Chapter Text
When Shiba pops up in front of him, Hakuri can only thank the gods for sending Chihiro's mentor to him at such a dangerous moment. The minute Soya's shadow appears above him, he doesn't know what to do. Some difficulties are impossible to deal with, and his older brother is one of them. And he doesn't care about himself, but here's Hinao, he's worried about her because Soya will just beat him up while breaking her neck. Because he can. Because big brother is incredibly cruel. Because it's how he shows his love that makes Hakuri sick as if Soya's deliberately ignoring everything that makes Hakuri uncomfortable.
The funny thing is that Hakuri is much stronger than Soya in this sense. The one probably can't accept something outside his mindset because his personality is carved like a stone and won't accept any more changes. In this sense, the weak Hakuri can compare himself to water, which will take whatever form it wants, because no one has ever tried to mold him into something complete, seeing him as a weakling.
He thinks of nothing as Hinao pulls him by the hand, and they run away down the small corridor, while behind them they hear the howl of his older brother and the sound of shattering concrete. Hakuri's mind is in chaos; he only regains consciousness the moment they run into the cafe, and he falls to the floor, completely exhausted from the stress he's been through, literally sliding down the wall and panting heavily. He only nods weakly when Hinao tells him the message from Shiba that he doesn't have to worry about his brother for now, just throws his head back and clenches his eyes tightly shut until his eyelids ache.
Shiba comes to him. So Chihiro is left alone against his father. Will the samurai be able to handle it? Hakuri has confidence in him, but his sense of reason says it's too dangerous... Father knows how to wound not by deed but by word, and his brothers' brood is strong. Chihiro may be strong too, but Hakuri knows he has a lot on his mind, and if his father picks the right word, just one, the calm facade will fly off the samurai's face, as it did during the fight with the Kamunabi girl.
But there's nothing he can do now, and so all that remains is waiting.
And waiting... is incredibly tiring, because there is no answer from Shiba for a long time.
Hakuri manages to come to his senses. He's sitting at the table, Hinao across from him, and between them is freshly made green tea with a funny milky smell in a small clay teapot, and he can only watch absently as the tea leaves float in the cup. His thoughts are preoccupied with Chihiro, their brief but intimate acquaintance... Why did he choose to trust him? Why had he told him a secret? Hakuri could have been a traitor. But Chihiro still believed him and didn't treat him condescendingly because of his weakness like Soya did... Why, why, why? He is reminded of Chihiro's weak smile when Hakuri regains consciousness after their escape, his tentative touch, and he clenches his fists angrily, afraid that he might have failed Chihiro and put him in danger. The first person he met that didn't think he was a joke, and!..
So when Shiba alone appears in the air beside him with a quiet clap, leaving a faint odor of ozone in the air, Hakuri nearly shrieks. Hinao, on the other hand, finally looks away from the ledger and looks at Shiba with a rebuke and a mute question that doesn't even need to be voiced. But one look from Shiba — nervous and angry — is enough for anyone to understand, but he still says with a somewhat hoarse voice:
"Chihiro... lost. When I arrived at the place... The barrier knocked me away. They must have turned him against me specifically. I tried to contact him, but..."
Shiba grimaces, clearly angry at himself and the world, and Hakuri feels the crumbs of hope slowly dissolving, leaving room only for suffocating panic.
Chihiro loses. Did he meet with his brothers? No, he did of course... Did the older brothers prove to be too strong even with just the three of them? But if Chihiro lost... What happened to him? No, he knows the answer, he understands his father's logic all too well. He wouldn't miss the opportunity to put Rokuhira Kunishige's seventh blade up for auction, but Chihiro's fate... Who cares about the sword...? Although Chihiro does care about the sword, so... What will his father choose? Chihiro talked about something like that, about a lifelong contact, his father could kill him and increase the price of the blade, because it will be available to anyone who wants it, or he…
Thoughts are swarming in his head like a bee hive.
But what about Hakuri? It's because of him. He's the one who's putting Chihiro in danger, if Shiba-san hadn't teleported to him, if he hadn't saved him from his older brother, if... It's all his fault! Because Hakuri is weak! He feels a drop of sweat rolls down his face when Hinao suddenly frowns.
"What do you mean?!"
"I've searched around, but there's no way to get in. One hundred percent that mustache asshole saw me and only laughed."
