#and far sadder too...

The times you don't wanna wake up, 'Cause in your sleep it's never over when you give up, The sun is always gonna rise up, You need to get up, gotta keep your head up. - Face Up: Lights

Vasuki had to admit it, once you got used to the idea of being in a boarding school with no mother to run around after you, cook for you or yell at you for not doing your homework properly or such like, living in Bunkyo wasn't all that bad. Sure, he missed his parents and sisters, but it wasn't as bad as he'd thought it would be. Well, no. That was a lie.

That first morning, the homesickness and misery had been so potent, Vasuki couldn't even drag himself out of bed. Almost literally. All he had done that first day was lie in his new bed, and cried, praying to any god that was listening to let him go back home. Even if his sister Ikari couldn't stand to look at him some days, even if his parents sometimes wondered 'where they'd got him from,' he go back to it all in a heartbeat. Yet, he'd heard an English song come on to the radio, probably from his roommate's room. (Note to self, actually introduce himself properly to the guy...) While his English wasn't the best, he understood the basic message. "Don't give up." And somehow, that song had inspired him to dry his tears, look for his new uniform and brace himself for the days ahead.

Yeah. An English song had helped snap him out of his angst. His sisters would wet themselves laughing if they'd heard.

But, strangely enough, it had actually helped. Everyday became that little bit easier and if he ever felt disheartened, those lyrics would float through his head again and make him feel a little better.

And now, Vasuki found himself in the middle of Bunkyo, near the Kodokan Institute. What brought him here, he wasn't sure, but it was nice to take walk around this city. It helped with the homesickness somewhat and in a way, gave him some sense of belonging. Like it was 'his' city now, in a small way. He couldn't help but chuckle at the ridiculous thought. 'His city?' Yeah, sure.

Sitting down on a nearby bench, Vasuki let his head rest against the back, letting out a soft sigh. After a moment, he looked up and simply watched people going about their daily business, going home from school or work, going to classes in the Institute or just hanging out with friends. Once or twice, his lips quirked as a pretty girl walked by, and it took all he had not to try and start charming them. No, leave that for another few days until he was settled in to life here.

Suddenly a body flopped down into the seat beside him. While Vasuki wouldn't usually spare a glance for this kind of behaviour, the way this new person was acting made him turn his head to observe. A young man, maybe two or three years older than Vasuki himself, pretty tall...and panting like he'd run a marathon. Along with the sickly pale complexion the other bore, Vasuki suddenly got worried. This guy....he looked in really bad shape. While the gasping began to ease off, it did nothing to ease Vasuki's worries, and before he was aware of it, the words had tumbled out of his mouth.