Work Text:
Denial was still at the forefront of everybody’s minds, particularly within the minds of the Kawajiri family. Shinobu Kawajiri desperately wanted to believe that her husband had simply lost track of time at the office and slept at a capsule hotel for the night. Maybe he missed a train or went out drinking and crashed at a coworker’s house. Those were the lies she fed herself as the first night without him progressed into the morning.
It didn’t get easier with time either. As the days rolled on, she felt an increasing longing feeling within her heart. The dinners she left on the table went cold and untouched, she’d feign sleeping, and she’d stare absentmindedly at the door waiting for his return. If only she had known her husband was long dead, and the man she had fallen in love with was recently departed as well.
Less than a week had passed, and Shinobu left a report with the police about his sudden disappearance. It was a futile effort, but she desperately hoped they could uncover something regarding the situation.
The morning after Shinobu left the report, she helped her son, Hayato get ready for school and saw him off. Hayato was somewhat surprised at his mother’s change in behavior as the two had a rather strained relationship. He hated that the events that had recently transpired were what brought about this change.
He walked silently down the street. He had recently changed his walking route to school as the events regarding Kira still weighed heavy on his mind. As much as he tried to push those thoughts out of his mind, they kept making their way back inside. Hayato walked in a rather dazed manner, both trying to take note of his still new surroundings and fighting off the intrusive thoughts of that particular morning.
Bump!
Hayato stumbled backwards slightly, only to be stopped by a hand grasping firmly onto the front of his shirt. Hayato let out a startled gasp as he regained his footing and the hand withdrew.
He looked up, “I’m sorry! I was-” he stopped when he realized who he’d bumped into.
Rohan Kishibe, the eccentric, resident mangaka, peered down at him with a camera in hand. His manner of dress seemed particularly normal for once. His visage looked slightly softer than normal as he fiddled with his camera to fill in the awkward silence. Hayato stared at him, not sure how to break the silence between the two. He did find it somewhat impressive that the youthful mangaka was out and about this early in the day.
“... Why are you out so early, Rohan-sensei?” he asked somewhat nervously.
Rohan stopped fiddling with his camera, “I decided to take some reference photos this morning for an upcoming chapter in my manga,” he made a note of Hayato’s school hat, “and it seems to me that you’re walking to school, correct?”
Hayato nodded silently.
The awkward silence returned.
Hayato awkwardly side-stepped away from Rohan and decided to continue his route to school, even though he wasn’t in a particular rush. Rohan watched him intently for a moment before calling out to him, “Do you want me to walk with you to school?”
Hayato paused and looked back, letting out a sigh and nodding somewhat hesitantly.
Having Rohan walk beside him made the travel feel less lonely, even though he normally walked to school and back home by himself. Rohan would occasionally pause to take a photo or two before briskly catching up with him. Though the two didn’t say much to each other during the walk, Hayato appreciated the feeling of a shared mutual space.
“... Did your dad ever walk with you to school?” Rohan prodded bluntly.
Hayato felt a faint pang in his chest, and he tilted his head down slightly.
Rohan bit the inside of his cheek and cursed himself in his mind, “... I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to poke an open wound so bluntly… It was just… a passing thought.” It was a thought that had been spurred on by the recent missing person reports in the newspaper.
Hayato pursed his lips momentarily before passing a glance at Rohan, “... It’s okay.” He went quiet for another moment, “... Dad and I never really got along. He was… a jerk. He never paid attention to me or mom, really.”
He looked up at the trees, “... I think this is the first time that somebody has walked with me to school in a long time.”
Rohan looked somewhat surprised at the revelation, mostly due to not fully understanding Hayato’s family situation before the events concerning Kira. Still, it was a rather delicious stroke to Rohan’s ego that he got to be the young boy’s chosen companion for the walk.
“Well, now you can brag to all your friends that the great Kishibe Rohan accompanied you on your walk to school today,” Rohan smirked.
