IC Inbox - The Far Shore

[junkyarddog]

[Gods and shinki alike can be forgiven for wondering if Ken even knows how to read. (The answer is 'yes, grudgingly'.)]

Comments

October 8, 7:35am

[reformedsinner]

Good morning, Ken.

My temple moved to the central district. You can visit any time you like, and there is food in the refrigerator. Don't tell too many people - I like the quiet.

[A map to the new temple location is attached.]

oct 8

[kokuyoyo]

[Mornings with the two of them can be a fairly relaxed affair. Sleep is something valued, and there's a now familiar comfort to the way they curl around and into one another on a pile of blankets. There's still a lot to Roy's temple that's pretty nice, although it's nothing luxurious, but this.... This they're both more than comfortable with.]

[Sleeping in is a bit of a war in its way. Chikusa would prefer to just lay and sleep in until forced at gun point to get to his feet, only the gun is being pointed by himself. He has things to do, after all. Still. Sleepily squinting across at the wall he can blurrily see past Ken's hair, Chikusa wonders if it's actually worth the trouble in the end.]

[His phone buzzing makes the decision for him, and Chikusa shifts a little bit with a frown. His phone going off like that means he has a message and, frankly, not a lot of people bother to contact Chikusa unless he's done so first. Maybe it's worth looking into.... but that means he has to move.... Decisions, decisions. Potential urgency finally pushes forward, and he reaches over Ken to dig through the bag he always keeps nearby, just in case. A lockpick set, bottles of holy water, a camera, an emergency beanie... There are some things he makes sure to keep on hand. You never know, after all, and they've lost one home already. Digging blind through it, he digs out his phone at the same time he pulls his glasses out from the depths of the nest they've made.]

[On one hand, it's not an emergency. So that feels like wasted effort already.]

....Ken... Hakkai's temple moved. To the central district...

[junkyarddog]

[Ken's still mostly asleep, but when he hears 'temple' and 'moved', his head jerks up even before his eyes are fully open, an instant's panic tensing him until he hears a location - still safely within the heavens - and the relief flushes the bulk of the adrenaline away. He faceplants right back against Chikusa's chest to hide his eyes from the light, mumbling into his shirt.] Do we hafta get up?

[kokuyoyo]

[A small grunt puffs out as Ken smacks right into him again.]

Only if you want to go see it.

[junkyarddog]

I guess, but... [Ken utters a low, sleepy whine.] Does it have to be right now?

Nov 22

[reformedsinner]

[The day after the Capypa Land trip, there's a neatly wrapped package with Ken's name on it at his place setting at breakfast.

It contains a cute hat with long dangling side straps and capypa ears, to match Chikusa's new acquisition.]

[junkyarddog]

[Ken isn't much for hats - certainly not compared to his partner, the Hat Fiend - but he puts it on immediately. And he'll wear it until/unless Hakkai tells him to take it off, or indicates that wearing it isn't compulsory. Which, Hakkai will discover, he does need to indicate, because Ken will probably complain about it a little once he tires of wearing it, without making any move to take it off.

Somewhere, deep inside Ken, is the memory of a boy Ken dedicated his entire being to, who dictated what Ken wore based on his own fashion whims, and who Ken obeyed unquestioningly. With Hakkai being the person Ken currently follows, he's unconsciously projecting how he'd react to Mukuro giving him an article of clothing onto Hakkai's doing the same - which is to say, he think Hakkai is giving him the hat because he's asking (if not ordering) Ken to wear said hat, not that Hakkai is simply giving him a gift that he may or may not like, and can choose whether or not to wear.

(For what it's worth, Ken doesn't hate the hat, and does take some mild amusement in matching with Chikusa at first. He's just so mobile that he quickly finds most hats get in his way and/or get lost, so he's not likely to wear it long if he doesn't think Hakkai is making it mandatory.)]

[reformedsinner]

[The first time Hakkai hears Ken complaining about the hat, he'll immediately inform him that he only has to wear it if he wants to... which, considering the conversations he's had with Ken about decision-making, he probably should have done to begin with.

He didn't think about it, though. Ah well.]

dec 1

[kokuyoyo]

[Pausing as he looks over the latest announcement on the BBS, Chikusa rolls his head to look over to where Ken is inevitably nearby.]

...Ken.

Hakkai got... promoted. [The easiest way to explain 'god of fortune', because Chikusa knows his partner won't have heard about that particular phrase, probably.]

