mysteries | ic; you know you've gotta help me out

[ It's time for the one downside of fall. And that would be the day Hijikata decides there's too many leaves in the courtyard and people get assigned to clean it up.. even though it's pretty much the most boring task in existence, especially compared to the stuff they usually get to do.

And it seems like this year it's gone to the poor saps Heisuke and Sano (Shinpachi probably managed to sneak his way out of getting chosen and gloated at them about it, let's be real). But considering Heisuke can think of just about fifteen more fun things to do at the moment, he's just staring at the place completely covered in a thick layer of leaves the way a modern teenager may look at the homework assignments lying on their desk for them to do.

In other words, part of him feels like just giving up right away, but he knows there's no way to get out of this without receiving a thorough scolding from Hijikata, which is very much something he likes to avoid as much as he can. So the last option available to him? Why, it's whining about it instead, of course. ]

There's no way we can do all of this in just one afternoon.. [ His voice falls in pitch about an entire octave, and Heisuke sighs as he leans on the broom he's got in his hand. ] Besides, the leaves are just gonna keep falling and falling, so even if we get rid of them all, there'll be even more in the end! H-- hey, Sano-san--

[ QUICKLY SNEAKING A PEAK OVER TO HIM TO MAKE SURE HE DIDN'T RUN AWAY... because that's usually what happens.. why are you guys so rude to him. But nope, his redhead older friend sure still is there too. One good thing, at least. ]

--you agree, right?

[ Autumn is generally a rather pretty month, despite the weather growing colder -and the fact that clothing is an option, not a necessity- but when yard work falls to him for any reason, suddenly the reds and oranges look less warm and more like a bright pit of frigid hell. Shinpachi had skipped out on them as per the norm, though how he'd done it, Sano didn't know. If he did, he'd have gone, too, and left it all to Heisuke (sorry, little buddy!).

Instead of leaning on his broom and whining about it like his pint-sized companion, though, Sano hasn't even bothered getting up, still sitting on the stairs and trying to ignore the fact that yes, it's a wee bit chilly. Let's face it, putting these two in charge is a bad idea and this will probably never get done. ]

If you swept as much as you complain about sweeping, this would be already be finished.

[ Please note, he didn't include himself in this equation.

But unlike all good things, his 'break time' has to come to an end sooner or later, and so he gets to his feet and picks up his own broom before stopping to survey the damage. ]

Maybe we should each start on opposite sides and meet in the middle. I'll take this corner here, [ And yes, he means corner because it's a small area with fewer leaves. ] and you can take that side.

[ There's a half-choked noise where Heisuke's most likely going to protest exactly the fact that Sano isn't including himself in this, since like hell he's going to sweep this entire place by himself...

But then Sano gets moving and says he'll do something too, so sure, he can be satisifed with this. In fact, he looks a little encouraged by the fact he's not being abandoned here, and he's already happily stepping over to the other side to sweep.. ]

Alright, I'm on it already..!

[ ... but then just as he plants his broom into the leaves, he starts to realise something. Slowly, slowly, but it's coming to him as he glances over from his section to Sano's...

.. his section to Sano's..

... and then back... ]

Edited 2014-10-30 21:44 (UTC)

W-wait a moment..! There's way more over here than over there..! [ So he's just going to quickly stomp his way over to the corner Sano pointed out, even though it's not easy considering.. well, the leaves are pretty high, he doesn't have legs that go on into forever, he's sinking away in them just a little.. ] That's unfair, let me take that side!

[ This isn't even about complaining anymore, it's about equality!!

(As if he doesn't get screwed over on a daily basis anyway though, let's be real here.) ]

[ He almost got away with it. Almost! Victory was almost his... and then Heisuke just had to realize exactly what it was he'd agreed to.

But there is no way he's letting Heisuke get to take the easy way out if he's not allowed to either. ]

Oh, no you don't. You have your side and this one's mine. If you'd quit complaining and actually sweep, you wouldn't have as many leaves, and if I get all of my leaves onto your side, then I'm done and don't have to sweep any more.