“... I don’t really have any friends. And, no offense Sensei, I don’t think any of the kids at my school read your manga,” Hayato said without skipping a beat.
Rohan felt like he had taken a punch to the gut. He quickly recovered as he realized he was letting himself get upset over the opinions of grade-school children. He tried to play it off as best as he could.
“Well… I suppose that’s for the best since my manga contains subjects that aren’t exactly suitable for children your age. Perhaps when they’re older they’ll get to experience how great my work is,” he felt a bead of sweat roll down the side of his face.
Hayato rolled his eyes and sighed. While he was aware of the mangaka’s many talents, he never truly interacted with him before. Part of him wanted to get to know the rather eccentric man a bit more, but part of him wanted to keep as far from him as possible. He had a rather mischievous aura he carried with him.
Once they arrived at Hayato’s school, Rohan waved good-bye to him as he entered through the front gates. Hayato gave a small wave back, and the curious mangaka could’ve sworn he saw the corners of his mouth curl upwards into a smile.
“Do you think that’s his dad?”
“No… They don’t really look similar. Maybe it’s an uncle?”
“Isn’t he too old to have people walking him to school anyways?”
The children closer to Hayato’s age chattered amongst themselves and looked over Rohan curiously.
Rohan grew a small smile and went to walk away when he was stopped by a small tug on his pant leg.
“Hey mister, you look like the funny green-haired man I sometimes see in my dad’s Shonen Jump comics. Can I get your autograph for him?” a young girl looked up at him.
Rohan looked down at her for a moment before letting out a small chuckle and soft smile. He was happy to oblige.
Rohan waited outside the school gate around the time he expected Hayato to begin his return back home. There was a slight inkling of fear he’d be accused of loitering or ran off the property for giving off generally creepy vibes. Though, he hoped his rather normal looking clothing and his somewhat aloof mannerisms regarding the nearby children wouldn’t cause anyone to assume such indignities.
Soon enough, Hayato returned to the school gates, surprised that Rohan was there to greet him, “If I had known you were going to be here, I wouldn’t have taken so long in cleaning up.”
Rohan chuckled lightly, “Well, I hadn’t mentioned anything beforehand, and if I’m to be perfectly honest I didn’t plan to return,” he straightened up, “I only decided to walk back with you since I thought it’d be odd if I showed up on your doorstep out of the blue.”
Hayato rolled his eyes at that.
The two had a generally calm walk back to Hayato’s house. Rohan stayed by his side this time as he no longer had his camera with him. Neither of them spoke much to each other, but it was evident Hayato appreciated the company as noted by the small smile on his face.
“Thanks for walking home with me, Rohan-sensei,” Hayato said as he pulled his house key out of his pocket and unlocked the front door.
“Just one moment,” Rohan motioned towards Hayato, “Could you ask your mom to come outside?”
Hayato blinked, “Uhm… Sure.”
The mangaka had a hardened glare on his face, one likely not to be dissuaded easily. Hayato pondered for a moment before opening the door and going inside. He slipped his shoes off before looking around for Shinobu. Not to his surprise, she was sitting in the living room mindlessly petting the cat sitting on her lap.
“Hi mom,” Hayato spoke in almost a whisper.
“Welcome home, Hayato,” she replied in a similar manner.
Hayato stood there for a moment before speaking, “Rohan-sensei is outside and wants to talk to you. He’s the manga artist that’s sometimes in the paper.”
He then turned on his heel and went upstairs. Shinobu watched him for a moment, her eyebrow twitching slightly at the thought of somebody turning up on her doorstep so suddenly. She gently sat her cat down and went to finally confront Rohan outside. She opened the door and gave him a rather unfriendly glare, though there was a noticeable flinch when she realized who exactly was standing in front of her. Truth be told, it hadn’t clicked in her head who exactly Rohan was until she saw him.
“... Do you need something?” she asked with a slight bite in her voice.
