What is Family? by Hoshiko and silvershadeus Part 8

After Mitsuru-sempai left I went back to my room, and as Suka still hadn’t returned from track practice decided to go through my interview notes in order to make a tentative outline of the article I was going to write. True, I still needed to interview Suka and Shinobu-sempai, but I felt that it would be better to have at least some idea of the direction I wanted to take the assignment I’d been given. After all, I’d managed to gather some very informative and surprising results over the week, and it would have been a shame to waste that.

It’s obvious from the start that the residents here at Greenwood are a little…different than most people. Not in a bad way, really, just…different.

There are a lot of talented people living at Greenwood, most noticeably Shinobu-sempai and Mitsuru-sempai, but…there are other people living here than just the two of them. Everyone here has some kind of talent or ability or just something that makes them stand out a little more than usual. It’s part of the reason people outside of Greenwood tend to look at us like we’re a little strange sometimes. The people who don’t know about all the goings on in the dorm, or the little quirks everyone here has.

The one thing I have noticed in the time I’ve been living here is that we tend to look out for one another, even if we don’t particularly get along all that well most of the time. Or act like we don’t, in Suka’s case.

I think most of us are…not resigned, exactly, but used to the fact that we simply aren’t like most people and have come to accept that much of ourselves. Suka though…he’s trying so hard to be normal that he’s shutting out the part of himself that belongs here. I’m pretty sure that’s why Mitsuru-sempai is so hard on him most of the time. It’s why we’re all so hard on him at times. We see the way he treats himself and want to help, but he makes everything so complicated because he sees the way he thinks things should be and confuses that with the way things really are.

It’s not wrong or bad that Suka wants to be normal, at least I don’t think so, but…what is normal anyway? For me being normal is nothing like what Suka must see as normal – in fact I know it’s not, but it’s my definition of normal. Shinobu-sempai’s…actually, I don’t really think I want to know what Shinobu-sempai’s definition of normal is, but I’m sure it’s not Suka’s idea of normal. The same goes for Mitsuru-sempai’s and everyone else’s definition of normal compared to Suka’s.

So which one was the ‘right’ kind of normal? I don’t think even Suka would have an answer for that if I asked him. Knowing him though, he’d puff up at me like an annoyed cat if I did ask him.

It’s funny, really…at first I had thought that the assignment Masutani-sensei gave me was pointless, some kind of…punishment for not working a hard as I could in class, but I was actually starting to enjoy it. I might not choose to be a journalist after I finish school, but it was an education in more ways than one. I’d learned more about the people I lived with at Greenwood in a handful of days than I had in all the time I’d lived there.

Masutani-sensei must have known – or at least suspected – that something like that was going to happen when I started my assignment, otherwise I sincerely doubt he would have given it to me. I have to wonder though, if it something he’d done before, or if it was just a spur of the moment kind of thing. It felt like a little of each, and I wondered what he would have said if I’d thought to interview him. If I’d been thinking when I’d compiled my interview list I probably would have, I’m sure he would have had some interesting things to say if I’d interviewed him.

I was in the middle of jotting down a few observations I’d made during my interview with the dorm lady when the door opened and Suka walked in looking very much worn out.

“Suka?”

He gave me a slight smile, shutting the door behind him as he headed for the bunk bed, dropping his gym bag next to his desk as he went past.

“Are you all right? You look…tired.”

Sometimes it pays to be…tactful, especially when you’re going to want a favor of sorts from someone. Not that I doubted Suka would refuse to be interviewed – Shinobu-sempai’s unspoken threats aside – but he is a bit on the moody side at times, so…

“Practice ran longer than I thought.” He muttered, scowling at the ladder leading to the top bunk as though it were mocking him. “I just need a little sleep before dinner and I’ll be fine.”

Watching him staring at the ladder, it occurred to me that he wasn’t really in any shape to be climbing things at the moment. Actually…he looked more dead on his feet than anything else at that point, and I gave a little more consideration to the possibility that the track coach really was after Suka than I had before. He certainly looked like he’d been run into the ground, and I was worried that he might consider climbing up the ladder to get to his bed to be too much trouble and fall asleep on the floor of our room. He’d done it often enough in the past when he was that tired that it was a definite possibility. Especially when he started eyeing the space under the window with a sort of…longing that I was all too familiar with.

