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Nov 18, 2017 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction
Megumi wasn't (quite) the only person to look at her like this, but she was the only one to inspire this reaction, this deep level of motivation, in Kaoru's heart.
Two professional women prepare for their very first night together.
Author's Star Rating: 4.5 • Category: Misc RK one-shots • Category: November Quick Fics • Contains: Established relationship for main couple(s) • Contains: Feminism • Contains: Queer Kaoru • Contains: Queer Megumi • Contains: Sexuality/sexual references • Length: 5k-6k words • Pairing - Primary: Kaoru & Megumi • POV: Kaoru • Rating: 3 • Release/completion year: 2017 • Setting: Canon
The rattling crack of contact between shinai filled the room along with the thump of feet and the controlled breathing of almost a dozen students and one instructor. The air smelled of clean sweat and bamboo and the soap that had been used earlier on the spotless floor. It all combined to form, without a doubt, Kaoru's favorite ambiance.
This was the first of a new, experimental series of evening training sessions at the Maekawa Dojo aimed at accommodating those with daytime work that yet wanted to study kenjutsu. The latter could no longer be a full-time commitment for many, and Kaoru agreed with Maekawa-sensei that it was best to evolve with the changing era. They would just have to see whether the turnout in future was as good as tonight's.
They'd made some excellent progress at this session, notwithstanding it was the first or the varied levels at which she'd found her pupils, and progressed along their numerous paths toward the multiform goals that swordsmanship would help them meet. Pleased, she moved among them, her sharp eyes seeking and never failing to find opportunities to offer suggestions for improvement regardless of the forwardness and enthusiasm of each man. They were learning, and she believed many of them enjoyed the process every bit as much as she did. For her the experience was short of perfect in only a single respect. She had hoped — it never hurt to hope — it might be different this time, but it had been a distant hope, a forlorn one, without much rationality or any precedent behind it.
These were professional men, modern men that lived in a new age and interacted with new types of women. Though the concept of yamato nadeshiko hadn't lost its hold in society at large and still retained a certain degree of admirability, Kaoru had believed it not impossible that these individuals, unlike so many that had gone before them, might be able to reconcile their idea of what a woman was and should be with the skilled kenjutsu instructor they met at this dojo. She hadn't felt any surprise when, like so many that had gone before them, they hadn't been.
Someone simply could not be both a woman and a kenjutsu instructor. Therefore, most people she met tried to divide her down an impossible line, treating her as one or the other. If they saw her as a woman, they refused to acknowledge — in fact seemed utterly incapable of acknowledging — her adroitness with the sword and potential to transfer it to others. They were skeptical, even amused, or angry, or uncomfortable — or sometimes a fluctuating blend of the four — at any mention of what she did with her life or any behavior they considered less than perfectly feminine. This was the category into which most prospective students fell at first. It usually took little time and a very little effort (though admittedly some men were incredibly stubborn) to teach them not to underestimate her, to demonstrate the wrongness of their assumptions about her skills, and then invariably there would be an abrupt shift to the other end of the spectrum.
For when they saw her as a kenjutsu instructor, it was as if she'd been revealed as a sort of youma in human guise come to do them a favor for mysterious reasons of its own. They were happy to take advantage of the youma's knowledge and experience, and even willing to be fairly jovial with it at the time, but at the end of the day the creature wasn't a person, certainly not a woman, and no true companionship could ever be expected of it. As a female kenjutsu instructor, Kaoru inhabited a strange, lonely place in between the different things she was supposed to be — and not to be — and the people around her would never let her forget it.
That had been the problem with Kenshin, too, though his shift had been more gradual and his behavior toward her always much more sympathetic. He had started out on the kenjutsu side, and hadn't really known how to deal with her femininity or any overtures of emotional connection she'd made. Eventually he'd come to see her as a woman, but in so doing had lost track of her strength and skill and the importance of teaching in her life. That was the reason, despite everyone around them taking it for granted they would eventually marry, they had instead finally, essentially, looked at each other and shaken their heads, recognizing that, though they would always be friends, their spirits just didn't communicate on the level each of them needed for romance.
Because teaching kenjutsu was the most important thing in her life. To instill in students not only a knowledge of techniques and the physical discipline required to perform them well, but the determination to maintain a personal righteousness and the awareness that, by ordering their lives along the lines of a well regulated school, they could improve every aspect of those lives and progress toward the best version of themselves they could possibly be… she couldn't conceive of anything more crucial, more meaningful, more fulfilling than that. And having the aptitude for it — to no small degree, she considered without false modesty — it was her duty and her pleasure to carry out this task left to her by her father, taken up out of love for him but continued with all her heart for its own sake. Anyone that couldn't recognize and appreciate this side of who she was must be as alien to her deepest heart as if she had never met them. And on the other hand, anyone that considered kenjutsu as having somehow banished or eradicated everything womanly about her, leaving her less than a person, obviously could never hope to be her true friend, let alone something more.
Of course there were exceptions. Her aforementioned father had accepted and respected every aspect of his unorthodox daughter with love and pride unblinded (mostly) by his parental fondness — though admittedly her supposed eccentricities hadn't developed fully by the time he left forever. Misao, whom Kaoru still saw occasionally but more often wrote to, would probably have understood and treated Kaoru rationally even if she hadn't been in much the same dilemma herself. Maekawa-sensei, in their dealings together, had given every indication of considering her a talented protégé that was also female rather than some strange and incomprehensible entity to be made use of, perhaps offered joking and possibly offensive flirtation, but certainly never befriended. And of course the most important exception of all–
"Takani-sensei!" cried several simultaneous voices in greeting.
–had apparently just arrived on the scene.
The extent of Megumi's celebrity was evident here, where she'd visited occasionally lately but not at this time of day with this particular set of men present. They knew her from various other encounters elsewhere, from instances of illness and injury and even circumstances during which she alone had stood between them and death, and they welcomed her now with an enthusiasm similar to the joviality with which they treated Kaoru. She, on the other hand, had to work to fight off a blush.
It was, in fact, the fourth time Megumi had visited her here near the end of a training session, all of those instances having occurred since the two women had come to an understanding concerning their mutual regard, and Kaoru mostly had her face under control by now. She wasn't necessarily worried about betraying herself and her sweetheart — nobody in the room came even close to thinking of her in terms of romantic involvement with anyone, let alone another woman; they would never guess, no matter how red she turned — but Megumi had a tendency to tease her later with a mercilessness directly corresponding to the shade of her cheeks.
"Don't let me interrupt," Megumi was saying with that complicated smile of hers that enticed even as it condescended. "I came to walk home with Kaoru-san when you all are finished; I'm happy to wait."
Kaoru felt a little thrill go through her. She'd told the other dojo inhabitants (a phrase that referred technically only to Kenshin and Yahiko, but Sanosuke had been there too) not to wait up for her after this late training session, that she would get her own bath. And here instead was Megumi come to walk her home. It was such a delightful scenario, with so many happy little attendant thoughts, that, once a cushion had been found from which the doctor could observe the proceedings, Kaoru applied herself to the last of the night's education with even greater vigor than before.
In part this was because she could now feel Megumi's eyes on her, and she wanted to offer those eyes her best. This wasn't merely out of a desire to impress someone that impressed her on such a regular basis; it also arose from the awareness that Megumi specifically admired, in addition to her physical form, both her combative and instructive abilities, so of course she must exemplify them as best she could here and now — as whenever Megumi was watching — just as she must also do her best whenever her sweetheart wasn't observing her and live up to that admiration and her own potential as elevated thereby. Megumi wasn't (quite) the only person to look at her like this, but she was the only one to inspire this reaction, this deep level of motivation, in Kaoru's heart.
Once she had declared the training session finished, drilled everyone in a quick and efficient cleanup process, and tried her damnedest to extract promises of future attendance from all the men present — this last with an indifferent degree of success — she saw her pupils out the door with various levels of friendliness in their goodbyes, stepped into the chilly breeze of night with Megumi beside her, and locked up the building behind them. And as they headed off the property toward the street, Megumi immediately tucked Kaoru's arm under her own and pulled her to walk close by her side.
"That seems to be going well," the doctor remarked. "How many of them do you think will come back?"
"I don't know." Kaoru bit her lip. "It's the usual thing."
"But a lot of the daytime students respect you as a teacher."
"And a lot of them consider me a mascot," Kaoru sighed.
"I can't imagine you aren't getting through to at least a few of them," Megumi said in that airy tone she sometimes used that belied the seriousness of her words. "And if you can change the life of even one of them, you're already making the world a better place. That's more than most people manage." Her voice turned scathing as she added, "Those foolish men have no idea the opportunity they're making light of." And she squeezed Kaoru's arm.
Succumbing to the blush she'd avoided inside — she was probably safe out here in the overcast night — Kaoru murmured, "Thank you." Before she could continue on the same topic, however, she looked around in sudden puzzlement. "Where are we going?"
"My apartment is closer than your house, if you'd like to spend the night." And it was remarkable how Megumi could make this invitation — presumably involving a step they hadn't taken yet, though that would require further arranging — so calmly, so assuredly. Megumi was so rarely flustered about anything, so perfectly in command of herself under most circumstances; it really was wonderful.
Kaoru, on the other hand, whose passions often tripped up her poise, now felt the flush previously limited to her face spreading throughout her entire body, and couldn't help stammering a bit as she answered. "I- I'd love to, but- but I don't think you have a bath?"
"Oho, Kaoru-chan," Megumi chuckled, squeezing Kaoru's arm again, "you feel the need to take a bath before spending the night at my apartment, do you?"
"I didn't mean it that way," Kaoru protested a little hoarsely. Then, realizing, she added quickly, "I could mean it that way, but what I meant was, I was planning to take a bath when I got home; I'm always sweaty and smelly after training."
"I know you are," said Megumi fondly. "And I'm glad you could mean it 'that way.' But there's a bathhouse in my neighborhood, you know."
"One that's open this late?"
"It's mostly working women who live on my street," Megumi reminded her. "There are a lot of amenities in the area that keep unusual hours."
"In that case," Kaoru smiled, "let's go take a bath."
"'Let's?'" Megumi replied, teasing again as Kaoru had known she would. "I like the sound of that!"
As they moved on through the patches of light and shadow formed by streetlamps and the spaces between them, Kaoru's neck tickled by Megumi's swaying hair as it shifted her direction in the cool wind, she began to inquire about the doctor's patients and whether her day had been as subtly frustrating (and perhaps simultaneously rewarding) as Kaoru's had.
Swiftly it became evident that it had. Megumi's withering commentary on her patients' common sense, compliance, and hygiene was really just a (sometimes very amusing) veil across her frustration at their inability to treat her like a human being the way — the especially profound way — she treated them. As Kaoru listened to the description that was two parts bodily fluids to one part disrespect, she leaned her head fondly onto Megumi's shoulder with a smile. The action called up an answering smile in the other woman, only briefly interrupting her flow of invective.
Though the thought had crossed her mind, Kaoru couldn't bring herself to believe she had only become involved with Megumi because the doctor had been the first otherwise romantically attractive person to reconcile the various aspects of the Kamiya Kasshinryuu's master that were seemingly incompatible in the eyes of the rest of the world. That had certainly been a huge inducing factor, but only in combination with such selfless and unwearying dedication to helping others, such never-ending engaging cleverness, and such overwhelming personal charms as Megumi also possessed could such a thing have made her more than a much-needed friend.
But the fact remained that they could connect on this level as Kaoru couldn't do with many others. For Megumi too was a youma, someone never allowed to be both a woman and a doctor by those around her, and it made Kaoru want to cling to her — as she did now, but tighter, harder, longer — and declare that they monsters, they in-betweens, they women had to stick together.
Only then she would relent, as it were, and declare she liked Megumi for so many more reasons than that, and start enumerating… and, regardless of how much she did like her and what they might do tonight, that thought was still a little too embarrassing to be acted upon. So she just listened, with legitimate interest despite some portion of her thoughts having wandered, to Megumi's tirade about her day.
The bathhouse was relatively new and consequently felt very crisp and modern, but no less convenient for that. Despite Megumi's reminder about the primary inhabitants of this neighborhood, Kaoru was a little surprised to find two women already there — one, within ten years or so of them, soaking, while the other scrubbed with an energy and elasticity not suggested by her white hair and bent spine. If Kaoru and Megumi had hoped for the privacy to enjoy their first bath together as intimately as they would have dared in a public establishment, they were disappointed. And Kaoru thought she, at least, had been hoping for that, inappropriate as it might have been.
Whether or not Megumi was of the same mind, she could certainly detect it in Kaoru's taut nipples and stifled reactions as, with sparkling, knowing eyes, she helped her clean up in motions that, if either of the other ladies happened to be watching closely, might have seemed just a little too enthusiastic and pointed. Then the instructor, far from the relaxed state this stage of the proceedings was supposed to induce, had to lounge in water scarcely hotter than her sensitized skin very near someone whose body she was trying not to study with blatant lust, had to try to deal with the pressurized throb in her groin. Needless to say, they spent as little time soaking as propriety would allow; Kaoru could never decide whether she was relieved or disappointed that the other women present seemed disinclined to chat.
Putting her sweaty kimono and hakama back onto her newly clean body seemed a crying shame, but it was one she barely noticed in the face of Megumi covering herself up again. But Kaoru managed to get tolerably in control of her feelings as they dressed, paid, and departed, and was able to begin the short walk to the doctor's home with a rational response to her first remark outside the bathhouse door — and continual engagement in the conversation thereafter — with only a little clinging.
She'd been inside Megumi's apartment twice before, and therefore was not forced to reprise her irrational astonishment that the doctor didn't actually live at the Oguni Clinic, but those two instances (the second just barely) had been before they were together. Now the place appeared in an entirely new light. A surprising amount of clutter — not a horrendous mess, but somewhat more than Kaoru would have expected of her meticulous sweetheart — spoke of long hours with little energy left afterward for tidying, further proof of Megumi's devotion to her profession and further reason for Kaoru to be impressed and attracted. But at the same time, the place felt deliciously welcoming and familiar, as if, instead of this being her first night over, she'd stayed here many times and was now returning after a lonely hiatus. It felt so much more like home than the dojo had in several years, in fact, that she had to fight off another blush in response to the sudden prickle of tears she was simultaneously repressing.
Why was she overwhelmed with such a sense of homecoming, such a burning in her chest — and not even of a sexual nature, which would be far easier to explain — walking into Megumi's apartment after a mere three weeks together with her? How could there be this idea of truth, of rightness, as if pertaining to a moral conviction, about this scene so early in their relationship? She didn't know… and, though she thought she must confide these unusual feelings in Megumi someday, she was too embarrassed at their seemingly inordinate intensity to do so now.
Once the door was locked, Megumi took Kaoru's hands and smiled down at her. This expression on the doctor's face was often so mysterious — part of an overall aura of private amusement and veiled contemplation that was very alluring — and Kaoru wondered what she was thinking. She couldn't ask, though, since at the moment Megumi had a question: "I know it's very late, but would you like some tea before bed?"
Kaoru considered briefly how to answer, enjoying the feel of Megumi's hands in her callused own, smiling up at her with a certain amount of shyness she could never seem to overcome. Finally she said, "Only if you do. Otherwise I'm fine."
"I'm glad," Megumi confessed, proving Kaoru had said the right thing. "Because I don't want any." She released Kaoru's hands and slid hers up the instructor's arms, seeming to probe or search as she did so. Though it wasn't an overtly sexual touch, it brought back very abruptly to Kaoru all the physical sensations she'd been gradually getting in order and under control since they'd been naked together, and her face was suddenly burning as red as it must have been then, much like the rest of her body.
Megumi hadn't observed this yet, concentrating as she was on Kaoru's arms for some reason, and presently she explained herself: "Your muscles are still so tense… There's an ointment I'd like to try, if you don't mind."
"I usually soak longer after training," Kaoru admitted, trying to sound natural but very conscious of the breathlessness in her voice. "I'll try whatever ointment you'd like."
Undoubtedly detecting how flustered she'd rendered her sweetheart, Megumi now drew back from her examination of Kaoru's arms and regarded her face for a moment with the same twinkling eyes she'd used at the bathhouse. Then she let go completely and said, "Sit there, then," indicating, and added with tellingly extreme casualness, "and strip down for me."
Though this did nothing to decrease the redness of Kaoru's face, she didn't at all mind obeying. Embarrassed she might be (for now; she must eventually adjust), but never ashamed. She went to the adjured place and began, as Megumi busied herself somewhere behind, removing her clothing for the second time that night.
It wasn't cold in the apartment by any means, but her skin prickled as it was bared as if she were still outside in that chilly wind, and her nipples — only barely settled after the relatively soothing walk — were immediately straining tensely outward again as she undid the sarashi (somewhat haphazardly wrapped for the short term in which she would need it) around her breasts. Her pony-tail fell wet against her neck and back as she finished her task and took her place, and that, at least, seemed significantly cool — though perhaps this was just because her entire body was so flushed.
"Mmm," Megumi said from behind her, commenting on Kaoru's only remaining garment as she hadn't been able to at the bathhouse, "I love the fundoshi on you."
Kaoru was very conscious of her bare buttocks, separated by the twist of cloth in question, against her heels, and could hardly manage to reply, "It's… the most convenient… under a hakama…"
"Mmm," Megumi said again. From the sounds of it, she was setting up their bed for the night before she came over, and there was something so inexplicably sexy about hearing but not seeing her carry out this mundane yet auspicious task that Kaoru had to repress a shudder of anticipation. She could no longer keep it in check when, a minute or so later, the rustling died away and she sensed Megumi dropping down just behind her. A couple of gentle taps on the floor suggested whatever she'd brought with her, but Kaoru couldn't concentrate on guessing what that might be as the other woman's breath warmed her neck where it curved to connect with her shoulder.
"You're blushing like a camellia all the way down your chest," Megumi whispered against Kaoru's skin, her lips at last making contact with it before withdrawing slightly to add, "and you're burning hot." Tone growing more and more playful she finished up, "Shall I take your temperature? I have a mercury thermometer somewhere around here…"
"Megumi…" It was a very weak protest, since Kaoru couldn't seem to draw proper breath to speak any more loudly or insistently.
"I really will have to give you a full examination one of these nights," Megumi replied in a tone so businesslike that its tantalizing aspect was no more than a suggestive veneer, "but for now just relax and hold still." And she began working the tie from Kaoru's hair.
As she had her damp tresses combed, gently braided, and then retied, Kaoru really did relax — far more than she had in the hot bath earlier, anyway — and pondered the silence that had fallen around them. It was a wordless atmosphere both rich and comfortable, very much like a soak itself in that it was warm, welcoming, and tranquil, yet full of simultaneously exciting little currents and piquant emotions lacing through like minerals in the water.
Finished, Megumi set the comb back down with another soft tap on the mat, and leaned against Kaoru again, this time kissing her neck behind her jaw beside the fresh plait. The contact seemed to sap all strength from the point in question, and Kaoru's head fell limply against Megumi as the latter's lips picked a gentle path around to the underside of her chin before withdrawing. "Now…" the doctor said softly, puffing against her ear, and Kaoru felt hands slide purposefully up her back. Megumi massaged briefly, seeming to seek out the tensest spots, then pulled away again; when the strong fingers and palms returned, they were pasted over with some kind of cream they then set about rubbing into Kaoru's skin just above the most overtaxed of her muscles.
Tonight had been a period of maddeningly fluctuating arousal, and now as it all came flooding back yet again Kaoru simply could not restrain a groan. The firm, quick, circular pressing movements sent shiver after shiver through her, little pulses of sensation that spread throughout her body and activated its every deep, fiery impulse toward the woman behind her. By the time Megumi had finished working all down her spine on both sides and begun branching out, Kaoru was panting uncontrollably and occasionally whispering her name in helpless appeal. And when Megumi let out a satisfied little chuckle at the effect her actions were having, Kaoru couldn't stand it one moment longer.
