Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

chapter 1

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Trying to clean a floor is a helluva lot harder when wearing chains that chafe your wrists every time you move, but this was just one of the many laborious tasks Gareki had to perform everyday for his Master. Though he was considered one of the best fighters Kafka had ever seen, he was still the Master's pet and was, nonetheless, treated like a slave by everyone onboard. He'd been stuck on this ship for as long as he could remember and had endured just about every form of torture you could think of. When he was young his parents had abandoned him, selling him into child trafficking for a small lump sum of money. $50 to be exact. He was only worth $50 to his 'parents'. He was scrawny in comparison to the other kids onboard but he wasn't weak. He was actually quite intelligent even with his lack of an actual education since, when he wasn't being beaten, he was tinkering with scraps of metal, figuring out how the pieces worked. It fascinated him. But because he was different, the kids would bully him and steal his food, leaving Gareki to try and fend for himself with scraps of bread he'd find in the trash near his Master's suite. It wasn't ideal nutrition wise, but it ended up being a benefit to him when all the other children started to fall ill and die, some even turning into Varugas, after consuming the food they were served for all their lives. It was then that the Master on board realized that Gareki hadn't died, nor turned into a Varuga, and it was when his sick fascination with him began. But Gareki tried to repress those memories. He hated thinking about that.

Gareki hadn't realized he'd zoned out and stopped cleaning when he felt something hard smack across the back of his head which brought him out of his stupor. "Get back to work slave!" One of his Master's many guards shouted in his face. Gareki could already feel another headache coming on and simply just nodded in apology to the guard and went back to work. Gareki knew he could beat this guy's ass if he wanted to, but he wasn't stupid. He wasn't going to get upset and let his emotions get the best of him because he had a plan to escape this ship and didn't want to ruin his chances even more on account of bad behavior.

So, he went back to work. Scrubbing away at the tiles on the floor with only a cleaning scrub and some soapy water, which was practicality dirt water at this point. On the outside he was calm but his eyes narrowed further with every scrub as he relished in the idea of one day leaving this hell ship. There was nothing he wanted more than to see his Master dead.

Soon the one o'clock (p.m) bell rang and Gareki had finished cleaning the entirety of the floor on the ship. He was sweating and covered in dirt and grime at this point and was hoping his Master would be kind enough to let him bathe, if even for just a few seconds. It was a rare occasion when his Master would be nice to him though, and as long as Gareki kissed his Master's ass and groveled at his feet would he ever consider letting him rinse off in some water for a short while. But his Master was extra busy today since he was getting preparations in order for a banquet dinner he was hosting tonight which also meant Gareki had to work extra hard. But Gareki enjoyed whenever his Master had company over because that meant he would be left alone and out of sight since his Master didn't like to show him off. He was thought off as his Master's secret weapon since no one would ever suspect a slave to actually be a merciless killer and assassin. But that's exactly who Gareki was. At least that's who everyone thought he was. Deep down, whenever his Master forced him to kill, he'd feel a subtle twang of guilt in his heart. Though subtle, it was still there. Every time he took a life he pretended he didn't care on the outside, but on the inside he despised it. Though he'd never admit to it, he would often have nightmares of the innocent people whom he was forced to kill, their eye sockets bare and covered in blood. Each one crawling its way towards him, grabbing onto his legs as he struggled to get away. He would ultimately be succumbed to the masses every time though. All 563 of them. He'd kept track of every single life he was forced to take.

'Don't think about it.' Gareki thought as he pressed a hand to his temple when he noticed his headache flaring up again. Thinking hurt too much.

Gareki was on his way back to his 'room', if you could even call it a room, so he could finally rest since he couldn't remember the last time he slept, when he heard yelling coming from the front of the ship. He started running on instinct, thinking this could be a chance to escape. He didn't realize he was smiling when he was running because the joy of escaping overcame him. But when he pushed through the doors, his mood dropped and his smile faltered. It was just his ass hat of a Master yelling at another one of his servants who had dropped a tray of hors d'oeuvres all over the floor. Gareki stumbled back onto the wall and placed a hand to his head again, man he was such an idiot. He was so naive. He cursed himself for thinking he could finally escape and was also annoyed when he realized the state of the floor, which he'd just cleaned, was now covered in food.

"I-I I'm so sorry sir please forgive me!" The servant stuttered nervously, getting on his hands and knees to clean up the mess. Gareki could tell the boy was shaking. His Master on the other hand was silent and fuming. Then came the outburst Gareki knew all too well.

"YOU STUPID FUCKING BRAT!" The Master yelled, kicking the servant in the gut who Gareki could now see was a boy named Hitoshi. Gareki didn't know Hitoshi that well, just that he arrived on the ship about a year back and was older than him, probably by a couple of years.

"YOU ABSOLUTE SCUM! Where the hell is Gareki? GAREKI!" His master shouted, not realizing Gareki was already standing right behind him. This certainly wasn't helping his growing headache.

"Yes Master?" He asked, bowing behind his fat pig of a Master, putting on his innocent boy act. He mentally rolled his eyes at having to keep up his little charade of being the perfect pet but he knew he had to do it.

"Kill him." His Master stated, now much calmer than he was before, taking a cloth from his pocket to wipe off the nonexistent dirt from his hands. This annoyed Gareki.

"Of course Master." Gareki stood up and sighed. Goddammit he really didn't feel like killing anyone right now. The only person he'd love to kill right now was his Master but orders were orders and he had to do what he was told. It only took Gareki about 3 seconds to grab the gun from his waist, point it at his target, and shoot the boy in the head. Point-blank. The blood spilled across the floor and some even landed onto Gareki's face.

564. Another face to add to the nightmares.

He heard obnoxious laughter from behind him but Gareki didn't have to turn his head to know it was the gluttonous laugh of his Master.

"Now clean this shit up before my guests arrive."

The door closed behind him. Gareki was alone once again.

Gareki let his knees give out and shoulders slump as he kneeled in front of his latest kill, his eyes held no emotion. This boy didn't deserve to die, Gareki knew that, but he had to obey his orders. It was the only thing he could do.. right? Sighing once again, Gareki leaned over to close Hitoshi's eyes which had been open in fear, and looked up towards the sky. 'It looks like it might rain.' he thought before getting back to cleaning the floor and disposing of the body.

By the time he was finished cleaning, if the thought of eating had ever crossed his mind, it was now gone. He wasn't in the mood for scraps of food anyway. He just wanted to get cleaned off and go to sleep, was that too much to ask for? Gareki figured he would just go back towards his 'room' where he was headed before this incident so he could be out of the way for when the guests came. As he was walking down the hall towards his room located below the deck, he stole a glance at one of the clocks that lined the walls. It was 5:45 (pm) that meant the banquet guests would be arriving soon. Dammit.

When he made it back to his room he was atleast a little thankful to see a tub of water in which he could clean himself off with. There was a letter next to it from his Master but he didn't care to read it. He was sure it was just his Master commending him for his kill earlier. This made Gareki shudder but he pushed all other thoughts aside and just focused on getting cleaned up. He had to scrub extra hard on his face where he was squirted with Hitoshi's blood which was a pain in the ass. He had to admit though that the water did feel nice and was a refreshing contrast from the rest of the day he'd had.

When he was all cleaned up he got dressed and sat down on his bed, if you could even call it a bed. His 'room' wasn't even really a room but a broom closet that was transformed into a living space. There was a small window but all that could be seen through it was the vast depths of the ocean. Gareki didn't like to stare at the ocean for too long or else memories he'd tried so hard to repress would resurface. With a shake of his head, he focused back on his room and leaned back onto his bed, though that was basically just a pile of dirty rags and scraps. It was terribly uncomfortable but he was used to it. It's not like he deserved anything better anyways.

Gareki thought about reading a book for a while to pass the time but right when he was about to open one up, he heard the bass of music blasting from upstairs. "I guess the party started." He sighed and opted to just put the book down and stood up. There was no way he'd be able to focus enough attention to read with the noise going on upstairs and there was also no way he'd be able to get some shut eye either which pissed him off. Gareki was a very light sleeper. He had to be.. after everything that had happened.

Suddenly his stomach growled and he realized he hadn't eaten anything all day. It's not like this never happened before but for some reason he was persistent on finding something to eat and it wasn't helping that the sweet smell of the kitchen was wafting into his room through the vents.

"Dammit this is gonna be a pain in the ass." Gareki cursed with a sigh, he'd been doing a lot of sighing lately. He was going to have to be extra careful to not be seen by any of the guests if he wanted to venture above deck to get something to eat. Before he left though, he grabbed his goggles thats he usually kept hidden. 'Maybe they'll serve as a good luck charm?' he thought as he closed the door behind him.

Chapter Text

chapter 2

~

Making sure to be as quiet as possible, Gareki started to make his way above deck without being noticed. This of course wasn't too hard for him since he'd been trained in the art of stealth and knew how to stay in the shadows. Even if a guest saw him, it wouldn't be that big of a deal since they probably wouldn't pay him any mind, but if his Master or one of his many guards spotted him.. well that would be another more painful story. Gareki internally shuddered just thinking about what could happen.

Gareki continued to follow the sound of the music from above until he reached the exit, and carefully pushed through the doors. He quickly hid behind one of the crates above deck as a guard patrolling the ship walked by and went unspotted. As he waited for the guard to pass, Gareki was able to appreciate the ocean breeze that felt refreshing against his skin as he took a deep breath and closed his eyes. Gareki had a habit of getting lost in peaceful moments like this since they were always so rare. But that moment was short lived as his stomach growled again and he was reminded of his initial goal: to get food.

Peeking his head out from behind the crate he noticed only two guards blocking the entrance to the event hall. They wouldn't be too hard for him to get by, he just had to create a diversion. Reaching down towards his boot, he pulled out a lighter and a cigarette. Placing the cigarette in his mouth, Gareki lit the end and took a puff before flicking it towards the end of the red carpet that lined the boat leading towards the event hall. Soon enough it sparked into a small fire. It took awhile for the fire to spread big enough, but within seconds the guards caught on to the growing smoke.