"And you just came here?! Shiba..."
Hinao slaps her forehead with the palm.
"What was I supposed to do?!"
"I don't know, call Azami, do whatever you want! You jackass!"
"You think the Kamunabi gives a shit?!"
They're just worried, Hakuri concludes to himself as he clutches his knees until his fingers ache. They're fighting because Chihiro is important to them, and Hakuri is screwing him over. Damn, if only it wasn't for Soya... It could have ended differently, it could have... Why is he such a weakling, why... He abruptly throws his head up and, ignoring the swearing, looks Shiba in the eyes and asks in a trembling voice:
"You're going to do something, aren't you?"
The man hesitates at such a question, and his fury falters. Hinao pauses as well, and the two of them stare confusedly at Hakuri, who, stammering, continues:
"Let me help. I'm willing to do anything, honestly! Just please don't leave me out of it! I'll really-really help, I'll even risk my life because Chihiro helped me so much! I hate my whole family and I'll tell you everything! Just please don't kick me out, I'll be helpful, I'm not-!"
Not useless.
It's stupid. Who needs you, Hakuri thinks to himself. You're a weakling and you're screwing Chihiro over. But he's willing to risk it all, because it's fair, because... Perhaps that's what redemption is all about. Hakuri helped with the auction a long time ago, with that nasty event, and there's no getting rid of that sin, no matter what he says. So... he'll help with something good, at least.
Chihiro agrees to help him so easily. He trusts him to keep a secret without hesitation.
And unlike Soya, he does it in a completely different way.
Suddenly, something in Shiba's gaze changes, and for some reason, Hakuri begins to tremble under his stare. These aren't the eyes of a man who agrees to accept your help, more like those of a hungry wolf. Of course, he is. He knows a lot about the government, and given his age, it's likely he's one of the people who laid down the Kamunabi once upon a time long ago. Hakuri hates to be under this intense attention.
"You don't have a choice anyway."
And that's all.
Hakuri is useless during the preparation phase, he can only tell what he knows, so he agrees to help Hinao prepare the cafe for closing: he may not be good at household chores, but he can wipe tables and wash dishes. As Hinao watches him from the sidelines, she suddenly snorts, and Hakuri flinches when she puts her palm on his hand and shows him how to avoid scattering garbage all over the place, making his ears blush — not because he's embarrassed to be touched, but because even here he manages to screw up.
Hinao's voice is unexpectedly calm, even though it wasn't long ago that he and Shiba were yelling at each other:
"Failing even at that, huh?"
"Sorry..."
"It's nothing serious. I mean, really," She laughs. "The only one with a godlike talent for domestic chores is Chihiro. I'm not kidding! Look at Shiba," She, clearly still angry, suddenly whispers in Hakuri's ear. "He's such a swine, it's just beyond words. Typical bachelor, he never washes his mug."
... Admittedly he doesn't know how to react to that. But then Hakuri gives a strained smile.
"Chihiro's good at that too, huh?"
"Yeah..." Hinao clucks her tongue, then looks at him without a smile and pats his shoulder. "Don't be upset. It'll be fine. I can see you're blaming yourself a lot, but you're wrong. No one could have known that scary guy with the braids would come for you."
"But I knew he was after me," Hakuri protests painfully. "I knew it, and I failed to see that!"
"What were the odds that you'd run into him?"
As he swallows the words, Hinao snaps his fingers.
"You can't predict everything. Believe me, before I met you, I screwed up too, causing Char to be kidnapped and me to almost die. Everyone makes mistakes, but there's at least a hint of stability in this situation because Chihiro's not going to die."
"Are you sure about that? That my father won't kill him?"
"Did he teach you how to operate underground?"
Hakuri just shakes his head. He has a rough idea of how the auction works, but the intricacies of the business remain a mystery to him, as the most useless of the family brood. But he has a hunch about it too, it's just... How to describe it? Intuition? His father would call it business acumen.
"Look, I'm only gonna say this once. And for fuck's sake, don't tell Shiba, or he'll start yelling again. But having a son of Rokuhira Kunishige is like catching the chicken that lays the golden eggs. Chihiro is a desirable target for many, but especially for the Kamunabi. They're already planning to buy out "Shnuchi", and now they have to have to splurge on Chihiro and his sword. You know what I mean?"
