Devotion
-
A/N: So this needs editing, but what the heck. It's Jyou's brothers. The world doesn't have enough fanstuff with Jyou's brothers.
And yeah, I've since noticed that Shin and Shuu do not, in fact, look exactly alike, and Shuu is actually probably a few years older. Just.... pretend they're twins, I guess.
(Old A/N: If I owned Digimon, it would be subtitled and 02 would have ended with Daiken, Miyahika, and Takeio.
The title is a pun- 'shuushin' means 'devotion' in Japanese.)
-
It's been a long day. Just like every other day.
It's not that my school is boring, or that filming is tedious. I love my school and filming is my life. It's just that a full day of it can wear you out. No matter how tiring it is, though, I can hardly imagine myself doing anything else, like doctoring. Especially doctoring.
Wait... why did I even think of that?
I shake my head slowly. I must need some coffee or something. I'm really tired and I'm not thinking straight and weird things are jumping into my head. I need my caffeine.
I pull myself up from where I've sprawled on the couch and haul myself to the kitchen. I hunt through the refrigerator - and find my quarry. I silently praise whoever invented ready-made, canned coffee, since I'm too tired to concentrate on making it myself right now. Popping open the can, I plop down at the table and take a sip, quietly going over the week's assignments in my head. I think I took care of all of them today.
Yawning, I set aside my empty coffee can and get up from the table. Well, the caffeine didn't work. Damn, I'm tired... come to think of it, I've been kinda out of it all week. Not enough sleep, I guess. Maybe I should go over my homework to help me focus.
Picking up my camcorder from the table, I pop out the tape, make sure it's rewound, and put it in the VCR. The screen shows the name and premise of the first assignment -- one of our technique studies. Takenouchi-sensei insists that we at least label each assignment clearly if we have them all on the same tape. He hates it when his students do that, but we all do it anyway. Saves money on tapes.
Watching the clip, I decide that I really, really need to do it over. I didn't hold the camera as steady as I should have and some of my takes were a bit off. I really need to start getting more sleep.
By the time I'm halfway through the tape, I'm coming to the conclusion that everything I filmed today is complete crap. I either need more sleep or a vacation. Maybe I could head back to Tokyo for a while, visit the family. It'll be great to see my brothers again...
My brothers...
Shin...
No!
I clench my fists in determination. No, maybe I won't go to Tokyo. At least not that area.
I manage to sit through a little more of my tape before turning it off in disgust. Damn. A whole day of work down the drain. And this is due tomorrow. Damn again.
Rewinding the tape, I take it out and slip it into its jacket. Maybe Takenouchi-sensei will grant me a little extra time. The other guys in the class may tease me, but believe me, being a teacher's pet has its perks. I'm sure Takenouchi-sensei would be sympathetic. I can see it now -- he'll agree that it's complete crap and then he'll see how tired I am and then, knowing him, I'll get a whole week to catch up on my sleep and turn in better assignments. He's done that before.
Packing up the tape and putting on my jacket, I head out to my car. It's an imported American car, a little yellow Volkswagen. The steering wheel's on the wrong side, but hey, it runs. It's the perfect car for a college student, in my opinion. I toss my bag into the passenger seat and start up the car. I'll probably need some time to soften Takenouchi-sensei up - and he's much less likely to be lenient if I ask him during class.
Glancing out the window at the darkening sky, I hope Takenouchi-sensei isn't asleep or having dinner or something. He does live alone in Kyoto, so I don't think I'll be interrupting any big family events... unless his wife and daughter opted to come out and visit him tonight...
Putting those thoughts out of my head, I concentrate on driving.
-
Takenouchi-sensei stops the tape and turns to look at me.
"Shoddy, Kido-kun. Very shoddy."
"I know."
"Far below your potential."
"I know."
"Totally unfocused."
"Yes, sensei."
He narrows his eyes slightly in scrutiny. "I suppose you've come to beg more time to work on it."
