Work Text:
Inspiration: “broken hearted” by karmin, “heart a la mode” deco*27
this was supposed to be a oneshot that turned into a....many....many shot. Anyway, first time really writing for this fandom and i'm excited to throw my hat into the ring! A lot of headcanons, a lot of liberties taken, but who cares really right~ its based off a series of rps I had with a friend, so its cut down to the best bits of those.
anyway enjoy I guess.
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Time moved slowly, in the mirror world. There wasn’t much to do at any one given moment. Perhaps if he had the motivation to figure out just what a School Mystery was supposed to do, maybe Mitsuba would have more to occupy his time.
Objectively, he knew it was important. He'd heard plenty about how rumors needed to be kept up, or he'd vanish. Mitsuba had seen how important they were, between Shijima and his own former self.
It was difficult to care.
Minamoto hadn’t shown up at all since the fantasy world. Not once. Maybe he didn’t know how to visit him? Or maybe he just didn’t want to see him. The thought made his stomach turn.
Sighing, he set his chin in his hand and sulked. He had taken up residence in Hanako's bathroom mirror. Sometimes, Yashiro would come to talk to him if she saw him. She was always sunny, bringing snacks and gifts. The other day, she'd brought him a rabbit shaped plush pillow.
Hanako, on the other hand...
By some miracle, the sullen ghost was haunting some other corner of the school today. Mitsuba took his luxuries where he could. The sun was setting. Yashiro had finished up her cleaning an hour ago and had gone off to find Hanako. That left him alone, with only his loneliness to keep him company.
Maybe Minamoto really didn’t know how to contact him...?
It felt so awful. If Mitsuba had known having friends hurt like this, he'd probably have refused to have them. Surely, something that brought highs shouldn’t bring such lows.
The door swung open with a soft groan. Blinking, he looked up, expecting to see Yashiro. She'd left her notebook, but he hadn’t cared enough to point it out to her. Instead, from the corner of the mirror, a head of messy blond hair appeared.
A surge of overwhelming happiness shot through him. “M-Minamoto?!”
The boy jumped, spinning to look in his direction. He looked so confused, before beaming. “Oh, hey Mitsuba!”
Too late, he realized that he'd squawked out his greeting with far too much honesty. Face aflame, the redhead bristled. “W-Why do you sound so surprised?? Should I not be here?”
“What...? No, that’s..” Kou blinked, itching his cheek. “Its just been a while since I've seen you.”
“And whose fault is that!”
Another confused expression, before the other boy seemed to realize the situation. “I'm sorry. I've been kind of busy lately.”
What was so important? Mitsuba crossed his arms. “Whatever...”
“Honest.” Kou stepped closer to the mirror. “Yashiro-senpai actually told me you were looking for me.”
That absolute traitor. “Did she? That’s weird.” he glanced away. “Its not like I've been waiting around for you or something gross like that.”
The expression on Kou's face gave him the impression that he'd spilled some sort of uncomfortable truth. “That so...”
A silence passed, before the door swung open. Familiar footsteps echoed across the tile, before Yashiro darted by. The two of them paused to watch her, befuddled. She looked around, frantic, before turning to the scene before her.
“H-Huh? Oh, hello Minamoto!” she said quickly, before turning to the boy in the mirror. “H-Have you seen my notebook, Mitsuba?”
He had half a mind to lie and watch her start crying. It would serve her right, running her mouth about his sulking. Kou beat him to it, pointing to the sink. “Isn’t that it senpai?”
Yashiro gave a happy cry, surging for the book. No doubt it had all of her homework in it or something like that. “Thank you so much! I was so worried, I really thought I'd lost it!”
Kou beamed, all rosy cheeked and sunshine. “Its nothing, senpai!”
She smiled back, glancing around him to Mitsuba. “I'm glad to see you two caught up to each other. Its a bit tricky to find you sometimes, Mitsuba.”
That idiot really hadn’t been able to figure out how to contact him. The relief swelled up and it was all he could do to smother it with a laugh. “You really didn’t know how, did you???”
The other boy's face turned red and he looked away with a huff. “Its not like I didn’t try!”
“He tried to do that bloody Mary rhyme yesterday.”
Hanako had drifted in while they were distracted. His comment had set off another peal of laughter, although this time in a decisively malicious manner. “Y-You tried to s-summon me!! You're such a weeb!!”
“S-Shut up!!” Kou snapped, although his irritation was already fizzling out. “W-What else was I supposed to do, you haven’t exactly spread a rumor about how else to!”
Mitsuba could just imagine him running up and begging to mirrors in between classes. Although it did bring up a problem he'd not bothered to consider. Hanako took the lull in conversation to say what he didn’t want to dwell on.
“If you don’t start working on your rumors, then you wont be the owner of that seat for much longer.” he said it with a little too much cheer. “Maybe you ought to get on that.”
Mitsuba swallowed back the unease that statement brought. “H-How exactly do I do that??”
Yashiro smiled around Kou, strands of sandy blond hair drifting into her face. “I can help you with that, Mitsuba!”
He latched onto the offering, a relieved smile alighting on his face. “I'd really appreciate that~!”