It was true she found herself dismayingly easily flustered. It was true she, like most women, had been raised to be demure and retiring when it came to sex. It was true she had a tendency to freeze up under intensely emotional circumstances. But in the midst of all that, she had a will that drove her toward what she wanted with a powerful thrust if only it could circumnavigate those aforementioned hazards. Sometimes she floundered in her embarrassment or indecision or even fear… but sometimes she was able to strike out boldly toward her goal. And this was one of the latter moments. She rose up, twisted where she knelt, and, flinging her arms around Megumi's neck, bore her to the floor on her back. Megumi barely had time for a surprised squeak before Kaoru's lips and tongue were tangling with hers very much as their lower limbs became swiftly entwined in and around the pink kimono the doctor still wore. Kaoru squeezed one of Megumi's thighs between her own and kissed her fiercely, breathing hard through her nose and writhing against her.
She drew her arms back, which rendered their kiss even messier but did not break it, and fumbled downward for some route — any route — inside Megumi's clothing. The older woman, having almost instantly regained her presence of mind in the remarkable way she often did, seemed to chuckle again at Kaoru's somewhat clumsy enthusiasm, though this was merely a vibration and a change in the tone of her heavy breaths against Kaoru's face, and her hands rose, still covered in ointment, to caress the other's sides in what felt like an encouraging gesture. And Kaoru had just squirmed and groped enough that she thought she could manage Megumi's obi when a sudden noise completely alien to the throbbing, gasping world they were building around themselves staggered her momentum toward satisfaction.
"Sensei! Sensei!" The words were punctuated by an arrhythmic but insistent pounding at the door, uncomfortably like the hard flutter again troubling Kaoru's groin. "Takani-sensei, are you there?"
It seemed the instructor was only able to withdraw her swollen lips and still-eager tongue from Megumi's mouth in the slowest of motions, easing back as if her pelvis had fused to the other woman's and there must soon be a crack and a stab of pain as she pulled away, and in the groan that broke from her this time sounded utter despair. Megumi's expression was one of similar disappointment as well as pity for Kaoru's thwarted hopes, but she propped herself up on an elbow as soon as the removal of weight from atop of her allowed her to do so. Miraculously and very impressively, her voice was entirely steady as she called out, "Just a moment." And then she was climbing to her feet, straightening her attire and checking to be sure nothing untoward was exposed — a safe assumption, as Kaoru hadn't quite managed to get in there yet. And as the doctor headed for the door, the very frustrated woman she walked away from ducked behind the changing screen and tried to calm her ragged breaths so they wouldn't be heard. It was a small apartment, after all.
"Sensei!" came the relieved voice after the sound of a sliding panel. "Please, can you come? The horse went mad, and we tried– it kicked Watanabe in the chest and he hasn't gotten up, and–"
"Of course," Megumi interrupted. "Wait here one more moment." And the door shut again, presumably right in the face of the distraught man seeking her assistance.
Kaoru, who felt as if she'd been kicked in the chest by a mad horse, stepped immediately out to find Megumi already washing her hands of the thick ointment that had been so pleasant and so inciting just minutes before. When the doctor caught sight of her — entirely naked but for the fundoshi she liked so much, nipples still taut and face presumably still that camellia-red she'd commented on earlier — she gave a sigh with a hint in it of the same groan Kaoru had recently let out. "I'm sorry," she murmured.
"Don't be," Kaoru replied, coming up to her and giving a smile half shy and half rueful. "Go save Watanabe. I'll be here when you get back."
Megumi bent suddenly and kissed Kaoru hard without touching her anywhere but at the lips — there was a lot of pasty mess around — then drew back with her own smile half appreciative and half rueful. "It may be quite a while."
"You never refuse to help people who need you," Kaoru replied. In an embarrassed whisper, wanting to say it but somehow finding it harder than it had been to initiate sex a little while ago, she added, "I really like that about you."
Megumi's smile turned entirely appreciative. She gave Kaoru one more quick kiss, seized the smock she'd draped over the clothes rack earlier, and turned to go.
Behind the screen again, Kaoru was unable to watch her all the way out the door. And it was with a striking blend of fondness and sense of letdown that she reemerged and looked around the empty room once the noises had faded of the man giving Megumi details of the situation in a voice loud with agitation and concern. This still felt like home, just a lot more lonely all of a sudden. She supposed she would don that yukata Megumi had obviously intended her to wear to sleep — there were two of them lying right up against each other like lovers themselves — blow out the lamp, curl up in a bed that would undoubtedly have the clean, womanly, only occasionally somewhat chemical smell of her sweetheart, and try to deal intrepidly with her disappointment.
She might have to touch herself under that blanket, thinking of the skillful hands and passionate lips that had been taken from her so inopportunely, but then again she might resist the urge and wait for Megumi's return… for the moment when, in the darkness, she would perhaps be able to tell her just how proud she was of her doctor that put the welfare of the wounded and dying, even those that didn't respect her as they should, above the consummation of a romance that had already taken her years to find and establish. How much she loved her for so unfalteringly maintaining the dignity and strength of the youma.
This story, which I've rated , was for plaidshirtjimkirk's November Quick Fics 2017 prompt, "fluff about Kaoru and Megumi getting ready for bed together??? Like maybe Kaoru brushes Megumi's hair or Megumi helps take off Kaoru's kimono." It, uh, got a lot sexier than that prompt suggests, and a hell of a lot longer than I had planned. Like, it was November, and this is a fic, but there was nothing much 'quick' about it XD
For further thoughts on this story, see this Productivity Log.
Oct 15, 2017 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction
The thing about salting Hyottoko's cooking was that you had to do it when he wouldn't see.
Breakfast is sometimes a challenge in the Oniwaban household.
Author's Star Rating: 4.5 • Category: Misc RK one-shots • Contains: Established relationship for main couple(s) • Contains: Queer Aoshi • Contains: Queer Hannya • Genre: Adventure • Genre: Introspection • Length: 1k-2k words • Pairing - Primary: Aoshi & Hannya • POV: Hannya • Rating: 1 • Release/completion year: 2017 • Setting: Alternate universe • Setting: AU - Modern U.S.
The thing about salting Hyottoko's cooking was that you had to do it when he wouldn't see, because he insisted everything he concocted was perfect without any additional seasoning, even if it was just leftover potato soup from three nights ago. Hannya had made it to the kitchen first as on most mornings — not solely so he could doctor his soup, but because he ate slowest of all of them; people didn't realize what an advantage lips gave them in so many areas — but, though he'd added the desired amount of salt and replaced the shaker at a safe and unsuspicious distance in the middle of the table, he hadn't started eating his breakfast yet; he'd miscalculated the amount of time the stuff needed to stay in the microwave, and was now waiting for the pool of magma in front of him to subside somewhat while the others got settled in gradually around him. This didn't bother him, since Watching Aoshi Eat Breakfast currently ranked #14 on Hannya's List of Favorite Things to Do.
Aoshi was moving slowly this morning after a night of insomnia, and if he'd been more alert he might have remembered the soup needed salt and given some effort to beating Hyottoko to the kitchen. As it was, he left his sitting in the microwave long after the beep had sounded while he hovered zombie-like over an enormous mug of coffee. Fortunately, Hyottoko didn't fuss about what they put in their coffee, so Aoshi was allowed to turn his into an abomination of off-white milkiness and Splenda to his heart's content. He brought it to the table, looked around somewhat blankly, remembered where he'd left his actual breakfast, returned to the microwave, stared at nothing for a long moment, eventually seemed to recollect what he was doing, extracted the bowl and held it cupped in his hands as if to warm them for another long moment, then finally noticed Beshimi waiting with a nervously tapping foot for his turn to use the microwave. He returned to the table at last to take his place beside Hannya, set down his bowl, looked into it, and now at the end of all things seemed to remember the issue of salt.
Aoshi didn't have facial expressions so much as he had a facial aura you had to take a two-semester course even to begin to interpret; but Hannya had been with him far longer than that, and now was easily able to detect Aoshi's clandestine worry directed toward Hyottoko across the table. The salt stood prominently between them, and, quickly and dexterously though Aoshi was capable of moving, chances seemed remote that he could grab the stuff and apply it to his soup rapidly enough not to catch the attention of — and offend — the chef. His lips tightened infinitesimally in concentration before he took a deep drink of his coffee and continued to stare with what Hannya recognized as longing at the salt shaker.
"Besh, how much soup is left?" Hannya asked.
Beshimi, leaning against the counter beside the humming microwave, reached over and tilted toward him the tall pot that had been taking up the entire bottom half of the refrigerator for the last three days. "I dunno… some?"
The ruse worked; Hyottoko turned to look over there in some concern. "Should be more than 'some.' I made enough to last the week. How much have you guys been eating?"
"How much have you been eating?" Beshimi shot back. "You're the one always getting high off his own supply."
Hyottoko rolled his eyes and returned to his breakfast. At any other time of day this would have become a snipe-fest, but there was too much of a mismatch between morning-person Beshimi and decidedly-not-morning-person Hyottoko for him to consider it now.
And during this distraction, as intended, Aoshi had seized the opportunity to freely salt his soup.
Unfortunately, the salt shaker, like, frankly, many things in this house, had come from a thrift store and didn't work very well. Or, rather, it worked a little too well if you weren't careful. The requisite quickness of movement while Hyottoko's back was turned, the enthusiastically open pores of the dented old tin lid, and the minuscule amount of soup in the bottom of the bowl had conspired to provide a salt-to-soup ratio you wouldn't have to be a slug to find alarming. Aoshi was certainly alarmed as he gazed down at the ominous whiteness already beginning to dissolve into the liquid around the large chunk of potato on which it primarily rested like snow on a mountaintop. Hastily he inserted his spoon and lifted the potato out of the broth to prevent further dissemination of the enormous pile of salt, but his aura turned to one of despair as he surreptitiously took a frantic look around and realized there was nowhere to put the thing except into his mouth or back into the soup — neither of which was likely to solve his problem.
"I ask," Hannya said, glad he'd started the conversation even if he hadn't anticipated being able to make further use of it — it was good to be a social engineer — "because I thought Aoshi might've taken the last of it, which would explain why he has approximately two mouthfuls in his bowl."
Protest came from all quarters: Beshimi ranted that no one could survive just on coffee and it was a good thing Shikijou was at the gym because if he heard Aoshi was starving himself again he would start stuffing the fridge with unmanageable chunks of raw meat and they'd been down that road before; Hyottoko remarked in surprised dismay that he'd been under the impression Aoshi had enjoyed the recipe, and wondered if he should change it for next time — more bacon, maybe? And Aoshi himself shot Hannya a quick gleam of aura indicating indecision whether he was more annoyed at his boyfriend for having brought down all this criticism on his head or appreciative of being provided a convenient excuse to obtain more soup and thereby dilute the excessive salt somewhat. In any case he rose with great dignity and returned to the soup tureen, passing a still-grumbling Beshimi on the way.
Though he hadn't touched his own breakfast yet, Hannya put it off a little longer in order first to reassure Hyottoko that this wasn't about the quality of his cooking, but rather merely the usual Aoshi-eats-like-a-bird-on-a-crash-diet thing, and the second to keep a careful eye on said Aoshi just in case he decided, piqued, to tip the entire contents of his bowl down the garbage disposal and go to work without any sustenance besides what was essentially four cups of half-and-half with a tablespoon of coffee thrown in. And under Hannya's baleful eye, Aoshi had no choice but to load up with a decent amount of potato soup this time and put it back into the microwave. Still, fearing treachery (and also maybe a little because Staring At Aoshi ranked #6 on Hannya's List of Favorite Things to Do), Hannya did not remove his gaze from his boyfriend's blank but dour-aura'd face throughout the entire three minutes the soup spent heating.
Three minutes? Oh, that was way too long.
Aoshi's demeanor, already a trifle surly at being forced to the unthinkable extreme of eating a rational amount of food, became even more so as, having returned to the table, he stared down at the now significantly larger and untouchably boiling aggregate of soup he was expected to consume. In a mixture of continued weariness and defiance, he took another long drink of his coffee, entirely burying his face in the oversized mug as he tilted it upward. Hannya took advantage of this momentary blindness to replace Aoshi's soup bowl with his own. As the sinking cup widened Aoshi's field of vision, his aura became suspicious, and Hannya pretended he'd only been reaching over to stir Aoshi's breakfast. "It cools faster this way," he explained, then withdrew his hand and turned his attention to the fresh pool of magma that had belonged to his boyfriend but was now his.
Still appearing extremely dubious, Aoshi nevertheless took up his spoon — originally Hannya's spoon, and bearing a completely different pattern (they'd bought all their silverware one piece at a time), though in his discontentment about how this morning was going he didn't seem to notice — and lifted a scoop containing cheesy broth, bacon bits, and potatoes. He stared hard at it, as if screwing himself up to eat it at all after everything he'd suffered to get to this point, then after approximately forever shoveled it into his mouth. And the change to his demeanor as he chewed and swallowed — the contentment that seemed to wash over him, the relief that something had gone right, the sense of reassurance that maybe today wouldn't be so bad after all — made everything worth it to Hannya.
Scenes like this only served to reinforce how much of Real Life Aoshi wasn't very good at. Sleep, timeliness, the proper amount of coffee creamer, salt shakers, basic nutrition, microwaves… It was all somewhat beyond him. And perhaps Hannya, in manipulating situations so they went more smoothly for his occasionally clueless boyfriend, was an enabler, but besides the fact that Helping Aoshi Live ranked #3 on Hannya's List of Favorite Things to Do, honestly it wasn't as if Hannya had it together much better than Aoshi did. He was a step or two farther down the path toward adult competency, maybe, just far enough ahead to clear the way a bit for anyone behind him. Which was, he felt, the least he could do in exchange for Aoshi forcing himself to go out there day after day and deal with the Real World so Hannya didn't have to. It was the least he could do for someone he loved so much.
Eventually everyone who didn't hesitate to leave the house without a mask on prepared to do just that, and there was a bustle of clearing the table (Hannya noticed with some satisfaction that Aoshi had eaten most of his soup), stowing the remaining leftovers (Hannya was going to transfer them to a smaller container as soon as Hyottoko was no longer around to protest that they tasted better out of metal than plastic), and searching for shoes (Hyottoko preferred to go barefoot every moment he was inside the house), jackets (Aoshi had to be reminded he needed one), and today a battered leather case in which Beshimi kept a variety of obscure chemicals (Hannya didn't ask) before anyone could embark, only running a little late, upon their various tasks.
Before he let Aoshi out the door, Hannya pulled him close to receive his usual goodbye kiss to the incisors or what would have been a labial commissure, and found it, to his satisfaction, delivered with a decent amount of optimism. He thought he'd managed things pretty well this morning. He could never convince Aoshi to pack a lunch for whatever break, if any, he managed to take in the middle of his work day, nor was there any guarantee he would be able to get a healthy amount of dinner into his boyfriend once he got home in the evening… but at least he had breakfast figured out.
This story, which I've rated , is dedicated to Crying leb because of the tumblr conversations we've been having that inspired it. For some author's notes written not long after the story, see this Productivity Log.
His Own Humanity: La Confrérie de la Lune Révéré 0-5
Sep 1, 2013 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Gundam Wing Fanfiction
HOH Navigation
"Something cataclysmic appears to have happened to our Regional Manager."
A step Trowa has needed to take ever since the breaking of the curse has unexpected consequences; now unpleasant truths must be faced by everyone, and Quatre is suddenly a completely different person.
Art to celebrate my birthday | Author's Star Rating: 4.5 | Category: His Own Humanity | Contains: Angst | Contains: Established relationship for main couple(s) | Contains: Gay Duo | Contains: Gay Heero | Contains: Gay Quatre | Contains: Gay Trowa | Contains: Language (gendered) | Contains: Language (general) | Contains: Language (religious) | Contains: Physical fighting between Saitou and Sano | Contains: Psychological torment | Contains: Sexuality/sexual references | Friendship: Duo & Sano | Friendship: Heero Duo Trowa Quatre | Genre: Adventure | Genre: Drama | Genre: Introspection | Genre: Romance | Length: 100k-150k words | Navigation | Pairing - Primary: Duo & Heero | Pairing - Primary: Quatre & Trowa | Pairing - Secondary: Saitou & Sano | POV: Duo | POV: Heero | POV: Quatre | POV: Trowa | Rating: 2 | Release/completion year: 2014 | Setting: Alternate universe | Setting: AU - Modern U.S. plus magic | Title: La Confrérie de la Lune Révéré
Parts 11-15
Parts 56-0²
Even from a huge distance — nearly from space, seemingly — it was obviously a great collection of objects, like a vast landfill where only one specific type of item was allowed. What type that was he didn't know; though he could see they were all similarly shaped, he wasn't close enough yet to identify them. But he was nearing, gradually, inexorably, like something floating on an incoming tide. All he had to do was wait patiently, and after not too long he would see…
Cell phones. It was an unthinkably huge collection of phones stretching into infinity and piled to oceanic depth. They were all different brands and models, showing a wide variety of conditions and levels of use. Their one feature universally in common was their stillness and silence. No light shone from the face of any; they might all have been dead, headed for recycling or an actual landfill or whatever heaven existed for cell phones.
But as he drew closer, close enough to make out the numbers and letters on each visible keypad and the staring blank expanses of the touchscreens, he couldn't shake the feeling that there was a message somewhere for him, specifically for him. He looked around. It should be easy enough to spot in this desolation.
It was. Like some great mythological creature deep beneath the sea opening a thousand eyes at once, the phones abruptly lit. There was no wave of sudden power and reception spreading from one point to another; it was a spring to life so simultaneous it was as if a new image had been inserted in front of his eyes, obscuring the old, and beneath the new one still lay the dark, powerless expanse. And yet the light was so bright from the combined faces, though there was nothing to illuminate, that it was difficult not to believe in it. Besides, when he caught sight of the origin and purport of the message blazoned across the face of every phone from here to infinity, he had no choice but to believe.
It was from Quatre.
It said simply, Help.
Heero awoke to feel arms clinging to him violently, tight enough almost to hurt; and he found himself nestling against Duo and petting his hair in what he must subconsciously have thought was a soothing gesture before he was even fully awake.
"God dammit," Duo murmured brokenly as his clutching hands moved desperately, convulsively, across Heero's body almost as if checking him for injuries.
"I'm sure this will stop eventually." It wasn't the first time Heero had offered this reassurance recently, since this wasn't the first time Duo had awakened like this in a panic. "Just give it time."
Duo clung tighter. "I'm sorry."
Heero shifted so as to put both arms around Duo and pull him close. "It's OK."
"I don't want to feel like that again," Duo whispered harshly. "I can't do that again. I can't–"
"You don't have to. You're not a doll anymore, and you never have to be again. See?" Heero ran a hand up and down Duo's back, reminding him that he was here, that Duo could feel him, that this was real. "Never again."
With a very deep breath, Duo forced himself to calm down, continuing to draw air into his lungs in a slow, deliberate pattern and closing his eyes. Finally he chuckled weakly. "How many times do we have to go through this?"
"As many as it takes," Heero replied.
He could see only the faintest glint of light from outside the bedroom door on Duo's eyes as they opened again, but he could hear an equally faint grin in the reply, "I'm not sure if that's supposed to be comforting or what… but don't think I don't appreciate that you're offering to be there."
"I always will," Heero promised.
They lay in silence for a while, the tightness of Duo's arms around Heero the only indication that he hadn't gone back to sleep. Finally he said, "I was a doll for a long time, you know."
"I do know."
"Longer than I've been human, actually."
"Yeah, it's going to take some doing to beat that."
"It's…" Duo's voice lowered to an unhappy murmur. "I think it's possible that I'll never really get over it. We may have to go through this three times a week for… ever…"
Heero shrugged against the pillow. "As many times as it takes," he reiterated. Inside, though, he was reflecting that if what Duo feared really did turn out to be the case, some manner of professional assistance would seem advisable. But what kind of counseling did you seek for someone whose issue was that he'd been a doll for eighty-seven years? A therapist that was aware of magic, obviously… in this crazy world with its dangerous hidden facets, such people must exist; it would just be a matter of finding them. He would have to talk to Trowa about it.
In the meantime, he might as well do what he could to try to work through Duo's worries on his own. So he asked, "Are you nervous about starting work on Monday?"