[junkyarddog]

[Ken looks up from his bag of chocolate puffed rice in surprise.] He did? Is that good, byon? [He knows promotions are usually good things, but he also knows that might not necessarily be true for them. What if it means Hakkai has to do extra things he doesn't want to? What if it means they have to do things they don't want to? What if it means the heavens are going to be stricter with them? What if Hakkai just plain doesn't like the idea? If there will be complications, Ken expects Chikusa to be aware of them, and to be able to tell him how they should feel about it.]

[kokuyoyo]

The Heavens don't really say... [And scrolling through the various responses, one earphone dangling out of his ear, it doesn't seem like they've told anyone else, either.] Just that... He has a greater responsibility now. To maintaining harmony and all that...

...Also to promote peace, prosperity, and happiness.

[His tone goes flatter than a ruler at that, which gives away exactly how successful he thinks Hakkai will be at that.]

December 24th

[welcome_home]

[ Considering their little temple has grown recently and has also become a permanent home since Souji and Homura are gone, Nanako has had a surprise in store for this Christmas. Suddenly Christmas morning, a doorway is revealed, showing a nearby hallway with a few rooms within - one of them being Nanako's own. Another of them has a plaque with Chikusa and Ken's name on it and inside is a new room just for them.

Under the tree, there is a wrapped puppy kigurumi and a big stocking stuffed full of sweets and baked goods Nanako made. ]

December 25

[kokuyoyo]

[At some point throughout the day, Chikusa ends up wearing a sloth kigurumi over not one, but two hats (and yes, music is playing out of one of them). Assuming Ken sits still long enough, he'll get one of his own shoved onto his head.]

[And that's just Chikusa using one hand. The other has a box full of assorted snacks.]

....I guess it's Christmas.

[It legitimately didn't occur to Chikusa, honestly... but then, gifts are usually exchanged on a bit of a different date in Italy anyway.]

[junkyarddog]

What do you mean, you guess? [Ken huffs. He's sure the hat makes him look dumb - he doesn't even need a mirror to know - but he'll leave it on, since Chikusa gave it to him. He'll tolerate it for a bit if it makes his boyfriend happy.] You know it's Christmas, so why're you saying dumb stuff?

I got you stuff, too, byon. [And Ken gets up and trots out of the room, returning eventually with a bag he shoves into Chikusa's hands. Inside is the traditional beanie - and hat-shopping for Chikusa isn't easy, but Ken thinks he'd remember if this one was in Chikusa's existing collection.

There's also a very pretty wooden box Which...doesn't open.]

[kokuyoyo]

It's been hard to pay attention... and I didn't know Japan even celebrated Christmas...

[After all, the state of its Heaven should give away that it's not like Japan is a particularly Christian nation. Sure, he's noticed the lights and things, but that doesn't mean anything.]

[Besides... It really has been hard to pay attention. His bouts of dissociation have been pretty bad since he died, probably both because of the actual death itself and him having to reconcile his feelings on loyalty. Chikusa's response to physical and emotional trauma alike has always been the same, ever since he was a child, after all... And both at the same time has made his mind more than a little flighty. While he's been better ever since their visit to the hot springs, and subsequently coming back to Hakkai's temple, well, he can be forgiven for being a little off by the dates some.]

[Still, he blinks up at Ken when his partner suddenly departs, and seems almost blankly confused when he's suddenly given a bag. The newest hat gets shoved sloppily on top of the two other already existing ones- apparently he can't decide and is too lazy to spare time for it- before he begins to carefully turn the box in his hands. It might take a little bit for him to figure it out... mostly on account of the cloth sloth fingers more than anything, really.]

[AS he turns it over and over again in his hands, he speaks up without looking.]

...My gift for you... is still going to take a little while... There were some delays.... but I'm going to get it done by January sixth..

...That's the plan, anyway.

Dec. 25th

[purr_ince]

[ When the morning of the 25th comes, Ken is going to find a wooden box outside the temple with his name on it. When he takes it inside he'll find that it's stuffed to the brim with things like jerky, nuts, dried fruits and a few assorted junk foods. There's a note stuck to one of the bags:]

Merry Christmas, Ken. I hope you like these treats. -Adrien.

January 6

[kokuyoyo]

[Ken and Chikusa are pretty firmly anti-waking up. This is a known fact. Chikusa likes to be lazy and sleep his way into the abyss, and his partner just likes to leech heat like some sort of monster. Also, they're both teenagers. Yes, they're both more than capable of getting up early; a life on the run has ensured they know the trait well. Yet if they can nap past acceptable hours, they do.]