Mitsuba supposed that maybe he could forgive Yashiro for talking about him to Kou. Yashiro tapped her chin, and said, “Maybe we could all catch up this weekend? It would be a good time to think up a good rumor for you to!”
“What, like...hanging out?” Mitsuba asked, trying to ignore how his heart sped up. “L-Like a sleep over or something?”
Hanako gave him a pitying look, as if to say he was being far too obvious. Yashiro seized upon the obvious excitement that having friends over had brought up. “Yeah! That would be really nice, right guys?”
“What about the mirrors?” Hanako reminded her, tilting his head. “It would be bad if we spent the whole time crying, right?”
Kou waved a hand. “There’s no way Mitsuba would do that to us! Right?”
Having those big eyes on him sent his heart racing. Mitsuba glanced away, shrugging. “W-Well obviously, its a sleepover. That'd be the worst, right?”
The two humans beamed, talking amongst themselves. Hanako's gaze hadn’t left his. Mitsuba pretended those big, cat-like eyes didn’t send shudders up his spine. He made a note to hide his yorishiro especially well, before they came over.
Details were decided and the two blonds departed. Mitsuba pretended not to notice the way Kou glanced over his shoulder at him. Hanako stayed put, letting the absence of life settle around them. A mokke scuttled by with a lollipop and the older spirit watched it go.
Friends. A sleepover. This was far too good to be true. Not only had it never happened in his living life, but it had taken his entire after life to just get a single friend in Minamoto. It felt far too wonderful to have fallen into such luck.
“It should be obvious, but I feel it necessary to say it anyway.”
Mitsuba jolted from his thoughts, looking to Hanako. The boy turned to look at him, those unsettling eyes watching him.
“If you try anything suspicious, I really will make you regret being born.”
A shudder ran up and down his spine. Swallowing hard, the redhead nodded quickly. Hanako watched him a moment longer, before hovering over to his seat by the window. Mitsuba decided that he'd rather day dream in his own boundary.
000
What did people do when they hung out?
The only other people Mitsuba had known were the broadcast trio. They never seemed to be happy, let alone have fun. If he searched the memories of his past life, the other Mitsuba seemed to have fun now and then.
Photographs and baking didn’t really seem like something people did in groups though. Perhaps he could ask Sakura?
The thought of running into Tsukasa wasn’t all that appealing.
Mitsuba plucked absently at the button eye of his rabbit pillow. Perhaps it was best to let the more experienced people take charge of this sort of thing. He didn’t mind that, honestly. Still, he'd been hoping to impress his friends.
If not Hanako, then at least Yashiro and Minamoto. He wanted to see their faces light up with awe as he dazzled them with how undeniably cool he was and how wonderful of a host he could be. He wanted to show Minamoto that.
Sighing, Mitsuba slumped on a pile of cushions and held his rabbit pillow up. In the rosy light of the room he'd designated as his bedroom, the pillow seemed to glow. He pouted up at it.
This was ridiculous.
000
A hand extended from the mirror, waxen skin standing out in the warm amber of sunset. Yashiro adjusted her bag, glancing back to her friends. They nodded, Kou offering a warm smile. It helped to ease the pit in her stomach.
The last time she'd been in Mirror Hell had been less than pleasant. She could only hope this time was different. With a breath, Yashiro held out her hand to the two boys behind her. They formed a short chain. Turning back to the mirror, she reached forward and grasped the waiting hand.
A spark of cold shot through her arm, short lived. In the time it took to gasp, the arm was already jerking the trio towards the glass. The glass rippled around their bodies, smoothing as they passed.
Darkness, splotched with blots of maroon, filled Yashiro's vision as she tumbled out of the mirror. Squeezing her eyes shut, she waited to hit the ground. When she didn’t, she peeked, blinking. A dozen or so waxen hands were holding her, lowering her gently to the floor.
“Oh wow, that was really nice of him.” Hanako mused, hovering over to her. “No. 3 was never this nice to his guests.”
The soft splash of footsteps beside Yashiro told her Kou had also landed smoothly. “Mitsuba is a nice person.”
She had to agree. This was a distinctly kind gesture. Standing, the girl cast a glance around the area. Chairs of all shape and size were cluttered into a loose aisle, pastel dolls propped in them. Their button eyes looked up at them obliquely.
A sweet scent filled the air. Yashiro closed her eyes, sniffing. Pastries? Or maybe candies?
Hanako hummed curiously, peering around. “He really has an aesthetic, doesn’t he?”
“Where is he though?” Kou mumbled, eying the rows of dolls warily.
“What, worried about turning back into one?”
“Can it.”
Yashiro ignored their bickering, making her way through the ankle deep water with practiced ease. She had a feeling that his intentions were fairly surface level. The others quickly fell into step, their murmurs quieting as the unsettling atmosphere blanketed the room.
At the end of the aisle, a door rose up out of the gloom. Ornate paneling and shiny gold handles stood out against the aged wood. Yashiro decided she much preferred this form of Mirror Hell. Glancing back, she caught Kou and Hanako's gazes. They gulped, nodding.
Yashiro reached forward, pushing the door open. It swung open smoothly, the dimly lit room of dolls falling away. Hundreds of mirrors lined amaranth walls in all shapes and sizes. Lace trimmed the walls, sprinkles hanging mid air like confetti that had yet to fall.