"Yes," said Duo emphatically. "I'd be nervous about that even if I'd grown up like a normal human and gone to real schools and everything."
Though Heero didn't know if he believed this of the confident Duo, it wasn't a point worth arguing. "You know you're going to do fine, though, right? You'll have training first, so you'll know exactly what's expected of you and how to do it."
"Will you be training me?" Evidently this topic change was working, for Duo's tone was now, in addition to the concern and agitation Heero was seeking to calm, part wistful — since he knew the answer was no — and also just a little playful or even suggestive.
"I'll certainly be there if you have any questions. You already email me twenty times a day half the days of the week; you can keep doing that if it'll make you feel better. But they'll get you a company email address, probably Wednesday or Thursday… I'm sure it'll be dmaxwell@winner-plastics.com."
"Ooh, that sounds so official! And I can send you completely sexually explicit emails from there, at work, with my work email, with both of us at work, and I won't get in trouble for it?"
"You will get in trouble for it if anyone but me sees them." Heero's attempt at sounding severe, battling his urge to laugh, was losing badly. "But PG-rated flirtation should be fine."
By now Duo had loosened up and stopped clutching at Heero so fiercely, and his voice as he said, "I'll have to think up some good stuff that won't get you fired," had returned to something like its usual level of casual sanguinity.
Deeming it safe, therefore, Heero said, "And I think once you're working full-time, it'll be a pretty constant reminder that you're human."
"Yeah, I think so too." Duo's nod made a rustling sound against the bedding. "And it'll give me more stuff to think about, so maybe it'll distract the dreams away." Despite his obviously greater amount of hope and calm, he still sighed as he added, "Maybe."
Heero leaned forward with a kiss aimed at Duo's forehead, but in the darkness found an eyebrow instead. "I can work harder at distracting you, too," he murmured. "Make sure you have more stuff to think about."
The warm breath of a faint, appreciative laugh touched Heero's neck, against which Duo, yawning, then nestled his head. This resulted in his next statement coming out a bit muffled. "You know what? I love you."
Heero kissed the top of Duo's head and then rested his chin on it, pulling him closer once again.
After a few more comments against Heero's skin, increasingly incoherent, Duo fell silent and started breathing deeply and evenly. Though he would eventually, Heero didn't release him just yet. He liked to imagine that, holding Duo, he could hold off the dreams as well, hold at bay everything that troubled his lover, protect him from a world that had already been unusually unkind to him. If only it were that easy.
Despite this, however, Heero was actually rather pleased with himself. Maybe it was arrogant, but he thought he'd done quite well at helping Duo recover from his nightmare relatively quickly and smoothly. Once again, if only it were always that easy to help Duo in dealing with the aftermath of the curse. The problem was that the damn thing only struck at dark moments when Duo was most vulnerable, usually when Heero couldn't help him. It didn't seem fair that sleep, something Heero knew Duo had missed intensely while he'd been a doll, had been tainted by this recurring experience.
Heero would definitely have to talk to Trowa about the possibility of some kind of magical counseling.
For now, though, he just tried to get back to his own sleep and not think about bad dreams or the very high probability of their return, since there really was nothing he could do to stop them. This had been happening fairly regularly for almost two months now, after all, and Heero didn't know how much he believed the proposed job/distraction theory they'd just discussed. The good news was that he was becoming more and more adept at damage control… he'd gone from the startlement and nearly ungovernable concern of the first few instances to a response so quick it seemed to begin even before he awoke; by now he tended to start attempting to calm and comfort Duo before he'd consciously registered what was going on.
Tonight he'd even been dreaming uncomfortably himself, hadn't he? –possibly in subconscious response to the signs Duo had been giving. He was reacting more and more quickly, becoming more and more in tune with Duo. Maybe that really would lead to a heightened ability to help one of these nights.
And yet… the specifics of the dream he'd been having were niggling at him, trying to make themselves heard above his other thoughts. The memory of exactly what he'd seen in his sleep was gaining clarity, and Heero found himself frowning in the darkness as he ran through the events — if they could be called that — in his dream. In fact, he was waking again, increasingly worried and perplexed, and he had to struggle not to tense up and squeeze Duo awake as well. It hadn't begun to occur to him while he'd been busy with his unhappy boyfriend, but… this wasn't actually entirely about Duo, was it? It couldn't be.
Because if it had been prompted only by Duo's distress, to which he'd been responding even before he'd awakened, why had his dream centered around a request for help from Quatre?
Trowa was still a much earlier riser than his longtime best friend, so Duo found it no surprise, when Trowa put his head into Heero's apartment late Saturday morning, that it looked as if this wasn't the first time he'd done so. On previous in-peekings, Trowa had probably heard signs first of Duo letting Heero know exactly what he thought of a boyfriend that was so steadfastly comforting and supportive during a period of stress and nightmare, and second of a vigorous shower, but this would be the first time he'd actually seen anyone up and about.
Duo, who was very helpfully helping Heero in the kitchen dressed only in pajama pants, caught the motion of Trowa's door opening and glanced over in time to see his friend step slowly inside, close the door behind him, and stand somewhat disconsolately against it.
"Hey, Trowa!" he greeted. "Come in and have breakfast!"
"Come in and distract Duo so I can actually make breakfast," Heero amended quietly.
"I'll put a shirt on, even," was Duo's generous accompanying offer.
When he returned from this errand wearing one of Heero's tees, he found that Trowa had wandered over to the sofa and sat down somewhat stiffly. His friend was now involved in an unnecessarily arduous discussion about whether he wanted breakfast, how likely he was to suffer if he skipped breakfast, and what, in the event he did want breakfast, he would like for breakfast. Heero was very patiently wringing answers out of Trowa, who was being far more unresponsive than usual; it was a little odd.
"You know Quatre will get on everyone's case if you don't eat," Duo said as he flopped down on the couch.
Trowa stiffened even further at the mention of Quatre's name, and this was the last sign Duo needed that something was wrong. Normally that sort of remark was everything required to get Trowa to shape up and act like a human being.
"So, what's going on?" Duo wondered, hoping to spare Trowa's feelings by letting him be the one to introduce whatever was bothering him. "Planning anything super exciting for your birthday?"
Trowa just shrugged.
"Birthdays count again," Duo reminded him. "That's worth celebrating, isn't it?"
Faintly Trowa smiled. "You're right about that."
This wasn't getting anywhere, so Duo decided to repeat the only word that had gotten a specific reaction thus far. "You and Quatre heading out to someplace extremely romantic?"
Simultaneously Trowa repeated his shrug, sighed a little, and looked away at nothing. "I thought we were," he said, "but I think plans may have changed."
This was enough to catch whatever portion of Duo's attention hadn't already been riveted on the conversation — not merely because Trowa was unhappy about something, but because words like 'think' and 'may' had just been applied to a plan involving Quatre. There might be times when Quatre's plans weren't entirely certain, but that was generally months before the event in question… and Trowa was turning 112 (or perhaps 25) tomorrow. "What happened?"
Trowa was consideringly silent for a moment. "He was in a bad mood last night." Clearly he was trying to downplay this, but it wasn't working.
Thinking back over the five months in which he'd known Quatre, Duo was having a hard time finding any memory to supply the information he wanted. Finally he asked in some interest, "What's that like?"
"Not very enjoyable for me."
This, Duo thought, answered his question: Trowa and Quatre had had a little tiff, and Trowa was here to pout and be petted about it. Doubtless Quatre would call or show up later, apologetic and full of plans for tomorrow, and everything would be fine. For now, it was probably best to let Trowa get everything off his chest in his own time.
"I'm worried," was how Trowa began, in a tone of confession — as if worrying about his boyfriend after an argument was a sign of weakness or something; poor Trowa. "He isn't answering my phone calls, and he isn't in his room at his house."
"Well, he wouldn't be, if he's annoyed and off somewhere," said Duo reasonably. "Heero! Where does Quatre go when he's annoyed?"
"Swimming," Heero replied, so promptly that it was obvious he was listening intently to the entire discussion.
"See?" Duo gave Trowa a comforting pat on the shoulder. "He's not going to answer his phone if he's in a pool, but I'm sure he'll call you when he gets out."
Trowa was still staring blankly at a point halfway up one of the apartment's largely empty walls. Duo had been meaning to talk to Heero about putting something interesting on some of them… if there'd been a picture there, Trowa would have had something real not to look at instead of having to make do with cream-colored nothing. As it was, Trowa was silent for the moment. Duo was itching to know what he'd done to irritate Quatre, but didn't think asking — which would be tantamount to accusing — would be terribly kind.
Finally, "He called me a coward," Trowa murmured.
"What?" This startled demand came from two voices, and suddenly Heero was standing just behind the couch looking down at Trowa with constricted brows and worried eyes.
Now Trowa's gaze shifted to the floor, as if he couldn't stand to meet the gaze of either of his friends. "I made him do something I couldn't do myself. I didn't force him to — I didn't even ask him to; he volunteered — but the fact that I couldn't do it, and that he feels the need to take care of me, made it equal to forcing him. He probably thought he didn't have a choice, and that's my fault."
"And it was so bad that he called you a coward to your face," Heero said. His face had gone hard, as had his tone, but he spoke softly. Duo had been surprised and concerned at hearing a report of Quatre using such negative language toward Trowa, but at the sight of Heero's expression and the sound of his voice his concern grew significantly.
Trowa nodded, and said heavily, "He told me I've been under the backwards impression that being a powerful magician was all I had left of myself that was worthwhile… and that I was afraid to let that go and live like a normal person… and that was keeping me from fully recovering after the curse. He said that if I'm going to keep being a coward about things, he's not going to be able to help me."
It sounded… well, it sounded, Duo had to admit, perfectly accurate. It didn't sound like anything Quatre would say. Duo remembered comforting himself once with the thought that Quatre was too compassionate ever to be unkindly blunt… but perhaps Trowa had somehow pushed him farther than Duo had ever seen Quatre pushed. Or had Duo simply been wrong in his assessment? In any case, the statement Quatre had made didn't sound like anything someone merely 'in a bad mood' would say.
"He was right," Trowa said simply, "but normally he's so much more kind about things like that."
Duo nodded inadvertently as Trowa essentially verified everything he'd just been thinking. Trowa didn't even sound petulant now — he wasn't complaining or looking for sympathy; he was uncomprehendingly hurt.
"I think I apologized for being so much trouble… I barely remember what I said… because he interrupted me and said, 'You know, Trowa, we spend an awful lot of time talking about you and your problems. It's not that I don't want to help you, but it gets overwhelming sometimes.'"
Trowa quoted as if he would never forget the exact words, and Duo simply stared at him. Once again it seemed completely accurate… and completely out of character for Quatre. Of course dealing with Trowa's issues must get overwhelming at times… but Duo wouldn't have thought Quatre would ever actually voice that sentiment aloud to Trowa.
"Then he said he was tired, and he went home. I thought he was going to stay," Trowa added with a slight blush, "and be around today… we hadn't quite decided between a couple of different options for tomorrow… but he seemed like he was angry with me all of a sudden. And now he won't answer my calls."
"It is kinda early still…" Duo offered this excuse only half-heartedly, since it wasn't actually all that early and he knew Quatre to be a morning person.
Something on the stove was crackling alarmingly, but Heero remained motionless beside the couch. He looked even more worried than before, and Duo thought there was a deep pensiveness and perhaps a touch of anger to his expression as well — and some disapproval, even accusation such as Duo had earlier eschewed, in Heero's tone as he asked, "What exactly did you have him do for you?"
Sounding even more miserable than before, Trowa ranted quietly. "He's been bringing it up regularly for months, and I kept putting it off… if I'd just done it myself, this wouldn't have happened, since I'm sure that's what caused this. He saw I couldn't do it and offered to do it for me… I shouldn't have let him; I should have done it myself… I shouldn't have been such a coward."
Silence followed this minor outburst, and Trowa seemed to realize that he hadn't actually answered the question. With a glance that was unexpectedly expressive of helpless guilt, he finally told them. "The artifact. He destroyed it for me."
Oddly enough, the tension in the room seemed to lessen a little at Trowa's pronouncement. He had anticipated anger from his two friends on hearing that he'd allowed Quatre to undertake something so magically involved and potentially dangerous — just as he'd been angry at himself for it ever since last night — but apparently his words had had a different effect.
"So this is a magical thing." Duo actually sounded somewhat relieved. "The artifact did something to him, and you should be able to clear it up and everything should be fine."
Not so sure, Trowa said nothing.
Heero, apparently sharing Trowa's doubts, wondered, "But what did it do to him? I've never seen Quatre behave like you're describing."
"Yeah, Quatre's so… nice…" Duo's expression, at the sound of Heero's voice, had slowly changed back to a frown.
"He's not just nice," Heero said fiercely — a very unusual tone for him. "He almost never speaks without thinking, and even if he has something difficult to say to someone, he says it as kindly as possible. And it takes him forever to say that kind of thing to his boyfriend, even–" here Trowa could feel cold eyes burning the back of his neck– "when his boyfriend deserves it."
"I know I deserved it." The slight defensiveness in Trowa's tone, the fact that he was standing up for himself (in a way) would have pleased Quatre the day before yesterday, Trowa thought. Today? Who knew? "He didn't say anything that wasn't perfectly true. It's him I'm worried about." Well, there was a touch of us he was worried about too — which, he felt, also would have pleased the normal Quatre. But when the normal Quatre wasn't around, it seemed almost meaningless. "And he's not answering his phone."
Abruptly Heero moved around the sofa and down the hall. For a few moments there was no sound but that of whatever he'd been cooking, which was now beginning to smell a bit smoky. In response to this, Duo reluctantly stood and went to deal with the probably ruined breakfast. Trowa thought there was very little appetite left among the three of them.
"Trowa…" Heero had returned with his cell phone, on which he'd fixed a very odd, pensive look. "About what time last night did this all happen?"
"Early morning." Wondering why Heero wanted to know, Trowa tried to narrow it down. "Probably around three."
"Which time zone?"
"Mine. So, midnight here?"
In the kitchen, Duo's sudden audible shifting suggested this meant something to him. But Heero said nothing, only nodded slightly and turned back to walk down the hall again. Another silence settled, but for Duo rattling cooking utensils, finally followed by the muffled sound of Heero talking to someone on the phone in his bedroom. It didn't seem a very promising conversation, though — too many questions and long pauses.
This was confirmed when Heero returned, still eyeing the device in his hand strangely, and eventually looked up at where Trowa remained on the couch. "No answer," he said, stopping in the entry to the hall and pocketing his phone with a reluctant slowness. "I called his house too, and Darryl said he's still not there. Something is definitely wrong."
"Why do you say that?" It was actually a little annoying that, after it had already been established that Quatre wasn't answering Trowa's calls, Heero would come to the conclusion something was wrong only after he tried and failed to reach his friend.
"Because," said Heero slowly, still frowning, "last night at 12:15 or so, I woke up from a dream about Quatre asking me for help."
Now it was Duo's turn to emerge, startled, from the kitchen, abandoning whatever cooking endeavor was going on there. "You woke up from a dream?"
Heero nodded. "It was a message. I didn't quite realize that last night, because…" His eyes flicked to Duo and away. "I got distracted. But it wasn't a normal dream."
Mimicking the nod, Trowa said wearily, "You're a communicator."
"What?" Duo wondered, pulled momentarily from his concern for Quatre. "Is he?"
"I've thought so for a while, but I never got around to running a test. Now I don't have to. The type of connection with a friend that brings dreams like that is one of the definitive signs." Trowa would be very interested in this at a later time, but at the moment he barely cared. "And you're right, Heero: it's also a definitive sign that something is wrong." As if that weren't already obvious.
Heero too set aside, for now, the question of his area of magical talent. "And I assume you can't jump to him, or you would already have done it." His tone was even, and Trowa got the feeling he was also setting accusation aside in the interest of helping Quatre.
"I haven't tried jumping anywhere," Trowa replied, "but I'm sure it will take some time and practice before I can do it again at all… and I don't know if I'll ever be able to use Quatre as a destination again." And that prospect had been not the least of the reasons he hadn't been looking forward to giving up the largest portion of his power. Quatre had been right about his cowardice, but at least some of it was specifically related to Quatre himself. The reminder that normal people got around by non-magical means all the time could do little to console Trowa for the loss of the ability to go instantly to his boyfriend whenever he wanted.
"You haven't tried yet," Heero murmured very quietly, almost as if to himself. Then, more loudly and very flatly he wondered, "Why are you here, Trowa?"
Trowa opted for complete honesty. "I wanted to see if I was overreacting."
"If you haven't tried jumping to him yet, I'd say you're underreacting."
"Maybe not, maybe not," said Duo placatingly from where he'd returned to the kitchen. "We don't know for sure yet exactly what happened."
"I," said Heero, in the same absolutely flat tone as before, "have known Quatre for ten years. And I am telling you both that something is wrong. Trowa, I think you should try jumping to him. If that doesn't work, I think you should look through those books of yours and see if you can figure out what might have happened to him."
The I think's didn't make these statements any less commanding, but any sting Trowa might have felt at being ordered around by Heero was drowned in the concern he felt — an emotion he'd been holding back all this time but that had been let loose by Heero's steely pronouncements. He nodded and stood. "Let me know if you get ahold of him."
Curtly, Heero returned the gesture.
Duo's tone in the goodbye he called out as Trowa headed for home was somewhat forlorn. "Good luck!" Trowa heard him add as his door closed.
It didn't entirely close before it opened again, and he turned, a little surprised, to find that he'd been followed. Heero still looked grim, but something about the grimness had altered slightly. Silently he let the door fall shut behind him as he faced Trowa across the entry, and Trowa waited in equal silence for whatever Heero had remembered or thought of to add.
"This isn't the best moment to ask," Heero began slowly, "but I don't want to wait. Do you know — or could you find — a good therapist who knows about magic?"
Trowa blinked in surprise, but the explanation for the incongruous request presented itself almost immediately: Duo needed help. Professional help. It was in no way any wonder, regardless of how happy Duo seemed in general. And he certainly did seem happy to Trowa… Heero tended to know these more personal things long before Trowa did these days, an idea to which Trowa still hadn't entirely reconciled himself. Not that now was the time for that.
"I'll look for someone," he assured Heero seriously.
"Thank you." As this evidently formed the completion of the intended exchange, Heero turned and moved to go back to his apartment.
But Trowa couldn't let him leave without saying something that, he hoped, would reassure (or at least remind) Heero that they two were still friends despite any coldness resulting from odd and uncomfortable circumstances, that Trowa returned concern for concern. It was a little difficult to drag his mind away from the worrisome mystery of Quatre's behavior, and the next subject in line would certainly be this new suggestion that Duo was still traumatized by the long cursed years, so his words were a little halting as other thoughts continually dragged his attention away from them. "Heero… if communication is your primary skill…" Trowa was fairly sure he was right about that, and even without the artifact, Trowa's surety was worth quite a bit on magical matters. "If you're a communicator, and your abilities have awakened… you're likely to start hearing people's thoughts."
"What?" Heero sounded surprised and not entirely pleased.
"Only louder thoughts, in general." Though it wasn't Trowa's main area of talent, so he'd never had this problem, he knew how it usually worked for communicators. "But if you spend enough time with someone, you'll start picking up anything on the surface of their mind they aren't actively trying to hide from you."
"In other words," Heero muttered, "get ready to start hearing all of Duo's thoughts, and probably Quatre's, and maybe yours."
"Not mine." Trowa's tone was a bit dry as he recalled just how much time and power he'd had backing his practice even of skills that were technically secondary to him, little proficiency as he'd still gained in some of them. "And I think Quatre's… natural organization… may keep most of his thoughts exactly where he wants them." Just mentioning Quatre's name distracted him from this topic, but Trowa forced himself to finish. "But Duo… yes, I think you should get ready to start hearing Duo's thoughts. Surface-level thoughts, at least."
Heero had turned to face Trowa again, and now he nodded slowly, his pensive expression bearing traces of reluctance. Finally he smiled grimly and said, "I guess that's the price I have to pay for hanging around you magical people. There's nothing I can do about this, is there?"