"Oh shit!" One of the guards exclaimed taping the other's shoulder as they left their post to quickly stomp the fire out. "We can't let the Master find out about this!" The other guard said to the first one as they both frantically tried putting the fire out. They looked like a couple of idiots jumping around and trying to narrowly dodge the flames. Gareki just had to roll his eyes at them. Since the guards were now preoccupied with that, he was able to just walk through the doors and into the hall like nothing had happened.

Though Gareki had lived on this ship for as long as he could remember, he never really got to get a good look at the upper deck since his Master would never allow it. It was a rare occasion when Gareki was able to admire the pristine and posh architecture of the room. The banquet was extravengent and probably looked immaculate to anyone else, and Gareki might agree were he in any other situation, but instead the sight of it all just made him feel sick.

There were already a handful of guests all dressed in over the top suits and gowns and following the theme of the banquet, being a masquerade, so most everyone adorned a mask. Gareki on the other hand stood out like a sore thumb, dressed in all black, and wearing tattered up old pants and boots. It's not like he could really do anything about it though since these were the only clothes he had. Sighing when he noticed a snobby couple gawking at him, Gareki tried to stick close to the shadows in an attempt to go unnoticed.

Since Gareki had no idea where the stupid kitchen was, he waited until he spotted a servant holding a tray of finger foods because he knew if he tailed him, he'd eventually lead him to the kitchen. Keeping a safe distance, Gareki clung to the shadows and moved like a ghost.

Soon enough the tray was empty and the servant bowed at a guest in apology before excusing himself to go refill it. Gareki watched as the servant passed through a side door located at the far right of the room and disappeared. 'That must be where the kitchen is,' Gareki thought with a smirk, excited at the idea of food though still unsure of how exactly he'd be able to obtain anything unseen. He'd figure that out later. Moving quietly, Gareki made his way over to the door before pulling it open. Once inside, he quietly closed the door and turned around. There was a little hallway before him that reached to the end of the hall where Gareki assumed the kitchens were located. He started towards the door before he felt a hand grab him on the wrist and he spun around quickly.

"What are you doing up here?" one of his Master's lackies glared at him and Gareki narrowed his eyes. Dammit, how come he hadn't sensed him? Before Gareki could reply however, he heard the obnoxiously loud laugh of his Master from a closed door a few feet from the kitchens and the guard stiffened up, an evil glint in his eye, before dragging Gareki towards the door. 'Fuck.' Gareki thought, seeing no way to escape as he was roughly pushed through the door.

The room was huge, entirely too big for the small amount of furniture in it, being that there were only a few plush chairs, pillows, and a table covered in food and drinks. There were pieces of elegant fabric and tapestries hanging down from the walls towards the ground, and at the top of the ceiling, there was a giant sky-light that gave view of the starry night sky above. Gareki's master was seated in one of the plush chairs located in the center of the room loosely holding onto a glass of wine and laughing amongst his two guests. All eyes turned to Gareki upon his entrance and his Master narrowed his eyes before forming the biggest smile on his lips. "Ah, well if it isn't my favorite secret weapon," He paused to lick his lips, "Gareki-kun." Gareki remained emotionless. "Now now, why such a sour look, hmm? Come here boy." His master teaseed before snapping his fingers for Gareki to come forward. Gareki internally groaned but obeyed nonetheless.

"Ahh is this the little weapon you were telling us about?" One of his Master's guests, who was dressed in an annoyingly flashy suit covered in leopard print and diamonds, spoke up holding a wine glass to his lips. Gareki glanced at him, a void look in his eyes, but said nothing. This dude was pissing him off with how entitled he looked just sitting over there like he owned the place.

"Yes in fact he is." His Master smirked before continuing, getting an idea, "Now you know how much I hate to brag, but you must let me show you what he's capable of." His Master purred and Gareki wanted to barf at all the lame theatrics but remained still. "Ah but before that, it seems my glass is empty. Boy, come fill it won't you." Gareki looked at him before nodding and slipped on his 'perfect pet mask', "Of course, Master." he replied before making his way over to the wine bottle located on the small table before them. 'What a pain.' Gareki thought as he leaned down to grab the bottle and noticed the guest from before still staring at him.

Making his way over to the chair to refill his Master's drink, he watched as the man shoved the glass in his face and Gareki slowly filled its contents with the red liquid.

"That's enough." His master ordered and Gareki stepped back a bit as he smirked.

"Ooo what a trained little doggy you have! I wonder what other tricks he can do.~" The leopard suited shithead who still hasn't taken his eyes off of Gareki spoke up, not even trying to hide the fact that he was staring directly at Gareki's ass.

Feeling uncomfortable Gareki clenched onto the wine bottle in his hands tighter, which didn't go unnoticed by his Master, and without a word, he stood up and slapped Gareki across the face. Having unexpected it, Gareki was taken aback and lost his balance a bit from the impact. His Master's guest, on the other hand, was clapping and bouncing up and down in his chair as if he were watching a circus.

Gareki looked up, radiating a strong killing intent in his eyes before his Master pulled him closer so he could whisper in his ear. "Do what I say and if you fight back I swear to God I'll kill you." Gareki froze at the words and his Master clapped his hands together once before speaking. "Guards!" He called to no one in particular, and soon enough, the door opened up and 20 of his Master's best men came streaming in to kneel in front of him. "All of you, attack the boy with all the strength that you have." His Master ordered and Gareki looked up at him to see him smiling and still sipping on his drink.

"Yes sir!" The guards chanted in unison before standing up to face Gareki.

"Well, what are you waiting for boy? Run!" His Master cheered and Gareki instantly took off towards one of the doors on the side that lead to the main deck. The hoard of guards yelled and chased after him through the door and into the night.

Meanwhile: Circus

Tonight Circus was given a mission to take out a slave ship currently involved with human trafficking. Their team would go undercover at a banquet dinner party that the Master of the business was holding and take him down along with all the other criminals on board. Second ship captain Hirato would oversee the mission from the sky ship floating above, out of sight and up in the clouds. As for those assigned with the mission on board, Yogi and Tsukumo would handle it as a team.

The sun had been set for quite a while now and it was under the cover of darkness when Yogi and Tsukumo dropped down on a rope from the sky ship towards their target below. The duo landed safely on the top of the ship on what appeared to be a pentagonal sky light.

"Are you ready Tsukumo?" Yogi asked with a smile as he straighten out his tuxedo and glanced over at his partner adorned in a fluffy pink gown with matching masquerade mask.

"Yes." She nodded and glanced down through the sky light at their feet. Yogi, curious as well, followed suit. Looking through the window and careful not to be seen, the two made note of the extravagant room where it seemed the Master of the operation was located. The man they were assigned to exterminate was seated in a chair in the center of the room and a boy, who looked like he could be Tsukumo's age, was pouring him a drink. Yogi watched the boy, noticing the look of hatred in his eyes directed toward the man he was serving.

"Shall we start now?" Tsukumo spoke up, but Yogi continued watching the boy.

"There's a kid in there." He said, his voice soft, as his eyes were still glued to the mystery boy.

"So?" Tsukumo questioned, readying herself to attack, but Yogi held his hand up.

"We should wait until the boy leaves. We don't want to risk any civilians getting hurt." Yogi said, but at that moment, he watched as the boy got slapped hard across the face by the man who was once seated in the chair before him. Yogi turned his head, not wanting to watch.

"Che what an ass." Tsukumo mumbled having seen the display as well, and turned around towards the edge of the roof to peer below at the lower deck. She surveyed the area, making note of where guards were posted and where escape routes could lead. Yogi, on the other hand, turned back towards the sky light below and watched as handfuls of men came pouring into the room. He wondered what they were planning, but soon enough he saw the Master point at the boy who looked up and started sprinting out of the room, the guards all following after him.

"It's time." Yogi said, standing, and Tsukumo nodded, already ready.

Gareki ran as fast as he could out onto the deck of the ship, narrowly avoiding stray guests as he ran for his life. His Master had told him that if he fought back then he'd kill him but it wasn't like his Master could see him right now anyways. "Fuck." Gareki swore as he neared the end of the ship. He was cornered. Spinning back around, he moved into a defensive stance as he watched the hoard of guards approach him from both sides. His right hand itched towards the gun that he kept at his waist. This was going to be a bloodbath.

Two brave guards charged at him first, and Gareki was quick to read each of their attacks. The one on the right came at him with both of his hands in the air, carrying a long, thin blade, while the other one went from his legs. Gareki quickly jumped to the left and aimed a kick to the guard below him with his boot. He then unsheathed his gun from its protective holster and aimed the butt of it straight for the other guards head, knocking him out. This, of course, angered the other guards causing five more to come charging his way.

In the distance, gunshots were heard as it started to rain.

Taking a deep breath Gareki prepared for the next attack, but was thrown off when they all charged him at once. Gareki kicked off the edge of the boat for support as he jumped over the group and kicked down the two closest to him. He had yet to use any bullets, and he'd try to keep it that way if possible. As he was handling the other three guards in front of him, two guards snuck up from behind him as one had managed to jab a knife right into Gareki's side. "Augh fuck!" Gareki yelled in annoyance, before quickly knocking down the three guards he was dealing with prior, before spinning around to snap the neck of the guard who stabbed him. The other guard, who hadn't even attacked yet, stole one look at Gareki before he took off running away in fear. A couple more guards who had yet to join the battle also started to run away.

It was raining harder now, and Gareki glared at the remaining couple of guards scanning them from left to right. There were 5 on the left and 3 to his right. 8 in total. He could handle this.

