[EVENT] ▫ Deep Mentality ▫

[jivitadana]

Who: Aikawa Yuu [last_liar] and Arisato Minato [jivitadana]
Where: [EVENT] A love hotel on Shirakawa Boulevard
When: Sunday, September 30
Rating: PG to PG-13-ish?
Summary: Minato and Yuu don't exactly agree on how to solve the problem of that voice in everyone's heads
The Story:

Minato knew exactly what this place was. It was one of "those" hotels on that more than sketchy avenue... Minato couldn't recall the name of the street, though he knew that he had definitely been there before. But everything about it was familiar, down to the color scheme, the blood stains, the mirrors, and the rooms. This time, the Mansion had targeted him. Something was missing now from his memories, and at least this time he had an idea of just what went missing.

He liked all of his memories since they helped shape who he was. He just hadn't asked for this one to come back to show itself to everyone else in Wonderland either... Especially since that mysterious and ominous voice in the back of his mind had returned with the memory as well. It perhaps helped that he had enough other voices in his mind to help fend off that foreign sound echoing inside. He did have the advantage of overcoming that voice before, and it was only after employing the same method of focusing and rationalizing that he was able to clear his head then. It was similar this time, but that voice was a bit more persistent, always creeping in when he lowered his guard. Not that clearing his head at home hadn't stopped him from being slapped for no good reason either.

The first place Minato had thought to check was the top floor of the hotel. Two Shadows had to be hiding behind a locked and sealed door as he recalled, and while there were several doors he had passed along the way, they weren't the right ones. Since finding them was to no avail, Minato resorted to the next best option as there were also no viable exits out of the hotel: He had to break mirrors.

Room 205 on the 2nd Floor and in Room 304 on the 3rd Floor were already occupied. He'd get to those mirrors later since those mirrors were the key in breaking the seal. In the meantime he was on the 1st Floor of the hotel, starting from there to try and get to the mirrors in the rooms to break them.

Comments

[last_liar]

Yuu didn't have as much luck as Minato rationalizing that voice away. Maybe it was because he was so uncertain in the first place or maybe it was because it was what he actually did want deep down--some excuse to just go for it--that after only a brief struggle, he gave in and went looking for Minato.

It took longer than he'd expected to find him--Minato must have been wandering around, too--and by the time Yuu did run into him on the first floor, he was beginning to feel uneasy. He told himself it was the setting, the bloodstains especially, that caused it. That reasoning at least made sense.

He almost walked right past the hallway where Minato was standing, but backtracked quickly and then jogged over to him.

"Minato...! You're here."

[jivitadana]

Minato was relieved to see Yuu. Yuu looked somewhat worried, but okay in general. He had just broken a mirror in the room he was last in, and was about to go further down the hall when he heard Yuu.

"I'm sorry."

He thought he should apologize first. This was his memory, after all.

[last_liar]

Yuu stopped in front of him, less hesitant than normal as he reached out and took Minato's hand.

"What for?"

[jivitadana]

Minato glanced around the hallway to make sure that no one else was in earshot.

He held onto Yuu's hand. "This is mine."

[last_liar]

Yuu blinked and reddened, though his expression was just as curious as it was embarrassed.

"...You've been to a love hotel?"

If he weren't so anxious, he'd tease Minato about this. He'll have to remember to do that later.

[jivitadana]

All the implications behind that question flashed through Minato's mind, but he nodded since if this was his memory, then it had to be true that he had been to one.

"Just to fight some Shadows."

Minato paused. With his free hand, he placed the back of it of Yuu's cheek.

"Are you okay?"

[last_liar]

Yuu tilted his head, pressing his cheek into Minato's hand. The answer to that question wasn't straightforward, but Minato's response did make him unconsciously relax a bit, mainly because it explained the bloodstains.

"Just...confused." He gripped Minato's hand. "Can we go somewhere not in the hall?"

[jivitadana]

Minato nodded, taking Yuu's hand in both of his own. They could go to the room that they shared. With all the chaos going on, it might not have been occupied.

He pulled Yuu into the room after hiking up to the second floor. "Stay here."

Minato was going to break the mirror in this room.

[last_liar]

Yuu watched Minato, expression twitching when the mirror shattered.

"Why are you doing that?" There had to be a reason, some part of Minato's memory that wasn't readily obvious otherwise.

[jivitadana]

"Breaking mirrors broke a seal a Shadow created."

And Minato hoped it would bring some clarity to anyone in the room.

[last_liar]

"So that's what you've been going around doing..."

[jivitadana]

Minato nodded, though he didn't think there was much he could be doing in a place like this.

"What've you been doing?"

[last_liar]

"Looking for you."

[jivitadana]

Minato was slightly surprised at that answer. He was cleaning up some of the broken glass now.

"That's all?"

He threw away the glass and went back to Yuu.

"... I'm sorry. I should've told you about this sooner."

[last_liar]

In all honesty, Yuu had spent the earliest parts of the event trying to resist the voice in his head and trying not to give in to the urge to hide in a closet. But that doesn't need to be shared.

"It's okay. You're here now."

Yuu took Minato's hands and checked to make sure he hadn't cut himself on the glass before twining his fingers with Minato's.

[jivitadana]

Minato held onto Yuu's hands, not minding this contact. But Yuu was being a bit more forward than normal. He could perhaps guess why.

He kissed Yuu's forehead.

"... You're hearing it, right?"

[last_liar]

Yuu squeezed his eyes closed as Minato's lips made contact, then opened them again, nodding.

"...Yeah."

[jivitadana]

Minato nodded. "Just rationalize with it."

He started to let go of Yuu's hands, as if that would also help bring clarity to Yuu's mind.

"It's safe here. Just lock the door. I'll knock when I come back."

Minato was going to go break some more mirrors. And it didn't matter if Yuu was locking out any of their roommates; Minato just wanted to Yuu to be somewhere with a broken mirror and not have to worry about that voice as much.

[last_liar]

Yuu tightened his grip one Minato's hands.

"Wait--! Where are you going?"

He felt almost ill at the thought of Minato leaving.

[jivitadana]

Minato blinked. He hadn't planned on going for very long and not very far. He really couldn't get that far since the hotel was only so big.

"I need to break more mirrors."

[last_liar]

"Stay here." With me.

[jivitadana]

"I will. I'll be back in a few minutes." Minato smiled slightly and apologetically.

[last_liar]

No way. Yuu absolutely didn't want to be left alone and with the voice in his head egging him on, urging him to do what he liked, he let go of one of Minato's hands and reached into the drawer of the table beside the bed for an item he'd seen there earlier.

The handcuffs were lined with soft, fuzzy material in a purple that matched the blanket he was sitting on. That didn't make the distinct, ratcheting click as they closed around Minato's wrist any less metallic.

Before he could think better of it, Yuu let go of Minato's other hand and secured the other cuff around his own wrist. There. Now even if Minato left, he'd have to take Yuu with him.

"...Stay."

[jivitadana]

That was unexpected, to say the least. Minato was more surprised at Yuu's reaction than he was at being handcuffed though. Handcuffs had keys that he could find to unlock the restraints from his wrist. That part he hadn't worried about.

But Yuu had been sufficiently obvious and adamant about having him stay.

"What is it telling you?"

It also should've been obvious that Minato didn't have any intention of leaving the room now.

[last_liar]

"It's not important." Yuu looked up at Minato with an expression that was a mixture of apology, shame, and determination. "I just want you to stay here."

[jivitadana]

Minato lifted his wrist up, seeing that Yuu's was following close to it. He reached to hold onto Yuu's wrist underneath where the cuff had locked.

It wasn't as though Minato had much of a choice in leaving, but perhaps staying was better for the both of them. The mirror in this room was already broken too, which would keep anyone on the other side from spying on them.

One second after his eyes darted behind Yuu, Minato grabbed Yuu's free wrist, promptly shoved and pinned Yuu against the wall, then silenced any cry of protest by claiming Yuu's lips.

[last_liar]

Yuu's back hit the wall and it hurt a bit, but he didn't even try to protest. The sudden motion was surprising, overwhelming, and exactly right for the moment.

It was several long moments before he broke the kiss, gasping for breath.

"Minato..." His face was red. He could feel the heat in his cheeks. "I love you."

[jivitadana]

It was the event.

It just had to be the event.

Minato didn't let up on his grip on Yuu's wrists, though his expression had softened considerably. He thought if he went along with it, Yuu might snap out of it. But he couldn't discern if Yuu had or not. He hoped he hadn't actually made it worse.

"You didn't... have to tell me."

[last_liar]

Yuu reddened further. "You...were waiting to hear from me, weren't you?"

[jivitadana]

That much was true. Minato nodded. "But it's my fault that you had to say it."

[last_liar]

Yuu shook his head and leaned forward to kiss Minato again. He's show him his feelings if his words weren't enough.

[jivitadana]

"Yuu..."

Minato was about to explain or reason with his friend, but he relented instead. He met Yuu halfway to allow Yuu to kiss him.