“If you’d like, you can use my bed.” I offered, hoping he wasn’t going to be stupid and refuse.

Suka surprised me by accepting my offer after a moment, all but falling into bed with nothing at all like grace. Laughing, I helped him get under the covers and comfortably settled while he glared at me.

“I’ll wake you up for dinner, all right?” I asked, reaching for the sleeping curtain to block out the light.
Suka mumbled an acknowledgement and was asleep in moments, expression shifting from mildly annoyed to semi-content. And then he started snoring.

Rolling my eyes, I decided to finish working on what I had on my article before tackling my usual load of homework before dinner. Turning back to my desk, I found myself wondering how it was possible Suka didn’t wake himself up with all the noise he made.

As promised, I woke Suka up for dinner and we got through that fairly well, considering the fact that he was still half asleep. I don’t think he even noticed that Shinobu-sempai and Mitsuru-sempai weren’t there.

Suka didn’t really wake up until we got back to our room, and even then he was still a little groggy. That was probably the only reason I managed to get an answer out of him regarding what had been bothering him so badly all week. I honestly don’t think he meant to tell me – or anyone, but…there is only so long someone can go with something like that bothering them.

“It’s Kazuhiro,” Suka told me, lying on bed and avoiding my eyes by staring at the bottom of his bunk, “he’s just been more…annoying lately. He shows up wherever I am and he just…stands there and watches me with this stupid look on his face.”

Have I mentioned that Suka has a tendency to make things more complicated than they really need to be? Or that he’s got major issues when it comes to his brother and sister-in-law?

“That’s it?” I asked, feeling the urge to smack come sense into him with the closets thing at hand. “You’ve had me so worried about you I haven’t been sleeping well because your brother is looking at you funny?”

I probably haven’t mentioned that Suka’s issues have naturally become my issues because we’re roommates, have I? Or the fact that I think he’s being a complete and total idiot about them?

“Suka, you idiot!”

“What? What?”

Sighing, I buried my face in my hands and counted backwards from ten, trying to calm myself down a little before saying something I might regret. And then I thought of something that made me feel a little bit guilty.

“Suka, how long has he been doing this?” I asked, looking up at him with the sinking feeling that I knew what his answer was going to be.

He frowned at me and shrugged, going back to his staring match with the underside of his bunk. “A few days, not that long.”

Ah, so I really was to blame, then. Or rather, Masutani-sensei was.

“Suka…did you talk to him?”

He shrugged again, still not looking at me. I was starting to feel bad for snapping at him, but he really had had me worried and it was such a relief to know that there wasn’t something seriously wrong going on with him. Not that his issues with his brother aren’t serious, but that’s something I know for certain that will take care of itself in time. Anything else, though…

“I tried to, but he was acting all weird. Wouldn’t give me a straight answer.” Suka muttered, and then he turned his head to look straight at me. “He said to ask you, because you were behind it.”

I’d never really had the urge to scream in frustration more than at that moment with Suka looking at me like I’d somehow betrayed his trust. As it was, I wound up staring at him in something like shock, and then I remembered the look on his face the other night, and everything made a sickening sort of sense.

Getting to my feet I walked over to my bed and grabbing Suka by the front of his shirt hauled him to his feet and gave him a good, strong shake. Luckily for me, he was too shocked to do anything more than stare at me in surprise. As Mitsuru-sempai has reason to know, Suka has a good right hook.

“You really are an idiot, aren’t you.” I said, staring at Suka with a small smile, hands tangled in his shirt. “You’ve let this bother you for days and all you had to do was ask me what was going on.”

Suka glared at me, jerking free of my hold to put space between us like he thought we might actually come to blows. “Why should I? For all I knew you were planning something with him like you did with Shinobu and Mitsuru when I first moved in!”