Trowa shook his head. There certainly were options to make Heero's talent easier for him to deal with, but Trowa was at the end of how far he could discuss this subject right now; having alerted him to the somewhat inconvenient early indications of a communion skill was all he could manage at the moment.
"Well, thanks for the warning." Heero turned back toward the door once more. Before he opened it he added in a friendlier tone than he'd used to dismiss Trowa from his apartment, "Good luck today." And once Trowa had returned his thanks, he left.
Trowa sighed as he glanced back and forth between his study and his computer room, trying to decide whether magical experimentation or research (and, if the latter, which branch of research) would be most likely to produce quick and positive results. Eventually he headed into the study with a good deal more to think about than he'd had when he left it earlier — assuming he was capable of thinking about anything besides Quatre.
Duo was examining the outcome of all their diffuse breakfast endeavors with a contemplative frown as Heero came back into the apartment through Trowa's door, and the most worrisome part was that Duo looked like he was seriously considering eating it anyway. In celebration of the fact that he could eat anything now, Duo would eat anything now.
"I hope you following him in there means you thought of something that explains everything," he said without looking up.
"No," Heero half sighed. "I wish it did."
The expression Duo now turned up toward him was sympathetic, but pretty clearly showed that he wasn't yet convinced of the full direness of the situation with Quatre. There was some curiosity in it too as he said, "Why'd you go after him, then?"
"Trowa says he'll look around for a therapist who knows about magic to help you with… your…" Heero found his voice failing at the change that occurred during his words: Duo had stiffened, stilled, and given Heero his complete attention — and none of this in a good way.
"Did Trowa bring this up," Duo asked quietly, "or did you?"
"I did. Because of your dreams."
Tightly Duo nodded, and his voice was quiet and nearly emotionless as he said, "Please don't just go over my head like that."
"I didn't sign you up or anything; I just asked Trowa if he knew anyone you could go to."
Duo moved his attention back to their breakfast as Heero approached somewhat warily. "Well, talk to me first about things like that. Then Trowa." Actually it didn't look like he was examining the food at all; he obviously just didn't want to look at Heero.
In response to Duo's pointed turning away, Heero stopped at the edge of the kitchen and tried to explain. "I knew you'd just say that no psychiatrist could possibly know what you've been through, so I thought before I brought it up I'd check–"
"Please," Duo reiterated with a firmness that was almost desperate. "Talk to me first." He gripped the oven door handle tightly as his gaze seemed to be pointed toward the contents of the stove without really seeing them. "You don't know what I've been through either; you don't know what it's like to have everyone do everything for you because you can't do it for yourself."
Heero couldn't help being a little hurt by "You don't know what I've been through," but he struggled not to say so. It was true, after all, at least on a certain level: he had been informed of much of Duo's history, and had himself been part of Duo's last month as a doll, but that wasn't the same as knowing. Even if he'd been there for all of it, he couldn't really have known what was going on in Duo's head, how the curse affected Duo on the inside rather than the outside. Of course Duo had shared some of it with him, and there was more Heero could guess at just by interacting with him, but that still wasn't the same as knowing. And even the knowledge he claimed to have — that therapy would help — was in actuality only a guess.
But if what Trowa had warned him about did come to pass, he might eventually no longer need to guess what was going on in Duo's head. He might eventually know what Duo had been through. But he pushed that thought away for now.
"Of course. You're right," he said at last. "I should have realized." He meant it as an apology he didn't quite have plainer words for, and Duo seemed to accept it as such.
"It's…" Duo released the oven with one hand and swung around, pivoting on the other wrist, still hanging on but looking now at Heero with a serious expression. "Not like I don't appreciate the thought. OK, well, I don't really like the thought much either, but…"
Heero winced. Of course Duo wouldn't enjoy having his boyfriend suddenly suggest that he needed counseling, even if Heero had managed to suggest it in a manner that didn't tread heavily on Duo's toes.
"But I appreciate that you're trying to look out for me," Duo finished. He gave Heero a smile that, though genuine as Duo's smiles always were, wasn't as happy as it could have been, and turned back to the stove. Now he focused properly on the remains of their intended breakfast, and said more or less cheerfully, "I think I'm not hungry enough anymore to eat this. What do you think?"
Heero moved forward to join in the examination, and shook his head.
Wordlessly they set about cleaning up, discarding ruined food and washing dishes in a silence that was like Duo's smile — not tense or angry, but neither as easy or happy as it could have been.
Finally, scraping the frying pan somewhat over-vigorously, Duo said abruptly, "I don't need therapy."
"I'm sorry," Heero replied. It was an automatic and somewhat defensive response, but at least he'd gotten the words out.
"I made it through eighty-seven years as a fucking doll without going crazy." Duo, whose voice told what he was feeling far more often than Heero's did, sounded much more defensive than Heero had. "I don't need to see someone about a couple of little bad dreams."
"I'm sorry," Heero repeated, this time at a murmur. He thought Duo was very specifically incorrect in this instance — Duo's almost desperate defensiveness spoke pretty eloquently that there were mental issues in there that could use some professional help — but Heero was sorry he'd made him unhappy with his suggestion and his thoughtlessness, and he wasn't going to press the issue at the moment. He would have to bring it up again eventually, but right now he just wanted Duo to smile properly.
What Duo did instead was drop what he was working on in the sink and fling soapy-handed arms around Heero unexpectedly from behind. "It's OK," he said. "Stop sounding like a kicked puppy! How could I be mad at you for doing something you thought was just to help me?"
"Because I did it all wrong?" Heero suggested. Whether or not he still sounded like a kicked puppy — and he had some doubts about having done so in the first place — he couldn't guess, but he was certainly happier with Duo's arms around him, even if he was going to have to change his shirt.
Duo nuzzled his face into Heero's back, and, though he said something muffled about learning from experience and not doing it again, he seemed to be seeking comfort all of a sudden. As if he were asking Heero — the one that had introduced the idea — to reassure him that he wasn't broken. It didn't shake Heero's conviction that counseling would do his lover good, nor did it make him feel less guilty about how he'd botched things; but he did raise a hand to clutch at Duo's, disregarding suds and char, and squeeze it.
Eventually Duo stood straight, pulling away and clearing his throat, and turned back to the sink as if nothing had happened. "Besides," he said in a brighter tone than before, which didn't entirely match his words, "you're distracted worrying about Quatre."
This tense little scene with Duo had actually driven thoughts of Quatre far into the rear of Heero's mind, but it was true that his best friend had been almost the center of his thoughts when he'd followed Trowa. That didn't excuse having done something he should have known would be hurtful to his boyfriend, and he would have brought this up had he not believed Duo's mentioning Quatre was a signal that he wanted to talk about something else.
Heero located a towel to run over the front of his shirt and his hands, and then brought out his phone to try Quatre again. This time it went straight to voicemail. Though Heero wasn't generally one for leaving messages, he was tempted in this instance. That he hadn't the faintest idea what he could say kept him from doing so.
What next? Conceivably Heero could call the club and see if he could wheedle them into telling him whether or not Quatre was there, but, even if he managed that, what then? It was pretty obvious that Quatre wasn't interested in talking to anyone right now, and, worried as Heero was, such wishes should be respected. And yet, if there was magic at work, such wishes might have to take lower priority than expedience. But, as with a message, what would Heero say? Very specific concern was sometimes a little difficult for him to convey; something this uncertain would probably be even harder to put into words. But he would definitely feel a lot better if he could talk to Quatre — about anything. Just to hear his voice at this point would reassure Heero, even if it reaffirmed the current bad situation.
He supposed he could visit in person the places he thought Quatre might be… but he couldn't get into the club except as the guest of an actual member, who had to be present at the front desk; and anywhere else Quatre might go in a particularly and possibly supernaturally bad mood — the office, out jogging, or to Cassidy's bar downtown — were hit-or-miss at best.
"You're really seriously worried, aren't you?" Whether the darkness of Duo's tone was in response to the referenced worry or a lingering result of the previous conversation, Heero didn't know. In any case, he was finished scrubbing the frying pan (or at least finished with all the work he was willing to put in on that endeavor at the moment), and wrapping arms around Heero's chest again. He hadn't washed his hands, but it didn't much matter.
"I'm really seriously worried," Heero confirmed. And perhaps it was impetuous, but he decided suddenly, "And I'm going to go look for him."
"I'll come with you," said Duo at once.
"Thank you," Heero replied. "Let me change shirts, and we'll go." As he left Duo's arms and headed across the living room toward the hall and his bedroom, he added with a sigh, "This may be completely useless, but it'll feel better than doing nothing."
This was like an echo of those long years when he'd been unable to find Duo or get any idea of what he should do once he managed to: he had huge amounts of knowledge and decades of experience, but in the specific area where he was being challenged he was ignorant and powerless.
He'd never been very good at divination, and now, without the artifact to boost his personal power, he was barely getting answers at all. This, he believed, probably arose from having grown too accustomed to that extra power, and that he would, in time, be able to benefit from that branch of magic again… but 'in time' didn't help with figuring out what had happened to Quatre right now.
In the area of communion he'd likewise never been very skilled, and the telepathy that was the hallmark of a communicator's powers was something he'd never mastered. Good communicators could, with practice, even speak telepathically over a distance, but Trowa didn't think any amount of practice would allow him to do so. So reaching out mentally to Quatre was out.
Command magic, therefore, was his only option in this situation. Thinking back on how skilled he'd become in this area was reassuring, but his drop in raw power was still a concern, and not a small one. He hadn't realized how much he'd come to use the artifact as a crutch — even to the point where he'd developed a certain attunement to it that had allowed him to access it from a distance almost without realizing he was doing so — until he was forced to go without it. Once again, however, he believed it was just a matter of time before he learned to look at magic from the different angle of having an almost perfect knowledge of how to work it without the practically unlimited power he'd once commanded.
The last couple of hours, spent first exploring his options and then trying to jump to Quatre, had obviously not constituted the time that it was only a matter of. In teleportation, there was no prior connection to the destination; you only knew you had properly specified the desired location by arriving there. Therefore, there was no scale to measure how well you had a destination in mind: you either arrived at it, or you went nowhere. In this case, it was like reaching, while climbing blind, for a handhold that turned out not to exist. And then the energy already built up for the spell had to be expended, either by initiating the weightlessness of jumping to no purpose where he stood or as a burst of undirected power that threatened destruction around him.
In part for this reason, he'd been attempting this experiment outside in his back yard. Up almost to his knees in weed-choked grass, breathing deeply, eyes often closed, sometimes raising his arms in a gesture meant to focus his energy in the direction he wanted, he would have presented quite a picture to anyone able to see over the six-foot fences, but for once he was completely ignoring the old paranoia about his neighbors.
He was also out here because he suspected a few of the objects in his study of having become artifacts. Because they had formed in conjunction with his use of the lunar artifact, they had previously been merely satellites to it, attuned to it from their inception, and unlikely to interfere with any magic he performed using its power — but now, with the candlestick destroyed, they were free to progress along their own paths and develop their own wavelengths that might interact badly with each other and have unforeseen influences over his attempts at spellcasting. Eventually he would test the items he suspected, and others, to determine which were artifacts and what their nature might be, and decide what to do with them all, but at the moment, not having time for that, he was simply working outside their presence.
Well, it was clear that using Quatre as a destination was simply not going to work. Whether it would at some point in the future, after more extensive and leisurely experimentation, Trowa did not know; right now he had to move on. The next step seemed to be, more simply, jumping to a destination that demanded less focus, less precise conjunction of multiple branches of magic. And the choice of destination wasn't terribly difficult, given that there were only a few places Quatre was likely to be that Trowa knew well enough to jump to. It was Saturday, yes, but he'd known Quatre to go to work on weekends for reasons less pressing than being magically irritable and wanting a distraction.
From many instances of picking Quatre up after work (whether because he'd taken him there in the first place and Quatre had no other way home, or in preparation for an evening together, or even just, on a couple of occasions, to surprise him), Trowa knew Quatre's office well enough by now to be confident in his ability to jump to it if he could manage the teleportation spell at all. He tried not to imagine Quatre there, practically waiting for him to appear, with an explanation for his strange behavior and a reassurance that he wasn't actually angry at Trowa at all. He tried not to picture them making up tenderly and then heading off — after, of course, a reassuring call to Heero — for a birthday celebration that would last the rest of the weekend. He knew he would only be disappointed.
Even as he cast the spell, he felt how extravagant he'd become. He never would have noticed before, with the artifact, but now when he had a much lower level of power it was obvious that he was expending far too much of it on this task simply because he'd never had to worry about conserving energy before. But now, as he landed in the office lit only by the big wall of windows on one side, he actually stumbled as he came to rest, and had to catch the desk to keep from falling. Exhaustion slammed into him along with the realization that he'd used the better part of his power on this one jump, that he certainly wouldn't be leaving this place magically until he'd had a rest and probably a good hard reflection on how more economically to cast this spell.
And of course Quatre wasn't here. Despite having striven to avoid getting his hopes up, Trowa was still bitterly disappointed.
After a glance around and coming to the decision that the very comfortable-looking leather chair at Quatre's big glossy desk would be the best place to regather his strength and give his mind to what needed to be thought about, he moved first, slowly, toward the office door (at what might be considered a hobble) in order to poke his head out into the hallway to ascertain whether he could hear anyone moving around in other parts of the building. And though he thought the fact that lights were on was a good sign that someone else was probably here, he didn't hear anyone immediately nearby, which was for the best. Then he took a seat, swiveled to face the windows, and stared blankly out at the parking lot and other nearby businesses.
It was strange to feel so drained so abruptly. It was novel, but that didn't mean he liked it. He felt as if he'd just run a marathon and come in last. Never in his life could he remember being so worn out, and though the bulk of the sensation was not physical, yet a certain measure of physical weariness was dragged along in the wake of his magical depletion. It was depressing and embittering.
The sound of the office door opening startled him enough that he jerked in his seat, and several thoughts went through his head in split-second succession: first, that it must be Quatre; second, that, as it obviously wasn't Quatre, it was odd that the door should be unlocked for anyone else to get in; third, that he'd probably unlocked the door himself by opening it from the inside; fourth, that his presence here was going to seem strange no matter who it was and why they were entering.
Even as he turned, he heard a woman's voice begin, "I didn't know you were here today, but I'm glad–" But she cut off when she saw that it wasn't her manager in the chair behind the desk.
"Pardon me," Trowa replied wearily. "I know I'm not who you're looking for."
"No," she said, advancing. "I thought Quatre must have come in without me noticing, and it was a stroke of luck he was here on a Saturday just when I was." She smiled a little as she approached the desk, and it was obvious that she did think it odd — and probably a little suspicious — to find this stranger here.
For a moment Trowa didn't know what to say. Not that coming up with excuses for the magical happenings in which he was often involved (indeed, which he often caused) was at all foreign to him; it was because he was momentarily captivated by her face.
It was the strong nose, he thought, and something about the corners of the eyes. She didn't have freckles, but he thought hers was the type of complexion that might develop them under the correct atmospheric conditions. And the big curls in the reddish-brown hair were certainly part of it.
Not entirely sure what prompted him to do so, he stood up and reached out across the desk, just as if this were his office and he was introducing himself to a co-worker or something, to offer a handshake. "My name is Trowa Barton. I'm Quatre's boyfriend." And though simple truth such as this was something he greatly preferred to tell where possible, it was a little surprising even to him that he'd given it so readily here and now.
He thought her eyes were studying his features with just as much interest as his had studied hers, and at the sound of his name her brows went down slightly — not, he thought, with any negative emotion, but in an expression of interest and curiosity. She accepted the handshake with a firm grip and replied, "Well, I'm Catharine Barton. Good to meet you."
What were the chances, Trowa wondered, of a second child of his mother also having deliberately taken her last name, and both that name and his mother's features having been carried down several generations and across the country to manifest in a co-worker of his mother's first child's boyfriend a century later? Could it be just a coincidental resemblance and sharing of name? He had no idea.
He realized he'd expressed himself equally pleased to meet her almost without knowing he spoke, and now she was asking him, "So is Quatre here after all?"
With a shake of his head designed also to shake himself out of his distraction he replied, "I don't think so. I came here looking for him, but it seems I'm out of luck as well."
"That's too bad," she replied. Her stance had shifted slightly, and Trowa realized that she was settling in. She probably wasn't quite sure yet that she believed he was who he said he was, and felt she couldn't leave the room until her mind had been eased on that point. That was fine — Trowa needed to rest before he could go anywhere anyway, and he might as well do it in someone else's presence as out of it — but he wanted to sit back down, and felt it would be discourteous to do so with this woman standing across the desk from him; at the same time, it would be awkward to invite her to sit down when this wasn't actually his office.
The slight awkwardness of the situation was clearly felt by Catharine too, and was probably what prompted her question, "Can't you call him?"
"He's not answering," Trowa replied. "We had a fight."
"I'm sorry to hear that." Her sympathy sounded genuine, and also seemed to break the ice a bit; glancing around, she pulled one of the other chairs in the room closer to the desk and sat, much to Trowa's relief. But she still sounded as if she was floundering a bit for things to say when she added, "You're lucky you ran into me and not anyone else from sales with that news. I've never met a team more gossipy than ours."
"I've heard stories," Trowa nodded as he too took his seat. "Apparently everyone believes Quatre is dating Heero."
She gave a smile of regretful amusement, and seemed to relax a bit; Heero's name (and this bit of gossip) was obviously a password of sorts. "It's gotten a little confused lately, because–" She lifted her chin and a pointed finger as she interrupted herself: "Now, I want it understood that I don't work the gossip mill! But it's impossible not to overhear just about everything."
Trowa smiled a bit at the mixture of pride and playfulness in her demeanor. "Understood."
"Well, some people know Heero's actual boyfriend, and half the building still thinks Heero and Quatre are dating. There's a lot of whispering about who's cheating on whom."
"I wonder how Duo coming to work here will affect that."
"Duo — that's Heero's boyfriend, right? Is he coming to work here?"
"He starts Monday, I believe."
"It's going to turn everything upside-down for a while. Always a fun time for those of us who are here to work, not stick our noses into other people's business."
The fact that she was here on a Saturday was all the confirmation Trowa needed that she was one of those here to work.
"And even having said that," she added, leaning forward a bit, "I can't help asking… where are you from?"
Evidently the family resemblance was not, as Trowa had half thought it might be, a figment of his imagination, if the way Catharine's eyes were roving his face was any indication. She looked mostly relaxed and unsuspicious now, and would probably be all right leaving him alone in Quatre's office — but there was no reason they couldn't try to figure out for sure, first, whether or not they were related. The possibility of his having living relations, whatever their precise degree of connection, was not one Trowa had ever given any thought, and he found that it interested him more than he would have expected. And a distraction from his concern about Quatre, during these moments when he was forced to rest and barred from action, was not unwelcome.
So, falling back somewhat on the old genealogy he'd built for himself to fill up believably the years between his parents and himself, and setting forth his own history in the early 1900's as that of his great-grandfather, he started to explain where he'd lived and about his family line.
His Own Humanity is an AU series set in modern-day America (plus magic) featuring characters from Rurouni Kenshin (primarily Saitou and Sano) and Gundam Wing (primarily Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre). In chronological order (generally), the stories currently available are:
Sano enlists the help of exorcist Hajime in discovering the nature of the unusual angry shade that's haunting him.
Best friends Heero and Quatre have their work cut out for them assisting longtime curse victims Duo and Trowa.
The New Familiar
During Plastic (part 80), Cairo thinks about thinking and other recent changes in his life.
Fast Decisions
A look at how Hajime and Sano are doing.
Get Used to That
A look at how Trowa and Quatre are doing.
A look at how Heero and Duo are doing.
Cross-Cancellation
Couple analysis among Heero, Duo, Trowa, and Quatre.
La Confrérie de la Lune Révéré
Quatre undergoes an unpleasant magical change; Heero, Duo, and Trowa are forced to face unpleasant truths; and Hajime and Sano may get involved.
Guest Room Soap Opera
During La Confrérie de la Lune Révéré (parts 33-35), Sano's 178-day wait is over as what Hajime has been fearing comes to pass.