Rohan seemed unphased, “Yes, I actually came by to inquire about the missing person ad in the paper. I have lots of photos of people around town from around the time of his suspected disappearance. If you would like for me to deliver them to you to forward on to the police, I can.”
Shinobu’s eyes lit up slightly. She threw the door open wide and somewhat stumbled out of the house, grabbing the front of Rohan’s shirt. Rohan grunted and placed his hands around her wrists, giving her a rather harsh glare. However, his gaze softened as he noticed the tears welling up and tailing down her cheeks.
“Please! Please send them to me! If you have anything that you know about him, please tell me! I beg you!”
Rohan lightly pushed her off of himself, “Calm down, calm down. There’s no need to act in such a manner. I’ll send over what I have then. Just… please keep your hands to yourself in the future.”
He smoothed out his shirt. He couldn’t help but feel bad with the woman. She had devolved into a sobbing and blubbering mess which made him feel a slight twinge of guilt. He let out a heavy sigh and pulled a handkerchief out of his pocket, offering it to her. She paused for a moment before delicately taking it and using it to wipe her face.
“I’m sorry… sorry… It’s just…”
“... Don’t be. Don’t feel as though you need to explain yourself either,” Rohan said in a somewhat softer voice than earlier.
Rohan adjusted the portfolio case on his shoulder and mindlessly looked around the yard while Shinobu pulled herself together. He knew Kosaku was long gone, yet he kept with the lie that he was still somehow alive. Perhaps, it was better for her to live in ignorance for her own sake, or maybe it wouldn’t hurt to use Heaven’s Door and inscribe the truth into her pages. His fingers twitched at the thought of that.
Shinobu’s sniffling brought him back to reality for the moment. He made a note of the bags underneath her eyes, the chapping of her lips, the constricted skin around her throat, and the small scratches that appeared on her body. Rohan bit the inside of his cheek and curled his hand into a fist.
‘Not now.’
Shinobu extended her hand out to the mangaka and offered the handkerchief back to him. He lifted a hand and pushed it back towards her, “Just keep it.”
Shinobu withdrew slightly, speaking somewhat softly, “... I meant to ask… Rohan-sensei, was it?” Rohan nodded and she continued, “... Did… Did you walk with Hayato back home from school?”
Rohan was caught slightly off guard, “Yes, I did. Is there an issue with that? He’s a fan of mine so I thought it would’ve made his day.”
“... Hayato reads manga…?” Shinobu muttered somewhat breathlessly to herself.
Rohan stared at her, somewhat shocked that she didn’t even know what her own son’s interests were, “Yes. He was rather enthusiastic about it.”
“He was enthusiastic!?” Shinobu’s eyes widened, “That’s… That’s amazing!”
Rohan grew a rather strained grin as he realized he was digging himself further and further into a hole he hadn’t meant to dig in the first place.
“Uhm, well, if you could, I need to tell Hayato something one more thing before I leave,” Rohan stated in a rather blunt manner.
Shinobu blinked for a moment before returning inside momentarily. Hayato soon reappeared and rubbed his eyes somewhat tiredly.
Rohan took out a small slip of paper and scribbled something on it before sticking it into Hayato’s vest pocket.
“If something ever happens, don’t hesitate to call me. I don’t oversleep unlike some people I know,” he said somewhat sarcastically. He then put his hand on Hayato’s head, “I also told your mom you’re a fan of my manga so she didn’t think I was some creep following her son around. Sorry if that causes any inconveniences for you in the future.”
Hayato blinked a couple of times.
“I also told her I’d be sending her some photos to help find her husband… though I’ll likely reveal the truth to her when the time is right.”
Hayato stiffened up slightly, “...W-Why? Why go through the trouble of lying about it?”
Rohan hesitated, “... Because the look in her eyes tells me she’s already on the verge of giving out. I know it’s not the best way to go about things, but for now this is what I see fit.”
Hayato tilted his head down and gulped.
