[closed]

[monkeyblue]

Who: Fushimi and Xihe’s Temple
When: January 21st
Where:Xihe’s Temple and the surrounding area
What: So Fushimi remembers something he was better off forgetting.
Warnings: Mentions of child abuse, parent death.

[It is eight o’clock in the morning, and Fushimi is not in his room.

He’s not in Yata’s room either, and Sicily is still in his stable. His phone is gone but the GPS is off and he’s not answering messages or calls. There’s no note, but no sign of a struggle either if the missing coat and boots are any indication.

Fushimi is not in his room, but Izumo is no doubt getting lances of terror and pain and loathing from the missing shinki. Following that, at least, should give the temple’s residents a clue as to where he’s gone.]

Comments

[thevanguard]

[ Yata starts moving closer now, his expression worried as he holds out his hands, palms up, towards Saru. ]

Alright. You can wear your hair however you want, Saru. But I don't understand. Will you tell me what happened?

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi shakes his head again.]

I don't know if I can. I don't know if you ever met him.

[thevanguard]

[ That at least helps things click into place. ]

You got a memory back?

[monkeyblue]

More than just one memory. I remembered every single second I was near him.

[And if the look in Fushimi's eyes is anything to go by, it wasn't good.]

...he was the one I was hallucinating on the volcano.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata blanches at that. He remembers how freaked out Saru had been at the volcano, from whatever he was seeing. ]

Shit.

[ Thinking quickly, he hesitates a moment before stepping closer and tentatively putting a hand on Saru's arm. ]

Look, it's cold out here, and you're dripping wet. Will you let me take you home and make you breakfast or something to warm you up? You can tell me about what you remember, if you want. We'll just be careful about context, or something, right? [ If anyone can be smart enough to figure out how to do that, it would be Saru. ]

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi pauses and glances back at Izumo before nodding.]

Alright. Let's go.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata also glances over at their god, meeting his gaze before wrapping his arm around Saru's waist and guiding him back home again.

once in their apartment, he gives him a shove towards the couch and promptly dumps a thick, fluffy towel over his still wet head before draping a blanket around him for good measure. Which is, of course, an open invitation for the cats to immediately curl up with him as well. ]

There. Get warmed up. Do you want any coffee? Tea?

[monkeyblue]

[Fuku knows right away that her human is Unwell, and Toshi is a needy so of course he follows. Fushimi doesn't even pretend to mind as he dries his hair and curls up under the blanket.]

Soda.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata opens his mouth to object that soda doesn't go with breakfast, but considering how shaken up Fushimi looks right now, he lets it go and comes back with a can for him before sinking down on the couch beside him, searching his face under the shadow of the towel. ]

Alright, spill. Who did you remember?

[ Was this another of Saru's Blue clansmen? Another one of the enemies they'd been fighting so much? ]

[monkeyblue]

[He wishes.]

My father.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata freezes in surprise before his eyes widen in horror. ]

...The fuck?!

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi just nods, not looking at Misaki.]

When I was a kid, I think I was left home alone or something and someone broke in. I didn't remember that, but I remembered being in the corner while he and I guess my mother talked about it with the police or a maid or someone else. Someone said something about getting an alarm. He just...laughed and said there wasn't anything of value in the house, so why bother wasting money?

[That was probably the safest memory to share first.]

[thevanguard]

[ Yata's fingers curl into fists at that as his temper sparks. ]

What an asshole!

[monkeyblue]

He did worse. He named me "Saruhiko" because I looked like a monkey when I was born.

[Fushimi's grip tightens on the blanket a little.]

He liked to mock me with that. Or threaten to burn my things. Or actually burn my things.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata just looks more and more horrified the more Saru lets spill. he reaches out, resting his hand on Saru's knee - light, but letting him know he was here.

The mention of mocking him with his name - something Yata had playfully done when they first met here and had called him Saru ever since, not to mention his talent for setting things on fire... Yata's not sure how Saru can even stand to be near him right now. ]

I.... I'm sorry. You didn't deserve that. You were just a kid. he should have been the one protecting you.

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi shakes his head.]

It's fine. He's dead, I'm dead, so what does it matter what he did when I was alive?

[He laughs, but it's not a humorous one. It's a little broken.]

It's done, it's over. I'm, what, twenty-one? Twenty? He died years ago. It's fine.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata reaches out, curling his fingers to either side of the towel covering Saru's head, to turn the other shinki towards him, leaning close until their foreheads rested together and he could hold Saru's gaze fiercely. ]

It matters.. It's not fine. No one should treat someone else like that, especially when that person's family. That's just fucked up, in the worst sort of way. Would you say it was okay, or fine, if someone was treating me that way? I don't care if it was years ago. That doesn't mean he should be forgiven for being such an asshole!

[monkeyblue]

[Fushimi scoffs and pulls away. He really can't look at Misaki right now.]

It's fine, Misaki. He's dead. If he's still haunting me, that's on me. Not like me going crazy would be entirely unprecedented.

[thevanguard]

[ Yata pauses at that, confused. ]

Haunting you? What are you talking about?

[monkeyblue]

That's who I was hearing on the volcano. I'm not sure it was the volcano doing it, though.

[thevanguard]

[ He cocks his head to the side, confused. ]

The volcano was making lots of people do weird crazy shit. See things, hear things, get all pissy about everything. You saw that, just like I did. What makes you think it wasn't the volcano?

[monkeyblue]

My memories?

[Even if there's something about his memories of seeing his father in Izumo's bar that feels off, telling him there's something important there that he can't remember just yet and shouldn't think too hard about, his conclusion about his own sanity doesn't feel wrong. Those memories were after the one of him yelling at his father's corpse.]

[thevanguard]

[ Yata breathes out through pursed lips for a moment before shifting to face Saru fully on the couch now. ]

Alright. Fill me in. What makes you think you're being haunted instead of seeing things the way the volcano made everyone do? What do you remember?

[monkeyblue]

He's dead. I saw his corpse. And then I saw him in a bar.

[Simple.]

[thevanguard]

[ Yata blinks, leaning back for a moment. ]

After he was dead? Could he have faked it?

[ ....he hoped not. ]