Chapter Text
The words ‘Fukurodani’ were smudged on the sign, naming the town ‘Fudani’ instead. The area seemed isolated- it was far from the previous town and beyond it seemed like an endless plain. A wasteland perhaps. The ground was mostly rock and dirt, the only greenery being shrubs scattered here and there. It was disappointing, to say the least, Keiji decided. He was expecting Fukurodani to be a bit more appealing. Not a forgotten town at the edge of the Empire- he didn’t think an inventor would like to live in a dull place. But inventors were strange, and he had his fair share of experiences with them at his time working for the Empire.
The recollection of that night made him feel a sour taste in his mouth. He pushed the memory away and adjusted his rucksack and pulled on his hood. It was a hot day, but he couldn’t be too careful. He tried not to drag his feet to the town center. It had been a long journey and he was tired. The town didn’t seem to welcome him, rather, it looked deserted. There was not a single soul out on the street. All the doors and windows were shut. A warm gust of wind blew in his direction and he coughed. It seemed as if a sandstorm was approaching. He sighed. The possibility of a sandstorm would explain the desertedness of the area.
He noticed an inn on his left. He gave one last look at the center. There was no one. He took steady steps to the inn, the wind seeming to blow harder, whipping the sign posts of the shops.
The door opened with a small bell ringing. Before he could study his surroundings, a girl blocked his view. Her brownish-red hair was tied in a messy ponytail and she had droopy eyes.
“Welcome.”
Keiji nodded and let the girl seat him at a table. An old lady looked on at him from the counter. A gruff man seated near the window hummed a song. Another old lady was silently sewing some cloth. There was a blonde girl sleeping at a corner table. Keiji drew his attention away from the people in the inn to the girl before him.
“Call me Shirofuku.” The girl said, smiling lazily. “What would you like?”
“What do you have?” Keiji asked, leaning back in his chair. He refrained from keeping his arms on the table- it was too dusty, as if no one had bothered to wipe the table counters for a long time.
“The ramen is the best.” Shirofuku said thoughtfully.
“Then that’ll do.” Keiji replied. Before Shirofuku turned to leave he added, “Do you have spare rooms?”
The girl grinned. “The inn’s all empty so don’t worry.”
Kuroo was right about one thing- no one would turn to look for him in such a place. He just hoped that no one would consider him suspicious.
His mind wandered to Bokuto Koutarou. Where would he be? If the town was really deserted- or if he was a bit known, he wouldn’t be too hard to find, right?
He was interrupted in his thoughts as a bowl was placed in front of him. Keiji accepted the chopsticks Shirofuku handed him. He pulled them apart and began to eat. He didn’t realize how hungry he was till he had his first bite. He slurped the noodles and wiped the broth off from his lips.
Shirofuku had opted to lean against the chair opposite him and stare at him. Keiji finished his ramen and then looked up at her.
“What is it?” he asked and she shrugged.
“Just wondering why someone as posh as you would be here in Fukurodani.”
Keiji blinked. He had changed into a simpler attire in his travels, discarding any clothing or article that could indicate he was from the Royal Palace. He didn’t think he’d be questioned right away.
“What makes you assume that?” he asked carefully.
“No one comes to Fukurodani just for sightseeing. And there’s no important town ahead us, just wastes.” Shirofuku replied simply. “Are you here for Bokuto? All the officials are.”
“I am looking for him. Does he live around here?” Keiji pushed his bowl and the girl picked it up promptly.
“He lives in that massive house right beyond the hill. You can’t miss it.” The man who was humming answered.
“Another apprentice?” The old woman asked from the counter.
Deciding to play along, Keiji nodded.
The old lady tutted in reply. “They don’t stay long- his apprentices. Always run away after the first few weeks.”
Keiji tapped his fingers on the table, rubbing off the dust from his fingers.
“Is he uncooperative?”
“Moody.” The previously sleeping girl replied. Keiji raised his brow at her voice. He turned to her and she waved. She licked her lips, as if considering her next choice of words, “Everyone considers Bokuto to be a…mad scientist of the sort. No one agrees with him at one point.”
“And when he’s in his moods, no one can do anything. He refuses to invent and teach.” The man added.
“Can’t blame the poor lad, he’s got too much pressure on his wee shoulders.” The lady knitting piped in. “The whole town depends on him.”
“We wouldn’t be surviving if his parents didn’t gather attention for their inventions.”
“He’s brilliant too!”