Consummate Timing
During Guest Room Soap Opera (part 3), Cathy learns a lot of interesting facts and Trowa is not happy.
That Remarkable Optimism
A few days before the epilogue of La Confrérie de la Lune Révéré, Duo and Sano get together to watch football and discuss relationships and magical experiences; Heero listens in on multiple levels.
His Own Humanity: Seeing Red 0-4
Sep 2, 2012 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction
Somehow Hajime had been adapting to Sano's shields even as Sano had been learning to erect them. They'd been growing together, specifically alongside each other.
Sano can usually deal with angry shades, but the one that's currently haunting him is a little different. And though he and the exorcist he's been referred to manage to solve the problem by the end of Spring Break, it's a week that may lead to difficult choices.
Art to celebrate my birthday | Author's Star Rating: 4.5 | Category: His Own Humanity | Contains: Angst | Contains: Asexual Saitou | Contains: Established relationship for main couple(s) | Contains: Homophobia | Contains: Language (gendered) | Contains: Language (general) | Contains: Language (religious) | Contains: Major character death (referred to) | Contains: Panromantic asexual Clark | Contains: Pansexual Sano | Contains: Physical fighting between Saitou and Sano | Contains: Pre-relationship story for main couple(s) | Contains: Psychological torment | Contains: Sano pursues Saitou | Contains: Straight Kaoru | Contains: Straight Kenshin | Contains: Suicide (referred to) | Contains: Violence | Contains: Wounds/wound treatment | Genre: Adventure | Genre: Drama | Genre: Introspection | Length: 70k-80k words | Navigation | Pairing - Primary: Kaoru & Kenshin | Pairing - Primary: Saitou & Sano | Rating: 2 | Release/completion year: 2013 | Title: Seeing Red
Wafting incense smoke and the cheerful greeting of the most cheerful of the various cheerful young ladies that worked here assaulted Hajime as he stepped into Forest of Four. He'd grown accustomed to the first — apparently no self-respecting follower of shallow mysticism would set foot in a store that did not reek of incense, and he recognized the need to appease the customer base — and, to be honest, he didn't mind the smell too much. The second, however, was consistently jarring.
"Good morning, Mr. Saitou!" the clerk chirped. Her thoughts, though noisy, primarily related to work, and Hajime could appreciate her professionalism if not her mental control. When he nodded at her, she went on, "He's with another client right now, but you can wait for him over by the hall." She pointed to the area in question, with which he was familiar enough, and he nodded again.
The chairs against the wall beside the corridor leading to the employees' area were, to all appearances, designed for people waiting for friends in the fitting room. Hajime didn't appreciate being mistaken for the companion of someone that would shop a place like this, but had little choice; fortunately, Aoshi usually didn't keep him waiting too long. Aoshi didn't care much for people — living people, at least — and even this circumstance of having two appointments on the same morning was unusual.
It would be an even more unusual circumstance if the medium had three appointments on the same morning, but a young man sat crookedly in the chair closest to the hallway very much as if he too awaited a conference with Aoshi. This was a little irritating; now Hajime would be forced either to sit beside this stranger, one of whose legs was drawn up so the foot protruded under the armrest onto the next chair over, or take the seat closest to the fitting room. Disliking both options, he decided to remain standing. He did give the young man a dark, somewhat annoyed scrutiny, though.
The guy didn't really seem to fit here. He didn't sparkle, for one thing. He didn't have that empty-headed look Hajime had seen on the faces of so many patrons of this establishment — the look that promised to believe (and consequently purchase) anything at all that said 'cosmic' somewhere on it. Actually, the best word for this kid was 'punk' — assuming Hajime had his subcultural terms straight, that is; he was fairly sure the absurd hair, excessive jewelry, spikes, and chains signified this. In general it strengthened the impression that the young man had come to see Aoshi and not to shop.
The young man had been mirroring the examination, and now asked lazily, "Exorcist?" He gestured casually to the sword in Hajime's hand.
Hajime nodded, his guess confirmed. Nobody here just for an 'I do believe in faeries!' bumper sticker would have made the connection between his weapon and his profession.
Removing his foot from the chairs and stretching spiky-black-jean-clad legs out in front of him, the young man said, "You can sit down… I don't know what's taking him so long, but he's gotta be finished soon…"
Tacitly declining the invitation, Hajime glanced down the hall at the closed door to Aoshi's office. "You'd think with as much as he prefers to be left alone, he wouldn't schedule appointments so close together."
The young man laughed. "You've met him, huh?"
"And here I thought I knew all his regulars." The young man, Hajime found when he turned back, was gazing thoughtfully up at him. "I must just have missed you every time. You come here a lot?"
"Sometimes." Hajime's tone was slightly skeptical at the prying question. He didn't really care who or what the guy was, or he would already have pushed past the somewhat blaring thoughts into a deeper part of his head to find out, but he couldn't help feeling a little curious about a punk teenager he'd never seen before that seemed to know Aoshi as well as he did.
"He dig up for work you," the kid wondered, "or what?"
Hajime raised a brow. "None of your business."
The young man scowled faintly, coiling back into a less relaxed position. Hajime was interested to see a slight aura appear around him at this, but it faded along with the scowl as the young man shook his head. Then he reached out. "I'm Sano," he said.
Wondering why they were doing this, Hajime stared at the extended hand for a moment before shaking it and giving his own name.
"I see red," Sano explained unnecessarily, stretching his legs out again and putting his hands behind his head. "Aoshi keeps me medicated." His grin turned somewhat harried. "I especially don't need to be dealing with this shit this week; I've got papers to write and finals."
Hajime nodded his understanding. Sano, he guessed — actually, it was more of a sense by now than a guess — went to the local college, and angry shades were undoubtedly distracting at the end of a semester.
"You really can sit down." Sano patted the seat next to him.
"I have no desire to sit on your dirty footprints."
"Wow, fine." There was that aura again, flaring up with Sano's annoyance. "Jerk."
Hajime smirked. "You don't just see red," he observed.
"No," Sano replied, a little wearily. "I absorb 'em for people sometimes; good way to make money, which you probably know, but then I have to find a way to get rid of it all."
With a disdainful laugh Hajime said, "Stupid of you to absorb anything when you knew you had finals coming up."
As he'd expected, Sano flamed again. "Hey, I'm not just going to–" But his anger faded as he realized Hajime had done it deliberately. Then he seemed torn between mild appreciation and continued irritation at being manipulated. Eventually he settled on a low simmer, his angry aura minimal and his face merely resigned.
"Just doing my job," Hajime murmured complacently.
Sano snorted.
At that moment, the door at the end of the employees' hallway opened, and they heard someone saying, "Thank you very much, Mr. Shinomori!" in a tone far too bright for Mr. Shinomori to be likely to appreciate. Sano stood and watched the cheerful customer emerge from the hall. Then he turned to Hajime and smiled slightly. "Well, it was good to meet you," he said with a wave. And for some reason he actually seemed to mean it.
Hajime hesitated, then nodded. He saw no reason not to, since he would probably never run into the guy again.
To dial the number he'd been given, Sano found himself a little hesitant. The man hadn't exactly been pleasant to him when they'd met before, after all. What eventually convinced him was the reflection that the worst that could possibly happen was Hajime being rude to him again and perhaps hanging up without listening to everything he had to say — whereas the best that could happen was getting rid of this little problem. Sano glanced over his shoulder, grimaced, and hit the 'send' key on his phone.
"This is Hajime," came the voice he'd expected after only a few rings.
"Hey," Sano began. "You probably don't remember me, but I met you at Forest of Four, like, last December…" He cleared his throat. "My name's Sano… I see red… You were there with a sword…" He paused, waiting for Hajime's acknowledgment. Hajime, however, said nothing, and eventually Sano went on. "Well, Aoshi says you're good, and I've got a problem. There's this shade that's been hanging around for a couple of weeks now — I mean hanging around me, specifically, not just around somewhere where I go or anything; it's like the damn thing is haunting me, but I have no idea who it came from or why it would be — and I can't get rid of it."
"Red?" Hajime asked.
"That's the thing!" Sano turned to face the shade, which was still drifting around his living room. "It's perfectly red! I should be able to deal with it, but every time I absorb it it just comes back! It's weird, too; it's not… solid… like they usually are. There's this empty shape of a person, and the red's around that like an outline."
Hajime's tone sounded completely different than before as he asked, "When you say you absorb it and it 'comes back,' what exactly do you mean?" He seemed far more interested all of a sudden.
"I mean the same anger comes back," answered Sano in some aggravation. "It's like it never ends; no matter how much I absorb, there's always more! And I can't just keep taking it in, or I get so mad I start destroying stuff!"
"And this shade follows you around?"
"No matter where you go?"
"Yeah… to school and everything."
"Do you know the park off 32nd street?"
"Uh, yeah?" Sano was fairly certain he did, anyway. "The one by that toy store?"
"Can you meet me there in half an hour?"
"Um…" This was not what he'd expected at all. "Yeah, sure." Of course, he'd been basing his expectations on the one brief conversation they'd had and Aoshi's warning that Hajime was neither a people person nor likely to want to do any kind of work for free.
"I'll see you there, then." And Hajime ended the call.
Sano's car being a piece of shit, he didn't greatly appreciate having to drive to a park twenty minutes away, and from the suggestion of locale he guessed Hajime didn't live in the Asian district. He hadn't objected, though, since he was the one essentially demanding favors in this situation. He did wish Hajime had named a longer space of time, however; he could have taken the bus.
The place had a playground, a field with a backstop, and its own parking lot. Here Hajime waited, when Sano arrived, beside a really nice car. Although individual jobs tended to pay fairly well, being an exorcist was still an uncertain profession at best, given the inconsistency of the work, and Sano wouldn't have thought anyone in that trade could afford such a nice vehicle; Hajime must have some other source of income.
As when they'd met at Aoshi's store, the exorcist wore a suit and tie; it looked great, but Sano had to wonder if he dressed that way all year round. March wasn't too bad, but in a month or two most days would be far too warm outside for a suit coat. Hajime also carried a sword again, though Sano wasn't entirely certain it was the same sword.
Hajime didn't bother with a real greeting, only asked, "Where's the shade?"
Sano had been absorbing so much angry energy lately, thanks to his unusual visitor, that it was good to have an object on which to release some of it. "Hi to you too!" he said in annoyance, and stalked out of the parking lot toward a bench near the playground. Hajime followed, and as Sano took a seat he informed him with less indignation, "It sometimes takes him a while to catch up when I go somewhere unfamiliar. I tried to lose him that way for a while, but he always found me again."
"'He?'" echoed Hajime.
"'He' like 'aitsu,'" Sano shrugged, citing a pronoun that, while it carried a masculine connotation, was not necessarily limited to it.
Hajime nodded. So obviously he belonged to the relatively large segment of the city's population that spoke Japanese, whether or not he lived in the Asian district. Not that this surprised Sano, given his accent.
"So what's your deal?" Sano wondered somewhat idly, slumping down so as to lean his head against the back of the bench. "I mean, what do you see?"
Sano sat up straight. "Really? That's awesome!" Those that could see shades of all colors were incredibly rare.
Hajime seemed to add, "In white," almost against his will — as if he felt compelled to be honest but was as irritated at the compulsion as he was at the fact.
"Oh." Sano sat back again. That made it less significant. Still must be fairly convenient for exorcism, though.
"So tell me about this unusual shade," said Hajime in a somewhat dictatorial tone.
"He showed up, um…" Sano had to think for a moment.
"You should take better notes on things like this," Hajime broke in derisively. Sano believed this particular statement was meant to be provoking, and didn't mind at all. If Hajime could handle his anger, it was definitely a relief to let it out.
"I'm not a pro, OK?" was his irritated retort. "I only take notes at school. Anyway, I think it was just at the end of February… the twenty-fifth, I'm pretty sure. So it's been almost exactly three weeks — not long enough for him to get used up… except, like I told you, I've used him up I think five times now."
"What were you doing when he showed up?"
Sano scratched his head. "Homework? I think. No," he corrected himself, "I think I'd finished what I was working on and was just messing around online."
"Porn?" asked Hajime, without apparent implication.
"What?" Sano was more surprised than anything else. "Is that supposed to make me mad? It was just normal websites and shit." Who really got their porn from the internet, anyway? That stuff was brutal; no amount of anti-virus or spyware-killing software could make that sex safe.
Hajime smirked, and continued with his interrogation. "Had you done any magic any time beforehand that might have attracted the shade?"
"I don't really 'do magic,'" replied Sano, scratching his head. "So, no. Least not that I'm aware of."
"No friends at your home casting spells? No recent séances?"
"Have you tried the medicine you get from Aoshi? Does it inhibit your ability to see this shade?"
"Yes and no. I usually don't take the stuff except when something's going on I really need to concentrate on, because…" Actually there was no real reason to get into that; Hajime undoubtedly wasn't interested. "Anyway, yeah, I tried it; it didn't work. I mean, it worked a little, but not enough. This shade's pretty strong; I could still feel the anger."
Hajime nodded, and then unexpectedly asked precisely what Sano had just been thinking he wouldn't be interested in knowing.
"Oh," replied Sano with a shrug, "I don't take it when I don't have to because it makes my head…" He gestured vaguely to the organ in question. "Fuzzy. Blurs my magical senses, I guess, is the best way to put it."
"And that bothers you, even though you don't really do magic?"
"Yeah, it's like… it's like having a sinus infection: there's this unpleasant feeling that maybe doesn't actually stop you from doing anything, but you can't ignore it."
Again Hajime nodded. He was about to say something else (possibly criticize Sano's incomplete description of sinus infections), but at just that moment Sano felt washing over him the anger that had become all too familiar these days. "Oh, fuck," he growled, interrupting his companion. "Here he comes."
The shade appeared exactly as Sano had described it. That is to say, to a necrovisually colorblind exorcist, the shade could easily be pictured as exactly what Sano had described. What Hajime actually saw came close enough: a glowing white haze approaching across the park's green field at that uncannily swift but somehow leisurely speed shades usually moved with; something more oblong than the typical amorphous but generally spherical shape favored by the collections of mindless emotional energy people often left behind when they died — and, indeed, as it drew closer, visibly hollow inside. Once it had begun hovering around their bench, in fact, Hajime thought he could make out the vaguely humanoid shape of its center.
Sano stood and walked a few paces across the sidewalk into the grass. He turned, and, with a scowl, flung out his arms. "Meet my stalker," he said as the shade moved to resume its orbit around him.
Hajime also stood, unsheathed his sword, and approached. The glowing figure in the air didn't seem to react to him at all, only drifted slowly and apparently aimlessly around Sano. This was odd; usually angry shades were (predictably enough) aggressive, one of the reasons they were a problem. But this one just floated.
The sword Aoshi had modified for him in December had so far proven worth every one of the considerably many dollars Hajime had spent on it, and did not let him down now. As he drew nearer, the blade smoothly, quickly turned red — at which Sano made an admiring sound, but said nothing. Bracing himself, concentrating on the removal of the shade from existence, Hajime thrust the sword into the glow in front of him.
Whoever had left this anger behind had been strong-willed and persistent, and perhaps a little crazy. The anger itself was fierce and gave the impression, somehow, of being only the tip of the iceberg — wherever it came from, there was a lot more of it. And for all this, it wasn't a problem to deal with. The aura writhed, clinging to the figure in its center, did not counterattack, and soon gave way to Hajime's steady desire for its dissipation. Slowly the air cleared; the aura vanished, rendering the floating figure invisible.
Invisible, but not absent. Without the shade anger, in fact, it was discernible on its own, though Hajime couldn't have described how he sensed its presence. But there was one thing he felt at least closer to certain of now. He returned to the bench and sat down again, thoughtful.
Sano joined him there. "Too easy, huh?" he commented, gesturing to the air where the shade had been. "But then it always comes back."
Hajime nodded slowly.
"So what do you think?"
"I think…" Hajime said, "that you've got a real ghost here."
Again Sano sat bolt upright in surprise. "What? Are you serious?"
"You notice it doesn't attack."
"Yeah, that is kinda weird."
"And the shape."
They sat still for a while, staring at almost nothing — though Hajime thought he could already see a faint glow gathering around the invisible spirit again.
Finally Sano muttered in wonder, "A ghost… a real ghost…"
Shades, Hajime's stock in trade, were a measurable, understandable phenomenon. But ghosts… ghosts were another story. Nobody knew why, every once in a great while, a human soul with thoughts and emotions and memories intact would remain after its body had died. An exorcist considered himself lucky to hear about a ghost cropping up somewhere during his career. Dealing with a real ghost could make an exorcist's reputation. Which was why Hajime had come out here to meet Sano at all upon hearing the description of the apparition haunting him.
From the white aura that was definitely gathering again, Hajime looked down to the sword that lay for now across his lap. Interestingly, the blade had never quite lost its red tinge, as if the angry aura had never actually gone.
"But who would be haunting me?" Sano finally wondered.
"You have no idea?"
"No! I haven't had anyone die any time recently… my grandma went about five years ago, but that'd be way too long for her to be showing up now, and she wasn't this angry anyway."
"You'd probably know if it was a close relation in any case."
Sano nodded, and another long silence followed as they watched the ghost's aura grow and Hajime contemplated. Finally he said, "I'd like to have my familiars take a look at this." He had hesitated about this because taking the ghost anywhere would involve taking Sano to the same place, and inviting a client to his own home pushed some boundaries. But so did encountering an actual ghost… and, considering they hadn't actually discussed services and payment yet, Sano wasn't exactly a client anyway.
Sano seemed less interested in those particular boundaries, and instead commented, "Don't think I've ever heard of an exorcist with familiars before."
Hajime shrugged. "I'm more of a communicator than a necrovisual."
"Oh." Then Sano sat up straight yet again, demanding, "So does that mean you've been reading my mind this whole time?"
Hajime smirked. "Not if I could help it."
"So why are you an exorcist, then?" Sano asked this in some haste, a little flustered, making a very obvious attempt not to think anything he didn't want Hajime to hear. When people did this, the result was usually that the thought they wanted to repress got broadcast loudly enough for Hajime to catch it even without trying. In this case, somewhat to his surprise, it was, …probably heard me thinking what a sexy voice he's got…
Young men finding Hajime's voice sexy — or, rather, anyone finding anything about Hajime sexy — was an extraordinary (and unsought) occurrence, and he had to admit it threw him off a bit. Fortunately, Sano's question was one everyone even a little involved in magic asked when they found out he didn't make his living in the branch where he had the most natural talent, so he had a ready answer. "None of the communication career options appealed to me."
"I hear the government loves communicators, though."
"Mostly to monitor and control the general awareness of magic."
"So you'd rather be beating up shades than brainwashing people?" Sano shrugged slightly. "I guess that makes sense." Hajime got the feeling Sano thought so because the idea of beating something up was so much more straightforward than that of brainwashing.
This largely pointless exchange had moved them past the bulk of Sano's nervousness regarding Hajime's telepathic abilities (as well as the bulk of Hajime's disorientation regarding Sano's thoughts about him), so Hajime stood and said, "My familiars may be able to confirm whether or not this is a real ghost." For good measure he added, "Since you obviously can't tell."
It worked. Sano jumped up as well, flaring bright again, and retorted, "Well, neither can you!"
"Why don't you follow me to my house?"
Sano's angry aura dissipated and was followed by no notable resurgence; he seemed to have a significant excess of internalized energy that couldn't possibly be making his day-to-day life any easier. And since it was amusing to watch him get mad, Hajime would gladly try to draw it out. So as he headed toward his car and Sano hastened to catch up, he commented idly, "And try not to rear-end me or anything."
The next thing Hajime said to Sano, a few miles later, was, "You can't park there."
"Wha-" Sano looked around and observed the fire hydrant he hadn't noticed before. "Oh. Well, how long do you think this is going to take?"
"At least long enough for your friend to catch us up," Hajime replied dryly. "And beyond that, I don't know."
"Hmm." Sano started to consider whether he could get away with leaving his car in a no-parking zone for an afternoon in an area like this, but eventually based his decision on the expression on Hajime's face. This was the third time now he'd had to start his car today at Hajime's bidding.