I laugh nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "What can I say, sensei - you know me."
He doesn't so much as smirk in response. I stop laughing. He's still giving me that look.
"What time do you go to bed at night, Shuu?"
Uh-oh. He's using my given name. That's never a good sign.
"Ten o'clock."
"And what time do you get up?"
"Nine or ten."
"Shuu, you're getting a good eleven to twelve hours of sleep every night. Last time you asked for an extended deadline, you claimed you were tired because of a lack of sleep. Twelve hours a night is not sleep deprivation."
I study my shoes. He's right, of course... sometimes I stay awake up to an hour after going to bed, but that still allows me plenty of downtime every night.
Takenouchi-sensei is the one to break the silence.
"You know, Shuu... last time I gave you a vacation, you showed up bright and chipper and full of energy, and you turned in a tape with absolutely stellar work on it. I overheard you also telling Miyazaki-kun that over that weekend, you'd taken a trip to Tokyo and visited your family."
I look up at him, then down again.
"How long has it been since you've seen your brother?"
I look up, taking in a sharp, hissing breath. He doesn't have to say the name for me to know which brother he's talking about. Shin.
"Uh... a couple months, I think..."
"I see." He nods sagely.
"It doesn't matter," I say, maybe a bit too sharply. "I'm doing fine on my own. I don't need Shin anymore."
Takenouchi-sensei says nothing to that, just gets up and walks to the window. He stands with his back to me for a while before speaking.
"Shuu, did I ever tell you about Itsuo and Jushira?"
"No, sensei."
"They were identical twins - had nothing in common except their looks and their interest in filming. They were opposite ends of the spectrum - fought all the time, hardly ever got along. But I remember once Itsuo had to take a week-long trip for another class. While he was gone, Jushira changed completely. He was normally energetic, cheerful, and outgoing, but while Itsuo was gone, Jushira lost interest in everything. His work slipped, he kept to himself, and he started falling asleep in class. When Itsuo came back the next week, Jushira bounced right back to his normal self. They were different as night and day, but they couldn't stand to be apart." He turns around, arms folded, and looks at me. "Sound familiar, Shuu?"
I look away. My mouth almost opens to argue, weakly, that Shin and I aren't identical so that doesn't apply, but my brain won't let me.
"You have until Wednesday next week. Take some time off. Take a trip down to Tokyo, and spend some time with Shin."
"I don't need him," I mutter through gritted teeth. "I'm doing fine."
Takenouchi-sensei heaves a deep sigh... and slaps me.
The sound echoes through his apartment, and I'm sure his neighbors probably heard it.
Raising my hand to my face, I slowly turn to face my teacher and his disapproving frown.
"I know I probably just broke a few rules, but you have to wake up," he says sternly. "You do need him, and you know it. And furthermore, he needs you. Remember, he's studying to be a doctor - he can't afford to be constantly drained."
"...I just can't escape him, can I?"
"*Escape* him?" He looks stunned. "Shuu, he's your *brother*!"
"I..."
"You what?"
"I... I guess... I feel, sometimes, like I'm chained to him. I don't want to need him so badly, I just... I hate it, because I try to live my own life and..."
He sighs and smiles, shaking his head. "Shuu, Shuu, Shuu. You've never heard of a middle ground, have you? You're acting like you're being asked to live with Shin chained to your ankle. Just because you need your twin doesn't mean you need to be together 24/7."
I just stare at him, dumbfounded.
"I... thank you, sensei," I say dumbly.
He smiles. "Any time. Now get out of here and start packing for Tokyo. When you turn in that tape, I expect nothing but your best material, got it?"
I stand up, pretending to salute. "Yes, sir!"
-
I'm finally here.
Home.
Raising my hand, I knock lightly on the door, shifting the strap of my bag to a more comfortable position on my shoulder.