As their gazes trailed the massive room, they fell to the banister. Sitting on the railing, arms crossed, Mitsuba watched them impatiently. “It took you long enough!”
The first person to speak was Yashiro. “It looks wonderful!” she cried, spinning to see the room properly.
At its core, the layout wasn’t any different than the previous Mirror Hell. But the presentation was admittedly much better. Mitsuba scoffed, rolling his eyes. “Well obviously.” he waved a hand. “Its me we're talking about.”
An eye in the wall twitched and flicked its gaze restlessly. Kou stared at it, trying to find it in him to be as supportive as his upperclassman. Hanako spoke up in his place, voice light as he looked around curiously.
“It really does leave an impression.” he said. “But isn’t it a bit too...cute?”
Mitsuba eyed him oddly, then shook his head. “No way. This is a horror aesthetic.”
“Its true.” Yashiro chimed in, smiling. “Lots of comics have this look.”
Kou took the chance to speak up, a friendly grin on his face. “Yeah, it is pretty spooky.”
Looking at the boy, an unrecognizable feeling flitted through Mitsuba's chest. He glanced away quickly, face reddening. “W-Well whatever, its already done. So it doesn’t matter.”
It occurred to Yashiro that perhaps he'd been trying to show off earlier. Smiling, she let the topic drop. Hanako shrugged, an easy smile forming on his face. “Alright then.”
Mitsuba pushed off of the banister, landing with a soft splash in the water. He gestured to the walkway, avoiding meeting their gazes. “Lets go already. This isn’t even the best part of this place.”
At the end of the winding path stood a towering three panel mirror. Yashiro recognized it from the previous layout, although the shape was where the similarities seemed to end. Unnaturally pigmented vines climbed the golden frame, roses sprouting wherever they so chose.
The redheaded spirit struck a pose, gesturing grandly to the mirror. “Ta da~”
A burst of raw anxiety filled Yashiro at the sight of it. Swallowing, she looked away. Kou glanced at her, a worried frown on his face. “Senpai, are you alright?”
It felt too embarrassing to explain. Mitsuba leaned into her field of vision, blinking. “Are you still upset about last time?” when she didn’t respond, he waved a hand. “Don’t worry, its not like I'll do that to you.”
As tempting as it was. He left that unsaid.
Yashiro swallowed hard, looking warily at the mirror. In the smooth glass, only her own reflection stared back at her. Relief shot through her and she let out a heavy sigh. Hanako floated over to her, petting her gently.
“Its alright, Yashiro. If he does anything, I'll make him suffer.” he said with a sweet smile.
A chill settled into Mitsuba's bones. “That’s really not necessary.” he muttered.
Hanako glanced up at him, smile still in place. “I feel it needs reminding.”
A mokke scuttled by and behind the mirror. Yashiro shook her head, a nervous laugh escaping her. “I-Its fine, Mitsuba isn’t like that.”
“Obviously.” the redhead sighed. “Don’t make this weird.”
It was already fairly weird, if they were being honest. A sleepover in a boundary was already at the top of the weird tier. Kou cleared his throat loudly, drawing the groups attention. “If senpai says its fine, then its fine.”
Hanako seemed ready to argue that point, but let it drop. Once the tension had thinned, Mitsuba cleared his throat loudly and resumed his pose from earlier. “Like I was saying, ta da~”
The glass rippled, revealing a doorway to another room. They stepped inside, looking around in pleased surprise. Thick mauve curtains lined the circular room, lace flocking peeking out between the fabric now and then. In the center a grand chandelier hung, the glass petals of the lamps shimmering with ethereal light.
A wide table sat underneath, surrounded by chairs. Along the perimeter, sofas were cluttered with no particular reasoning. Wherever there was space, dolls were placed. Yashiro recovered from her awe first, trotting over to the table.
“Oh wow!” she cooed, fingering the lace table cloth. “This is really cute!”
Mitsuba preened, a grin on his face. “Isn’t it??”
Kou and Hanako stood in the entrance, distinctly out of place. Looking around slowly, the sugar coated room threatened to overwhelm them. A mokke was fast asleep in one of the piles of dolls. Once he was confident that he wouldn’t hurt his friends feelings, he stepped further in.
It wasn’t as bad as it could be. Even with the eyes that peered from the shadows of the drapes and the rasping mouths. He could ignore that. Kou set his bag down on the table, digging inside and pulling out carefully wrapped packages. Hanako drifted over to him, allowing his attention to slip away from Yashiro for a moment.
“Whacha got there?” he queried. “Smells good.”
Kou unwrapped the packages, smiling. “I made food. Its not much of a sleepover without snacks right?”
“I suppose.” Hanako hummed, tapping his chin. He reached for a donut, chomping into it happily. “You're a good cook, kid.”
“Thank you.” Kou grinned, pleased.
After a bit of cooing over this and that, Mitsuba and Yashiro noticed the table full of snacks. Happy little noises escaped them at the sight. Soda bottles, donuts, cookies and sandwiches were arranged neatly in the center.
The group settled down around the table, filling their plates. Good food and good company chased away any previous misgivings. Stories about how they'd narrowly made it through exams lead to the topic of school.