“When he’s feeling like it.”
“Unpredictable at times too.”
“Can’t understand what goes in his mind.”
Keiji cleared his throat and all attention was on him. He slowly got up from his seat and looked back at everyone.
“This Bokuto Koutarou…who is he exactly?”
Shirofuku smiled. “If only we knew too.”
The first thought that came to Keiji’s mind was: this doesn’t look like a house. It seemed as if someone had started building with a house in mind, but ended up adding more and more floors. There had to be around four floors, not to mention the numerous chimneys jutting out. One was releasing smoke. As Keiji made his way to the house, he heard the house tick and splutter. The house could be mistaken for a ticking bomb for all Keiji knew. The scientist’s house seemed more dangerous than their prototype machine he had dismantled not too long ago.
The thought of the machine made him want to groan. He did not need to remember this now. Whatever happened at the Palace after his departure was Nekoma’s hurdle. As for him, he had only this place. He had to convince Bokuto to take him in as an apprentice. He had opted to stay at the inn for a night and ended up asking the old lady (who was the owner of the inn) about Bokuto.
“What do you mean by his parents?”
The old lady shrugged. “If he trusts you, and if you stay, you’ll find out soon. Bokuto-kun isn’t the type to keep too many secrets.”
Keiji took in a deep breath and removed the hood, revealing his face more clearly. He clutched hs rucksack tightly as he made his way to the front door.
The stairs creaked under his weight as Keiji made his way to the front door. The door seemed normal; nothing was jutting out or ticking. He was about to knock when he noticed a small button on the side of the door. It looked like a doorbell. The wealthier people back at the capital had these beside their door too. Perhaps Bokuto was more in tune with the times rather than just the ‘mad scientist’ impression (which was very popular amongst the locals.)
He pressed the button and soon there was a buzzing sound. He heard a few clicks before water spilled on him. He yelped at the sudden cold and wetness and he looked up to see a bucket tilted. He cursed and shook his arm. He kept his rucksack aside and started to remove his soaked cloak.
He didn’t notice the door opening, nor did he notice the stranger gawking at him.
“You’re not an automaton!”
Keiji paused in wringing his cloak to glare in the direction of the voice. “I believe I am not one either.”
The man’s eyes were wide as saucers. Keiji noticed his bright gold eyes and his gaze then travelled to the man’s eccentric hair. His goggles were pushed back on his forehead, his hair looked as if something exploded in his face and he permanently had the spiky tufts of black and silver hair. He wore rumpled-up shirt and dusty brown slacks. The man was still gaping.
“A towel and a change of clothes would be appreciated.” Keiji said and the man clapped his hands.
“Of course! Come in!” He grabbed Keiji’s rucksack and cloak. “I’ll put them up to dry. You can sit on that chair.” He pointed at the chair which looked anything but comfortable. The chair was made from a mix of metals, its legs made of brass pipes. Two identical copper boxes were fixated on either side of the chair. There was a cushion placed on its seat.
Everything about it screamed dangerous, but Keiji decided to sit. It would be rude and for some reason their brief exchange had exhausted him. As soon as he leaned back, the chair started to vibrate and move.
“What’s going on?” Keiji yelped as the chair jerked forward, throwing him off his seat.
“You don’t like it? It’s a massage chair!” The man said as he entered the room and handed Keiji a towel. Keiji accepted it and checked for any oil stains before rubbing it at his hair.
“A massage chair?”
“You know, when you’re sore and you need a relaxing back massage but no one is there to give you one?” The man crouched near the chair and hit the box on the right. The chair stopped vibrating. “It still needs a bit of work.” He frowned.
“Do I need to ask why you made it so that your visitors get wet?” Keiji muttered as he kept the towel on a not so crowded cabinet and began to remove his shirt.
“You know, in case an automaton robot comes!”
Keiji sighed. “And why did you assume that an automaton robot would come up at your front door?”
“To kill me of course.” The stranger said as a matter-of-factly.
“A killing automaton would ring the doorbell?” Keiji raised his brow. He held up his shirt. It was soaked.
“It could be programmed to be polite.” The stranger huffed out. “Can’t be too careful. Automaton robots can deceive.”
“Right.”
“I’ll get you some clothes wait!”
Keiji sighed and tried not to roll his eyes. The man had rushed out of the room. Considering he was the only one in this house, the man would be Bokuto Koutarou.
“Are you Bokuto Koutarou?” He called out. He heard a crash from the other room.