[Today, however, Chikusa ends up rising far earlier than he's known to under any circumstances that don't involve life-threatening danger. Ken will probably notice, both because the pair of them sleep tangled up in each other and because of recent events. Chikusa will tell him that he's just going down to the kitchen, of course, but if Ken opts to follow him, he'll just be privy to some baking. It's a Christmas Cake, Japanese style, and Chikusa has plans to put it on the table along with some other things he's leaving for Hakkai.]

[But it's not just Hakkai he's gotten things for... Whether Ken stays around, stays sleeping, or just wanders off at some point, Chikusa goes to find him with a bag of his own. He'll nudge Ken awake to give him his own gift of the day.]

[Well. Multiple gifts. The first is more than a few bags of black licorice candy from their home country, half as a joke between a pair of boys from Italy. The other is a certain picture, already framed. (Not that Chikusa thinks Ken will particularly care, but, still.) And finally...]

[Ken probably doesn't have any need for regular leather claw gauntlets, obviously. He's a boy who's partially half a dozen different animals. Yet as those are revealed, a bit bulkier but still lightweight Chikusa explains quietly.]

You said... that you didn't like how you couldn't fight ayakashi in your usual way. So I got these... and modified them. There's spaces to put in shrine water into them... [Thus the bulk.] So... You should be able to do a little damage... or chase ayakashi off.

...That's... the idea, anyway.

[And he falls silent, blinking down at the candy and picture.]

[junkyarddog]

[Ken is immediately putting the gauntlets on, testing their fit and grinning; he's very rarely used weapons in his life, simply having hardly ever needed any, but the prospect of having weapons he can use against ayakashi is exciting. He flexes his hands once they're on, testing the feel of them.] Will Hakkai-sama let me use these, byon?

[The candy is set aside for later - Ken's never had an issue with candy for breakfast before, but living with Hakkai and Roy has taught him that there are more filling, hot meals he can get at this time of the day; candy is for snacks between meals, he's concluded - while Ken picks up the picture and puzzles over it. He recognizes himself and Chikusa and Hakkai easily enough, of course; there's enough tells for it to be obvious. But...]

How come you're green and yellow, Kakipi? You're white and red when you're a bird. [He pauses.] ...well, you were. Now I guess you're giant and mist-colored...?

[kokuyoyo]

[It's exactly because Ken has never, in Chikusa's particular memory, used weapons that he sought to find a type that would be the closest thing to Ken fighting 'unarmed' by the technical definition of the word. There are clawed weapon in the world that aren't quite so bulky, sure... but they wouldn't do for both protecting Ken from the blight cloaking ayakashi or for adding in pockets for holy water to be leaked out. This is the best Chikusa can do, on his own technical ability (and maybe sort of stealing the base from someone, listen, it's fine). Maybe there's a shinki spell somewhere that will do... Yet it's not one that he's found.]

[For now, as Ken tries on the gauntlet, Chikusa leans over to show his fingers where they can grip down. It's a simple bar of sorts that fits snugly into Ken's hand.]

Squeeze, and that releases the water onto the claws... [And having Ken's fingers curled will keep him a little further from making contact with ayakashi, besides, even though the covers over his fingers should help with that anyway.] And I don't see why not...

[As long as Ken is careful, Hakkai should have no problems with it. It's a weapon designed with him in mind. With Ken's attention focused elsewhere, Chikusa follows it, and sort of shrugs.]

This is different from my vessel form. Davesprite said a fursona can look however you want it to, even if it doesn't make sense. So... I decided I liked yellow and green...

....

And skeletons. [He points.] He has skeleton legs...

[Chikusa really likes that decision. Don't ask him why.]

I thought about asking you and Hakkai... if there was anything you'd add... but then it wouldn't be a surprise. And Hakkai was a pain when I just asked him about animals anyway, so....

January 23

[kokuyoyo]

[It's just a regular day with the pair of them hanging out... when Chikusa, browsing through the BBS, suddenly shifts upright with a quiet swear in Italian. He has no problem with telling Ken what's happened, and also immediately tries to contact Hakkai.]

[It... isn't the best conversation, and at one point Chikusa gets up to start preparing some of his poisons even as he keeps an eye on the conversation on his propped up phone. All he tells Ken is to get ready just in case their god does something stupid, inbetween the responses he gives to Hakkai. Eventually, however... Chikusa stops fiddling with his poisons case, and stares down with his lips thinned.]

...They're giving back Gojyo. Hakkai is bringing him back here.

[junkyarddog]

[Ken has been rather tense since Chikusa told him about the newest dumb thing Gojyo's done. He relaxes considerably when Chikusa tells him that Gojyo is being handed over to Hakkai. Ken knows enough about Hakkai to guess at how bad things might have gone if Gojyo had been really hurt, or if Amaterasu had kept him locked up.