“So, I was thinking about what to do for your rumor.” Yashiro said, setting her cup down. “I had a really good idea!”
Mitsuba had almost forgotten all about the rumors. “Really??”
She nodded, smile turning dreamy. “Its just a draft, but what if... when you bring a flower to the mirror and knock three times, you can see the face of your one true love.” Yashiro sighed, tilting her head. “Its really dreamy, isn’t it?”
Leaning back in his chair, the redhead droned, “Coooorny.”
The girl deflated visibly, pouting. “Huh? But its a really romantic idea.”
Reaching for another donut, Hanako commented, “Its a good idea to start up a rumor quickly. You don’t really have time to wait around.” he took a bite, glancing up at the sour expression on the younger spirit's face. “Besides, kids eat this sort of thing up.”
Nodding quickly, Yashiro hurried to add, “We can work on changing it after the fact.”
Crossing his arms, the redhead hummed in discontent. It wasn’t as if he had many options. It was crunch time. Sighing, he shrugged. “Well, I guess it works.”
Besides, there was still room for fun with this rumor.
Once all of them had their fill of snacks, they moved on to the topic of what to do first. They had an entire night and for Hanako and Mitsuba, this was a first time experience. Yashiro and Kou had decided to make this the best it could possibly be.
Yashiro reached for her own bag, propped up on one of the many chairs. As she began to dig inside of it, Hanako drifted over to her, curious. “What do you have there, Yashiro?”
“I brought games.” she said, smiling.
The spirit cooed, a delighted smile forming. “Games? What kind??”
Digging around, Yashiro tugged out a thick pack of cards. “I have cards and Monopoly.”
Hanako drifted closer, tapping his chin. “Monopoly? Whats that?”
“You don’t know? Haven’t you been haunting this place for a while?” Mitsuba looked at him oddly.
The older spirit shrugged, offering a placid smile. “Its just not something I've seen or heard about.”
“That’s alright.” Yashiro said, setting the game on the tabletop. “I'll teach you, it will be a lot of fun!”
Over the next ten minutes, the game was explained patiently to Hanako. Whenever one person spoke up about a rule or mechanic, another would quickly add in their own two cents. What had started as a straightforward explanation turned into a jumbled mess of house rules versus generic ones. As the group threatened to descend into pure anarchy, Yashiro decided enough was enough.
Setting a hand down firmly on the table, the girl spoke up. “We're playing by the basic rules. This is Hanako's first time, so we shouldn’t confuse him.”
Mitsuba huffed, crossing his arms as he leaned back into his chair. “Whatever.” he mumbled.
Kou was quick to follow his upperclassman's lead, nodding with a smile. “That sounds like a good idea.”
The redhead shot him a withering look that went unnoticed. Clearing her throat, Yashiro patted the box lightly. “Alright then, lets pick our pieces.”
Leaning over the table, Mitsuba plucked a small metal dog from the pile. “I call the dog.”
A pout tugged at Yashiro's lips. “Eh? But I wanted the dog.”
Mitsuba settled into his chair, eying her challengingly. “Its my boundary, I get to be the dog.”
The tension was almost palpable. It dropped quickly, however, when the girl sighed and shrugged. “Well, fine. But!” she snatched a piece from the pile, a determined look on her face. “I get to be the penguin then!”
“Sure?” the redhead rolled his eyes. “Whatever.”
Hanako and Kou looked between them with dumbstruck expressions. They decided not to voice their thoughts, moving on. “Whose going to be the banker?” Kou asked.
The older spirit raised his hand, a grin on his face.
“Not Hanako.”
His face fell. “What? Why not?”
Yashiro shot him a knowing look. “You'll cheat.”
“I would never.”
“Yeah, no, you definitely will.” Mitsuba said flatly. “Yashiro should be the banker.”
Hanako aside, everyone agreed to that. The first few turns went smoothly. As these things tend to, however, it turned south quickly. They were a round in when someone noticed that, although the dice landed on a seven, Hanako hadn’t moved exactly seven spaces. Instead, he'd conveniently landed six in.
“Are you cheating?” Kou asked, bewildered.
The look of betrayal on the older spirit's face was almost convincing. “Me? Cheat? I would never.”
He'd stopped a space before the boardwalk. Kou's property. Mitsuba raised a brow. “Yeah no, you're definitely cheating.”
“This is ridiculous.” Hanako said, looking at Kou with a friendly smile. “Why would I do that? We're friends, right?”
The blond was visibly torn. Mitsuba waved a finger at Hanako, frowning. “Don’t try to mess with him, he's not mentally capable of handling this sort of thing!”
Kou had never felt so insulted. “E-Excuse me???”
It spiraled from there. Before long, pieces were flying and the game was officially over. As Mitsuba stood to escape the onslaught of plastic hail, his sleeve caught the edge of the plate holding the donuts. They teetered precariously, before tumbling over the edge of the table with a splash.
The shouting dimmed, as Hanako turned his attention to the mess. A single donut floated in the water, bobbing lazily. Everyone looked over to see what exactly had captivated the older spirit. The look of pure heart break was enough to silence the fighting.
“Hanako...?” Yashiro called, stepping over to him.
Kou set a hand on his shoulder, patting it. “H-Hey, don’t worry, we can make more!”