[ To make his 'point', Sano stabs at the leaves with his broom, roughly sweeping them toward Heisuke. Equality? Who cares about that! This is about getting his chores pawned off onto someone else as quickly as possible so he can do other things. Though, this is better than actual cleaning. ]

[ Yeah, he's totally realising what Sano is up to now. Dammit, does he really think he can keep pulling this on him and get away with it?! (Because that's exactly it, Sano could keep pulling this on him forever and get away with it and we all know it...)

It's probably why he just lets out a high-pitched indignant sound of protest and starts - with even greater furiosity and energy, because it's Heisuke - sweeping the great amount of leaves from his side towards Sano's the best he can too. In fact, he's making such strong sweeping motions with that broom that the leaves are practically flying up into the air. So don't be too surprised if you're suddenly slapped in the face by a few of them, Sano. ]

We'll see who's getting all the leaves on the other's side just yet, Sano-san...!! [ At least he's.. determined...?? ]

[ Oh, it's on now! Not wanting to be outdone (and because let's face it, he's bigger, has a longer reach, and can sweep those leaves harder than Heisuke), Sano counterattacks, sweeping hard enough to send leaves flying back while swatting away those that get too close to his face. ]

If you think you can actually sweep your entire side into this corner, then I'd like to see you try!

[ Maturity in the face of a leaf battle. He has it. At least he's not using the broom as a weapon? ]

[ He totally doesn't stand a chance here. Heisuke doesn't realise it at first, since he's just so focused on sweeping the leaves towards Sano as quickly as he can, but.. well, he has a lot more ground to cover, and every single time he thinks he's gaining ground, there's an even bigger pile waiting for him on another side he wasn't able to sweep yet.

(Really, the only good thing about this is that Sano's not using the broom as a weapon, it's a lot more than a spear than a sword, after all...)

But even though he realises his victory is not how this whole thing will end, Heisuke refuses to give up. He still runs and sweeps as fast as he can, but.. it just really is impossible.

After a while he's just too tired to even put up a fight from how much he has to run back and forth compared to Sano's more comfortable corner, and he just drops straight down into the leaves, letting out a long half-muted whine. ]

I'm beat... [ In case that wasn't obvious yet. Look what you're doing to the poor midget, Sano. ]

This really isn't fair.. why does it always end up like this..?!

[ Watching Heisuke run around trying desperately to keep up is probably more amusing than it should be. He'd given himself a smaller area, so his work is less taxing, making it easier to keep cleared. But like all fun things, it comes to an end when Heisuke finally gives up, and because he's not one to just up and abandon a friend, instead of leaving him to do it all and laughing on the way out, he saunters up to him, broom slung over his shoulder as if it were his spear, and takes a seat in the leaves next to him.

Hey, they're in this together, and if he abandons him now, he'll never hear the end of it -from Heisuke and Hijikata. ]

Because you're hotheaded and don't think before you act, but if you did, you wouldn't be you.

[ He really can't see Heisuke being calm and even-tempered -a quiet Heisuke is a scary Heisuke. ]

Are you done complaining now so that we can get this place cleaned up?

Edited 2014-11-02 04:40 (UTC)

[ At least he appreciates that Sano isn't just bailing on him here.. but then again, he's the one who made things hard for Heisuke just now to begin with, so it sort of evens each other out. Still, it could be worse, which is why Heisuke's not grumbling a whole lot from his position in the piles of leaves. ]

Just gimme a little bit longer.. [ Spoken like a true kid whose mom is calling him out of bed but who doesn't want to go yet. It did take quite some effort to try and keep up with his huge disadvantage just now - and knowing the Shinsengumi, Heisuke's probably already had a reason to be running around all morning before this too - so he just wants to take a break for a little bit while he's lying here anyway. He doubts Sano will mind, anyway, at least he's not as strict as Hijikata..

Heisuke lets out a sigh, closing his eyes for a moment. Don't let him fall asleep like this, okay, it'll be embarrassing if someone finds him like that (although probably not very surprising). ]

.. Hey, Sano-san. Thanks for not running away. [ Which means "thanks for not being a dick" more than anything, but hey.. he knows it happens sometimes, okay. Actually, it happens a lot. He semi-sleepily (or at least lazily) mumbles on. ] I might've had to cling to your leg to keep you from leaving me with this otherwise.