“Suka – “

“You really thought that was funny, didn’t you? Poking fun at the new kid because he’s too stupid to figure it out and weak and – “

That was when I hit him.

I might have mentioned that Suka has a good right hook, but I’m not too bad myself. I don’t like fighting and I’d rather not do it at all, but there are times when it’s necessary. And at that time…I really think it was. Not because of what Suka was saying about me, or even what he was implying, but because of what he was saying about himself.

“You hit me!”

Suka was looking at me with this…shocked expression and I wasn’t doing much better, shaking with anger and surprise, my knuckles stinging and tears pricking at my eyes.

“Yeah? Well you deserved it.”

That brought both of us up short and we turned around to see Shinobu-sempai and Mitsuru-sempai standing in the doorway, identical looks of amusement on their faces. Mitsuru-sempai lifted a hand and gestured at the wall separating our rooms with a meaningful look.

“You two might want to keep your voices down – I’m sure you wouldn’t want news of your little lover’s spat getting around.”

“You – “

Suka scrambled to his feet and headed towards Mitsuru-sempai, and I grabbed him before he could do anything he’d regret, like start another fight with Mitsuru-sempai.

“That’s better,” Mitsuru-sempai said, smirking at the two of us while I had my hands full keeping my furious roommate from attacking him, “now kiss and make up so we can all get some sleep.”

“Mitsuru-sempai! You’re just making him angrier!”

Shinobu-sempai chuckled, and I almost let go of Suka at the sound of it. It’s never a good thing when Shinobu-sempai laughs like that.

“It seems we came at a bad time, Mitsuru. Perhaps we should leave the lovebirds alone to settle their…differences.”

Smiling at us, Mitsuru-sempai gave a shrug and followed Shinobu-sempai out of our room, pausing to glance back at us. “Don’t do anything we wouldn’t do, you two!”

Which left Suka and me in a rather awkward position, staring at the open doorway where they’d been.

“Shun?”

“Yes, Suka?”

“I think you can let go of me now, I’m okay.”

“Oh! Yeah, all right.” I said, hastily letting go and moving to shut the door before anyone could come by and see us.

Turning back to face Suka, I ran a hand through my hair and smiled a little sheepishly. “Sorry about hitting you, Suka.”

He gave a weak little laugh and sat down on the edge of my bed, rubbing his cheek. “No, Mitsuru was right, Shun. I deserved it. I wasn’t being fair to you and – “

“That’s not why I did it!”

We jumped as Mitsuru-sempai thumped on the wall separating our rooms at my raised voice, ordering us to keep it down so they could sleep.

Shaking my head, I looked up to see Suka looking at me with this completely confused expression on his face. “Then why - ”

Sighing, I took a seat next to Suka so that we were facing one another. “I don’t like it when anybody says bad things about the people I care about.”

“But – “

“Suka, you may be an idiot when it comes to some things, but you aren’t stupid, and you aren’t weak. You’re the best friend I’ve ever had and I hate it when you talk like that about yourself.”

“Shun – “

“I’m writing an article for my journalism class about what ‘family’ means to people and I interviewed your brother,” I said, not looking at Suka but at my hands on my lap, fingers locked together, “I guess it must have gotten to him more than I thought.”

Silence. The kind that’s fragile and brittle and feels like needles against your skin.

And then Suka sighed, sweeping it away with a tired laugh. “I really am an idiot, aren’t I?”

“Yeah, you are.” I agreed, laughing a little as I gave Suka a light push. “But that’s okay.”

“So I guess that’s what Shinobu was talking about the other day, huh?”

I nodded, feeling the tension between us draining away. “Yeah. I’d still like to interview you if you don’t mind? We could do it some other time if you don’t feel like it tonight.”

“That…that sounds like a good idea, actually. I don’t think I would be very helpful right now.”

And that was pretty much it for that night, both of us too tired and drained to do much more than smile goofily at one another while we got ready for bed. I got a promise from Suka to interview him the next day after morning classes and to talk more about the misunderstanding that had had us twisted up in knots before too much time passed and Suka’s insecurities started picking apart the tentative peace we’d reached.


To be continued...

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