OOC: Skip to the end for a summary if you don't feel like reading everything.
Takashi settled the rest of the bill, happy to find that he had enough on his KS card to cover it. Honestly, he wasn't sure how much was in his account. He hadn't thought about money since he had enlisted almost two years ago now. In fact, he hadn't thought about money before then, either, but he had needed to sign up for an account when he enlisted in order to receive his pay, which was precisely the extent to which he had thought about money before in his life. Takashi pulled himself off his stool, and was once again relieved to find that he was better able to balance himself than before. Considering how badly the rest of him felt, he tried to hold onto the small comfort it gave him, but it slipped away before too long.
Just as he had two years ago in the week before he enlisted, he tucked his frigid hands into his pockets and walked out into the city with no destination in mind. Revellers bustled around him, but he was hardly aware. After several minutes passed, he gradually felt...not better, exactly. But more removed. Like he was observing his feelings as an outsider rather than being an active participant. What was he feeling? He tried to find the words. Above all, he felt something in his chest like some internal organ was being pulled away, and no matter in which direction he walked, he couldn't follow the direction it wanted to go. Was it his heart? Suddenly, some song lyrics came to mind that started to make more sense. Underneath, he felt an energy within him, buzzing at the thought of spending more time with Kozakura. It prickled at the back of his neck and up the back of his head. What did he want to do with her? He couldn't say. Just doing something with her. Finally, he found the feeling that he least wanted to unpack. It was like a hole in his gut and it ached, but not in the same way that his heart did. It wasn't so bad now, but he could feel it slowly getting worse as the minutes ticked inexorably towards his eventual departure from this world. From Kozakura's world.
Looking up, he realized that he knew where he was. How long had he been walking? He turned around to look at the road down which he had walked and saw the revelry only as a point of light in the distance. His eyes looked to an unmarked set of sliding glass doors that lay between two storefronts. Someone of indeterminate species and gender was leaned up against the doors, head lolling to one side and then the other. Were they trying to get in? He wondered, and watched them for a few minutes before they gave up and wandered on down the street. Takashi walked up to the doors and they silently slid aside, granting him entrance. Within, a receptionist at a small desk stood, walked around in front of the desk, silently bowed deeply at her waist, and waited. Takashi moved awkwardly past her into the hall of elevators that lay beyond her desk. One of the elevators opened, practically beckoning him inside. Without pressing a button, it began its ascent.
When the elevator doors opened, he stepped out into the cold air again. Around him, the rooftop terrace was immaculate. Snow covered everything except the koi pond from which a gentle mist rose into the night. Directly across from the elevator was a small wooden building with paper walls, illuminated softly from within. Somewhere unseen, trickling water caused a piece of bamboo on a hinge to tip over, pour out the water it had collected, then snap back upwards and strike a rock with a hollow thunk. Takashi crossed the garden and reached the house, where he took off and left his boots outside before opening the paper wall and entering the living room.
Within, an older woman sat quietly at a low table. She wore a black formal dress with a gold belt around her waist. Her lower body was hidden under the low table, which seemed to have a built-in blanket to keep the cold of the room out. On the table in front of her was a pot of tea beside which sat two cups. A third cup was delicately suspended in the air in front of her face by her delicate hands, as she had been in the process of taking a sip when he entered. She only hesitated for a moment before she completed her action, sipping quietly at the substance within the cup, then placing it back down on the table, careful to sweep the flowing sleeves of her gown away in a motion that was so effortless, he knew that she had practiced it a thousand times before. She didn't look up. Neither of them spoke.
Takashi crossed the tatami mats until he was standing at the closest edge of the table and she was on his left. He knelt. Two years ago, he might have tucked himself under the blanket, but something within him urged him not to. Not tonight. Perhaps never again. Without saying a word, she picked up the teapot and filled his cup. The teapot was only barely within her reach, but her movement was so graceful, it reminded him of the effortless way she dealt with her impractical sleeves. Once his cup was filled, she put the cast metal teapot down again, doing so without allowing its contact with the table's surface to make a sound. In the garden outside, the sound of bamboo striking a rock echoed. She pushed the cup towards him ever so slightly, then returned to her own tea. Takashi removed his hands from his coat pockets and used both to pick up the cup, the warmth was welcome against his practically frozen fingertips. He drank.
They drank tea in silence for some time, until the paper wall directly across from Takashi slid aside and in stepped an older man dressed in a gown that matched the older woman's only in its anachronism. The man walked across the matted floor and sat on Takashi's right-hand side. The woman began to fill his teacup in precisely the same way that she had filled Takashi's.
"I've joined the army," Takashi finally spoke. The interruption made both of the older people stiffen slightly, and though the woman was mid-pour, she didn't allow a drop to be spilled.
The woman finished her action, set down the heavy teapot again, and gave the man's teacup a gentle push. The man responded to the gesture by bowing his head slightly and reaching forward to grasp it with both hands, drawing it to his lips and taking a sip.
"How did you know I was coming?" The second interruption made the man seize up again, then place his cup gently down on the table.
A silent moment passed. Takashi knew that they wouldn't respond until the moment was appropriate, but something compelled him to speak out of turn. Something had changed within him two years ago.
"You are leaving again soon," the man said flatly without looking up from his cup.
"Yes, I..." Takashi started.
"That wasn't a question," the woman interrupted. Takashi looked at her, but she too refused to look at him. The man and woman took another sip of tea, and while Takashi longed for its warmth, he resisted the urge to join them. A dull thunk sounded from the garden once again.
"You are a science officer," the man spoke again. "What is your rank?"
Takashi studied the man's face, which gave no indication of interest in the answer to the question. Takashi suspected he didn't need to answer.
"Santô Hei."
Takashi continued to stare at the man, who continued to stare at a fixed point in space occupied by nothing.
"How long will it take you to become a real officer?"
Takashi stood quietly, left the room, retrieved his boots, entered the waiting elevator, passed the still-bowing receptionist in the entrance lobby, and started walking back to his hotel.
Well, he thought quietly to himself. Now I won't have the thought of visiting my parents on my mind when I see Kozakura tomorrow.
OOC: In summary, Takashi tries to deal with some emotions and ends up visiting his parents.