“Its fine...”
“It'll be okay!” the girl cheered, patting his arm. “Right, Mitsuba?”
The redhead blinked owlishly, wondering how this happened. “Uh...sure.”
“Here, there’s still cookies.” Kou offered.
Hanako allowed himself to be lead to the table. Mood officially dampened, Yashiro took the time to dig in her bag for something that could help. The thought of cards and more chaos was far from ideal. At the bottom of the bag, her fingers brushed against cool glass. Blinking, she tugged out a bottle of nail polish.
“Whats that?” Hanako asked, munching away at a cookie.
Yashiro showed him, the light catching the bottle and making it shine. “Nail polish.”
Glancing up from the task of cleaning up the table, Kou eyed it oddly. “Why did you bring that?”
“I must have had it from when I last slept over Aoi's.” she mused, pulling another bottle from the bottom of the bag. “I have a bunch.”
Scooting his chair closer to hers, Mitsuba cooed happily. “Oh wow, we could have manicures!”
“That does sound nice.” Hanako said, drifting over to them.
Yashiro smiled and set the bottles she'd dug up on the table. “Alright then.”
Kou felt incredibly out of place. Still, he didn’t want to be the only one not participating. They all settled around the table, pairing up. Mitsuba declared Yashiro as his partner immediately, with a certainty that left no room for argument.
“Why not me?” Kou joked.
Mitsuba cast a glance back at him, raising a brow. Honestly, it would have been preferable if he'd been hit instead. Sighing, he settled in with Hanako, lifting the spirit's hand and patiently applying green to his thumb.
Hanako watched him swab the color over his nail, chewing on a cookie. “I'm honestly surprised your brother let you come.” he commented.
“I told him I was at Sato's.” the blond explained, dipping the brush back into the green polish container. “Its not like he knows.”
“Kid...” the boy murmured, looking at him in awe. “Are you telling me that you lied?”
“Minamoto doesn’t lie.” Mitsuba commented, watching Yashiro painstakingly create a gradient with red. “Its like... not in his genetic makeup.”
Huffing, Kou capped the bottle he was using and reached for the purple. “Its not like I cant lie.” he mumbled. “I just don’t like to.”
“I think its good that you're so honest.” Yashiro said, aiming a smile at him. “We already have enough people here who aren’t”
“I feel like that’s aimed at me.” Hanako said, watching Kou attempt to keep the polish on the nail and not all over his finger. “But that cant be the case, because I am a pure, honest person.”
The boy snorted, hand jerking and smearing paint over the spirit's finger. “Yeah, alright.”
“Its true!”
When he'd finished with Hanako's nails, Kou leaned back to appreciate his work. It was an absolute disaster. Yashiro nodded to her bag, not looking up from Mitsuba's nails. “There’s some remover in there.”
Kou felt his cheeks warm at the idea of going in her bag. The spirit in front of him made a face. “You've got such a lewd expression. Its just a bag, you know?”
“S-Shut up.”
He found the bottle easily. With some patience, he managed to clean the majority of the mess from Hanako's hands. They looked much better, in his opinion.
“They look good.” Hanako said. “You've got a real career ahead of you, kid.”
“If he worked in a salon for little girls.” Mitsuba said, eying the mess with distaste.
Kou bristled, ready to defend himself when he saw the redhead's nails. While nowhere near perfect, the gradient from red to pink was leagues above his own sloppy work. Yashiro really was good.
Mitsuba blew on his nails, leaning back in his seat. “They look pretty good, Yashiro.”
“Thank you.” she said, smile delighted. “I practice with Aoi a lot.”
They switched partners, settling into their new seats. Mitsuba took one look at Kou's nails and sighed. “They're so beat up. What do you do, drag them on the ground??”
“T-They're not that bad.” the blond argued, flushing.
Eying the boy with a flat expression, Mitsuba sighed and reached over to the table. He plucked a nail file from the pile of tools Yashiro had pulled out earlier, getting to work. “You need to take care of them, or they'll become a real pain to live with.”
Kou winced as he took the file to his nails, trying not to pull his hand back. The file pulled at the jagged edges of his nail, sending chills up his spine. “Its not like I really care. I'm an exorcist, not a model.”
“Pity. Your brother is both.” the redhead teased.
“No way!”
When the spirit was fairly pleased with his nails, he glanced at the polishes not being used. He picked out the blue bottle, shaking it and getting to work. Kou watched him dab the brush over his nails, dumbfounded by how smoothly he worked.
Glancing up, the redhead raised a brow. “What?”
Kou shrugged. “You're just really good.”
“Well of course I am.” a flush settled over Mitsuba's cheeks. “Its me after all.”
He wanted to comment on the way the other boy's voice rose an octave, but chose not to. That shade of pink looked nice on him, Kou mused. Glancing over, he watched Hanako work on Yashiro. He'd chosen to do a rainbow of colors, matching his own hands. They looked really cute together.
“Done.”
Blinking, he looked down at his hands. Neatly painted and very blue. “They're nice.” he said.
Mitsuba tapped his nose, pouting. “That’s all you've got to say?”
Rolling his eyes, Kou leaned back a bit. “They're really nice.”