It was a nice old neighborhood, the kind filled with an eclectic blend of housing styles in an equally extensive range of sizes. Hajime's home didn't look extravagantly big, and had a very boring, plain front yard, but the property values around here were probably pretty high, so Sano thought the odds were still on Hajime having some kind of income other than what he made chasing shades.
The legal spot he found to park in was halfway down to the next street, so Sano was grumbling by the time he got back to the small driveway entirely occupied by Hajime's car. The older man gave a condescending smile and gestured for Sano to follow him across a patio to the side door he'd evidently already unlocked.
Hajime was perhaps five feet into the house, and Sano, just closing the door behind them, had barely had a chance to start looking around at the kitchen into which they'd walked, before a cat, jumping off the counter nearest the door, wrapped itself around Hajime's legs with a long, screeching meow. Hajime nudged the animal out of the way so he could step further into the room to allow Sano to do the same; then he bent and picked the cat up by the scruff of its neck. It didn't seem to mind; in fact, it immediately climbed onto his arm and ran up to his shoulder, where it began nuzzling his head.
"I've told you to stay off the kitchen counters," Hajime said to it.
The cat gave another high-pitched meow.
"That doesn't excuse you," Hajime replied.
A second cat appeared in a doorway that apparently led from kitchen into a hallway. This one didn't seem nearly as excited as the other, younger cat, and after a brief meowed greeting sat aloofly looking on. It was mottled brown and grey and black, whereas the smaller one on Hajime's shoulder was black with white paws.
"I'm sure you did," said Hajime.
Sano could do nothing but stare. Cats? Really? And one of them of a decidedly kittenish nature? These were the familiars of this harsh, suit-clad, sword-wielding exorcist?
Hajime looked over at him with a faint smirk. "What were you expecting?"
Sano didn't worry much that Hajime had been intentionally prying into his head at that moment; his astonishment and skepticism had undoubtedly been plain on his face. He did, however, try his best to suppress the mental image of a sleek rattlesnake with hypnotic yellow eyes that sprang up in response to Hajime's question — to no avail, if Hajime's faint snort was any indication.
Just then, the little cat launched itself unexpectedly from Hajime's shoulder across four feet of empty space onto Sano. It didn't fly quite far enough, and scrabbling claws dug into Sano's shoulder as the animal tried to get onto it. With a noise of surprise and pain, he raised his hands to help the cat up and try to keep it from ruining his t-shirt. Once it had its balance, it bumped its little head into his ear and meowed at him.
"He's bringing a shade here," Hajime answered the cat's question. "I think it may be a ghost, and I want you two to take a look at it."
The little cat's whiskers tickled Sano's ear, and he couldn't tilt his head far enough away to make it stop. He noticed out of the corner of his eye that the other cat had come into the room and now sat at his feet, looking up at him. "Hey, stop!" Laughter colored his tone despite his best efforts as the little one continued pushing at him.
Smirking again, Hajime let this go on for a while before stepping forward to the rescue. Lifting the cat off Sano with one hand, he said, "This is Misao." He replaced her on his own shoulder. "And that's Tokio," he added, pointing to the other. She gave a dignified meow.
"Hi, cats," Sano said with a wave.
Misao was still looking at Sano curiously, and now said something in shrill cat-talk.
"Probably not," Hajime replied. "The shade follows him around, so it will catch up with us soon."
Bending to pet the older cat, Tokio, Sano continued to listen in bemusement to the conversation he could only understand half of. Misao said something excited, to which Tokio replied disdainfully, and then Hajime said, "Tokio, your self-righteousness isn't fooling anyone. Misao, you had some this morning."
Crawling down Hajime's arm and then dropping to the floor, complaining the entire way, Misao proceeded to jump on Tokio and start wrestling with her rather ineffectually (considering Tokio was at least twice her size).
Sano stood straight with a laugh, withdrawing his hand from what had become a swift-moving bundle of batting paws and gently biting mouths. He had no idea what to say.
Hajime gave him a look that said he didn't need to say anything, which gave Sano something to say: "Stay out of my head!"
"I'm not in your head," Hajime replied mildly. "You're just projecting. Haven't you had any training?"
The anger abruptly flaring off Sano in response to this clearly stopped the cats' mock battle (which had ranged to the other end of the kitchen) and caught their interest, for they came over to him again — one eagerly, the other sedately. Misao stopped just in front of Sano's left boot, and, after a couple of heaving, wiggling motions, leaped straight up to dig her claws into his knee and scrabble upward. Sano made a noise of pain at the same moment the kitten let out a similar protest when her stomach evidently came into contact with the spikes at his knees.
"Explain your pants to Misao," Hajime commanded, turning away toward the refrigerator.
"My… what?" Sano was helping Misao up onto his shoulder again, though precedent indicated she probably wouldn't remain there long. Recovering, however, he directed his next words at the little cat. "Yeah, my pants have spikes on them. Probably not the best thing to climb. Can you understand me? I'm not a communicator…"
She gave a chirping mew pretty clearly an affirmative, while at about the same moment Tokio from the floor had something to say as well.
"Now explain to Tokio what you do," was Hajime's next instruction. He emerged from the fridge with a couple of cans of beer, one of which he non-verbally offered to Sano.
Accepting the Asahi Dry with surprised gratitude, Sano crouched down to pet Tokio again, setting the can on the floor and opening it absently with his free hand. "I see red," he told the cat. For all he knew cats made some of the best familiars available, it still seemed strange to be talking to someone whose eyes were slitted and head tilted as he scratched her jaw. "I absorb angry shades, and then I always have extra anger left over. Would you stop?" This last was aimed at Misao, who was bumping again, tickling him with her little whiskers once more as she meowed something right into his ear.
"She wants to know why your pants have spikes," Hajime supplied from where he leaned against a counter, drinking his beer and watching in amusement.
"Why are my pants important?" Sano wondered, talking half to the cat and half to its human familiar.
"It's important to her," Hajime shrugged.
Tokio said something at this point that seemed to irritate Misao again, for once more the kitten flung herself off the shoulder she'd made her seat and attacked the older cat. Sano took up his beer, stood straight, and watched Tokio bat Misao around the kitchen. It might not have been what he'd expected, but this was really funny. With familiars like these, you'd probably never get lonely. Of course, their effectiveness at recognizing ghosts had yet to be seen.
"Tokio's been with me for four years now," Hajime said, whether in response to Sano's unspoken thoughts, or just because he felt the right moment to explain this, Sano couldn't guess. "Her senses are well developed. She's never encountered a ghost before, as far as I know, but I have no doubt she'll be able to tell the difference."
"And Misao?"
Hajime smirked. "She's learning."
Misao clearly realized she'd just been undervalued, for she flung herself at Hajime's ankle, little claws blazing. Sano laughed as Hajime bent to pick her up again and the cat twisted and clawed her way around his hand onto his arm and up to his shoulder. Hajime's suit looked nice at a glance, as had the one he'd worn when they'd first met in December, but now Sano bet that a closer inspection would prove them, and probably any other piece of clothing in his wardrobe, full of little claw-pricks and pulled threads.
Misao began batting at Hajime's ear, which action he placidly ignored. "Let's go sit down."
He led Sano into a small front room somewhat sparsely furnished in a mixture of American and Japanese styles. Sano had already guessed the man had either moved here from Japan or at least come from a more strongly Japanese background in America than Sano had, but thought this wasn't the moment to ask. They sat on the sofa — leather; must have been expensive — and set their drinks on coasters on a chabudai used here as a coffee table. The cats accompanied them, Misao having at some point, unseen by Sano, abandoned Hajime's shoulder again; and now the little one leaped onto the table, skidded right across its smooth surface, and fell off the other side.
Sano was beside himself with laughter at this sight, Tokio made some disdainful remark from where she sat primly by Hajime's leg, Hajime reminded Misao she wasn't allowed on the coffee table either, and Misao herself couldn't seem able to decide whom to assault first. She leaped at Tokio, who neatly dodged her and jumped up onto the sofa; she dove for Sano's feet, but was thwarted by his boots; and finally she went for Hajime's ankles again, since above the tops of his shiny businessman shoes he was unprotected except by cloth. And at about this point Sano's laughter faded and he started to lose track of the situation when he felt the shade — ghost? — once again drawing near.
The cats sensed it not long after he did. Tokio jumped down from where she'd apparently been waffling over whether or not to sit on Hajime's lap, and Misao abandoned Hajime's legs with a perky swiveling of head and pricking of ears. They watched the opposite wall with the taut attention they might have given the sound of a skittering mouse, and Sano half expected them to leap forward to the attack the moment the shade appeared. He only wished it were something as innocuous as a mouse…
It was definitely a ghost. So Tokio stated after sitting, placid but for the twitching end of her tail, staring up at the thing as it moved gently across the small living room.
Definitely a ghost, added Misao, who'd been galloping around beneath and occasionally rising onto hind feet. And to the counterance of anyone's suspicions that she hadn't sensed this herself but just piggybacked off Tokio's pronouncement, she added that it was a ghost, but covered in shade.
Hajime nodded, thinking this an apt description. And a ghost covered in shade would probably prove somewhat difficult to deal with.
Sano had been laughing at Misao's antics, but simultaneously growing more and more tense as the cats examined the glowing form. At Hajime's nod he demanded impatiently, "Well?"
"Oh, yes," Hajime said as if he'd just remembered, "you can't understand them." He was already developing a theory, though, about Sano the casual necrovisual that claimed not to be a communicator but was comprehensible to familiars and didn't like to have his magical senses clouded…
When Sano's usual irritation appeared, Tokio remarked that it was the same as the energy surrounding the ghost.
Hajime replied to her instead of to Sano, just to see if Sano would become more angry. "Yes, he's been absorbing it trying to deal with this, but it hasn't been working."
Tokio believed this no wonder, because… but Hajime couldn't catch the rest of her statement as Sano interrupted:
"Stop having conversations I can't fucking understand and tell me what they think!"
Chuckling at the vehemence of the command, Hajime obeyed, briefly. "It's definitely a ghost."
Sano turned brown eyes beneath knitted brows toward the glowing shape, which still circled him aimlessly, and commented (not for the first time that day), "Shit."
Misao complained that she couldn't hear anything from the ghost, and wondered why it didn't talk. Which was a good question.
Taking the last sip of beer from the can and replacing the latter on the table, Hajime stood and began to follow the ghost's slow progress back and forth through the room. Up close, it felt slightly different, and he concentrated on that difference, trying to describe it to himself. Finally he decided that the angry shade energy swathing the ghost and the ghost itself had each a distinct sense about them; and one, in wrapping the other so thoroughly, masked it to the point where the ghost could only be detected through the anger at close proximity.
The anger gave him a headache at that proximity, however, so he finally stepped back. How had Sano lived with this thing for three weeks? Not to mention absorbing all the anger off it five times?
"Well?" the young man demanded again.
Hajime continued pensively watching the object of their discussion. "Now that we know it's a ghost," he finally said, "we need to find some way to communicate with it. But the shade energy is probably going to get in the way."
"How can someone be a ghost and a shade?" Sano was clearly about to elaborate on his confusion, but evidently couldn't quite articulate it and decided not to try.
Hajime understood him, though: shades were merely leftover strong emotion combined with the energy of death, and, since they were created at the moment of death, were limited to a finite amount. Once that moment of death had ended, no more death force remained to create a shade out of an emotion… so even if the ghost was angry, how did that anger continually translate into a shade? Or did the very presence of a ghost generate an ongoing death energy?
But with so little information documented about ghosts, this made only one of a thousand questions that might be answered if they could just talk to the thing.
Hajime was primarily only familiar with the basic techniques of communication magic: enough to keep his own thoughts in check, access the open surface level of others', and so on. Though he'd picked up a minor skill or two here and there, he'd never bothered with distance telepathy or brainwashing or skimming power from memories or the like, mostly because he'd never been interested enough in what went on in other people's heads. He wasn't sure to what extent any level of talent or practice in communication would help with the undead, and necromancy was a skill he'd never had occasion to develop. But he might as well make the attempt.
Resuming his seat on the sofa, he focused on the ghost even more pointedly than before, working to order his thoughts into a direct channel toward it. Unfortunately, he couldn't even begin to sense a mind in there, nor any thoughts at all analogous with his own. Whether this was due to the shade energy blocking him, or because his powers of communication simply didn't work on a ghost, he couldn't tell. So he resorted to the next best thing, or at least the only thing he could think to try next, which was his line of sight: he simply directed his outgoing message at the figure on a physical basis.
Beside him, Sano shifted restlessly, clearly aware Hajime was up to something but restraining himself (for the moment) from demanding to know what. At Hajime's outgoing thought (merely a greeting and the idea that he wanted to communicate), he stiffened a little; the cats also reacted, looking over at their human somewhat accusingly. Misao wondered what he was trying to do, Tokio remarked that she didn't think anything was likely to reach the ghost, and Sano demanded, "What was that?" The ghost, however, as Tokio had predicted, didn't even seem to receive the thought, let alone respond.
"I'm trying to get through to him," Hajime explained, frowning. Communicative magic probably wouldn't work, which meant they might have to do the séance thing, and he didn't think he had any candles.
"Maybe if you got up close…" Sano suggested.
Hajime nodded and rose from the sofa once more. He didn't approach the ghost again quite yet, but instead went into the kitchen to retrieve the sword he'd set down on the counter when they'd entered the house. He didn't plan on getting any nearer to that thing than he had to until after dealing with at least some of the angry shade.
Sano made no comment when Hajime returned, nor did he have anything to say as the exorcist drew the sword and advanced on the ghost — but Hajime got an impression from him that he doubted this would work any better than it had before. Hajime rather thought so too, but it had to be attempted.
As previously, the angry energy, though volatile, was worrisomely easy to defeat; Hajime almost thought he could even have done it without the sword. Having replaced the latter in its sheath and set it aside, he then returned to the now-invisible ghost and raised a hand into the space it occupied.
He could definitely sense its presence, but still no trace of a comprehensible mind. He tried first to send another thought at it, then to open himself up to any message the ghost might be trying to broadcast; but the former had no discernible effect and the latter only gave him an instant headache boost.
"It never all quite leaves," he muttered. He couldn't see any remaining shade energy, but when he opened himself as he just had, he felt as if he were being battered by a hot, heavy wind.
Sano stood. "Let me see if I can get the rest of it." Hajime nodded; a combination of techniques might be exactly what they needed.
The only time the ghost seemed to react to anything was when Sano moved. Hajime had been slowly pacing the room in order to keep right next to it as it drifted, but when Sano approached, the thing finally held still. Could it sense that Sano wanted it to? Perhaps, despite claiming not to be a communicator, Sano might have a better chance than Hajime at talking to it.
Now he'd reached up so his hand hovered in the air near Hajime's, and his face had taken on an expression of angry concentration. Shades had a certain resonance that varied from one to the next, and people that absorbed shade energy did so by matching that wavelength precisely. It was about the only field where a talent for feeling a particular emotion became a trade skill. And it seemed Sano was particularly good at getting angry — either that or he'd been around this specific spirit so much that it only took him a moment to attune to it and draw off the last remaining shade energy into himself.
But it wasn't the last. Or at least the action didn't help. Continued attempts at communicating with the ghost, either giving or receiving ideas, met with the same failure as before, and that sense of being attacked (and the near-migraine that went with it) did not diminish. Hajime still couldn't begin to sense a consciousness anywhere in there, and not knowing whether or not he should be able to only complicated things.
So did Sano's increasing anger. The young man hadn't moved from where he stood facing Hajime (across the ghost, as it were) with his hand in the air, but he'd closed his eyes and was looking — and feeling — more and more angry. The sense of its growing radiation interfered somewhat with Hajime's concentration on something that wasn't working anyway; so finally Hajime put his own raised hand over the younger man's, which had by now clenched into a fist, and pushed it out of the ghost's space.
"This isn't working," he said quietly.
Sano's eyes started open, the irate gleam in them surprisingly hot and strong. It occurred to Hajime, looking into what seemed at the moment an inferno of unfathomable depth, that Sano might be dangerous if he absorbed too much anger; not that it was likely to be anything Hajime couldn't handle, but they must remember to keep the lethal weapons out of Sano's reach at such moments.
Sano jerked away from Hajime and the ghost, turning abruptly to stalk back over to the sofa and throw himself down. "Damn right it's not," he growled. "You were right: there's just no end to the fucking stuff."
Hajime also stood back, out of the way of the headache-inducing energy, letting his mental shields rise back into place, and nodded again. It looked like they really would have to try silly séance business, candles and all, and it was so hard to get cats to sit still for things like that, and he honestly didn't think it would work any better than what they'd already done — though, once again, the attempt had to be made.
He glanced at his watch. It was getting to be mid-afternoon already, somehow, and they'd made no progress except to confirm that the thing was, in fact, a ghost. If the lack of results continued and Sano got much angrier, he might decide to take his ghost elsewhere. And though not exactly a paying customer (yet… though Hajime sensed 'ever' might be a better term), he'd presented the exorcist with a unique opportunity Hajime didn't want to lose. He would talk to this ghost, no matter what it took. Which meant he needed to try to keep Sano happy.
"This might take a while," he said. "How do you feel about ordering Chinese?"
Sep 27, 2005 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction, Visual Art
"We're a matching pair of suicidal idiots."
Sano's gotten himself shot, and Saitou seems determined to smoke himself to death worrying about it.
Author's Star Rating: 4.5 | Category: Saitou and Sano one-shots | Contains: Homophobia | Contains: Language (religious) | Contains: Psychological torment | Contains: Queer Saitou | Contains: Queer Sano | Contains: Violence | Genre: Drama | Genre: Introspection | Genre: Romance | Length: 2k-3k words | Pairing - Primary: Saitou & Sano | POV: Saitou | Rating: 2 | Release/completion year: 2005 | Setting: Alternate universe | Setting: AU - Modern U.S. | Visual art collection: Commissions
"Sir? Are you all right?"
He turned with distant surprise toward the sympathetic woman's voice that had spoken, but couldn't at first get his eyes to focus on her.
"You've been standing there packing those for five minutes," she explained.
Saitou's hands paused in the middle of said motion, which he hadn't realized he'd been doing for so long. Once he'd made the transition from one action to another, it was with automatic if jerky movements that he opened the package, extracted a cigarette, brought it to his lips, and searched for his lighter.
The woman, whom he eventually hazily identified as a member of the janitorial staff cleaning out the ash trays here on the smoking deck, looked at him pityingly, especially at his arms onto which some of the blood must have soaked through his jacket before he'd removed it. After a moment she offered her own lighter, seeing he was absently continuing the search despite his inability to find his (it was in his jacket). "Waiting for someone in surgery?" she guessed quietly.
Dumbly he nodded. The smoke worked to clear his head a little, but not enough for him to attempt a verbal response.
She glanced again at his uniform. "Partner?"
He nodded again, not up to the task of differentiating between types of partners.
"I hope everything goes OK," she said as she wheeled her cleaning cart around to face the door back inside. "Keep the lighter."
Saitou was left alone, watching the ambulances come and go but not really seeing them, nor hearing their wailing sirens rising up from below. Presently he tossed what remained of the cigarette into the ash tray and started another.
They hadn't come in an ambulance. He hadn't wanted to wait for one when he had a car with a siren right there. It was a breach of protocol, but he didn't give a damn. That wasn't the only thing he'd done wrong… a shooting, and he hadn't pursued… had opened fire in a public parking lot… had barely been coherent enough to relay information to someone in the vicinity…
Justice was one thing. Revenge was one thing. Prevention of further crime was one thing. Saving someone's life was something entirely above and beyond.
He gave a short, sarcastic laugh as he started his fourth cigarette. Above and beyond justice? Above and beyond the only ideal that had mattered to him his entire life? Guns are loaded with truth, the saying went. He'd never liked it. He still didn't like it. At least now he'd found an applicable situation, though. The truth here was that the police were coming up very short in this city if somebody in the company of an officer couldn't cross a parking lot without getting shot.