It's Jyou who answers the door. He has his hair back in a ponytail for a change, and he's wearing his green sweatsuit. When he sees me, his face brightens.
"Shuu-niisan!"
I grin. "Hey there, Jyou."
"Hey, Jyou, who's that?" the voice of a little boy comes from inside the apartment, and then this little white Digimon - Gomamon, was that his name? - peeks out from behind Jyou's legs. At the sight of me, his eyes go huge. "Whoa! He looks just like Shin!"
Jyou sighs wearily. "Yes, Gomamon, I know. They're twins."
"They're whats?"
"Ugh... Come on in, Shuu-niisan, while I explain twins to Gomamon..."
Chuckling, I oblige, setting my shoes and bag by the door. "Where's Shin?"
"In there." Jyou points towards the living room. I take a deep breath and cross the apartment, searching for my twin.
I don't have to look very far - he's dozing quietly on the couch. I stand and watch him, my twin, not quite identical but close enough to it, sleep.
Takenouchi-sensei is right... I do need Shin.
Kneeling by the couch, I gently shake my brother awake.
"Shin... hey, Shin, wake up."
He makes a funny snorting noise and his eyes flicker open, focusing on me. His eyes light up when he sees me.
"Shuu," he says softly, smiling. "You're here."
"Yeah," I reply just as softly. I try to think of something else to say, but there's nothing. That's how it's always been between Shin and me... we've never needed words much.
"I'm glad you're here, Shuu."
"You know... so am I."
He opens his mouth as if to say something, then seems to decide against it and just hugs me. I return it, sighing.
I really did miss him.
I close my eyes. I can hear Jyou still trying to explain the phenomenon of twins to his Digimon, and Gomamon's confused questions. I can hear my brother's soft, even breaths, and I can feel his heart beating, perfectly in tune with my own.
I feel alive again.
Resting my head on my twin's shoulder, I sigh in contentment. I do need Shin... I really do.
But that doesn't mean I can't still be Shuu.
-
end
-
A/N: So this needs editing, but what the heck. It's Jyou's brothers. The world doesn't have enough fanstuff with Jyou's brothers.
And yeah, I've since noticed that Shin and Shuu do not, in fact, look exactly alike, and Shuu is actually probably a few years older. Just.... pretend they're twins, I guess.
(Old A/N: If I owned Digimon, it would be subtitled and 02 would have ended with Daiken, Miyahika, and Takeio.
The title is a pun- 'shuushin' means 'devotion' in Japanese.)
-
It's been a long day. Just like every other day.
It's not that my school is boring, or that filming is tedious. I love my school and filming is my life. It's just that a full day of it can wear you out. No matter how tiring it is, though, I can hardly imagine myself doing anything else, like doctoring. Especially doctoring.
Wait... why did I even think of that?
I shake my head slowly. I must need some coffee or something. I'm really tired and I'm not thinking straight and weird things are jumping into my head. I need my caffeine.
I pull myself up from where I've sprawled on the couch and haul myself to the kitchen. I hunt through the refrigerator - and find my quarry. I silently praise whoever invented ready-made, canned coffee, since I'm too tired to concentrate on making it myself right now. Popping open the can, I plop down at the table and take a sip, quietly going over the week's assignments in my head. I think I took care of all of them today.
Yawning, I set aside my empty coffee can and get up from the table. Well, the caffeine didn't work. Damn, I'm tired... come to think of it, I've been kinda out of it all week. Not enough sleep, I guess. Maybe I should go over my homework to help me focus.
Picking up my camcorder from the table, I pop out the tape, make sure it's rewound, and put it in the VCR. The screen shows the name and premise of the first assignment -- one of our technique studies. Takenouchi-sensei insists that we at least label each assignment clearly if we have them all on the same tape. He hates it when his students do that, but we all do it anyway. Saves money on tapes.
Watching the clip, I decide that I really, really need to do it over. I didn't hold the camera as steady as I should have and some of my takes were a bit off. I really need to start getting more sleep.