"Father's gonna make so much money."
"Yeah."
Well, that's true. His father is always looking for an income and trying to take advantage of things, which means they have time before the auction if they do try to sell Chihiro... But the thought makes him so sick that Hakuri solely out of guilt finishes helping Hinao and, at her behest, goes to the room assigned to him, which is...
Ah yes. Samurai's bedroom. Perhaps Hinao doesn't have much space in her cafe.
Hakuri stomps in place for a few seconds, before taking a cautious step forward. It's pretty empty, all the decorations are clearly Hinao's, and the only thing belonging to Chihiro is clothes. But there's his scent in the air, like iron and ash, and for a while Hakuri's uncomfortable with the idea of intruding so brazenly into someone else's room. But since Hinao lets him... So, mumbling apologies to himself, Hakuri finally decides to rest, but he doesn't have a change of clothes.
When he goes to Hinao to confess, she just laughs:
"Just use what Chihiro has."
"Is that really okay?!"
"Please, he'd let him do it himself."
Not only is Hakuri screwing Chihiro, he's stealing his last shirt!..
But Chihiro's choice of shirts is weird, he doesn't seem like the type who likes silly designs, but somehow every single one has some ridiculous drawing or something similar. Hakuri picks the most innocuous one with a jolly cactus and lies down on the bed, then covers himself with a blanket. The bed smells like Chihiro, too. He wonders how Chihiro sleeps. Does he fall into a deep sleep, or is he always on the verge of waking up? Does he keep his sword by his side? And which side does he sleep on, or is it on his back? It must be difficult with one arm... So many questions, but only one thing is certain — that Hakuri will save him.
He's no good for anything more than that anyway.
They've only known each other for a little over a day at most, and Hakuri feels like he's known him for much longer.
Why does he even care so much about this? It's not that he and Chihiro are particularly close, having only recently met. But there's something about his attitude... His gestures, his touch, his sad barely noticeable smile... It's probably something Hakuri has craved to see in Soya. His brother had once been sane too, his touches didn't bring pain, he was gentle, and then something in his head snapped. Back then, Hakuri wanted to be strong, to be like Soya. Later, to be able to stand up to him. But now... It's like life is taking a turn. He wants to be strong again, but this time to help Chihiro.
To avoid it turning out like it did with the girl...
Hakuri quickly pushes the thought away.
He hears the door open, and when he looks up, he doesn't have time to say a word before a small, sharp knee pokes into his side. When he yelps, he realizes it's Char. She and Chihiro seem to be close, don't they? Like brother and sister. She must be upset about everything... And Hakuri is here sleeping on Chihiro's bed!
"Sorry," He mumbles. When he turns around completely, he can feel Char trying to get comfortable next to him, but her face is quite calm.
Geez!
When she opens one eye and looks at Hakuri, she sighs loudly with a look like he's the one who's about six years old here and she's the adult in charge.
"He's wetting his pillow with his snot again! What kind of person are you?"
"Uh, sorry about that, too."
"Are you worried? About Chihiro. You cried then... You cried both times," Char suddenly hesitates.
Hakuri just shrugs in response. Well yeah, he's been crying a lot lately. He must have hit his head. Except no one here is going to condemn him for it like they would at home, where they'd laugh about it.
"Did you hear that? About what happened. It's my fault."
"Even so, you're ashamed of it," She shrugs. "So it's no big deal. And Chihiro... He's such a person that he'd still trade you for himself if something happened! Or something more valuable... Like a sword! So I'm not angry or sad."
"You're lying," Hakuri smiles. "I can see you were crying."
Char pretends not to hear him, but he receives one more kick to his side, but this time he stays still. He only sighs as she makes herself comfortable beside him, then suddenly asks timidly — something that doesn't fit with her manner of speech before:
"May I stay? It's scary alone. I've always slept with Chihiro during bad days."
"It's not my bed anyway."
Satisfied, Char climbs under his arm and bumps her nose against his shoulder, and Hakuri remembers the times when he used to come to Soya's bed just like that, and they'd fall asleep in each other's arms... Happy days far away that would never return. That's what he thought to himself. But if there's a way to escape from his family, from Soya, if there's a way... Chihiro reached out to him without a second thought and helped him...
Hakuri must help him too.
With that thought, he falls asleep.