Mitsukou Oneshots - puppymitsu

Erase Me

No matter how long it's been since a scar has closed, sometimes, it takes longer to heal. Surface level marks can have deep stories, and each recount of that experience can be just as distressing as the moment the scar was first opened. But for some people, sharing their stories helps finally heal those wounds.

Mitsuba sat atop Kou's back with his arms slumped over his shoulders, asleep. Kou assumed so, at least. He could hear Mitsuba's soft wheezing as bits of his hair grazed his cheek and warm breath hit his neck. All of which were things he recognized to be Mitsuba. As he was walking, he felt a small shift from Mitsuba, and Mitsuba's arm suddenly raised.

"Hey Minamoto-kun, where'd you get that scar?" Mitsuba questioned and pointed at a small scar placed on Kou's forehead- it was barely visible, usually being hidden by his hair. Kou had pretty much forgotten about it as of recent.

"Oh. Don't worry about it." Kou said plainly, not exactly trying to avoid the subject, but definitely not in any rush to explain its origins. Mitsuba didn't ask any further, seemingly okay with the answer. And that's where the conversation ended... for less than a minute.

"...Does it have to do with Sousuke Mitsuba?" Mitsuba spoke softly, but a twinge of discomfort could be detected in his tone. He asked like he didn't want to know the answer- he typically didn't like even the slightest reference at Sousuke, so such a direct question from him was a bit shocking to Kou. Kou almost tripped from stopping his walk so suddenly, and shifted his gaze to meet Mitsuba's the best he could.

"Uhm... yeah. It's from when that Tsukasa guy extracted his soul to make you." Mitsuba looked away, a little uncomfortable. But Kou kept explaining best he could.

"When I ran to try and save him after that guy had attacked him... I got slammed head first into a wall." Kou laughed weakly, trying to lift the mood just a bit. Though he could tell Mitsuba didn't appreciate the laughter, so he shut up.

Kou slowly picked up the previous pace he had walked, unsure of where he was going, but assuming he would think of somewhere eventually. Without warning, he felt Mitsuba's arms tighten around him. Kou could see Mitsuba's face as it buried closer to his neck, a rose colored tint dusted lightly across his normally pale cheeks. His eyes averted Kou's, while still clearly being aware that Kou was looking at him.

"Did it hurt?" Kou could swear he heard a bit of genuine concern from Mitsuba's gentle words, but asking the other boy if he was being sarcastic or not wasn't a risk he was going to take just in case he did actually care.

Kou nodded. "A lot. I had to put a bandage over it for AGES, and even after it healed over, it would hurt to press down too hard on it. But it doesn't hurt anymore. I kinda forgot it was there."

Kou used to fixate on the little mark. It was a constant reminder of his failure to protect someone he called his friend, and a constant push to keep himself set on getting Mitsuba Sousuke back. But... he didn't focus too much on it anymore. Some days, he forgot he even had it and would be confused when he saw it in the mirror.

"...I know I'm not him, but thank you for still treating me like your friend."

Mitsuba barely got out the last few words, and Kou couldn't tell if that's because he was about to cry, or because his pride was really that strong. Kou sighed, looking back at the ground ahead of him. He felt a shade of pink wash over his cheeks to match Mitsuba, his next words coming out of his mouth like word vomit.

"What does he have to do with anything? I'm your friend for you, not for him."

Kou kept walking, not daring to glance at Mitsuba, who still rested his head on his shoulder. He couldn't tell if he had upset him, and he wasn't brave enough to take initiative. The two walked in pure, unfiltered silence for what felt like hours, days, a lifetime, even, until two words were spoken by the boy in the red scarf.

"...I'm glad."