By the time I'm halfway through the tape, I'm coming to the conclusion that everything I filmed today is complete crap. I either need more sleep or a vacation. Maybe I could head back to Tokyo for a while, visit the family. It'll be great to see my brothers again...
My brothers...
Shin...
No!
I clench my fists in determination. No, maybe I won't go to Tokyo. At least not that area.
I manage to sit through a little more of my tape before turning it off in disgust. Damn. A whole day of work down the drain. And this is due tomorrow. Damn again.
Rewinding the tape, I take it out and slip it into its jacket. Maybe Takenouchi-sensei will grant me a little extra time. The other guys in the class may tease me, but believe me, being a teacher's pet has its perks. I'm sure Takenouchi-sensei would be sympathetic. I can see it now -- he'll agree that it's complete crap and then he'll see how tired I am and then, knowing him, I'll get a whole week to catch up on my sleep and turn in better assignments. He's done that before.
Packing up the tape and putting on my jacket, I head out to my car. It's an imported American car, a little yellow Volkswagen. The steering wheel's on the wrong side, but hey, it runs. It's the perfect car for a college student, in my opinion. I toss my bag into the passenger seat and start up the car. I'll probably need some time to soften Takenouchi-sensei up - and he's much less likely to be lenient if I ask him during class.
Glancing out the window at the darkening sky, I hope Takenouchi-sensei isn't asleep or having dinner or something. He does live alone in Kyoto, so I don't think I'll be interrupting any big family events... unless his wife and daughter opted to come out and visit him tonight...
Putting those thoughts out of my head, I concentrate on driving.
-
Takenouchi-sensei stops the tape and turns to look at me.
"Shoddy, Kido-kun. Very shoddy."
"I know."
"Far below your potential."
"I know."
"Totally unfocused."
"Yes, sensei."
He narrows his eyes slightly in scrutiny. "I suppose you've come to beg more time to work on it."
I laugh nervously, rubbing the back of my head. "What can I say, sensei - you know me."
He doesn't so much as smirk in response. I stop laughing. He's still giving me that look.
"What time do you go to bed at night, Shuu?"
Uh-oh. He's using my given name. That's never a good sign.
"Ten o'clock."
"And what time do you get up?"
"Nine or ten."
"Shuu, you're getting a good eleven to twelve hours of sleep every night. Last time you asked for an extended deadline, you claimed you were tired because of a lack of sleep. Twelve hours a night is not sleep deprivation."
I study my shoes. He's right, of course... sometimes I stay awake up to an hour after going to bed, but that still allows me plenty of downtime every night.
Takenouchi-sensei is the one to break the silence.
"You know, Shuu... last time I gave you a vacation, you showed up bright and chipper and full of energy, and you turned in a tape with absolutely stellar work on it. I overheard you also telling Miyazaki-kun that over that weekend, you'd taken a trip to Tokyo and visited your family."
I look up at him, then down again.
"How long has it been since you've seen your brother?"
I look up, taking in a sharp, hissing breath. He doesn't have to say the name for me to know which brother he's talking about. Shin.
"Uh... a couple months, I think..."
"I see." He nods sagely.
"It doesn't matter," I say, maybe a bit too sharply. "I'm doing fine on my own. I don't need Shin anymore."
Takenouchi-sensei says nothing to that, just gets up and walks to the window. He stands with his back to me for a while before speaking.
"Shuu, did I ever tell you about Itsuo and Jushira?"
"No, sensei."
"They were identical twins - had nothing in common except their looks and their interest in filming. They were opposite ends of the spectrum - fought all the time, hardly ever got along. But I remember once Itsuo had to take a week-long trip for another class. While he was gone, Jushira changed completely. He was normally energetic, cheerful, and outgoing, but while Itsuo was gone, Jushira lost interest in everything. His work slipped, he kept to himself, and he started falling asleep in class. When Itsuo came back the next week, Jushira bounced right back to his normal self. They were different as night and day, but they couldn't stand to be apart." He turns around, arms folded, and looks at me. "Sound familiar, Shuu?"