Whatever Ken's feelings about Gojyo, this is the best outcome for Hakkai. Not necessarily better than if Gojyo hadn't gone off the rails to begin with, but that isn't what happened and Ken rarely bothers himself with the way things could have been.]

Hakkai-sama probably won't let him do anything else crazy or dangerous. [Ken may not be thrilled for Gojyo to be in their temple again, but if Gojyo's actions are going to affect Hakkai - and Ken and Chikusa through him - regardless, it might be best for him to be somewhere Hakkai can keep an eye on him. And all they have to do is avoid interacting with him, so...maybe it won't be so bad.]

[kokuyoyo]

I think the only way to keep Gojo from doing anything stupid or dangerous is to drug him indefinitely or lock him to a wall.

[Chikusa's faith in Gojyo, needless to say, incredibly low, which is one of the many reasons why he hates that Hakkai is so attached to him. He knows as much as Ken does, after all, the kind of things that Hakkai would do in defense of those he cares about. They were told about it, after all, even before Hakkai made that video on the BBS. It's why Chikusa had immediately started preparing for a fight, figuring out what poisons to best use, before they'd gotten the confirmation that Gojyo would be released to their god.]

[He'd go to war if Hakkai went, after all, regardless of the reason. On that, him and Ken are firmly aligned.]

[...But it doesn't mean he's exactly happy with this result, either.]

[Putting away his poisons, carefully taking into account the blight variety especially, he lets himself slump back into a sitting position with his arms wrapped around his legs.]

...I don't know what to do, Ken.

[It's a quiet, uneasy admission to his partner. Obviously he'll stick to what he told Hakkai in that he won't interact with the man... but it makes him feel helpless. Worthless.]

June 9th, phone call

[kagenonadeshiko]

[Hakkai's gone. In all likelihood, he's not coming back. Their family is in shambles, Chikusa's behavior is out of control, and she has a sick, protective child in bed making death threats on top of it.

That issue, too, will be addressed.

At this point, Ayumu doesn't have anyone else to turn to for help with Chikusa aside from Ken and Nanako.

And so a very tired, frustrated, and upset Ayumu is now calling Ken out of desperation.]

[junkyarddog]

[Ken's barely been responsive for days now. He hasn't known what to say, hasn't known what to do, and while he knows perfectly well what to feel the magnitude of those feelings has been beyond what he can cope with so it's barely even registering. A gnat might as well try to comprehend the scope of a skyscraper; it's so far beyond his ability to process that it's not registering at all. There's things he wants to do, things he wants to say, but nothing but significant external prodding is able to overcome the overwhelming inertia he's experiencing. It's as if he's paralyzed - not in his body, but in his mind. Fighting gravity enough to move, fighting the fog in his brain enough to think, is such a monumental effort and so hard to focus on that he can barely manage it without a truly exceptional reason.

Given how rarely Ken's phone rings, it actually counts as an exceptional reason when it does. Ken blinks, needing a few moments to register that it's his phone going off and not Chikusa's. And honestly, when he reaches for it and (needing another moment due to his relative unfamiliarity with it) turns it on, it's partly because a small, desperate thought has bloomed in his mind.]

Hakkai-sama? [The inquiry is painfully, pathetically hopeful. But even Ken, deep down, knows that it's just wishful thinking, so there's a touch of desolation in his tone, too. But his grief is still so fixated on Hakkai that of course it's his first thought upon being contacted by someone.]

[kokuyoyo]

[Ken's phone ringing catches Chikusa by surprise too. Whenever anything has happened with Ken's phone, it's honestly because one of the nekomata has been messing with it considering that Ken never does. Is it a mistake, a missed call?]

[None of it matters. Chikusa realizes that quickly enough when he sees Ken actually respond, the most independently mobile and aware that he's been ever since Hakkai disappeared. Something in his chest tightens, perhaps his lungs, and Chikusa can only watch his partner with that twisted and desperate look on his face.]

[Even before Ken opens his mouth, Chikusa knows what will come out of it.]

[This isn't kind. This isn't what they want. Chikusa knows as much as his partner does that Hakkai isn't coming back. At least, he wouldn't come back like this. There is no answer that will satisfy him from whoever is on the other end of this phone. But...]

[He's responding. He's reaching out and speaking, even though they know the truth of the matter. Is that really better? It has to be. Chikusa can't think of anything else to do, besides reach over and lightly touch his fingers against Ken's back.]