“That’s better, I guess.”
Stretching, Yashiro glanced at her watch and hummed. “Its getting a bit late.”
Glancing at his own, he had to agree. It felt crazy that they'd been having so much fun that they'd passed this much time already. “We should get ready for bed.”
Mitsuba waved a hand at one of the mirrors just behind the gauzy curtains that lined the room. A shimmer alighted over its surface, the image of another room appearing. “You can use that to change.”
Yashiro made a pleased noise, clapping. “Oh wow! You really can do anything with those powers, cant you?”
“Mostly.”
Kou graciously offered to let Yashiro go in first and she took the offer happily. As she stepped through the mirror, the curtain fell over the glass, covering it. Hanako floated over to it, tapping the mirror. Nothing happened.
“If you're trying to sneak a peek, you cant.” The redhead said, lounging on one of the many sofas. “Its a one way mirror.”
Hanako visibly drooped, pouting. “That’s no fun.”
“Don’t be a creep.” Kou snapped, getting his own things ready.
“Like I'm the only one who has dirty thoughts here.” The spirit huffed, crossing his arms.
Once everyone was changed and ready to settle down, the topic of where to sleep arose. No one was fond of the idea of sleeping in the water and while the seats were a tad narrow, they were much preferred to the floor.
Mitsuba considered the jumble of couches and tapped his chin. “They're kind of scattered, aren’t they...”
Yashiro glanced up from her bag, blinking. “A bit, but that’s fine.”
“What if we move them together?” Hanako queried, floating over to the girl. “In case someone rolls off and into the water.”
The thought of turning into a fish and being washed away was enough to sway her. Without a sound, the sofas began to move and arrange themselves. Four of them formed a long almost-bed, wide enough for everyone to lay comfortably.
Kou clambered over the end of one of them, sitting happily. He offered a hand to Yashiro as she to climbed over. “Thank you!” she said, smiling.
A flush settled over his cheeks as he smiled back. “Its nothing.”
Several duvets were dumped unceremoniously over the unsuspecting blond. He squawked, the sound muffled. Mitsuba stood behind him, an irritable look on his face. “Gross.”
Yashiro suppressed the urge to laugh at the sight. Kou managed to claw his way out of the pile of blankets, scowling up at the redhead. “What was that for!”
Mitsuba shrugged, glancing away. “No reason.”
The two blonds got comfortable on the sofas, making their own little nests with the provided duvets. Kou began to set the alarm on his phone, when Hanako made a disappointed noise. Glancing up, the boy blinked. “Whats wrong?”
Crossing his arms, the spirit hummed in discontent. “Its boring to go to bed so early.” he lamented. “We should tell stories.”
Yashiro blinked curiously. “Stories? Like what kind?”
Hanako wiggled his fingers ominously. “The scary kind, obviously.”
“Absolutely not.” she said flatly.
“We could just tell regular stories.” Kou offered. “They don’t need to be scary.”
The girl latched onto that, nodding quickly. “Yeah, regular ones sound good!”
Hanako deflated, pouting. “No fun...”
She ignored him, adjusting her position so that she and Kou formed a semi circle with Hanako on the other side. Mitsuba settled himself on the arm of the sofa, holding a carrot pillow. “So who goes first?”
Yashiro tapped her chin, before her eyes lit up. “Oh! Oh, what about Minamoto?” she turned to look at him, smiling. “I'm sure you have plenty of stories!”
Kou itched his cheek, leaning back on a hand. “Me? Well, I guess so.”
“Maybe...one about your brother?” Yashiro broached, leaning a bit closer.
Hanako sat himself down between them, side eying the blond. Kou leaned away, rolling his eyes. “Yeah, I have lots of those.” he paused to think, then began. “So once, me and my brother decided to play with some black magic. Y'know, dumb kid stuff.” he shrugged. “Well, we found this game online where you sew fingernails into a doll and stab it, to invite a spirit into it.”
A look of disgust settled over Mitsuba's face. “Ugh. Fingernails? Really?”
The blond ignored him, gesturing. “So like, the basic idea was that you had some salt water in your mouth and you play hide n seek with the doll. My brother pretty much fell asleep in one of the closets and I was like stuck in the bedroom drooling salt water all over myself. It was fun.”
No one else seemed to agree. Yashiro leaned away from him, mouth a thin line. He blinked, glancing around the group.
“Whats the matter??”
Hanako tilted his head. “You two are kind of creepy, you know?”
Kou bristled. “C-Creepy???”
The girl sighed miserably, hanging her head. “Minamoto and senpai... you're so creepy...”
A jolt of shock raced through the boy at his friend's words, strong enough to send him reeling. Was he really that creepy...?
“Well, next.” Hanako said, glancing around the group. “Lets keep this story train rolling.”
Seemingly oblivious to the boy's misery, Yashiro turned towards Mitsuba and smiled. “Well, what about you? Any stories??”
Mitsuba glanced at Kou, debating whether or not to say something. He settled on patting his head awkwardly. “I guess? But its not like its my story. But its pretty cool anyway.”
“Go ahead.” Hanako waved a hand. “We need a pick me up, after that last one.”
The redhead tilted his head, tapping his chin in thought. It felt wrong to pull from stories that weren’t truly his own, but this one at least was in part his. “Well... the other me, before he died, used to pass this salon all the time. So, it was like, why not? And he stepped inside. It smelled like cherries.”
Yashiro leaned closer, face pulled into a determined expression. “Really?? And then what??”
“Well, there was this conditioner.” he said, grinning. “It left my hair sooo soft! Like a cloud.”
The girl sighed, lifting a hand to finger a lock of her own hair. “That sounds so wonderful... Where was that?”
“I'll give you the address later, before you go.”
Recovering from his stupor, Kou glanced up at the two wearily. “Was that even really a story...?” he mumbled.
Mitsuba eyed him sharply. “What, are you the story expert here?”
The older spirit waved his hand placatingly. “Now, now, children.” he began, a cheeky grin on his face. “Lets not squabble. Its Yashiro's turn.”
She blinked, then smiled and clapped excitedly. “Oh! Oh, I have a good story, to!” she said, nodding quickly. Yashiro cleared her throat and began. “So, once... when Aoi and I were first starting in the garden club, we would always see some weird looking vegetables. But once...”
Kou and Hanako leaned forwards, curious. “And...??”
The girl's brows furrowed and her tone turned a tad darker. “One day... I pulled out a turnip with a human face.”
A shudder ran up their spines. Mitsuba scrunched his face up. “That sounds super gross.”
“It was!” Yashiro agreed, nodding quickly.
Hanako looked skyward, mouth a thin smile. “I wonder, maybe it was something like a supernatural? Or a sign?”
Yashiro frowned, face tinted green. “Don’t say things like that.” she said flatly.
Fidgeting with his blanket, Kou spoke up. “I'm sure that its nothing, senpai.”
She offered him a grateful smile. Clearing his throat, Hanako spoke loudly. “Well, I suppose its my turn now.”
A lull fell over the group. Glancing amongst one another, they shook their heads. Pouting, the older spirit huffed. “Excuse me? What, I'm not allowed to participate?”
Mitsuba raised a hand, a bored expression on his face. “Sorry, but I'm pretty sure you'll give us all nightmares.”
Hanako crossed his arms, frowning. “Untrue. Formal protest.”
“No.”
“Informal protest.”
“Guys,” Kou began, “maybe we should let him tell a story.”
Two pairs of incredulous eyes turned to pin him in place. Gulping, he glanced away. Hanako sighed, shaking his head. “You're all so hurtful.”
Yashiro sighed, rubbing her forehead. “Fine. Go ahead then, tell us.”
The slow spread of Hanako's grin set chills in their spines. “Alright then~”
Everybody regretted Yashiro's choice immediately.
000
The chandelier dimmed slowly, allowing for time to get accustomed to the dark. As Kou drew the blankets closer to himself, he couldn’t help but watch the drapes for shifts in shadow. At the other end of the couch, Yashiro held a carrot shaped pillow close to her chest. She steadfastly refused to meet Hanako's gaze as he drifted about, attempting to catch her attention.
“Yashirooo...” he moaned miserably. “C'mon, I said I was sorry...”
“I'm not listening.” she said flatly, rolling to face the back of the sofa. “Go away.”
The spirit was quiet for a moment, leaning to peer over the top of the sofa. He sighed softly. “I really am. I didn’t think you'd get so scared.”
Chancing a glance up, Yashiro paused. Biting her lip, she mumbled, “Fine. I forgive you.”
Hanako's face lit up, a bright smile forming. He rested his chin on his arms. “Thanks.”
Tearing his attention away from the two, Kou forced himself to count the colorful star shaped lights that hung from the ceiling. There weren’t a great many, but it helped that whenever he heard the two murmuring, he lost count. A weight settled on the arm of the sofa, tugging at the corner of his pillow.
“You look absolutely miserable.”
His eye twitched. “Can it.”
Mitsuba hummed softly. He dropped an armful of pillows over the blond, watching them tumble over his disgruntled face. “It gets cold here, you'll probably want more than a blanket.”
Brushing them away from his face, Kou blinked. A mokke had fallen with the pillows, peering up at him with dark eyes. It skittered away quickly. “Thanks?”
“Its nothing.”
A lull settled over the room. The soft sounds of Yashiro's breathing and the drip-drop of water was calming, easing the stress from his bones little by little. From the corner of his eye, if he glanced down at the foot of the couch, he could see the faint glow from Hanako's will-o-wisps.
It shouldn’t be so distressing, to see the spirit watching his friend with such warm eyes.
“Talk to me.” came a soft voice. “Its boring.”
Kou glanced up in time to see Mitsuba slip down to lay beside him. His heart jumped, as the other boy turned to look at him. Swallowing, Kou asked, “What do you want to talk about?”
“Whatever.” Mitsuba shrugged. “Tell me about you. Go to any clubs?”
“Not really.” Picking at the pillow he held, Kou focused on the ceiling. “I've got my siblings to take care of. I don’t have time.”
“Boooring.”
Kou thought, then added, “Well, if I could, I'd like to be in something like kendo.”
A soft snort. “That’s so you.”
“What about you?” the blond asked.
Mitsuba rolled his eyes. “I cant go to clubs, idiot.”
“I meant...what if you could?”