“Yes, that’s me! You must have heard a lot about me huh?” The stranger replied, yelling.
“I suppose I have. You’re the talk of the town.”
Keiji heard something else crash and he thought of helping, but soon decided against it. The chances of getting hurt while Bokuto searched for a change of clothes seemed high. Instead he turned his attention to the strange room he was in. There were two wooden spiraling staircases- all rickety and very, very breakable. There were shelves on every wall of the room littered with the strangest contraptions. Something ticked while another thing hissed. A small machine would screech and a tiny pendulum oscillated. They were all polished in gold and they shimmered in the daylight. A small fire crackled in the fireplace to the far left and Keiji decided to stand near it to dry faster.
He winced when he heard yet another crash- this time it seemed as if a bunch of things fell. He turned around and saw Bokuto triumphantly holding up a shirt and pants.
“You’ll have to pay for these too y’know.” He said. “Find anything nice to buy?”
“Thank you.” Keiji accepted the clothes. “But I think you have been mistaken, I’m not-.”
“Wait!” Bokuto shook his head. “You’re a picky one from the Palace right? Or maybe you’re from the other side of the border? You seem like a smart guy, so I’ll show you the best!”
Before Keiji could try to explain, Bokuto climbed up a small ladder and retrieved a small metallic box from one of the higher shelves.
“I call him Houtarou. He can create the prettiest music you’ll ever hear!” He pressed a button under it and the machine screeched open and a frightening sound- like a wail echoed in the room. Keiji took a step back. Bokuto was frowning. “Did someone mess up with this? It normally doesn’t sound like this haha. Here look at this instead.” He shut the box and fumbled around for another contraption.
Keiji began to wear the shirt and looked up at where Bokuto was rummaging through more devices.
“Bokuto-san, your inventions are nice but I wanted to talk-.”
“I call her Yui! She creates miniature fireworks!” Bokuto displayed another device which was shaped like a small pyramid. He jumped to the floor and placed the object on the ground and tapped a button. The pyramid slowly opened and from three pipes a ‘whirrr’ sound was heard before small sparks erupted. The pyramid indeed created fireworks and Keiji found himself impressed by it.
“She’s a keeper, right?” Bokuto beamed and Keiji raised his brow. Bokuto tilted his head. “No? You might like this instead…” He walked past Keiji to a contraption which strangely resembled an owl. It seemed to have emeralds for eyes and its copper finish shimmered under the sun’s rays.
“This is Hoot.” Bokuto said and he motioned Keiji to come closer. “I’ll tell you a special secret about him.”
Keiji, now actually intrigued by Bokuto’s inventions came close. Bokuto leaned in and whispered in his ear.
“It hoots!” He wound up the key and the copper owl moved its head and conjured up a guttural hoot.
Keiji shook his head, trying to control his smile. Besides Bokuto’s ridiculousness, it did seem cute. “Do you name all your inventions?”
“Yup! They seem much more presentable when they have a fitting name. Can’t think of a good one for my massage chair, maybe that’s why you don’t like it yet.”
“I just need your attention for a second Bokuto-san.”
“Wait! Just one more, maybe you’ll like Bob!”
“Bob?”
“It’s your own personalized hairstylist!” Bokuto skipped towards the staircase and at the foot of it was a small cabinet. He took out what seemed like a crown but with what seemed like a scissor and a comb along with a few more tools Keiji couldn’t make out. “You put it on your head and let it do the magic! You get amazing hair like me!”
Keiji eyed the ridiculous hairstyle Bokuto sported. “I’m sure I like my hair just the way it is.” He really hoped Bob would be kept far away from him.
(Why did he refer the contraption by its name again?)
“Oh, well it’s not like you could use Bob for now. I tried it on my friend Kuroo and it broke.”
Keiji paused when Kuroo’s name was mentioned. “Kuroo?”
“He still has to pay me for damages.” Bokuto huffed. “Bob is my favorite and everyone is my favorite but Bob is unlike all the others.”
Keiji wasn’t listening now. “You know Kuroo-san?”
Bokuto frowned. “Well yes. He’s close to me, like a brother. He’s annoying too, terrible hair, has a metallic eye which glows red at times…” He pointed at his left eye. “I got him that eye by the way so rest assured my other inventions work too!”
“And how is your relation?”
“Not sure.” Bokuto replied, scratching his head. “We kind of just…got along?”
“And how is your relation?” Keiji asked, putting his glass of wine away.