Rohan let out a sigh and straightened up, “I’ll be going now. Don’t get into any trouble without me. Stay in school and get good grades because those are important.”
Hayato simply nodded as the eccentric man left the doorstep and made his way down the street once more.
A couple of days had passed, and Rohan found himself working somewhat restlessly in his studio. Ever since the Kira incident, his motivation and inspiration for manga had reached an all-time high. He found it difficult to depart from his work for extended periods of time, and when he did the only thing on his mind was drawing his manga. Still, he knew it was important to take breaks and stretch out. He finished the page he was currently working on and set it aside to dry. He then stood up and popped his lower back and he paced around his room to return the blood to his slightly wobbly legs.
A sudden ring from his phone immediately snapped his attention back to his desk. He rushed over and snatched it up immediately. The first thing that crossed his mind was that his publisher had yet to receive the fax for his latest scans or only part of it went through. It would be a relatively easy fix if that were the case.
“Kishibe Rohan speaking.”
“Y’know, I was wondering who’s number Hayato was keeping in his pocket. He’s lucky I checked his clothing-”
Rohan muffled a groan and rolled his eyes, “And who am I speaking to?” He already knew the answer to that.
Shinobu continued to ramble rather mindlessly. He sat the phone down on his desk and turned on the speaker call function as he resumed stretching his limbs. Most of what she said went into one ear and directly out of the other.
He sat back down in his chair and pulled out a fresh page to work with. He stared down at the page, imagining various shapes and characters he wished to draw upon it. He readied a rather thin pen nib and started back on his work. He mostly ignored Shinobu’s various rambles, though as he had nearly half the page inked he felt her mindless drabbles getting to him. How could one woman talk so much?
"He seemed really happy that you walked him to school the other day, Rohan-sensei. I wouldn't mind it if you walked him to school every day. Or every other day. Whichever would fit into your schedule."
Rohan’s nib scratched to a halt. He stared at the phone on his desk intently before sitting back and sighing, “What a mess you’ve gotten yourself into, Kishibe.”
He took the phone off of speaker call and held it between his shoulder and ear as he fiddled with his pen, “Look, Hayato is a good kid and all, but if that’s all you’ve called to talk about I’m going to hang up. This seems like an after-hours type of thing to discuss, and I’m currently working.”
Shinobu went silent on her end for a moment, “Is… Is this an invitation to-”
Rohan felt his face become increasingly warm, “Woman! That’s not what I was referring to at all!” He sat his pen down and aggressively ran his fingers through his hair, “Look. What I meant is that I’m currently working, and this is something that can be discussed later.”
He pinched the skin on his forehead and cursed himself under his breath.
Shinobu remained quiet for another moment, “When will you be finished for the day?”
Rohan genuinely wanted to hang up right then and there, but something kept tugging at him to continue pursuing the situation. He looked at the clock on the wall and contemplated. "I'll be done by four if you hang up right-" The other end disconnected.
As the evening drew to a close, Rohan found himself thumping his leg in odd anticipation. He had expected her to call him exactly at five by the way she hung up earlier, though she did come off as a bit of a ditz and there was a high likelihood that she had completely forgotten about the conversation entirely. He sat aside another completed page so the inks could dry and started intensely at the phone. He felt his lip twitch and let out an angry sigh. Just as he pushed his seat back, the phone rang.
“Kishibe Rohan speaking.”
“So would you be willing to do it, Rohan-sensei?” Shinobu’s voice spoke clearly from the other end.
Rohan leaned up against his desk, contemplating the thought. He glanced at the sunlight that was peeking through the blinds and furrowed his brow slightly.
“Yes, but I have something to ask of you in return…”
Rohan fiddled with the lens on his camera, changing out the long-distance lens for the close-up lens. He took a couple of test photos, trying to find the best angle to take a picture from. While golden hour was beautiful, it was tricky to capture photos in. One wrong angle, and any photos taken would look as though the sun swallowed the subject whole. Either that or they would look as if the shadows claimed them as one of their own. Rohan checked his watch rather impatiently as he had run out of ways to distract himself while waiting. The park shouldn’t have been that difficult to find.