One of the guards on the left yelled and started to charge at him, and the other 7 followed after him. Gareki narrowed his eyes, studying their movements. Two of the guards had long spears, three had smaller knives, and three more had guns. Gareki made a mental note to do his best to avoid the ones with guns. When they got closer, Gareki dropped to the ground and stuck his leg out underneath their feet to sweep them down and onto their backs. Next he smashed his foot into two of their stomachs before dodging a jab to his head from one of the guards. Using the butt of his gun once again, he aimed for a guard's head and continued the pattern on another guard who tried to take a shot at him. Gareki dodged and kicked another guard from behind, causing him to drop his knife, and he used another guard as a shield when one shot at him. Throwing him to the side, Gareki charged at the guard before disarming him and knocking him to the ground. The rain was pounding down so hard now that Gareki had to physically move his bangs out of his eyes in order to see his target below him. He knocked him out with a quick kick from his boot, before turned around to hit another guard down with his gun. That was 7 down. Gareki was panting now as he scanned the ship for the last guard. When suddenly, he caught a flash of metal and before he knew it, a bullet was hurling towards him. Gareki quickly jumped to the right, but his leg got nicked by the bullet, and he rolled down onto the deck. 'Shit.' he thought, but didn't have enough time to think about the new wound as the guard continued shooting at him. Gareki dodged the messy attacks before holding up his own gun and shooting the guard right in between his eyes. Dead.

Making sure all the other guards he'd knocked down where also dead, Gareki sighed. He was soaking wet and covered in blood now. And because he had been preoccupied with those guards, he hadn't even noticed the commotion that had taken place in the main banquet hall. He hadn't heard the screams of his Master as he was ripped to shreds, or the clambering of guests as they tried to get to safety. All Gareki could hear now was the downpour of rain and the new number flashing through his head. 580. 580 kills.

Gareki laughed dryly, "580, huh? Is that the number I'm at now.." Slowly making his way back towards the main area of the ship, Gareki held a hand to his now pulsing head. His side hurt from where that guard had gotten lucky and stabbed him as well as his ankle, which was bleeding from where he was grazed, but Gareki would handle that later.

Looking up, Gareki finally took a moment to become aware of his surrounding and the state of the ship. People where running around like crazy, some were jumping overboard onto life-rafts, others were crying and making attempts to hide, and the banquet hall was covered in flames. "Wha-?" Gareki tried to voice his confusion, but a hysterical person came running at him, screaming something about a Circus and knocked him in the side. Gareki landed on his knee as he tried to ground himself. What was happening? Was the ship under attack?

And that's when it hit him.

He could escape.

Was this finally his golden opportunity? Could this be the moment he'd been waiting for? When he could finally escape from this godforsaken ship? Gareki felt his lips quirk up into a slight smile, still kneeling on the ground. He was going to be free. Finally he could be done with this place! He was about to stand up to think of an escape plan, when a hand reached out in front of him.

Gareki was instantly defensive, whipping his head up, thinking it could be his Master, but his eyes landed on a young man with golden blonde hair and violet eyes smiling down at him.

"Need a hand?" The man asked kindly, and Gareki just stared at him, unsure of what to do.

What? Gareki wanted to say, but instead he glanced down at the outstretched hand, and then back at the mysterious violet eyed person, and he proceeded to blurt out something embarrassing without thinking. "H-help me." His voice came out quieter than he'd anticipated, and the man with the golden hair just smiled even brighter as he pulled Gareki to his feet.

"Sure thing! Let's go!" The man exclaimed, before leading Gareki away towards the other end of the ship where a young girl with blonde hair in pigtails was waiting for him. Meanwhile Gareki was becoming very aware of this stranger touching his hand.

"You're bringing him with us?" The girl asked in a stoic voice, and Gareki just watched as the man smiled even wider. (Was it even possible to smile so damn much? Gareki had thought.)

"Yes of course!" The man answered with no hesitation, as if this was a common occurrence. "This is my new friend! Plus he asked me to help him." Gareki just stood there watching the interaction, unsure of what to do. The man was still holding his hand. Should he pull away?

"Hirato is going to have something to say about this, you do know that right?" The girl sighed.

"Aw don't worry about it Tsukumo," The man waved his hand. "It'll be fine! But come on, we should really get going now."

He lead Gareki over toward the girl before grabbing onto both of them tightly. 

"Hold on tight, okay?" The man said softly, and Gareki simply nodded before the man leaped into the air.

Gareki's eyes widened as he looked down at the ship that was now below them. 'What the fuck? Is this dude flying?!' He thought, amazed, but kept his emotions hidden. They floated upwards into the sky until they passed through a blue portal that led to a sky ship. Gareki closed his eyes at the sudden influx of bright light. When he opened them again, he noticed that they were now standing inside the sky ship in a strange white room where a bunch of little sheep-like creatures holding spears were gathered, seemingly waiting for them.

"We're home!" The man called happily, as he released Gareki and the girl whom he had referred to as 'Tsukumo' earlier.

"Baaa welcome home.~" The sheep cheered back in unison.

"Good to be back." Tsukumo replied, monotonely, and Gareki rubbed his eyes to make sure he wasn't seeing things because the last time he checked, sheep weren't suppose to talk.

Curiosity got the best of him, and he knelt down to poke one of the weird sheep things. "What the heck is this thing?" he asked aloud to no one in particular, and the sheep yelled at him for poking his face like that.

"These black sheep are the defense system we have here on Second Ship!" The man who's name Gareki still didn't know spoke up with a smile, and Gareki wondered if this man was always so damn chipper.

"Weird.." Gareki mumbled before standing up.

"Come on Yogi, we should go see Hirato to tell him about the success of the mission." The girl from before said, as she started to walk down the long corridor before them.

"Ah, okay okay," The man sighed before, once again, grabbing Gareki's hand. "Let's go!" he called cheerfully running down the corridor all of a sudden.

"Hey-!" Gareki tried to protest, but was still dragged along behind the strange man to go meet this Hirato person.

'That girl had called him 'Yogi'.' Gareki thought, 'What a strange name.'

When they arrived to wherever the hell they were going, Gareki was led into an equally strange decorated room which held two red sofas facing one another, and a man dressed in a suit and top hat was waiting for them. 'This must be these guys' Master,' Gareki thought, as Yogi pulled him down to sit next to him on one of the couches. He tensed at the action. Would he actually be allowed to sit here?

"So, how did it go?" The man in the top hat broke the silence first, jumping right to the case.

The girl from before, Tsukumo, stood up. "We were able to exterminate the main target involved with the human trafficking. The one who called himself 'Master Willex'."

Gareki's eyes widen at the mention of his master's name and he stood up on instinct. "Wait, you killed him?!" Gareki blurted out and the man with the top hat shifted his eyes to him.

"Yes, that was our mission." The girl replied mechanically, and Gareki clenched his fist, feeling anger bubble inside of him.

The man with the top hat spoke up once more. "What seems to be the problem here? I don't think I know who you are, young man."

Gareki was pissed off but when he looked over at the other man, he quickly covered his emotions before kneeling like he was always trained to, "Apologies sir, my name is Gareki, and that man that your people killed was my Master." He stated respectfully, before looking up with a fire in his eyes. "But the problem is," He clenched his teeth. "That I wanted to be the one to kill him."

Yogi watched the boy intently, choosing to remain quiet for the time being. 'Gareki, huh?' he thought before Hirato spoke up, a smile gracing his face.

"Hmm how interesting.. Well no need to be so formal me with me Gareki. Please, call me Hirato." There was a glare reflected in his glasses when he spoke, which left Gareki unable to read his expression, so he simply nodded before going back to awkwardly sit on the couch.

"Now, back to the status of the mission," Hirato pushed, his eyes darting between Yogi and Tsukumo, "Were you able to eliminate the other criminals on board as well? It was just our luck that they were all gathering tonight."

Yogi stood up to answer this time. "Ah about that, we tried to make a move on the one called 'Master Libra' but he had too many reinforcements that we weren't prepared for, so he got away." He finished sheepishly. Gareki frowned.

'Master Libra?' He thought, racking his brain trying to put a face to that name, though came up short. That name didn't sound very familiar.

"Well it can't be helped," Hirato hummed, "At least you took out our main target, That's all we were really asking of you anyways, so good work."

He took a pause and then a sudden rumbling noise that sounded like an approaching thunderstorm filled the quiet room. Yogi looked around curious. "Woah! Did you guys hear that?! What was that noise?" He shouted to no one in particular, and Gareki covered his face in embarrassment before lightly punching Yogi in the side.

"Hey shut up will ya'? It was just my stomach.. it does that sometimes.." Gareki looked away feeling his face heat up in embarrassment, and Yogi broke out in the silliest smile.

"Awwww, cute Gareki-kun!~" He cooed which made Gareki turn back around angrily.

"Don't call me that!" He grumbled, as Yogi randomly stood up.

"Come on! Let's wrap up this boring stuff and go get some food. I'm hungry after that mission anyways!"

When Gareki didn't move right away, Yogi sighed and grabbed his arm to pull him to stand and drag him along to the cafeteria with him. "Well I suppose we're done here then." Hirato said dryly, smiling behind a gloved hand as he stood up to join them, along with Tsukumo. He was very interested in this boy that Yogi had brought back with him, and he made a mental note to find out more information about him later.

When the group arrived to the cafeteria, Gareki was once again in awe of such a huge place. Unlike his previous Master's dining hall, this one was triple the size and could seat hundreds more people. There were buffet tables lining the room, as well as personal chefs where one could order their own hot meals if they preferred, and a menu as wide as a stadium. Gareki tried not to let his exasperation show, but sometimes he couldn't help being astounded by such high-class.

Gareki could feel his mouth starting to salivate just looking at all of the options they had here. He was honestly overwhelmed by the extravagance of it all. Yogi seemed to pick up on this and happily ordered as much food as possible for him. Yogi didn't really know why, but he really liked Gareki. There was something about him that had drawn him in when he'd first laid eyes on him from the rooftop. And he really wanted Gareki to eat as much as his heart desired!

The two sat down at a table with their seemingly endless plates of food spread out before them. Hirato and Tsukumo sat across from them. Gareki stared down at all the dishes laid out on the table. There were pastas, pizzas, meats, soups, salads, fish, tacos, casseroles, pies, cakes, pastries, various beverages, the list was endless. There were so many different food items that Gareki had never even seen before let alone heard of, that he had no idea where to even start. But then something in the back of Gareki's mind told him that he shouldn't eat any of this food. In the back of his mind a tiny voice was telling him that if he took just one bite, then he would turn into a Varuga and die. Another voice told him the food was all poisoned and these strange people were just tricking him into eating it so they could do horrible things to him. A third voice told him he should just starve because a piece of shit like him didn't deserve to dine on food of this quality.