The redhead paused, before his mouth formed a thin line. “I cant, so there’s not really a point in thinking about it.”
A jolt of regret filled the boy. “That’s true, I guess.”
Silence settled between them, just the sound of the boundary shifting around them. Biting his lip, Kou spoke quickly. “What if we all made a club?” he glanced at the other. “You know, so we could all have fun together.”
Mitsuba looked at him, something familiar in the way his eyes glittered in the faint light of the room. The redhead swallowed hard, voice strange. “Y-You're an idiot. That sounds fun.”
Kou grinned back at him. “Doesn’t it?”
The smile he received was small and warm. “Yeah.”
A pause turned into a comfortable silence. Despite the way his heart thumped in his chest, exhaustion was starting to win out. He yawned and Mitsuba murmured, “Go to sleep.”
“You'll be alone, though.” Kou mumbled, glancing over to him.
Shrugging, Mitsuba offered a smile. “Not really. You're still here.”
The way his hair fell into his eyes, tangling with his lashes, made his stomach flip. Thankful for the darkness, the blond plucked at a button on the pillow. An eye, he realized belatedly. “If you say so.”
“I do.”
It was easy to see the spirit in the dark. The ethereal glow of his body and the way his eyes seemed to glow. Kou let the other boy's presence ease his worries away.
000
Spirits didn’t need to sleep. Too far from a ghost, too far from a yokai, Mitsuba was stuck in between. Usually, he lingered in the darkened halls of the school, watching the lights twinkle outside of the windows.
Tonight, he watched the way his friend's chest rose and fell as he slept. The way his eyelashes fluttered over his cheeks as he dreamed, the blond seemingly blending with his skin. How he'd sometimes murmur in his sleep, lips moving faintly.
The lack of sleep had its perks.
He ignored the pointedly knowing looks Hanako sends his way, whenever he glances at him.
The world began to fizzle and fade, shadows deepening around them. He watched the blond as long as he could, up until the edges of his face began to soften and dim. Warm and soft and alive, Kou stayed present in his consciousness as it faded.
000
A blast of music startled Mitsuba from his peace. The chandelier above flared to life as he jolted from his light sleep. Groans sounded off around him, a chorus of groggy misery. Letting go of the breath he was holding, the redhead sighed and slumped back down.
Just the alarm.
Burying his face into the warm surface he was laying on, he attempted to go back to that comfortable blurry place he'd been. The fabric under his cheek smelled nice, he mused, digging his fingers into it.
A sharp inhale broke him from his pleasant thoughts. “Uh...”
Dread pooled in his belly. A heartbeat he hadn’t noticed before now was battering away beneath his cheek. Glancing up, he locked eyes with Kou.
“Oh.”
There was something in the blond's gaze that filled his insides up with stones. Something akin to dread, perhaps, or maybe horror. Mitsuba pushed himself up and away quickly. “W-What, were you trying to get close or something??” he stammered, looking away. “Weirdo.”
Kou didn’t fight back and it deepened the cold dread in his gut. From the other side of the couch, Yashiro moaned and looked at her phone. “Its so early... I want to go back to bed.”
Mitsuba focused his attention on her. “Is it?”
“Y-Yeah.” came Kou's hurried response. “We should go before anyone notices us.”
Its easier to think about the real world and its problems. So as everyone sluggishly moved around the room, gathering their things and getting changed, Mitsuba focused on that. The trip back to the bathroom mirrors was a quick one, without the pomp and circumstance of introducing the group to his boundary.
Sunlight streamed through the stained glass of the bathroom window, casting the room in shades of gold. Yashiro stretched, yawning wide. “I haven’t been here this early before.”
“No?” Hanako hummed, drifting close to her. “Its pretty quiet, huh?”
Too quiet, without all the boisterous laughter from the night before. Mitsuba didn’t think he could get used to silence again after that. Turning to look at him, Yashiro smiled brightly. “Last night was a lot of fun, right Minamoto?”
The blond jumped, looking at her owlishly. Then, quickly, he agreed. “Y-Yeah! Yeah, it was a ton of fun!” he looked at Mitsuba, attempting to smile as wide as Yashiro had. “We should do it again!”
“Yeah!”
His heart ached at the half smile and the thought of another night full of games and stories. It felt far too good to be true. “I'd really like that.”
Honesty wasn’t his strong point. But for once, it felt easy. The two blond's smiles were almost outshining the sunlight, shimmering and sweet. Farewells were exchanged, with promises to talk soon. Kou walked directly into a wall as they left.
A smile pulled at Mitsuba's lips. What an idiot.
“Well, that was a lot of fun.” Hanako said, stretching and glancing to the window. “I don’t think I've spent that much time with another Mystery in years.”
“No?”
“Nope.”
A silence settled over the bathroom. Outside, the distant call of birds echoed. It felt lonely. The older spirit sat on the window sill and leaned back against the glass. Mitsuba knew he was probably overstaying his welcome. But the thought of going back to that empty boundary made his stomach turn.
“I don’t envy you, kid.”
His voice was soft, lacking the mirth it usually held. A bitterness rose up in his chest. Mitsuba turned and headed back for the mirror. “Yeah, me either.”
Only idiots fell in love with living humans.
0000000000