“Is that him?”
“That looks like him. I don’t think anybody else would dress that way.”
Rohan turned his head to see Shinobu and Hayato walking towards him. He checked his watch, muttering to himself that they showed up five minutes later than he had asked. His face contorted into a rather sour visage.
“You’re late,” he said as the two approached, “We don’t have the time to talk either, so just do what I ask of you.”
Shinobu lightly pouted, though she didn’t protest all too much. Rohan grasped Shinobu’s arm, albeit a little too rough, and brought her to the exact spot he had in mind. He instructed her to lean back against a tree and read a book he had brought with him. He put an emphasis on actually reading the book while he took the photos.
He stood with Hayato near his side and only started taking photographs once he noticed she was thoroughly invested in what he had brought with him. His general demeanor seemed to relax a bit when he was getting what he wanted. After gathering pictures at different angles, he decided to have her change the pose she was in. He took one of his earrings off and tossed it into a nearby bush. Shinobu dropped the book, and both her and Hayato’s eyes widened in slight panic.
“Perfect! That was exactly what I was looking for!” Rohan eagerly snapped photos of both their expressions.
“But why, Rohan-sensei? Those look too expensive to just throw away like that!” Hayato questioned him.
“For the sake of reality is why!” Rohan grinned widely, not even phased by the idea that he had just thrown away something valuable.
Over the next few minutes, it became rather clear that Rohan was riding on some sort of artistic high. All formalities seemed to be thrown to the wind as he pulled several similar stunts. One involved throwing himself into the dirt while taking a photograph midair in an attempt to capture Shinobu’s shocked expression as he fell. Another involved having Shinobu pretend to be dead, though he wasn’t satisfied with the outcome as it didn’t look real enough to him. He even cut his hand at one point to imitate the look of real blood pooling from her skin. This only earned him a harsh glare afterwards and a rather clumsily bandaged hand.
Rohan squatted on the ground as he clicked through the pictures he had taken. The sun had already sank down past the horizon, and darkness was more prominent than ever. Hayato looked over his shoulder rather curiously. Rohan threw a glance his way before straightening himself out.
“I suppose this will do for today,” he said as he put his camera back in his bag.
Shinobu gave him a somewhat harsh glare, “Are you going to say thanks for helping?”
Rohan’s eyes sharpened, “... These were the agreed upon terms. I don’t believe an additional thank you is needed.”
She huffed at him.
Rohan gave a sly smirk, “If you want to make it home before it gets completely dark, I’d suggest you leave now. You wouldn’t want any unwarranted trouble.”
Shinobu merely rolled her eyes and motioned for Hayato to follow as she began to walk away. Hayato glanced up at Rohan before slowly starting to follow after his mom.
“See you tomorrow morning, Rohan-sensei.”
“See ya,” Rohan replied rather casually.
Rohan took a step forward only to be stopped by a clink on the ground. He looked down and noticed that a squirrel had returned his missing earring.
‘I will return Rohan Kishibe’s missing earring to him when I find it in the bush,’ was written on its pages.
He smirked to himself.
Rohan handled the developed photos with care. He was rather pleased with how each of them had turned out. The lighting was dramatic and matched what he had in mind for his upcoming chapter. He found himself gently smiling as he sorted through them and picked out the ones that he wanted to use the most. Though, there was one in particular that he found himself rather fond of.
He wasn’t planning to use it for anything in particular. In honesty, he only took it because of how perfect it was. It was that perfection that made it seem so characteristically unrealistic. How an accident could be associated with perfection was beyond him. He feigned touching his finger to the photo, but he did slide it into a small frame to prop on the edge of his desk.
He found himself smirking again, “... Not bad, not bad. Maybe there’s more to you than what you let me see this evening, Shinobu Kawajiri.”