[ He has no intention of going anywhere, instead easing himself back so that he's a bit more comfortable and drawing his arms up behind his head. Heisuke can take a breather for now -they've got a lot of work ahead of them, after all. Besides, he did just run the poor guy ragged, so it's only fair to let him catch his breath. ]

I considered it... [ Though the fact that he's here now instead of off somewhere else while Heisuke sweeps the leaves says what happened with that consideration. ] ...but trying to shake you off seemed like more work than sweeping leaves so I figured I'd stick around.

[ The mumbling, though, has his attention and he props himself up on his elbows to eye him warily. ]

Oi! Don't you go falling asleep on me or I'm burying you in leaves and leaving you for Hijikata-san to find!

Huh?!

[ There's nothing that would get him to open his eyes more quickly, really.. Heisuke ends up wildly flailing in the leaves for a moment until he starts at Sano, eyes wide in sheer horror. ]

No way-- you wouldn't do that..! [ Not specifically that he thinks Sano wouldn't do it, but more that you can't do that, okay. That's inhumane. ]

I don't care if you survived gutting yourself, that doesn't mean you should force it on other people!

[ Because Hijikata will totally order him to stab himself if he's found sleeping in a pile of leaves, okay. Or that's what it always feels like, anyway, whenever Hijikata starts glaring.. ]

[ That reaction earns a hearty laugh, because really Heisuke, would he do that to you? Or more to the point, would he do that to you then let you have to carry it out? ]

Hey, there's a trick to surviving it, and it's a trade secret, but if you ask nicely, I might be willing to share it.

[ But like all good things, even the joking must come to an end. The threat of Hijikata is a very real one, even if he doubts the guy would actually make them kill themselves over a few ~~billion~~ leaves, and so he pushes himself back to his feet and extends a hand to his little buddy. ]

Then how about we get this place cleaned up so that we're not stuck spending all day out here, because I don't know about you, but it's a little chilly for my taste.

[ As if there's a trick to it, he's not that stupid, okay!! He's heard the jokes plenty of times from Shinpachi about how Sano just didn't stick it far in enough, and Heisuke's pretty sure that's just the cause rather than any special technique. But he won't say it and risk flying across the courtyard just this once. It just earns Sano a sceptical look for a moment before it fades away as Heisuke grabs his hand and lets him help him up. ]

Maybe you should cover up a little more than, Sano-san! Both you and Shinpattsu-san, really.. [ Says the guy who doesn't even know where elbow and knee protectors are supposed to go. ]

But I guess we really should hurry or we're gonna be stuck here even during dinner.. I don't wanna miss out on the food because of this!

[ See, he's even picking up his broom again. He's being good! ]

[ Hey, he never said it was a good trick! But saying nothing is probably wise, especially given that if he can send someone flying with a punch, imagine what he could do if he was just trying to throw someone. Clear sailing all the way. ]

Shinpachi makes people cold just by looking at him. [ No comment about his own state of dress though. ]

Watch Chizuru hold the meal for us, and then we'll have to contend with Shinpachi wanting to eat us for making him wait! [ But back to the task at hand, because Heisuke's right. He really doesn't want to be denied food due to not having chores done. ] Do we break it into smaller parts and tackle it in bits or each take a side and work toward the middle?

[ ~~There goes Heisuke, over the wall..~~

But there's a small sceptical glance in Sano's direction after those words. Sure, he doesn't want to deal with Shinpachi either - when that guy wants to eat food and has to wait, he never shuts up about it later if you make him wait - but he also doesn't want to deal with Sano trying to outsmart him and making him do the most work here again. It's tough when your friends are two heads taller than you, okay. It's tough and no one understands. ]

I'm not so sure if I trust you again with the sides thing, Sano-san.. [ Yup, even his tone is sceptical. ] Should we just go with the smaller parts? You won't try to cheat me with that one, right?

[ Exactly how many people would admit it that they're about to cheat someone, Heisuke? ]

ic; you know you've gotta help me out

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XD I see you did what I did and changed icons. It amuses me greatly <3

dfgfdjkf it looks so dumb now, i'm so sorry...!!

Sano's will do it too if i end up apping him, so no worries <3

you're too kind to me ;;; also uses a really painful icon since my icons are messed up anyway here..

;^; sob

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