I look away. My mouth almost opens to argue, weakly, that Shin and I aren't identical so that doesn't apply, but my brain won't let me.
"You have until Wednesday next week. Take some time off. Take a trip down to Tokyo, and spend some time with Shin."
"I don't need him," I mutter through gritted teeth. "I'm doing fine."
Takenouchi-sensei heaves a deep sigh... and slaps me.
The sound echoes through his apartment, and I'm sure his neighbors probably heard it.
Raising my hand to my face, I slowly turn to face my teacher and his disapproving frown.
"I know I probably just broke a few rules, but you have to wake up," he says sternly. "You do need him, and you know it. And furthermore, he needs you. Remember, he's studying to be a doctor - he can't afford to be constantly drained."
"...I just can't escape him, can I?"
"*Escape* him?" He looks stunned. "Shuu, he's your *brother*!"
"I..."
"You what?"
"I... I guess... I feel, sometimes, like I'm chained to him. I don't want to need him so badly, I just... I hate it, because I try to live my own life and..."
He sighs and smiles, shaking his head. "Shuu, Shuu, Shuu. You've never heard of a middle ground, have you? You're acting like you're being asked to live with Shin chained to your ankle. Just because you need your twin doesn't mean you need to be together 24/7."
I just stare at him, dumbfounded.
"I... thank you, sensei," I say dumbly.
He smiles. "Any time. Now get out of here and start packing for Tokyo. When you turn in that tape, I expect nothing but your best material, got it?"
I stand up, pretending to salute. "Yes, sir!"
-
I'm finally here.
Home.
Raising my hand, I knock lightly on the door, shifting the strap of my bag to a more comfortable position on my shoulder.
It's Jyou who answers the door. He has his hair back in a ponytail for a change, and he's wearing his green sweatsuit. When he sees me, his face brightens.
"Shuu-niisan!"
I grin. "Hey there, Jyou."
"Hey, Jyou, who's that?" the voice of a little boy comes from inside the apartment, and then this little white Digimon - Gomamon, was that his name? - peeks out from behind Jyou's legs. At the sight of me, his eyes go huge. "Whoa! He looks just like Shin!"
Jyou sighs wearily. "Yes, Gomamon, I know. They're twins."
"They're whats?"
"Ugh... Come on in, Shuu-niisan, while I explain twins to Gomamon..."
Chuckling, I oblige, setting my shoes and bag by the door. "Where's Shin?"
"In there." Jyou points towards the living room. I take a deep breath and cross the apartment, searching for my twin.
I don't have to look very far - he's dozing quietly on the couch. I stand and watch him, my twin, not quite identical but close enough to it, sleep.
Takenouchi-sensei is right... I do need Shin.
Kneeling by the couch, I gently shake my brother awake.
"Shin... hey, Shin, wake up."
He makes a funny snorting noise and his eyes flicker open, focusing on me. His eyes light up when he sees me.
"Shuu," he says softly, smiling. "You're here."
"Yeah," I reply just as softly. I try to think of something else to say, but there's nothing. That's how it's always been between Shin and me... we've never needed words much.
"I'm glad you're here, Shuu."
"You know... so am I."
He opens his mouth as if to say something, then seems to decide against it and just hugs me. I return it, sighing.
I really did miss him.
I close my eyes. I can hear Jyou still trying to explain the phenomenon of twins to his Digimon, and Gomamon's confused questions. I can hear my brother's soft, even breaths, and I can feel his heart beating, perfectly in tune with my own.
I feel alive again.
Resting my head on my twin's shoulder, I sigh in contentment. I do need Shin... I really do.
But that doesn't mean I can't still be Shuu.
-
end