Gareki hesitated as he stared down at the utensils, unsure if the voices in his head were right or not. Seeming to catch on to his inner turmoil, Hirato eased his worries. "Don't worry, we didn't poison anything. Watch," He said as he leaned over and grabbed something right off of Gareki's plate and ate it to prove that it was clean. Gareki watched with wide eyes before nodding once. "Sorry.... force of habit." He said before slowly reaching for the correct silverware, stabbing it into what looked like a pancake, and took a bite. The flavor exploded on his tongue instantly. 'Holy shit..' Gareki thought chewing even more, 'This is amazing.' He licked his lips before quickly shoving more mysteriously delicious food into his mouth.

Yogi watched him eat in amazement, like a mother watching their child enjoying a home cooked meal. It was like the boy had never had decent food in his life.

Hirato cleared his throat before speaking, "So Gareki, you said that man was your Master, correct?" He asked from across the table sipping on a cup of green tea.

Gareki paused, eating slower now in order to respond, "Yes, sir."

"Pardon me if I'm digging," He continued. "But I am quite interested about you, Gareki." Hirato's voice was like velvet as he delicately placed a sugar cube into his tea, stirring methodically.

"I understand." Gareki stopped eating entirely now and Yogi looked over, curious. "Well, for as long as I can remember, I have lived on that ship to serve as a weapon for my Master."

"A weapon?" Yogi questioned, about to reach across the table for a cupcake, but stopped when he was taken aback by the seriously far off look in Gareki's eyes.

"Yes. I was very familiar with what my Master did, I'm not a fool. I knew every time we'd port somewhere that he'd come back with crates full of children who would all die in a matter of days. I knew this. Every time they would-" Gareki held his tongue. Shaking his head as he proceeded to choose his words more carefully, "Essentially, I lived and the others didn't, which made my Master suspicious."

It was feeling hot all of a sudden, and Gareki wiped away some sweat that had accumulated on his neck before he continued. "Because of this suspicion, he started to 'train' me- che if that's what you want to call it- into his perfect weapon. Even though he took such an interest in me, he didn't ever praise me unless it was for killing someone." Gareki's hand twitched towards his boot.

"He trained me in order to use me, but only in secret. He hated showing me off which, whatever I guess.." Gareki's eyes grew sharper when he continued, "I just wished that after all those years, that I could've been the one to watch the life leave his eyes as i ripped his piece of shit heart from his body." Gareki finished through gritted teeth before quickly pushing his intense emotions away. Yogi looked at him with wide eyes as he shoved a cupcake in his mouth.

Hirato, on the other hand, was smirking behind his tea cup. 'A human weapon, hmm?'

"Aw well, it's okay now Gareki! You'll be safe here at Circus!" Yogi smiled trying to lighten the mood, and went to hug Gareki who shoved him away with his boot.

"Geez.." Gareki mumbled. Safe, huh? He sure as hell didn't feel safe. On the way here he'd memorized any door that he could potentially escape to should something go awry, as well as how many of those weird sheep guards were posted around the parts of the ship that he'd seen. Plus, he still didn't even know what 'Circus' was yet. Who's to say this place would be any better than his last one?

Yogi, who was rubbing at his nose where Gareki had kicked him earlier, was trying to give the boy another hug, which he was going to refuse, until he felt a sharp pain shoot through his side. He had been so caught up in this new environment, and the food, and Circus, that he'd completely forgotten about the wounds he'd received hours before when he was on the ship. 'Shit.' he thought sourly, biting his lip to hide his discomfort as he pressed his hand over the wound on his side.

Yogi, having noticed Gareki's behavior, looked at him curiously to see him grabbing his side.

"Gareki-kun?" Yogi said in confusion, his overly happy disposition now gone, before his eyes widened and he stood up alerting everyone at the table to what was happening. "Gareki, are you bleeding?!" He shouted, drawing too much damn attention, and Gareki looked up at him glaring, still holding his side.

Hirato put his tea down. "You're bleeding? Why didn't you say anything?" He asked from across the table, about to stand but Gareki rose his other hand to stop him.

"Oh.. yeah, but it's fine. I just forgot that I got stabbed is all." He answered, rather matter-of-factly, and Yogi looked at him like he was crazy. "What?! You forgot?! H-how do you forget something like that! Doesn't it hurt?!!"

"Geez stop yelling you freak! Seriously, it's not that bad." Gareki protested as he removed his hand from the wound to see it completely covered in crimson. He was hit with a sudden dizziness as sweat rolled down his back.

"You don't look too hot, kid." Tsukumo said, standing up as well (Geez why was everyone standing now?!) Gareki had honestly forgotten she was still here.

"I said it's fine." He insisted. He couldn't show weakness in front of them. He still didn't know these people all that well. Gareki moved to stand up but the dizziness was too much, and before he knew it, he was falling into blackness.

Chapter Text

chapter 3

~

Yogi saw Gareki fall, and without thinking, he swiftly caught the boy in his arms before he could hit the ground. Due to their sudden and close proximity, Yogi was able to get a better look at the boy.

He was pale and there was a slight gleam of sweat on his face which made Yogi worried. Along with that, the boy felt almost too light in his arms which made something inside Yogi ache. He couldn't dwell on these feelings for too long, however, since the boy needed medical attention.

“Yogi,” Hirato’s serious voice broke through his train of thought, “Take the boy to the infirmary, I’ll send someone to treat his wounds.” Yogi quickly nodded as he carried the limp boy bridal style, being careful not to further aggravate his wounds.

Yogi couldn't help but curse himself for not having noticed the boy’s state earlier. He had no idea Gareki was even injured, yet the blood that coated his side was such an obvious indication now. Just what kind of guards did this boy have put up that he couldn't even tell them that he was in pain?

Yogi ran through the halls, at the behest of the black sheep, time was precious, he couldn't waste it by walking. Yogi couldn't help the concern bubbling in his chest at the boy’s unnatural stillness, so he sped up to reach the infirmary quicker.

He hurriedly pushed through the doors and was glad to see a bed was already prepared, and a woman was there to assist in the treatment.

Yogi carefully laid Gareki on the bed and wasn't sure if he should feel relieved or even more concerned when the boy didn't even stir. He tried not to panic, and did his best to assist the woman as best as he could as she began to pull Gareki’s tattered black shirt up to reveal a nasty stab wound. Yogi couldn't help but wince a bit at the damage. It looked like it hurt and was still bleeding a fair amount.

Moving quickly, the woman began to clean the bloodied area and applied a bit of pressure to the wound to stop the bleeding. She beckoned Yogi over to apply pressure to his wound while she fiddled with an iv drip. Yogi’s back was turned to the woman, but he heard her open a few cabinets and rustle around for a few things. She came back to his side with a bag full of O negative blood which she connected to the tube and hung on a hook so that it could feed into the boy’s bloodstream to help counter all the blood that he was losing. With practiced hands, the woman pricked the skin of his right arm, and the needle went through his vein as the blood began to flow from the bag. Yogi watched with awe as he continued to firmly press Gareki’s wound.

The bleeding had thankfully gotten under control, and he stepped to the side as the woman began to clean the area with a disinfectant before she began to stitch the gash closed.

Once everything was taken care off, she cut the last stitch before applying a rectangular gauze pad to the whole area. Yogi watched as she proceeded to check for any more wounds in the abdomen, before her calculating eyes trailed down to the boy’s pants which had also been soaked a bit with dried blood.

Yogi watched as she rolled his pant leg up to reveal another wound on the boy’s calf. It wasn't as severe as the one on his side, but Yogi could tell that the wound came from a bullet. He must have been grazed by one on the ship earlier.

The woman began to repeat the same process as before, though this wound wasn’t bleeding as much as the other one, and it wasn't as deep so no stitches were required. She cleaned the area before wrapping some gauze around his leg to protect it, and pressed firmly to set everything into place.

Yogi glanced up at the boy’s face, which was still motionless and pale, so Yogi went ahead and grabbed a clean towel and began wetting it so he could place it on the boy’s forehead. He brushed Gareki's messy black bangs away from his face and was so focused on him that he hadn’t even heard the quiet nurse leave and Tsukumo walk in.

“How is he?” Her usual stoic voice cut through the silence and Yogi couldn't help but smile a bit at her show of concern.

“The nurse took care of everything so I’m sure he’ll be fine. He only had two wounds, one at his side and another on his calf but the nurse took care of everything.”

“That’s good.” Was the girl’s short answer as she glanced at Gareki in silence. After a couple seconds, she turned on her heel and Yogi watched with a small smile. Seeing Tsukumo be even a little a bit concerned for the boy made a warm feeling inside his chest grow as he watched the small girl leave, closing the door quietly behind her.

Yogi turned his attention back to the bed. Gareki still looked a bit flushed, but was slowly gaining the color back in his cheeks thanks to the blood transfusion happening before his eyes. Gareki, he was just a kid, and yet he had been a slave to that man that he and Tsukumo had exterminated before. He was just a kid, yet he had a stab wound and a bullet wound. Yogi wondered with a small frown if there were more scars hidden beneath his worn shirt. Yogi shook his head to remove the depressing thoughts, and he suddenly got an idea that could cheer the boy up when he awoke.

With a small smile and a newfound sparkle in his eye, Yogi called for a few of the sheep to come and watch Gareki while he went to grab something from his room. Surely Gareki would feel better once he met Nyanperona! The kids at the carnival loved Nyanperona, so why would Gareki be any different? That’s right, he wouldn't! So it was the perfect cheer up plan!

Yogi skipped happily down the hall, excited at the thought of getting to make Gareki smile.

Disoriented. That was the first sensation Gareki felt. It was like his head was being held underwater and the feeling of being submerged brought back a memory that he’d rather forget. He pushed the thought away quickly before anything could become of it, as he tried to ground himself in his subconscious state.

His head felt fuzzy as he was trying to resurface, feeling trapped in the blackness that surrounded him. Then another sensation made its way into his awareness.

Something... soft?

A warm feeling.