His hand, he found, was clenched with vicious tightness around the lighter, and he forced it to loosen. Whose lighter was this, anyway? He'd just bought a new one, along with the cigarettes, at the store, before… Well, that one had been black, and this was red.
In the midst of lighting his sixth stick, his hand clenched again inadvertently, and he growled, bending his will to pry it open and reignite the lighter. He sucked hard on the cigarette, but found its soothing quality inferior to some he'd enjoyed in the past.
The idiot had a death wish. That was the only explanation. Wasn't there some psychologist somewhere with a theory about beautiful people being more reckless? Typically stupid. Somebody beautiful shouldn't care if some moron he didn't even know called him a faggot, shouldn't have to respond to everything said to him, shouldn't have to turn everything into a confrontation, then a fight… then a shooting… but Saitou should know better by now — much better — than to associate, even indirectly, charm with sense. Because it should have been obvious to anyone familiar with the streets, not to mention that particular neighborhood, cop or otherwise, that those guys were trouble. There were visible bullet holes in their car, for god's sake.
He accidentally snapped the eighth cigarette between fingers that shouldn't have been quite so unsteady. Irritated, he pulled out another one.
How absurd, to go through life assuming you were invincible! Though perhaps that attitude was only present in the company of a cop? Saitou thought it was more likely a permanent thing. He took a long, angry drag on the tenth cigarette. What kind of cop was he, anyway, letting someone get shot right in front of him? True, he'd put a few more holes into that wreck of a car as they'd peeled out, but he'd been intending to hit their tires. He couldn't remember when his aim had been so off.
His aim was still off, and he had to bend and retrieve the half-spent cigarette from wet concrete to deposit it in the ash tray. Then the lighter blew out twice and it was several moments before he got the twelfth one lit.
And what kind of timing was this? It was like some cosmic sense of irony had decided to make a joke of him, of both of them, or like something out of a bad tear-jerker 'romance' movie. Did everyone suffer similarly disastrous consequences of important admissions? Or had it only happened here because he'd been so stubborn for so long? He flicked ash from the fourteenth cigarette and it unexpectedly blew right back into his face. Representative of anything? Possibly. But it was a cruel form of punishment for one's obstinacy to let the other get shot.
Or maybe it was just a message from the great beyond. He'd given in because he had a weakness for pretty, stupid, adorable people, but maybe he should have held out. Perhaps this was the universe's way of telling him that, of taking the choice he'd handled badly out of his hands. Except that would have to mean…
The thought was so unexpectedly chilling, the resultant shiver so intense and unexpected, he nearly dropped both the lighter and his sixteenth cigarette. Fumbling just to keep them in his hands, it was a while before he got the thing lit. He didn't know why that idea was affecting him so much; he didn't believe in destiny and being guided by the hands of fate. It had been an unfortunate and ironically timed coincidence, nothing more.
"Hey, Saitou…"
Even his own name could hardly gain his attention.
"You've been out here the whole time, haven't you? You're soaking wet! If you catch a cold or something, Sano'll be pissed at both of us."
The name, not to mention the accompanying implication, was enough to bring him ten steps closer to reality. He suddenly recognized just how cold he really was, as well as the sight of the young man standing in front of him, and the fact that by now… by now it must be over. A little more aware of the real cause of his shaking hands, he was able to control them much better than he had before as he stubbed out his cigarette in the ash tray.
"He's going to be fine," the long-haired man said as Saitou straightened and looked at him again. "At least, he's out of immediate danger, and they don't expect complications."
"With him there are always complications." He was surprised at how dark and harsh his voice sounded. Unfamiliar, somehow, as if he hadn't heard himself speak for a very long time.
The young man — Katsu, that's who he was, the roommate — smiled, wry and weary. "I don't understand any of this." Saitou found himself struggling to hear the words over the pounding in his chest, which sound even overrode the very close-by noise of the lighter striking and flaring up. "You seem like a complete asshole, and that's basically how Sano's described you… but he's been totally obsessed with you since he met you."
The officer nodded, accepting the unflattering assessment of his personality as well as confirming the history.
"But you wouldn't have him for the longest time," continued Katsu, "until you just randomly changed your mind tonight when you ran into him at a gas station on your way home from work… and then — just then — there just happens to be some trigger-happy homophobe waiting outside to shoot him. Am I right so far?"
Saitou nodded again, not bothering to explain that there had been physical involvement for quite some time, and tonight had merely been the first expression of emotional involvement. It came to the same thing — Sano had finally gotten what he wanted, and then this…
"So first I get a string of texts from Sano I can barely read because he's so happy and excited about you… and then you call me up, cool as cucumber, asking does Sano have medical insurance and can I meet you at the hospital! Almost give me a heart attack, and you're just calm and disinterested, and then disappear the moment he goes into surgery."
Saitou wasn't aware he came across as so very indifferent, but neither was he surprised. He had nothing to say in his own defense.
"And finally." Katsu shook his head, smiling faintly. "I find you out here, where I guess you've been the whole time, still pretending to be a stoic asshole."
"Pretending?" Saitou echoed, vaguely startled.
"I don't really know you at all, but it seems to me that getting hypothermia pacing in an ice storm and not even noticing means you're pretty damn distracted."
Saitou looked around at the heavy sleet, realizing for the first time it was there. "I would hardly call this an ice storm…"
"Have it your way," Katsu shrugged. "My point is, you like him enough to worry yourself sick over him, so I just wonder what took you so long."
Still filled with the same unfocused surprise, Saitou again had no answer.
"He's in room 354," Katsu said with a snort that might have been amused and might have been exasperated. "It's two floors up from here. Be there when he wakes up."
Saitou thought he nodded, but he didn't even see Katsu there anymore — only hallways and elevators, and the only thing in his head was a number.
And there in the bed was his stupid boy. There was nothing else — no small and painfully white room with ceiling, walls, and floor; no potted plants to add cheer to the scene; no curtained window providing the slap of frozen rain from outside; no TV near the ceiling to keep the patient from insanity; no worn and comfortable chairs for family members to worry their hearts out in; no IV or heart monitor or folded tray table or even sterile sheets or breathing tubes or anything else at all in the entire world but Sanosuke lying there pale, asleep, alive.
Saitou didn't think he'd ever remained so utterly still, nor stared at something with such profound fixedness. He felt like he stood in the eye of a huge storm; here there was agonized calm and quiet, but around him everything was spinning and chaotic, and nothing would ever be the same again. How such a simple thing as a sleeping face could have such an effect on him, he was not and would probably never be sure.
Eventually, after how long he could not even begin to guess, he found his way to one of the chairs and continued his intense study of Sano's visage from there. He felt inexplicably weary, as if he had been the one shot, as if he'd done anything tonight other than pacing. It was illogical and troublesome, and for a while he fought the onslaught of sleep with irritated vigor. Sano's tranquility was contagious, however, and after a while Saitou gave in.
When he awoke, the young man still lay silent, his breathing as shallow as before. Saitou stretched, rearranged himself in the chair, and started watching once again, almost as if he had never been interrupted. The light had changed, the storm outside had evidently passed during the night, but everything else remained the same.
After an indeterminate while — a clock ticked somewhere in the room, but Saitou's eyes had never left Sano's form to locate it — a nurse entered. "Oh, you're awake," said she. "We let you stay because you looked so tired, and because the roommate mentioned that Sanosuke would want to talk to you as soon as possible, but normally we only allow family members to sit in the room all night — especially no police officers, because patients don't need to be questioned right after–"
"I'm not going to question him," Saitou broke in. "I'm his–" he forced himself not to stumble over the word– "boyfriend."
"Oh!" The nurse looked surprised and sympathetic. "Well, of course you can stay, then." She added as she went about whatever business she'd come in to do, "He's going to be just fine."
Saitou nodded silently and continued watching Sano, barely noticing when the woman left.
Not long after that (he thought), Sano's lids finally opened. Despite not seeming to see much more than he had with them closed, at least at first, just this tiny motion on Sano's part caused Saitou's deliriously spinning world to come down so abruptly it left him shaking. He was beside the bed before the brown eyes could even come into a half-focused state.
"Oh," Sano said blearily. "You really are here."
"Yes," Saitou replied.
Sano gave a vague smile. "I thought I heard you talking… thought I heard you said you're my boyfriend."
The smile, which was remarkably childlike, widened. "Gotta get shot more often, then. Every day. Did I get shot?"
Sano's hand emerged slowly from under the blanket and found Saitou's. "I don't feel it," he murmured. The smile turned almost into a grin. "Don't really feel anything."
"You will," Saitou assured him. "It'll hurt sooner than you want it to."
"You should kiss me," Sano mumbled.
Normally Saitou would have refused to kiss someone with a plastic tube up his nose, but at this point he couldn't deny Sano anything. Still, it was a very brief, gentle kiss.
"Smell like so many cigarettes," was Sano's faint statement. "You been chain-smoking again?"
Saitou lifted the mostly crushed package that was still in his other hand and glanced at it. One cigarette remained, and he was surprised it wasn't crushed as well. Yes, he supposed, he had been chain-smoking. He hadn't noticed.
"That's the pack you just bought!" Sano protested with a little more energy. Saitou made no attempt to stop him as he reached out and took it in loose fingers, then threw it weakly across the room. Whether he'd awakened at some point earlier and looked around or by coincidence, it landed somewhat near a small trash can. "You have a death wish, I swear," he chastised as his hand fell limply to his side and his eyes drifted closed.
"Yes," Saitou said softly. "We're a matching pair of suicidal idiots."
With a dim smile, Sano whispered, "OK, sleep now."
Saitou kissed Sano's forehead and stepped away from the bed. He turned and went to the fallen cigarette package, bending and retrieving it. Silently he returned to the chair and sat down to continue his vigil, after decisively tossing the package into the garbage.
This was originally going to be called Twenty Cigarettes, but I liked the "matching pair of suicidal idiots" theme better. I've rated this story .
I commissioned Candra to draw a picture for this fic, and I don't have words for how much I love it:
This story is included in the Saitou & Sano Collection ebook (.zip file contains .pdf, .mobi, and .epub formats).
Dec 31, 2003 | Art Archive Entries, Fiction, Rurouni Kenshin Fanfiction
Whether a disappointed, unkissed Kamatari is better for me than a happy one who's attained his disturbing goal, I can't quite say.
Kamatari's New Year's Eve tradition of collecting kisses from every guy at the party is likely to bother Katsu a lot more this year, now that he's realized he's in love with him.
Author's Star Rating: 4.5 | Category: Misc RK one-shots | Genre: Drama | Genre: Humor | Genre: Introspection | Length: 7k-8k words | Pairing - Primary: Kamatari & Katsu | Pairing - Secondary: Aoshi & Misao | Pairing - Secondary: Saitou & Sano | Pairing - Secondary: Shishio & Yumi | Pairing: Additional unlisted | Rating: 2 | Release/completion year: 2004
Looking back with my usual critical eye on the year, I can't help but see a host of missed opportunities. This is normal for me, for my life, and though there are obviously regrets, I can't say that it's an unexpected state not to have fulfilled every goal — well, most of the goals — with which I set out in January. But this year having introduced a whole new brand of these thrown chances was worse than usual. Of course, if during the six years I've known him I'd noticed how I feel any time before this February, I might have been able to lay better plans and… but I think I'm digressing before I even start in on my real point.
My real point is, or was going to be, that because I've spent most of the evening pondering what a frustrating year it has been, what with the inconveniently belated realization about Kamatari, I forgot about his New Year's tradition. Which is something I really should have remembered, considering how much pain it's likely to cause me this year. At previous celebrations to herald in the bright, promising new annum (always bright and promising to him, which is enough for me), I just laughed and shook my head and marveled at how successful he was at this game. But this time… when he grabs my arm after only two minutes at the party and says, "C'mon, let's go kiss-collecting!" my heart sinks like the proverbial stone.
Not that I haven't seen him kiss quite a lot of people before. He's a model and I'm his primary photographer, after all. (He also poses for most of my own art, though I've never drawn him kissing someone… I suppose the reason for that is obvious, though I haven't really thought about it before.) Anyway, it's safe to say that there's a lot of kissing in his life. Not to mention the fact that he's done this little New Year's Eve thing for every year I've known him. But when he's on a stage or in front of a camera or even out there beyond my easel, it's different. Quite different. Entirely different. And at previous New Year's Eve parties I haven't been in love with him. Or haven't realized it, at any rate.
This is going to kill me. I can't watch him do this. But I really don't have much choice.
And this dilemma is my own fault anyway.
Naturally he'll head for the newcomers first, and that means Shishio, the owner of a magazine he did some cover shots for this past year. No, not the editor — the businessman doesn't have an artistic bone in his body, I think — just the owner. He's a recent addition to our circle, and there's some tension between him and Kenshin, but he's nice enough if you can get over his utterly calculating nature.
"Shishio-sama!" Tari loves calling him that, he told me once, because it makes Shishio practically preen visibly — stand a little taller, smile a little wider. Now he shouts it out in his most cheerfully enticing tone as he hip-swings his way into the rather formal-looking front room and over to where Shishio is sitting casually on a wicker loveseat with a red-haired woman at his side. (Not looking at those hips. I'm really not. And despite the fact that I've seen him in less, it doesn't help that Tari's wearing that little purple dress…)
"Happy New Year!" Tari stops just in front of them and raises his slender arms in a celebratory pose as he flashes a bright smile at the seated couple. Putting on a show already, and the night's barely started. He can't have any idea how I feel when he does that; how I itch to take him home and (no, not that; what are you thinking?) capture his dramatic posturing on canvas for some world other than this… right now he would look very good as the elegant queen of a nation on the edge of war, announcing benevolently to her adoring people that peace has been attained through her diligence and they need not march to battle. A long, clinging gown, perhaps of white satin with pale gold bands and billowing sleeves blowing from those upraised arms — but I'm supposed to be narrating a scene here, I recall.
"Happy New Year to you too," Shishio replies jovially, though even his friendliest greeting always seems to carry a shrewd edge. And he's drinking already.
"I'm so glad you could come," Tari says happily, though still in a tone I recognize as having a slight touch of showmanship. "I was sure you'd have some big party of your own and not be able to make it."
"And miss a chance to make Himura uncomfortable?" Shishio laughs. "Oh, have you met Yumi?"
Tari turns and smiles at the red-head, who smiles back a tad less graciously. I draw from this the conclusion that she is Shishio's woman, or wants to be, and that Shishio really was as enthusiastically impressed with those cover shots as rumor says. I have to say that I sympathize with her. "I'm Honjou Kamatari; yoroshiku!"
"Yes, I recognize you from Kagami," she replies, maybe a little coldly. Actually, I think that, beyond just this potential rivalry to annoy her, we've also interrupted something; they were sitting in here alone before we entered, after all… "Komagata Yumi; yoroshiku."
With that finished, Tari gets down to business, clapping his hands together once in a let's-get-started manner. "Well, since you've never been to one of Kenshin-san's New Year's Eve parties before, you don't know about my tradition! Every year, I try to collect as many kisses as I can from the all the fabulous men I know before the night ends!"
Yumi stiffens visibly. "Well, that's interesting," she says tightly, obviously attempting to remain polite and not start a cat-fight just yet. But seeing the smile on Shishio's face, she's losing her cool pretty quick. I can't say that I like it much either.
Tari seats himself beside Shishio, primly on the edge of the loveseat but with all the suggestion he can command with such a simple movement. "So, can you help me?" he smiles.
Yumi is as stiff as a board and staring at me in order to avoid looking at them (which is exactly the same reason I'm returning her bladed gaze); if Shishio is anything but frighteningly obtuse, he'll speak up at this point and prevent a disaster, or he'll probably find himself cut off tonight.
"No," he says, and I give him points for smoothness in the face of terribly alluring Kamatari, "I'm afraid not." He leans over to Yumi and plants a semi-suggestive kiss on her ear. "Unless third-party kisses count."
Tari pouts. "No, they don't."
"Why don't you just kiss your friend there?" Yumi suggests, mostly placated, gesturing towards me. I was attempting to get over the phrase 'third-party kisses' that only a businessman could think up, so I'm perhaps not as guarded as I'd like to be. I try not to let it show in my eyes that it's more than just slight surprise I'm feeling at her words, but I think she's figured me out. I'm not the only observant person in the world, I sometimes forget, though it's a pretty close thing.
"Oh, Katsu's straight," Kamatari says easily, jumping up and leaning against me with an arm over my shoulders. "Right?" And why does he have to fit there so well?
"Right," I reply calmly, looking away from the now-curious glinting eyes of the woman who sees right through the lie. It's only been a lie since February, you know, but it's a statement I was making so frequently before I realized it wasn't true that I'm quite practiced at it. Enough to fool Tari and anyone else who asks. Didn't I mention that this entire dilemma is my fault?
"Well, have fun!" Tari calls over his shoulder, regaining his cheer, as he pulls me away; "I'll find someone else!"
The thing is, I'm a recluse. I've never been in a romantic relationship in my life, and I never really thought about deciding whether I preferred men or women until my friend Sano (whom I did not at all like in that way) started hitting on me a couple of years ago. The easiest way to get out of that was to insist that I'm straight, which is what I've done ever since. It isn't so easy to get out of that, though.
"Who's that outside?" He points towards the glass side doors.
"I don't know." Normally I like to get an idea of who's at a party before I start running around talking to everyone (not that I'm much of a party person in the first place, but Tari insists), but he hasn't given me the chance this evening.
"Well, let's go see."
But halfway toward the patio, we can't help but notice sounds coming from a room to our right, and even I have to smile. We know who that is. Every year, he wreaks havoc in Kenshin's kitchen almost as if it's his own personal New Year's Eve tradition. Kenshin only invites him at all because he's Sano's best friend, but I think he'd prefer if he had somewhere else to be.
"Chouuu-chan!" Tari sings out as he detours through the swinging doors into the kitchen. "Raiding Kenshin-san's fridge again?"
Chou pulls a plastic tub from the second shelf and sways a little as he peers through its transparent side trying to determine the contents. And I wish him luck in the endeavor, as he's obviously so drunk he probably couldn't correctly identify his own body parts, let alone some nameless culinary concoction of Kenshin's. Actually, Chou appears rather ill, possibly because of the color of the casserole-looking stuff in that tupperware. "Thslooks good," he slurs. "Whacha thing?"
"I think you're drunk," Tari laughs, "and probably shouldn't eat that."
Chou doesn't quite take this in, as now he's attempting to open the tub — but the mysteries of the air-tight lid are eluding him. "Oh, heeyyy!" he says suddenly, almost dropping the item with his shift in attention. "I know why yer here! Doin' that slutty Nnear's thin again."
Slutty?! At this I nearly break my silence. Flirty Kamatari certainly is, and perhaps the behavior of a model can easily be misconstrued as an indication of promiscuity, but I know him — he doesn't sleep around, isn't even seeing anyone right now! and Chou has no right to —
But Tari, of course, has already laughed it off. He can take an insult like no one I've ever seen. Well, most of the time. And really, I guess I need to lighten up (as usual) and consider that Chou probably didn't mean to offend and is drunk anyway. Yes, calm down, Katsu.
"Wll, c'mere," Chou says, setting the tupperware down on the counter. He misses, though, and Tari dives to catch the falling dish. "Nice," Chou attempts to say, and by now he's leaning against the counter for balance. He gazes around blearily for a moment as if he's forgotten where he is, and his unfocused eyes settle on a glass bottle nearby. I guess he lost track of it when he started looking through the fridge, but he remembers it now and gulps down its remaining contents with a triumphant smile. He then grabs Kamatari's arm and pulls the model up against him.
That look in Chou's eyes is just too much for me. It's obvious that he thinks of Tari as exactly what he said — a slut — and he's going to treat him accordingly. Funny how the truth comes out when you're drunk, isn't it? Bastard. I take Tari by the shoulders and pull him right back again. "What?" he asks, turning towards me in confused annoyance.
It's easy to come up with an excuse, but if this is going to be the trend of the evening, I don't know how long I'll be able to keep thinking of reasons. "He's much too drunk for you to–"
"Oh, don't be silly," Tari waves my concern away. "It's New Year's Eve! I've kissed drunk people before."
