"H-hello?" Hitoshi said.
The woman looked at him.
"Yes?"
He sighed.
"By any chance... did a boy with blond hair and the same uniform as me pass by here?"
"Kid, I can't even remember what I had for breakfast."
"R-right sorry—"
"Although... maybe he did. If we're talking about the same person, tell him that he made my day by his... spontaneous behavior."
Hitoshi's face lit up.
"That's great... was he... around this tall? Thin?"
The woman looked up thoughtfully before nodding.
"I think so..."
"Oh... oh man... what did he say?" Hitoshi asked excitedly.
"Just pointed at the screen and asked for a ticket to Kitashiobara. Can you believe it? I don't think the guy even knew where that w—"
"I want a ticket!" Hitoshi interrupted as he slammed his hands on the desk.
The lady flinched, taking a step back.
"O-okay... the next train leaves in an hour..."
"An hour?! I don't have an hour!" Hitoshi exclaimed.
"W-well, one's just about to leave but—"
"Let me on!"
The woman, slightly frightened, sold him a last-minute ticket for a higher price than normal. Hitoshi rushed to the train, climbing on and finding a seat far away from the rest of the passengers. He looked at his phone, noticing that his father would be expecting him in less than four minutes. He inhaled deeply and shut his phone off. Clutching his backpack close to his body, he leaned against the window and closed his eyes.