Slowly, Gareki had become aware that he was laying on something. Something uncharacteristically soft. It was unlike anything he’d ever slept on before and he racked his brain trying to think of what the source of the comfort could be, but came up short. One thing was for certain though, this was not the ‘bed’ he normally slept.

Wait. Then he wasn’t on the ship anymore?

Where the hell was he?

His hazy mind from before disappeared in an instant as his body alerted him to his present danger, and Gareki quickly snapped out of his dazed state and pushed past the darkness that had suffocated him.

Gareki’s eyes snapped open and he sat up instantly, his hand flying to his boot to grab the knife he kept hidden in it. As if moving on instinct, he grabbed the closest thing towards him and held the dagger at its throat. Act first, think later.

He heard a muffled sound coming from his captee, but ignored it, his eyes were already narrowed and scanning over everything in the room, trying to calculate his best plan of escape.

His eyes were cold as he acted mechanically, but soon enough his mind caught up to his actions and he became aware of his surroundings. First, the fluorescents in this room were blinding him. Second, he sure as hell wasn’t on his Master’s ship anymore. Instead, he was in some type of infirmary, but instead of the stereotypical white on white, the room he was in was colorful and the walls had different patterns ranging from mosaic title to zigzag in various dark and pastel colors. Third, there was a really annoying beeping coming from a strange looking rectangle next to him. And Fourth, this ‘person’ he was currently holding captive wasn’t a person at all, and instead was soft and rather large. Gareki had never seen anything like it before as he quickly released his knife and shoved it away, unsure of what the thing he had been grabbing onto was. It looked like some strange yellow cat demon wearing a nurse’s outfit, and frankly, it was giving him the creeps.

Since he was unsure of the creature’s intentions, it was better to stay on the defensive, so he crouched on the bed, holding his knife towards the demonic creature and watched as the thing seemed to sweat and wave its fluffy arms around nervously. Gareki narrowed his eyes at the thing before it spoke up again.

“G-Gareki-kun, I said stop! I’m not trying to hurt you!”

That voice sounded familiar, but from where? Gareki broke his concentration a little to think.

The creature spoke up again, voice frantic. “You’re on Second Ship, remember!?”

That’s when it all came rushing back. Circus, Second Ship, Yogi. That wasn't all a dream?

Yogi....

Wait. That voice was..

Gareki eyed the creature again, glancing at its face before looking downward at its stomach. “Yogi?” Gareki questioned, and the creature jumped for joy.

“Yes, that’s right! It’s Yogi, from Circus!”

“Y-You,” Gareki stuttered as his eyes widened slightly. The creature leaned in closer to hear him better, “You... ate him.” Gareki finished, suddenly on the defensive again. Whatever this creature was, it was bad news. It fucking ate that Yogi guy!

The creature made a pitiful noise before becoming frantic again. “Wh-What?! No no!” The creature paled, waving its arms around again, and when Gareki was prepared to strike, the thing quickly removed its head to reveal Yogi's head underneath it.

“See Gareki-kun! Look it’s me, Yogi!” The blonde man continued to insist, trying his best to smile under the tense circumstances.

Gareki was taken aback by this sudden reveal, but allowed himself to relax a bit at seeing a familiar face.. “What the hell..” He didn't understand at all. How was Yogi inside of that thing?

“I didn’t mean to scare you!” Yogi hastily cut in, “I thought you would like Nyanperona… but I guess not.” He scratched the back of his head awkwardly. This was definitely not the reaction Yogi had anticipated.

“I wasn’t scared.” Gareki quickly hissed, looking away with a scowl, “And what the hell is a Nyanperona anyway?”

Yogi seemed taken aback at the bluntness and was equally shocked that someone didn’t adore his precious Nyanperona as much as he did. Yogi placed the cat head back over his own, and spun around doing jazz hands. “Why, Nyanperona is the most amazing best friend you could ever ask for! Nyanperona spreads love and happiness and candies to all-”

Gareki cut him off before he could continue the ‘Nyanperona’ thing was making him uneasy. “Okay I get it. Now take that thing off, it’s creepy.” He slid his knife back into his boot and leaned back so his torso was resting against the wall. In doing so, he became aware of the pain in his side again and he winced a bit before pulling his shirt up to see a gauze patch covering the wound as a little bit of blood soaked through it. In silence, he lifted his foot up as well and noticed a similar bandaging. Gareki also focused back on the annoying beeping coming from a strange machine next to him which was attached to him as well as some type of needle leading into his arm. Without thinking he ripped it out which enacted a protest from Yogi.

“What! Gareki-kun, why did you do that?!” Yogi sputtered frantically, but Gareki said nothing as he made his way to stand up, swinging his legs over the side of the bed before Yogi’s hand stopped him.

“Woah woah, where are you going? You need to rest still. You lost a lot of blood.”

Gareki looked up at him confused and honestly was about to ask him why he even cared, but instead he insisted. “Are you kidding? I’m fine. That scratch was nothing.”

“What! It wasn’t just a ‘scratch’! It was a full on stab wo-”

Gareki cut him off. “How long have I been unconscious?”

Yogi stuttered at the sudden change in topic but answered nonetheless, “A few hours. You fainted earlier in the dining hall so I carried you here.”

Gareki looked contemplative, feeling a bit embarrassed for showing weakness by fainting earlier, but Yogi continued, his voice soft as he removed the creepy Nyanperona head once again.

“You seriously should have said something before if you were in pain. Did you honestly forget you had injuries?” Yogi’s eyes held a strange emotion, and Gareki felt the sudden urge to look away, unable to stare at the depth in those violet eyes.

“Yeah.” He deadpanned looking at the wall and Yogi was quiet as if urging him to say more.

Gareki sighed, “Sometimes I forget about it if they’re just minor like that.. Geez. I don’t get why you care so much, it’s not that big of a deal.”

Yogi felt shocked and hurt at the same time. “What do you mean not a big deal?! And of course I care! We’re friends after all, Gareki-kun!” The way Yogi said it like it was the most obvious thing, and with such intensity in his voice.. it made Gareki flinch a little.

“...Friends?” He questioned, finding the word felt strange on his tongue.

“Yes, friends!”

Gareki looked troubled at the statement. but didn’t get to voice his doubts when the door of the infirmary swung open to reveal the Hirato person from before.

“Ah, Gareki,” the man tilted his hat slowly before entering, “Are you feeling much better now?”

“Yes sir, thank you sir.” Gareki bowed his head mechanically and Yogi watched with widened eyes.

“Like I said before there’s no need for such formalities,” He lifted a gloved hand to shoo the air before continuing, “but regardless of that, you had us quite worried there.” The man spoke seriously and then paused before adding in a lilting voice, “Especially Yogi.” He made himself comfortable on a chair near the bed as he watched the boys before him with a calculating gaze.

Gareki instantly turned to face Yogi and bowed his head to him. “I’m sorry to have caused you trouble.” His tone was robotic and the earlier grouchy playfulness from before was gone.

Gareki’s behavior had done a complete 180 since Hirato had entered the room and Yogi couldn't help but wonder if that had something to do with how the boy had been brought up on that ship. He didn't know exactly why, but he felt a strange feeling in his stomach at the robotic politeness. It was creepy. Yogi preferred when the boy had emotion, whether he be scowling at him or getting flustered, it was much better than this.

“I-It was no problem.” Yogi spoke wearily as Gareki lifted his head again.

Hirato chose this moment to speak up, eager to dispel the strange air around them. “We also weren’t sure what blood type you were so we just used some O neg. I see you already removed the drip.” He gestured to the iv line that Gareki had carelessly removed earlier, and realizing he’d done something wrong, Gareki stiffened.

“I-I’m sorry sir I’ll put it back.” He shoved the needle into his arm without hesitation and even when the roughness caused the skin to bleed a bit, he didn't flinch and Yogi resisted the urge to clean it up. The boy’s quick obedience to any authority figure without question made Yogi feel weird. Hirato had an unreadable expression behind the glare of his glasses and he crossed his legs before filling the silence once again.

“But, if you're staying with Circus as a child of the Second Ship, it'd be good to know these types of things as well as your age, for starters.”

Gareki blinked. “Um.. ‘staying’, sir?” Gareki questioned and Hirato nodded.

“Yes of course. Since that ship you formerly resided on was destroyed, it appears you have nowhere else to go. Why not stay as a member of Circus?” Plus, I’m quite curious to see what you're capable of as an assassin. He left that last part unsaid.

“Ah, right.” Gareki nodded, feeling dumb. He really hadn’t thought much about what he’d do or where he’d go once he got free of his Master, and now that the opportunity had arrived, he felt kind of lost. But since he’d stumbled onto this whole ‘Second Ship’ and ‘Circus’ place, Gareki figured he might as well utilize that. Surely being here wouldn't be worse than before. But then again..

“What exactly is Circus anyways?”

“Oh, that's right. We never did explain that to you did we..” Hirato had a thoughtful expression on his face and he cleared his throat before continuing. “Well, strictly speaking, Circus is a defense organization that works for the government. Together, we perform raids to capture criminals and solve crimes that the regular security forces are unfit to handle. All members of Circus are capable fighters who use a special type of bracelet, known as Circus I.D., to fight. Of course, you’d be that exception, since it wouldn't be as necessarily for you to have one. With your experience as an assassin, I feel you could make a good addition to this team, don’t you agree?”

Gareki considered his words and something in the back of his mind was telling him to accept the offer, it made sense. Another voice, however, was telling Gareki to decline, telling him that he was just going to be used by these people to kill and slaughter like he had before, and frankly Gareki didn't want to add any more faces to his nightmares. The voice told him it would be better if he just ran away somewhere and secluded himself, away from civilization, so he could be free and live his life the way he chose. But then again, Gareki thought back to that conversation he’d had with a passionate Yogi only a few minute prior.

‘We’re friends after all, Gareki-kun!’

Friends. That one word was so intriguing to Gareki. He’d never experienced having a friend before, so he couldn't help but be drawn towards that aspect of staying with Circus. If he went with the other voice and drove himself to seclusion, then he wouldn't ever experience having friends. In fact, he would probably be quite lonely, and though Gareki would never admit it out loud, he didn't really like being alone. Being alone was all he ever knew, yet somehow after being around these eccentric people, it had created a longing for something in him which he’d never felt before. To have friends.

Realizing he hadn't spoken in a while and oblivious to his inner turmoil, Gareki made his decision before speaking.

“I- um, yes I'll accept your offer.”

Yogi, who had been silent, felt a smile etch its way on his face. Gareki would be staying with them after all! He couldn't help but feel glad. He was a bit worried that the boy would reject the offer from Hirato, but he hadn't, and Yogi was looking forward to making Gareki as happy and comfortable in Circus as possible!

“That’s excellent.” Hirato smiled before standing up as he made his way towards the bed. He extended his hand out for Gareki to shake but the boy just started at it, unsure of what he was suppose to do.

Yogi couldn't help but feel deja vu at the situation. “He wants you to shake his hand Gareki-kun.” Yogi supplied with a smile, and the boy nodded, embarrassed.

He reached out to shake the man’s hand, hoping he wasn’t doing it wrong, yet it wasn't very easy to mess up a handshake, so he relaxed a bit before pulling away.

“After you’ve rested I look forward to learning more about what you can do for us, Gareki. But until then, welcome aboard the Second Ship, and welcome to Circus.” The man smiled before turning on his heel and exiting the infirmary.

Gareki , a member of Circus and a child of the Second Ship. The thought created a weird warmth in Gareki’s chest, and unconsciously, he reached up to grab it, still looking at the door.

“Gareki-kun?” Yogi asked hesitantly, and he watched the boy drop his hand before facing him. There was such raw emotion in the boy’s olive eyes and Yogi was a bit taken aback before coming to his senses. He blushed a bit before standing. “You really should rest some more.” He lightly pressed the boy’s shoulder so that he would lie down, and was a bit surprised when the boy didn’t even protest. He must be tired then.

Usually when under the gaze of such watchful eyes Gareki would find it hard to relax, but not today. Instead, Gareki’s eyes fluttered closed and he easily allowed himself to succumb to sleep.

Yogi watched, hesitating a bit to leave the boy’s side, but he wanted Gareki to have some privacy to fully rest and recuperate. With a small smile, Yogi made his way to the door before glancing back at the boy.

“Welcome to Circus, Gareki-kun.”

Chapter Text

chapter 4

~

Yogi was skipping happily down the halls of the Second Ship, a pink nursing kit that he’d gotten ages ago at a toy store in the city was clutched in his hands. He was currently en route to the clinic where Gareki had been resting the night before, and he was very much looking forward to treating Gareki himself since Nyanperona had been a failure before. He was sure Gareki would like this better! 

When he arrived, he paused in front of the door, making sure to knock first before calling in a lilting voice, “Gareki-kun? It’s Yogi, just coming in to check on youuu~“ There was no immediate response, so he just let himself out. And when he pushed open the door and his eyes landed on an empty bed, the blonde haired man went into full on panic mode. 

“GAREKI-KUN?!” He screamed, dropping the nursing kit to the ground with a clatter as he rushed into the room, searching behind curtains and beneath the bed to see if Gareki was hiding somewhere. He even made sure to check the cabinets just in case, and when he came up empty handed, his mind went to the worst possibilities.

He started talking aloud to himself. “Oh no! What if Gareki went to find the bathroom and slipped in the shower or something?!” He cupped a hand over his mouth in shock before quickly springing into action. “Don't worry, I'm coming, Gareki-kun!!!” Yogi called out like a maniac, rushing out the door and running down the corridor, dodging a few sheep as he raced toward the bathroom. 

After what felt like an eternity, he finally reached the community bathroom, and braced himself when he heard the shower running. Rushing across the tile, he quickly ran to the last stall, skidding to a halt before ripping the curtain back. “Gareki, oh thank God you’re-” but he stopped mid sentence because instead of seeing Gareki standing there, he was met with the sight of one of the ship’s sheep adorned in a green shower cap and staring up at him with wide eyes. Yogi blinked at the scene, his cheeks flushing a light shade of pink when he realized the situation he had gotten himself into. 

The sheep quickly yanked the curtain back into place, muttering its offense. “Some people.. they just have no respect for privacy these days…” 

Flustered, Yogi bowed deeply behind the curtain before sputtering out a quick apology. “I-I’m so so sorry! I was just looking for Gareki! I-I swear I didn’t see anything!” 

Once he snapped out of his embarrassment, he was back into search mode as he raced out the door trying to find Gareki. He couldn’t have gotten far in his condition, so where could he be? He wouldn't have just left, would he? Yogi’s mind was racing with all the possibilities. He certainly didn’t know his way around the airship yet, so it was possible that Gareki might have gotten lost somewhere— or worse— maybe he opened a wrong latch and fell out of the ship entirely?!

Oh god! Yogi was panicking. If that had happened, he would be even more injured! This was getting out of hand, and Yogi decided he needed to find backup to help him. If Gareki was hurt somewhere, they might be running out of time! If more people were searching, then it might make things go faster. Yogi decided that this was a life or death, all hands on deck type of situation. He figured against all odds that Tsukumo would join his cause, so he raced around trying to find her, ignoring the way the sheep were baaing at him and trying to get him to slow down.

Across the airship, the training hall was a buzz as Gareki was engaged in combat with a few of the training robots that the ship provided for practice. 

Tsukumo had been training as well, but stopped to see the new kid in action. Hirato was also watching, but from a further distance. It had only been a day since Gareki had accepted his invitation to join Circus, and his eagerness to get back to peak performance had Hirato impressed. The boy had insisted that he was well enough to train, so who was he to stop him? Selfishly, Hirato was looking forward to seeing what the boy was capable of.

Gareki's old Master often scoffed at the weak, so he never allowed him to rest during his training, so after he’d been forced to ‘rest’ in bed for a day by Yogi, the next day he’d been all too eager to get back into shape. He’d only had a few scratches anyway, so he still didn’t understand why they had made such a big deal over it.

When he’d initially been shown where the training room was, he had been in awe. It was unlike anything Gareki had ever seen before, but that wasn’t too surprising since he really hadn’t seen much of anything to begin with since he’d spent the majority of his life on a ship. It didn’t take much to impress him. Still, the training room itself was very wide and rectangular, with tall ceilings and lots of space, and if Gareki had to guess, he’d say it was close to 100ft x 80ft.  And unlike the more colorful appearances of a lot of the other rooms on this ship that he’d seen, this room was mostly gray and had alternating white and black tiles along the floor which gave the room an almost reflective look. When he’d looked down, he could see his reflection through the tiles. The walls of the training hall were also lined with mirrors, which made the space feel even larger. On the far wall was a row of stadium style seats for others to observe the training matches, as well as a large clock and a scoreboard.

Gareki’s shoes had made a slight squeaking sound as he padded across the tiled floor, so in order to improve his stealth, he changed the way he was moving in order to limit the noise. Since he still didn’t 100% know how things operated on the Second Ship, he’d hoped the training that he’d do wouldn’t involve him having to kill anyone, though he’d take a life if he had to. 

So he had been intrigued when Hirato had directed him to the far wall which held a button with the word 'START' written across it in large text. Gareki had turned to Tsukumo for confirmation, and she nodded, giving him a signal to press it. He would come to learn that built into the wall was a system of mechanics that would release a series of training dummies in varying heights and weights for him to attack. Upon pressing the START button, the wall began to open up and Gareki took an instinctive step back as robotic creatures shaped like humans started to climb out of the wall. 

And that’s about where he was now, currently fighting off the different robotic opponents that charged at him in different intervals. It had only taken him a moment to understand how they worked though. Gareki was honestly very fond of things like this. He enjoyed tinkering with random scraps and understanding the mechanics behind certain things, so these test dummies were really something. 

Though they proved to be no match for Gareki in the end. 

One came at him on his left, with a metal baton, but its movements were so loud and clunky that he was able to sense it quick enough to dodge and then sweep its legs, sending it crashing to the floor with a thud. 

It was a bit underwhelming. Like sparring with snails. Their movements were too predictable. Gareki was easily able to incapacitate them using hand-to-hand combat and his superior agility. He could see the potential that these automated opponents held, though. If only there was a way he could tweak them… 

Still, if he was really going to show his worth on this ship, he’d need to face a real opponent. 

Gareki kicked the chest of another robot training dummy, sending it flying towards the wall it had crawled out of. It hit another robot in its path, taking two down at once. Damn.. it was too easy. Gareki thought, a bit bitterly.

Hirato had been watching from the top of the stands, making note of what stood out to him. The boy had great form, and his alleged years of combat practice really showed through with how easily he’d handed the mechanic soldiers. But his target was just a robotic creation for training purposes. Hirato wanted to see what he was like against another living being.

That’s when his watchful eyes landed on Tsukumo.

“I’ll spar with you.” A monotone voice echoed slightly in the open room, and Gareki paused in his lazy kicking assault of one of the training dummies to see Tsukumo walking toward him. 

Gareki looked her up and down before kicking the training dummy aside. He stretched, cracking his neck. Now this could be interesting. He thought, narrowing his eyes in anticipation. “Bring it on.” He replied.

Gareki refused to be a nuisance to these people. He would earn his place as a Child of Second Ship by demonstrating his skills in combat and gunslinging. And his first opponent would be Tsukumo.

The two took their places on each side of the training arena, facing one another as Hirato had one of the sheep prepared to play referee and signal the start of the match. While they waited for the sheep, Gareki took in his opponent, studying her. He’d never faced her before or had seen her fighting in action, so he knew nothing of her skill level in combat. But if she and Yogi had been the ones to defeat his Master, then he knew she would be a formidable opponent. 

He’d known many women to be fierce, cruel fighters, so he also knew better than to judge a book by its cover. Women can be just as strong as men, if not more. And though Tsukumo was smaller than he was when it came to stature, her serious demeanor was enough for him to see that she would be taking this seriously. And he would do the same.

A little black sheep stood between them at the dead center of the training hall. It was dressed for the part with a purple whistle around its neck and a checkered flag firmly in its hands. It first looked to the right at Gareki, then to the left at Tsukumo, and then on Hirato’s cue, it blew the whistle loudly while simultaneously swinging the flag downward, signaling the start of their match.

Like a flash of lightning, the two began their fight. Gareki took off immediately, charging forward with the speed of a cheetah, a knife held firmly in his right hand. Tsukumo did the same, her golden hair was pulled back into tight pigtails and her Circus I.D was activated on her arm. The two met in the middle with a fierce clash of light.  Hirato watched the strong light illuminating from their encounter. Gareki made a move to slash at her with his weapon, but Tsukumo easily avoided the attack as she leapt into the air, twisting around to appear behind him. 

No way, was she.. flying? Gareki thought. It seemed like her feet were barely touching the ground.

A little band around her arm glowed, making it easy for her to leap into the air and jump around like an acrobat. Gareki dodged her attacks for now, narrowly avoiding a kick from her boot as he ducked below it. He had chosen to wield a knife for this battle as he preferred them to using a gun. Though he did have one holstered to his side, he wouldn’t rely on it for this. 

Tsukumo was up in the air again, before coming back down on him hard with a shower of light beams. “Sterne!” She called, as sharp beams of light came raining down to pierce at him. 

Gareki dodged the beams that penetrated deep into the tile floor, trying to find a way to get a hit in on an opponent who was so far out of his reach. As he continued dodging the light beam attack from above, he tried to search for a pattern. 

“Don’t just run away from me now.” Tsukumo said. It was meant to be a taunt, Gareki knew, but her voice was so eerily still. She had the appearance of a toy doll that had come to life and was intent on destroying him. Gareki had never faced an opponent quite like this. 

“Trajectory Arrow!” Tsukumo called. Could this be another type of attack? Gareki thought, as a highly concentrated beam of energy suddenly came hurtling toward him.

Gareki leapt out of the way, nearly singeing the edge of his shirt on the light beam, and when he turned back he saw a large hole in the tile where he’d previously been standing. No way. How was she capable of using these magic powers?  

Still, Gareki made no direct move to jab at her just yet. He had to play defensive for now in order to understand the type of person he was facing, and then wait for the right moment. Even if it meant playing a little game of cat and mouse, Gareki knew how to run and dodge when his life was on the line. If he really wanted to win this battle though, he could use his range attack with the gun in his holster. His hand twitched for it momentarily. No. He stopped momentarily. It would be too risky. Plus he was scared he wouldn’t be able to stop himself from actually killing her.

Hirato watched intently. “Now, now, what are you thinking, Gareki-kun?”

“It’s not safe to stop running when I start to get serious!” Tsukumo’s voice echoed around the room and Gareki looked up to see her above him again. “Sterne!” She called once more, but Gareki understood how this move worked now.

This was his moment. Now it was time for him to strike.

As the array of colorful light beams came crashing downward, instead of dodging like he had been doing, Gareki actually jumped toward the attack. With both feet planted firmly on the tile floor, he leaped into the air, using one of Tsukumo’s beams as a stepping stone to propel himself upward, his knife drawn. From up here, he could be eye-to-eye with his opponent and face Tsukumo head on.

He swung down on her with his blade, narrowly missing as she dodged at the last moment. He’d only managed to cut a few strands of hair from her pigtail. But Gareki was impressed. It seemed that he still had a lot to learn about Circus and the individual talents of each of the members. From what he’d gathered about Tsukumo, she was very agile and utilized a lot of light/energy based power. She also seemed to be very flexible and even though she was small, her core was strong. She could also fly somehow and was able to stay in the air much longer than he was, which is why she relied mostly on range attacks.

Gareki landed back on his feet on the tile floor and took this small chance to attack Tsukumo from the ground. It would be easier for him if she stayed on his level, so he moved quickly, waiting for the moment that she stopped flying as he disappeared from her sight before reappearing at her side with his knife drawn.

Tsukumo’s eyes widened slightly. The boy had come out of nowhere. 

She braced herself, using some concentrated energy to push Gareki’s knife away, but he was strong and resilient. As things were, they seemed to be pretty matched.

With the energy beam, she sent his knife flying across the room and skidding across the tile 20 feet away. While her eyes were watching the knife, Gareki pulled a second knife from within his boot and roughly grabbed her by the waist as he held the second knife to her neck. Check Mate.

Tsukumo blinked, having been taken aback momentarily by the rough movement. She should’ve known he’d have a second one. Gareki kept the knife at her throat, his eyes were cold as he just barely hovered around the skin on her neck. “Got you.” He said, towering over her. His energy was intense. But t his was just a training match so why did he… why did he want to… His grip tightened around Tsukumo and she just watched, unable to move, as she waited to see what he would do now that he had her trapped.

The blade was so close to her neck. With just one movement he could…

.

.

.

Thump.

A sudden feeling in Gareki’s chest made his hand tremble and he dropped the knife. It hit the ground with a clatter. Tsukumo look at him and then down at the knife. She said nothing.

They heard clapping behind them, and Gareki quickly released Tsukumo’s waist and stepped backward touching the spot on his chest where he’d felt that odd sensation just now. What was that… ? He though, confused. Tsukumo looked away.

“Such a wonderful match, you two.” Hirato’s voice broke him away from his inner turmoil. " I was truly at the edge of my seat! Well done.” 

Gareki wasn’t sure what to say.

“Why didn’t you use your gun?” Tsukumo’s comment was blunt and Gareki looked over, his mind had been elsewhere.

“Oh I..” He looked down at his gun now. He wasn’t sure how to voice his rationale. How could he say ‘I didn’t want to accidentally kill you.’ without sounding like a freaky murderer? But Gareki was saved from having to answer this question when they were distracted by a sudden loud thundering noise, like that of a stampede, coming from down the hall. The doors to the training hall were soon flung open to reveal one frantic and out of breath Yogi.

“Oh my.” Hirato said, taking in his panicked appearance. He looked deranged... and sweaty.

“What’s his deal?” Tsukumo supplied, and t hey watched across the training room as Yogi stood in the doorway for a moment. They could see he was scanning every corner of the room before his eyes locked in on Gareki, and his face changed from that of a deranged man to a wide grin, beaming with relief and happiness. 

Gareki turned around to see if there was maybe something else behind him, but no, it seemed his attentions were directed at him, as the blonde haired man came bounding over. He had his arms spread widely as he called out gleefully. “Gareki-kun, there you are!!!”

Gareki had to physically rub his eyes because he swore he could see little pink flowers and sparkles radiating from the other man as he ran closer. This reaction made Gareki take another instinctive step away.

Yogi was all smiles as he recounted the events of his morning. “I went to the infirmary and saw that you weren't there and I got so worried! I looked everywhere for you and even recruited some of the sheep to help me! I thought you might have fallen off the ship. I was so worried!!” He grabbed Gareki’s arm before he could escape and wrapped him in a giant hug, squeezing him like a pillow.

Tsukumo stifled a curt laugh at the way the boy immediately tensed up, clearing not reciprocating the affection that Yogi was suffocating him with. And she would be right because Gareki’s mind was racing. Was this some form of attack? He had been taken off guard by the approach that he didn’t have the chance to react to it and escape. Was Yogi trying to crush the life out of him?! His head was pushed against the man’s chest in some weird embrace. His arms were pinned down at his sides while the other man had his arms wrapped around him, trapping him in his grip.

“Gareki-kun, I’m just so glad to see you're okay!” Yogi continued, still suffocating Gareki in his hold.

“I don’t think he likes this type of affection, Yogi.” Hirato said, shaking his head at the ridiculous antics.

Yogi blew him off, sticking out his tongue like a child. “Psssh what do you know, Hirato? Everyone likes hugs!”

Gareki knew he had to switch to survival mode, so he made a pitiful noise like he was in pain, which alerted the man on top of him to pull back and slightly release his hold on him. “Oh! Gareki-kun you must still be hurt from your injuries yester-” Then, while Yogi was mid sentence, Gareki pulled his arms free and slipped out of his hold. He then proceeded to grab Yogi’s arm and twisted it back and upward before kicking him in the legs to make him drop to the ground where he held him down, effectively incapacitating him as he pulled a third knife from his back.

Yogi only had time to blink, getting whiplash at the sudden movement, as Gareki was now on top of him with a knife held to the side of his neck and a look of cold blooded anger in his eyes. His knees dug into Yogi’s back to further hold him down.

“Well that’s more like it.” Hirato smirked, pushing his glasses upright on his nose while Yogi expressed his sudden discomforts.

“Ouchie ow! G-Gareki-kun, what are you doing? That really hurts!!”  He protested, but  Gareki just narrowed his eyes, holding his gaze on Yogi who squirmed a bit under the intensity, before removing the knife from his neck, twirling it in his fingers and then chucking it at the wall. He didn’t even look as the blade end landed right through the middle of the clock. Dead center where the two clock hands met. The impact sent little bits of glass falling to the ground, and Gareki released his hold on Yogi.

“Out of curiosity," Hirato spoke up. "How many knives do you have on you right now?” He was genuinely curious, and he sent the sheep from before over to go clean up the glass pieces.

“Five.” Was Gareki’s simple reply.

Yogi dramatically pulled himself up off the ground, sputtering and coughing from getting the wind knocked out of him as he rubbed at the soreness in his arm.

“That was mean, Gareki-kun.” Yogi pouted, sitting on the ground. Gareki just stared at him, his voice unwavering.

“You attacked me.” 

“WHA?! I ATTACKED YOU???” Yogi sputtered. “THAT WAS A HUG!! EVER HEARD OF IT?!!” He exclaimed, like a child throwing a temper tantrum.

Gareki looked away. “No.” He was serious.

“Anyway, Gareki, Tsukumo,” Hirato started, turning the attention away from the man child on the floor. “I think you both did well today. I think you will make a fine addition to our team, Gareki.” 

The black haired boy straightened up now, feeling the need to bow at his superior. “Thank you, sir. I will improve every day to exceed your expectations, my apologies for the trouble I have caused.” The words came out robotically. He had said similar words to his Master in the past though heavier on the apologies and diligence to improve. As his Master used to say, ‘You will never live up to your true potential.’ Which, in turn, meant that Gareki would have to always train hard, no matter what. There was never time to slack off or else he would be killed by someone stronger.

Hirato held he hand up. “No need to apologize, just keep working hard.” He said, ticking a bit in frustration at the continued formalities before changing the subject. “That reminds me. As I understand it, we never got to formally show you to your living quarters the other day.” He turned to Tsukumo. “If you could please show Gareki to his new room. We obviously can’t have him staying in the infirmary forever.”

Tsukumo nodded as she motioned for Gareki to follow her. The boy bowed stiffly at Hirato one more time, “I’m sorry for destroying the clock.” He added, before following behind Tsukumo.  

“Wait, I wanna come too!” Yogi shot up from the floor, no longer moping to himself as he chased behind them. “I know a shortcut to get there faster!”

“..No you don’t.” Came Tsukumo’s blunt reply.

They were back to walking down another long hallway in the airship that Gareki still needed to figure out. Maybe when everyone was asleep one day he’d take the time to learn all the ins and outs of this place just in case. He didn’t like being in the dark about where he was staying, even though he’d agreed to join them. Still, he always had to keep his guard up. 

“You seriously don’t know what a hug is, Gareki?” Yogi asked incredulously, trying to make casual conversation as they walked.

Gareki glared at him. “I said no didn’t I? Why are you making me repeat myself?” His tone was cold but Yogi knew he wasn’t actually trying to bite his head off. It seemed more like a frustrated kind of anger.

“That makes me sad, Gareki-kun.”  

Gareki furrowed his brows in confusion at the comment and instead directed his attention to Tsukumo. “What was that ‘Sterne’ thing about earlier?” He asked, effectively ignoring Yogi and changing the subject.

“Oh.” Tsukumo started, not expecting the sudden line of questioning. “That’s what I call my special attack. ‘Sterne’ or, the Willfulness of the Constellations.” She replied stoically. “The name describes the colorful beams of light that erupt forward like a web of constellations when I use the attack. The power comes from my Circus I.D.” She held her arm out to show him the metal band. “The Incure cell in the middle is what gives us power.” She pointed to the circular object embedded in the center of the bracelet. "Yogi has one too."

“So that’s what that thing is…” Gareki had never seen a weapon like that. He honsetly had no idea that there were other ways to fight instead of just using a physical weapon like a gun or sword.

Yogi was walking a few steps behind them trying to contain his happiness at seeing Tsukumo conversing so well with Gareki. He’d had a feeling the two of them would get along!

“Ok, here it is.” Tsukumo said, plainly as they stopped in front of an ornate wooden door with a golden handle. “This is the wing of the airship where everyone stays.” She gestured to the other doors lining the hallway. Gareki nodded. He was familiar with this concept. On his Master’s ship there were also designated sections for the crew to sleep, away from the Master’s quarters, of course. This must be the Second Ship’s variation of that.

Tsukumo opened the door to a large bedroom. The walls were colored in a cream color with ornate gold detailing, similar to the look and feel of the door, but the wallpaper had a subtle vine pattern stretching across it. There was also a large bed against the wall by the door full of pillows, with two accompanying nightstands with lamps, and a window on the far wall that gave view of the clouds as they traveled through the sky. There was also another door to the right, and a large dresser on another wall.

Gareki was hesitant to walk in.

“Come on, let’s get a closer look!” Yogi said, walking inside first with Tsukumo behind him as they urged Gareki to follow their lead. 

Gareki noticed that the floors were made of a different texture. Rather than the glossy flooring used in the hallway and around most of the ship, this room had carpet. The texture felt foreign on Gareki’s boots. He was used to hard wooden floors. 

Apprehensively, he took a few steps forward, his eyes scanning the space. His initial thought was ‘Damn this place is fancy,’ followed by a realization that this part might actually be the Master’s room and his room was somewhere near here. Everything was so clean and put together. If this really was Hirato’s room, then shouldn’t he and the others be separated due to their statuses? It seemed weird for the Master of the airship’s room to also be with his crew, but maybe they did things differently at Circus? Gareki had another thought, ‘He must just want to keep a close eye on me because I’m new here… I might be a flight risk for them, so he wants to make sure I’ll be loyal..’ 

He was quiet as he looked around the room and Tsukumo and Yogi stepped aside to let him get used to everything and take his time. Yogi felt himself getting excited on Gareki’s behalf. 

If Gareki’s assumptions were correct.. He proceeded to walk over to the other door in the room and twisted the knob to reveal a smaller room. This must be where he stayed. 

He poked his head instead and found it had a light switch on the wall, and he flicked it upward to get a more illuminated look of the space. His eyes sparkled as he looked around. This was definitely an improvement from his other room. He touched the metal rack at the top of the room. I wonder what this is for? There was a jacket hanging from it. 

Overall Gareki was pretty satisfied with this space, considering he didn't have anything to fill it with anyway, aside from himself. He did a test of stretching his arms out as far as he could in both directions in order to measure the area of the room, and he found that there was more than enough space because his hands didn’t hit the wall. This was for sure an upgrade, though he wondered why he was deserving of it in the first place. Last time he’d checked, he had intruded onto their ship just to fulfill his selfish desires of leaving his previous life, and he’d weaseled his way into becoming a Child of their Circus. 

Stepping back out, he saw that Tsukumo and Yogi had been watching him.  “This is ...nice.” He said, touching the door frame of the little room. 

Yogi smiled awkwardly. “Uh yeahhh, the closet is nice, but don’t just stand in there. Come see the rest of the room!” 

Gareki tilted his head slightly in confusion, his face dead serious. The rest of the room? He felt confused now. He thought he’d been looking at the room and had seen all that he needed to see already. 

This closet space was bigger than he was used to, sure, but it wasn’t ginormous or anything. It didn’t take long to look at it. He could see everything just fine from where he was standing, so why did they insist that he continue looking? Did he not seem appreciative enough? I mean, the room would only be used for sleeping anyway, so why did it really matter what it looked like? 

“Isn’t this my room here?” He pointed to the closet dumbly, and Yogi and Tsukumo exchanged looks.

“Gareki-kun, this whole space that we're standing in is your room, not just the closet.” Yogi exclaimed, gesturing with his arms to everything around them which made Gareki tick in annoyance. Haha, very funny . He thought.

“Oi quit messing with me.” Gareki bit back. “Clearly this is the Master’s suite right?”

Yogi blinked. He had to process the best way to navigate this interaction. Tsukumo spoke now. “I don’t know how things worked on your previous ship, but on this one, everyone gets a normal sized room, so you better use it all. Not just the closet.”

Gareki was clearly still not understanding and Yogi felt his heart shattering. Time to brighten the mood! “Don’t worry, I’m sure you’ll get used to it in no time! Come on, Gareki, check out how cool this bed is!” The blonde haired man flopped on top of the sheets like a child, wiggling around and messing up all the pillows and blankets. “It’s super comfy, I think you’ll like it! Come on and try it out!”

Gareki still stood by the closest, trying to figure out his next line of questioning carefully. “Ok so then… who else is-” He struggled to find the right words. This whole situation was way out of his comfort zone. “Um.. Who will I be living with... in here then? I imagine I will be sharing this place with someone...?”

Yogi smiled softly, his fingers fiddled absentmindedly with the loose strings on bedding. “Nope, it’s all yours, Gareki-kun. Everyone gets their own room aboard Second Ship, unless you’d prefer to room with someone else. I’m sure there would be no problem getting that arranged!” He finished, sitting up in a criss-cross position on the bed. 

“Oh..” was all Gareki said in response. He had a feeling that they were thinking that he was super slow now, but he really wasn't used to receiving things like this for himself. It felt.. wrong . He felt out of place. 

Hesitantly, he walked over to the bed and reached out to touch the fabric, but instantly drew his hand back like it had burned him. It felt almost.. too soft.. and he didn’t want to ruin it with his grubby old hands. The voice in his head told him that it should be for someone more worthy. 

“All of this is... for me?” He repeated, still confused by this new concept.

They both answered at once.

“Yes.”

“Yes of course! (｡•̀ᴗ-)✧”

Gareki wanted to ask why, but held his tongue.

“Try the pillow out, Gareki-kun! Oooo, and did you see all these new clothes in the wardrobe?” Yogi bounced around, pulling one of the drawers open to reveal a bunch of neatly folded shirts and pants with the Circus and Second Ship branding. “They were all made just for you! I’m sure you also saw the jacket hanging up in the closet. That’s yours too!”~

Gareki felt defensive all of a sudden, looking from the clothes in the dresser to his own attire. How could they possibly know his size? Surely they weren't made for him . Where could they have gotten that information? What else did they know about him?

“What’s wrong with what I have on..?” 

Yogi eyed his tattered old, black assassin gear critically, almost wondering if Gareki was joking since there was no way he could be serious! His outfit was in tatters, practically hanging on by its last threads and still stained with spots of blood from the other day.

The older man sighed. “Umm well.. how do I put this..” But unlike him, Tsukumo had no issue speaking her mind and beat him to it. “Your current clothes are too worn out. As a member of this ship, you have to look presentable. The new clothing is considered part of your attire while you are employed here. You have to wear it.”

Yogi sweatdropped . Way to be subtle!! He thought.

Gareki looked down to examine his outfit again. Sure it was a little worse for wear, but it still did the trick, so he didn’t see any immediate reason to change it. But if they insisted.. then he supposed he’d try wearing their new clothing…

Yogi stretched standing from the bed now. “Well we’ll give you some time to get adjusted then. Come on Tsukumo.” 

“Wait.” Gareki stopped Yogi at the door. “Earlier in the training room you said you were worried about me...”

Yogi poked his head back into the room, curious. He hummed in response. “Yes?” 

Gareki shifted uncomfortably. “...Why did you say that?” 

“What do you mean why!” Yogi exclaimed, but he could see Gareki was being dead serious again.

He smiled. “Because. You’re my friend, Gareki-kun!!!” He spoke like it was the most obvious thing.

Gareki just blinked. It was that friend word again. His face must've showed that he felt unsure.

Yogi sighed, shaking his head. “God, you really are hopeless.”

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