"But it isn't a good idea to–"
Again he interrupts me, this time with, "Don't be so dreary! It's really OK!"
I make my last attempt. "Kamatari, I–"
This time it's Chou who interrupts me, but not exactly in words. Unless 'blyaaahhh' has been added to some dictionary somewhere. Actually, I'd like to see the kanji for that one. Tari and I step back and look away as Chou loses whatever he's been eating and half of what he's been drinking all over Kenshin's previously-immaculate kitchen floor. Our eyes meet, and Tari's stricken pair are clearly saying, That could have been me. "Thanks," he whispers as we sneak quickly away the next moment.
"What are friends for?" I reply.
In the hallway, Tari looks around with a frown. "Now I feel all icky," he mutters.
I can't help but laugh, just a little.
He pushes me lightly. "I'm serious! I'm going to the bathroom." And he disappears through the door to the latter not far off. "Oh, look, it's January!" I hear him say the next moment, and he peeks out and hands me a magazine. "Tell me what you think." And then he's inside again.
I lean against the wall and flip through the new year's first Kagami. Tari's in here somewhere, but as it wasn't my work I haven't seen it yet. I find it near the back, before the pages and pages of paid ads: "Great mirror gift," it says in English, then continues in Japanese: "Give Kagami to a friend: a fourteen-issue subscription for only ¥2700!" God, this picture is terrible. I mean, Tari looks good, of course, but whoever took this needs to be strangled with his own film.
(New Year's Resolution: Never let anyone else take pictures of Kamatari ever again.)
He told me once that I make him feel beautiful. Obviously he doesn't realize that in his case, I just work with what's already there. When I draw him as an angel, only the wings are fictional, and honestly I can never get them to look as good as they should; his face outshines them a hundred times and leaves them paltry and dull in comparison. I just wish he'd said those words to me after I made my big realization rather than long before. His follow-up statement as he snaked a casual arm around my waist to break the pensive atmosphere was, "It's too bad you're not gay… someone who can make a guy feel like that could probably get anyone he wanted."
But in reality, he's the one who makes me feel beautiful. He's better at showy stuff or light, witty conversation, flirty talk, than any sort of deep artistic discussion, but his silence is eloquent enough when he looks at something of mine and just falls entirely wordless; I watch his eyes flicking over it taking in every detail, and his slight nods… and then he'll smile at me and say, "I like it," and that's enough. I would never have thought that I could be satisfied with such an unspecific response to something I've done, but with him I invariably am.
"Hey, space cadet, what do you think?" He's rattling the magazine in my hand and smelling freshly of whatever really nice perfume he's been wearing lately. Makes me want to lean closer and find out exactly where he's applied it.
"I think Shishio-san's photographers need to be fired," I reply with a wry smile, closing the magazine and handing it to him.
"So glad you agree!" Tari replaces it where he found it (you know, it's just like Kenshin to have magazines in the bathroom), and gestures for me to follow him. "That girl was so clueless," he goes on as we head down the hall toward the patio doors again. "I don't trust these big company photographers anymore; they're just not artists. I think I'm going to tell people from now on that you and I are a package deal."
That phrase and the accompanying smile might be — probably would be enough to bring my confession tumbling out, if only we found ourselves alone on the patio. As it is, I have to think of my cursed self as a bird of some sort: frightened into flight by the mere presence of another.
"Package deal? I thought you were straight, Tsukioka-san," is the pleasant-sounding knell of my doom, its ominousness well-punctuated by an ensuing sneeze.
"He meant professionally," I reply. "And bless you."
"Soujirou-kun!" Tari chirps. "How are you?" And though part of why he says it is that Soujirou likes to see that people care about him and is more likely to kiss him if he asks, Tari also genuinely wants to know. Soujirou is an intern at the hospital, under Kenshin, and being apparently quite the prodigal young doctor is rather overworked; thus we rarely see him. I'm glad he managed to get New Year's Eve off for some well-deserved relaxation.
"Catching a cold," Soujirou replies ruefully. "I've been living off of cough drops all week."
"Then why are you out here?" Kamatari laughs. "You'll only make it worse!"
Soujirou glances around. "I just thought I saw something. I was just about to go back inside and tell Himura-san."
I scan the bushes; I'm fairly sure I know what he saw.
"Well, I'm collecting kisses, so before you do…" Tari makes a little pouty face that would clearly speak begging-to-be-kissed even in a context where its intent had not just been announced.
Soujirou shakes his head. "I'd make you sick."
"Oh, not with just one little kiss!"
"Honjou-san," Soujirou says very seriously, "there are at least twenty-four types of bacteria that normally live in a healthy human mouth. Once a bacterial illness has been contracted, there may be as many as–"
"All right, all right, all right." Tari cuts him off before he can really get going. "Don't spoil my game with that kind of talk!"
"Sorry," Soujirou smiles. He's eyeing the shrubbery.
"Why don't you go give Kenshin-san the crazy neighbor alert?" I suggest quietly.
Soujirou nods and slips into the house.
Tari silently joins me watching the bushes rustle, and although this is the perfect opportunity, I just can't bring myself to say anything. Partly because it's just occurred to me that even beyond the embarrassment of retracting a statement I've been making so emphatically for years, I've got Tari's response to worry about as well. Coward.
Kenshin emerges onto the patio after not much longer anyway, frowning.
"Happy New Year," Tari greets him, as this is the first we've seen of him since letting ourselves into his house.
"Happy New Year," he replies. "Where is he?" I point, and Kenshin starts slowly across the lawn. "Yatsume-dono," he calls out politely, "please come out of the bushes."
The contingent of amorously hopeful women that hangs out around Kenshin at almost all times has now crowded out the patio doors and is standing behind us to watch; Kenshin's eccentric old neighbor has been a subject of entertainment to all of us for years now.
"Don't come closer!" rasps a voice from the bushes.
"It's cold out," Kenshin says soothingly. "You should be inside your house."
"I don't want advice from you!" the man in the bushes replies. "You filthy doctor… it's your fault my whole family is sick and dying in Hokkaido!"
Kenshin is right in front of the bushes now. "Yatsume-dono, your family isn't sick, and they don't live in Hokkaido. Now let's get you home." And with a sudden, swift movement, he pulls the man out from the greenery where he was hiding.
"No!" shrieks the old lunatic, waving his unusually long arms around his bald head. "You mustn't look at my face!"
Kenshin calmly relieves him of the pruning shears he's flinging about dangerously in one big hand. "Come on; I'm sure your family is worried about you." And with a look of resigned amusement at those of us assembled on the patio, he leads the raving man back through the bushes, across the river rock that marks the property line, and up towards the house next door. One of these years the Yatsume's really are going to have to find a better way to keep their grandfather indoors and out of the neighbor's back yards.
With laughs and various comments on the formidable ninja bush-hiding powers of the old man, the party on the patio disperses back into the house, Tari along with them, so I follow.
"I wonder what would happen if you took a picture of that guy," he's speculating.
"Oh, he'd probably try to kill me," I reply. "It would be a violation of his onmitsu honor."
Tari has stopped moving in the middle of my statement. The women continue back into the living room, leaving us in the hallway. I follow Tari's gaze up the stairs and see that we're not quite alone.
"Where is Kenshin?" asks the descending figure, sounding not at all pleased.
A slow smile has taken Tari's face as his eyes traverse the muscular body without shame, and I grab his elbow in a silent warning. This man is not one he needs to be hitting on.
"He went to take Yatsume-san home again," I answer.
"And who are you?"
Tari steps forward to the foot of the stairs to block any escape, although I'm frantically trying to keep him back. "I'm Honjou Kamatari," he says prettily, "and this is Tsukioka Katsuhiro."
"We're friends of Kenshin-san's," I add, maybe a little too quietly.
"What are you doing here? What's all the noise?"
"It's a New Year's Eve party, sir." By now I've attracted Tari's curiosity with my polite tone. "Tari," I say pointedly in explanation, "this is Niitsu Kakunoshin."
Tari's eyes widen as he turns back to the man. "Oh, you're Niitsu-sama? Katsu never stops talking about you!" Well, that's hyperbole, but not a lie… I do hope I'm not turning red now. Thank you, Kamatari.
Niitsu only looks slightly less annoyed than before. "Then you probably have more artistic understanding than my stupid nephew."
Now that is certainly true. Kenshin is glad to have his uncle staying with him during this end of Niitsu's museum tour, (mostly because Niitsu is apparently so reclusive he makes me look like a noisy attention whore), but the doctor doesn't really appreciate the sculptor's amazing talent the way he should.
Niitsu is pushing past us now. I wish I could think of something to say to him that wouldn't be really stupid… maybe ask for an autograph or tell him how many times I've been to see his exhibit, except those would both make me sound like a groupie… oh, actually, for now I think I'll settle for keeping Kamatari off him.
(New Year's Resolution: Practice some intelligent statements for future possible meetings with famous people)
"Niitsu-sama," Tari's saying, "I wonder if you would do me a favor…" He has no fear. Haven't I made it clear to him that this is the biggest artistic name he and I are ever likely to see? Just because the guy is Kenshin's uncle doesn't mean… and he's obviously not in the best mood to begin with… and he's way too good-looking, his hair just too similar to mine; if Tari manages to get a kiss out of this guy, I'm going to be seriously jealous.
"Tari!" I hiss, but he ignores me. He puts himself between Niitsu and the front door, for which the sculptor is obviously heading, and starts to explain his tradition. I can't see Niitsu's face, but the impatient way he turns aside and opens the coat closet makes it evident that he doesn't appreciate being detained.
OK, that cape is the flashiest thing I've ever seen. Where's he going, some kind of premier? Call out the press! God, for such a talented artist, that's quite a tacky fashion statement…
The front door opens from without, forcing Tari to move away. "Oh, Hiko," Kenshin says as he steps inside, "are you going somewhere?"
"What do you mean by having a party here without warning me first?" Niitsu replies dourly. "I've got Americanized cross-dressers making eyes at me." He glances at Tari with a frown. "What's next — women?" And he stalks out the door without waiting for a reply.
Kenshin laughs weakly and shakes his head to the sound of Niitsu's candy-apple red BMW convertible revving up outside (I swear I did not put my hands all over that thing on the way in). "Don't mind him, Kamatari. He's a little…" And he trails off, not really having an excuse for his uncle's behavior.
"Looked like a pretty big to me," Tari replies in amusement. "But what a grouch!"
Well, that could have gone better. But it also could have gone much worse. I let out the breath I was holding. At least I got to meet Niitsu at all; I've been trying to wrangle that ever since I heard he'd be staying with Kenshin for a week. Plus I've made the interesting discovery that Niitsu is a pseudonym. Well, it's interesting to me. I'm a bit of a gossip, you know. Anyway, add that to the fact that Kamatari hasn't actually kissed anyone yet, and tonight hasn't really been so bad.
"Kenshin-saaaan," Tari is asking in a wheedling tone, following Kenshin past where Shishio and Yumi are making out in the front room (part of Shishio's scheme to make Kenshin uncomfortable, or are they just drunk?) toward the living room. I hasten to join him. "I know you don't like men, but I've had really bad luck so far this year, and–"
"Kamatari-san, are you trying to get Kenshin to kiss you?!" This is Kaoru, one of the amorous females I mentioned, who is seated on the floor with a bag of potato chips in her lap. She teaches fifth graders, and now she's using that Stern Recess Monitor tone on Tari, though the effect is somewhat lessened by the guacamole on her face.
"You may as well give up now," adds Megumi from the couch. I'm surprised she's here at all, really; she's a family doctor, and just as overworked as Soujirou. But I suppose, like Shishio, she would never miss a chance to mess with Kenshin's head. Since she knows she can never have him. At least, that's my theory. The reason for that is Tomoe, of course, another emergency room doctor that we all think (OK, I think) has the best chance with Kenshin. She's closer to his age and a good deal quieter than the others, not to mention she spends more time with him. She has nothing to say about Tari's request, but just sits there smiling on the other end of the couch.
"Kenshin-san won't kiss anyone," puts in Tae from her spot on the floor not far from Kaoru. "You should have heard him lecturing Soujirou-kun the other day about how much bacteria lives in a healthy human mouth!" Everyone laughs, and I ponder. Maybe Tae actually has a chance at Kenshin… better than Megumi and Kaoru at least… Kenshin loves to cook, and Tae runs a restaurant… oh, well, whatever. I really don't care. Kenshin doesn't have any problems about his orientation and whatnot.
"It was an interesting lecture!" Soujirou protests from his seat on the hearth, and sneezes.
Tari is pouting again, and it's rather disturbing to see that by now the expression is starting to contain some real disappointment rather than coquetry alone. I'm torn between wishing he'd give the game up and wishing someone would kiss him just to make him feel better.
"Speaking of kissing," Kaoru remarks slyly, "Aoshi-san and Misao-chan have been in there a long time." But only she would be clueless enough not to realize that Aoshi is as gay as Tari is and Misao has no chance.
"Kamatari-kun," Tomoe suggests in her calm, elegant voice at about the same moment, "why don't you get Katsuhiro-kun to kiss you?" Yes, there's another woman who sees things. Women scare me sometimes.
"Katsu's different," Kamatari sniffs, and I restrain a bitter sigh. Yes, Katsu's different. You can use the phrase, 'I know you don't like men, but…' with Kenshin, but not with Katsu. It's just too obvious that Katsu is straight because Katsu's been so stubbornly emphatic about it. Katsu would never want to kiss you. Katsu's a fucking idiot. "Did I hear someone mention Aoshi-san?" And now Katsu's almost glowering, because if Tari gets at Aoshi…
"He's in the office," Kenshin laughs as he sits down on the couch between Megumi and Tomoe, accepting the chips from Kaoru who has immediately moved closer. Tae has commandeered the guacamole and imitated her… the entire scene looks like some kind of emperor surrounded by his courtesans, especially with the two on the floor holding up their food items like some kind of desperate offering. Rather picturesque, actually, if you can get over the modern elements; it would be better, though, if Tae had black hair like the rest of the females. "Misao-dono claimed she had a secret to tell him."
Everyone laughs again, and I'm beginning to think there must be something funny here beyond just the usual innuendo. Kamatari looks around, a little disoriented, and I point him towards Kenshin's study (Sano hangs out here sometimes, and drags me with him, whereas Tari's only ever here for parties). On the way there, though, he gets sidetracked.
"Oh, Enishi-kun!"
"Go away."
"You won't–"
"Your dress is dry-clean only?"
"Well, yes…"
In a threatening manner, Enishi holds up the very red and possibly corrosively spicy salsa that he and Soujirou are sharing with a bowl of tortilla chips.
Tari dances backwards away from the hearth and sticks out his tongue. "Spooiiil-sport!" he sings as he heads for Kenshin's office once again.
(Oh, and don't let that fool you — Tomoe's brother is a nice guy, really. Very blunt, yes, and has some strange self-esteem issues, but not bad once you get to know him. He likes parties about as much as I do, however, and only comes because his sister is. Well, and Soujirou, lately. I think.)
As Tari peeks through the glass of the study door, I turn back to the group. "By the way, Kenshin-san, Chou-san had a little accident in the kitchen."
Kenshin sighs, and most of the women giggle.
"Nice dress," Tari is murmuring, but there's that disappointed tone in his voice again.
"What?" I join him looking through the door.
Did I say Misao had no chance with Aoshi? I meant she had no chance with a sober Aoshi. At least, getting him drunk is the only way I can think of that he'd be making out like that with a female college student at least ten years his junior. In the chair at Kenshin's desk, no less. It would explain why everyone is so amused, too. Aoshi may have a seriously difficult time getting rid of Misao from now on, though. Worse than usual, I mean. And the really sad thing is, I think he likes Kenshin. All these doctors that work together and develop unrequited crushes… they should start a soap and give ER a run for its money.
Tari sighs. "I'm not even going in there."
"Good idea," I agree.
"Oh, they're so cute!" Kaoru, Tae, and Megumi have crowded around us to watch through the doors as well, and Tari and I are forced to push through them. Tari surveys the room, biting his lip: Kenshin and Tomoe are gone, probably to inspect the kitchen, and Soujirou and Enishi are deep in conversation by the fire. Noises are coming from downstairs, and he brightens a little as he pulls me in that direction.
However, the big downstairs rec. room where the rest of the guests are playing pool or watching a volleyball game on TV (or is it taped? I don't follow sports, so I'm not sure) does not afford him any lip-locking action, although he applies to every man in the place except for this creepy old guy Saizuchi, Kenshin's neighbor on the opposite side from the Yatsume's who shows up uninvited to every gathering. Tari doesn't have to ask him; he offers. And Tari replies that he doesn't kiss anyone with false teeth. When Saizuchi replies that they're real, Tari suggests a good dentist. Everyone else has reasons not to kiss Kamatari or circumstances that prevent it even if they're willing. And we go back upstairs.
Tari is quite despondent by now, and it's depressing. I've never seen him have luck this bad; it's like fate is against him. Or maybe on my side for once, though whether a disappointed, unkissed Kamatari is better for me than a happy one who's attained his disturbing goal, I can't quite say.
"Why do I feel like I've missed someone important?" he muses as Shishio brushes past him on a cell phone. The group in the living rooms seems to be playing some kind of loud guessing game now, so the house is rather noisy all 'round.
I point at the figure looking out the window in the entryway. Actually, I'm also wondering how we've missed him all along. Certainly he's been here all night same as we have; coincidentally bad timing, I guess. And, you know, it's kinda sad that I don't like him like that. Well, no, it's not, really, but he does look nice leaning casually against the wall with his face turned steadfastly out the window… there's this charmingly impatient hopeful attitude about him like he's a convalescent soldier waiting for the return of his triumphant companions from the battle front… he wishes he could have been with them, but at the moment he's just glad they're coming back. That's how I would paint it, anyway.
Tari brightens amazingly. "Sanosuke!" he cries. "Just the person I was looking for!" He lets the put-on girlish tone leave his voice almost entirely (so only the natural girlish tone remains) as he approaches Sano. (Scary how he knows and can adapt to exactly what everyone likes, isn't it? And yet he's still the same person the entire time. Amazing.)
Sano laughs as he turns to face us. "You ain't gettin' a kiss from me this year, Kamatari; you do know that, right?" Secretly I'm thanking him already for sticking with the trend. (Or, more appropriately, thanking his new boyfriend who is undoubtedly the reason for this declaration)
"Why not?" Tari pouts.
"Are you kidding? Hacchan would kill me!"
Tari and I both wince. "Does he know you call him Hacchan behind his back?" I ask, knowing that we're both thinking of the harsh face of Sano's lover and how that man would probably react to this nickname.
"Nope," Sano grins.
"Well, he's not here now, is he?" Tari sidles up to Sano and snuggles against him.
Sano gives Tari a friendly hug before pushing him away. "He's picking me up soon so we can go to his place and, um, celebrate his birthday. I don't wanna smell like your perfume…"
"I'll stand back," Tari suggests. "C'mon, he'll never know!"
"Oh, he will," Sano replies, perfectly serious. And he's probably right, too. That Saitou guy is strange. Sometimes I think the only reason they're together is that Sano got desperate. I mean, a cop he met when he was being questioned about damage done in a brawl that he probably started at a nightclub back in July…? The thought is a little disturbing, considering that I was what he wanted for the longest time. And it makes the idea of admitting now that I'm gay all the more disturbing. It'd be like saying I was just waiting for Sano to get out of the way or something. How am I supposed to do that to my friend?
"Well, fine," Tari decrees. "I'll just ask him when he gets here."
Sano looks startled. "You're gonna try to kiss Hajime? Or you're gonna ask him if you can kiss me?"
"He's gonna be in a real shitty mood, you know. People are idiots on New Year's Eve."
Tari lifts his chin defiantly. "He can't be worse than that Niitsu was."
"Oh, you met Kenshin's uncle, didja?" Sano laughs. "Yeah, he's a real character. But, um, Hacchan might be worse, actually — oh, there he is." Sano goes to the door, then looks back at Tari uncertainly. "Um, are you really gonna…"
"Yes!" Tari pronounces, and follows him outside. I'm close at his heels. