The Innocent (A 'Finder' Fanfiction)

Gemini - Chapter 13

It was raining — just like in that night when he had freed Arata from his cell and had brought him to the apartment on the seventh floor.

Aaron had stopped the car at the side of a lonely road somewhere in the suburbs of the city. Now the downpour washed over them, filling the inside of the vehicle with warm, damp air and with the noise of the low, constant murmur on the roof and windshield. The light of some near streetlamps washed down with the water, and both of them stared at it for a while, captivated by the sight.

For Arata, this was him setting out to fulfill a task. Alex had made sure that traces could be found by whomever might still be looking for Takaba Akihito or Chernobog, which led right to Warsaw. And once the boy had left the car, he would wander the streets aimlessly, begging, stealing, vandalizing, molesting, until he would finally be picked up by the police. In the capital, they were not lenient with foreigners – especially if they did not speak a single word of Polish.

For the other man, however – unbeknownst to the boy – this was goodbye. He would surely hear of whatever would happen once Arata met Asami, no matter if that was a few days from now or a week or a month. But he did not plan to see him again.

Aaron pushed that outlook aside with a strong hand rubbing across his face.

"It is time to go, isn't it?", the young man in the passenger seat asked, now turning towards him. He wore sneakers and jeans, a shirt beneath a hoodie and a jacket on top. All of that was a bit too warm for the temperature of June, but Aaron did not want to lose his little magic weapon's power due to some stupid cold or other sickness at this point.

With a sigh, he looked at the other and reached out with a hand to trail his fingers through that fine, too long, too unkempt hair before he even realized he was moving.

"Yeah...", he answered, irritated about himself and almost inaudibly in the din caused by the rain. There might just have been the rumble of thunder somewhere in the far distance. He wasn't sure, though.

His voice was a bit weak, he discovered, and excused that by explaining to himself that he had just become fantastic at acting. It felt kind of naturally now. Like he in fact believed the lies himself.

Arata smiled at him, his huge eyes full of warmth and kindness and love. Inside that boy – no matter what his name was – there had to be one giant, strong heart beating, for him to still hold so much positiveness he was even able to share it ... especially after all that had happened to him. Maybe he was the first genuinely good person Aaron had ever crossed paths with, he mused, and found himself wondering if meeting him sooner in his life had made any difference.

No one had ever looked at him like that. Not once.

Well ... it was too late to think about any of that today.

He sniffled and looked out of the window again. If they stopped talking now, if they fell silent again, perhaps the moment would pass, the night would end, and they would have another day together. Then for another few hours, Aaron could try to pretend that the lies were reality and that somebody cared about him – and not just because he had been deceived into doing so.

Yet within the water running down the window he could faintly make out the reflection of his own face, his haunting bright eyes and the scar marking him.

In the end, it were just lies. He would always be aware of it, no matter how much he betrayed himself into believing them. 'Too little, too late', he thought and wanted to laugh at himself in spite. Whenever had he become such a whiny sod?

"Then I should go", the young man next to him declared suddenly in feverish determination. He did not seem afraid anymore. His smile was strong and brave, when Aaron turned towards him in surprise.

"I will kill him for us both. And then we will be together. I promise!", Arata exclaimed.

'Hah!', Aaron laughed at himself. He had made so many pledges and vows to the other, which had been nothing but good acting and hot air. It served him just right, that now he was told some of them himself, knowing how false they were.

Arata leaned in and kissed him. His lips were sweet and warm on his own, his hands touching his cheeks and not flinching away from the rough scar were gentle.

But then the kiss was broken. Arata smiled at him one more time, then he opened the door and stepped outside.

Aaron remained there, unmoving for a long while, staring down the street – even after the other had vanished somewhere in the rain and night.

(The End of "Gemini")