Kuroo shrugged. “Nothing special. But no one wants to work with him and he tends to keep people away.”
“Is he hostile?”
Kuroo glanced at him before finishing his wine. He took the seat opposite Keiji and shook his head.
“Just difficult. But you’re a patient guy, right?”
Keiji crossed his arms. “You mean to say that I flee to him and don’t let him know of this?” He didn’t mention what ‘this’ was. The Palace had too many ears.
“That,” Kuroo poured himself another glass and took a big gulp, “is completely up to you.”
“You’re unbelievable.” Keiji rubbed his temples.
Kuroo raised his glass. “Well, we have only tonight. Then you’ll be off and I’ll have to clean the mess.”
Keiji rolled his eyes and let out a small chuckle, accepting it. “You’re clearly drunk.”
“And I don’t intend to be sober anytime soon.” Kuroo grinned. “A toast?”
“For what?”
“Anything; the night is still young.”
Kuroo seemed close to Bokuto. Could it be that Bokuto knew about the politics at the Palace? Keiji bit his lower lip. He had decided that he wouldn’t bring up anything about the prototype. He would start anew. But if he took that path, he would just be a discarded tool for the greater plan. And Keiji did not like the thought of being used.
“So…anything you like?” Bokuto asked, holding out Bob.
He could just tell Bokuto about the prototype- then they could possibly help even from Fukurodani…somehow.
“I’m here to be your apprentice actually.” Keiji kept the pants aside. Only his cloak and shirt had gotten wet.
Bokuto blinked at him. Once. Twice.
“Well?” Keiji raised his brow.
“I don’t accept apprentices.” Bokuto replied in a small voice. “Not anymore.” He kept the contraption aside and started to climb the stairs.
“I won’t disappoint.” Keiji said as he followed the other.
“Nah, they always leave after a few days. You will too. I’m the worst teacher after all.”
They were in a corridor and it was surprisingly clean compared to the mess downstairs. Bokuto disappeared into a room and Keiji trailed after him. The room was filled with shelves of clocks that ticked, clicked and tinkled. Bokuto had seated himself at the table placed right in the middle of the room and he was tinkering a pocket watch. There were a bunch of pocket watches on the table, none of them working.
Keiji took a seat opposite him and picked up a watch. He saw a free screw driver and began to twist open the watch.
“Do you want to make these watches work?” He asked casually.
“I told you, I’m not accepting any apprentices.” Bokuto replied instead.
Keiji ignored him. “I can tinker things as well. I just want to learn from the best.” The lie slipped easily from his tongue.
He heard a small laugh. “I’m not the best.”
“I know you’re one of the top five inventors.” Keiji shrugged as studied the watch. He looked up when there was no response.
Bokuto sat there, absently staring at the watch in his hand. It was as if he knew Keiji was looking that his gaze shifted and Keiji found himself being scrutinized. He shifted in his seat and shifted reached out for a small wrench and twisted a screw. The watch began to tick and Keiji twisted the spring. He reached for his own pocket watch and used his screwdriver as a makeshift for the key.
“These watches don’t have a key.” Keiji noted.
“That’s because I want to put in a better addition!” Bokuto replied brightly.
Keiji sighed. “Right. And how is that?”
Bokuto leaned in and tapped his fingers on the surface of the table. Keiji kept the pocket watch aside and leaned back, crossing his arms, his gaze now only on Bokuto.
“I’ll tell you if you become my apprentice.”
A feeling of relief washed over him and Keiji noticed that he had been holding his breath. Still, he ventured, “I thought you weren’t accepting apprentices.”
“You’re my last! You just convinced me because you’re obviously a fan of my previous works!”
“I don’t know much about your previous works Bokuto-san.”
Bokuto gasped and clutched his shirt as if he had just been stabbed. “Mean! I’ll tell you about who exactly is your mentor! What’s your name?”
Keiji was amused but he trained his features to a more neutral expression.
“Akaashi Keiji.”
“Time’s a ticking Akaaaaashi!” Bokuto let out a laugh and handed another watch to Keiji.
“Please don’t butcher my name Bokuto-san.”
A grandfather clock chimed and then buzzed. The clocks in the room ticked and a few rang. The room was filled with noises along with Bokuto’s loud booming voice. Keiji fixed the watches along with Bokuto, wondering just how he would adapt to his new life and would he give it away to return to the Palace?
He didn’t want to be a used tool after all.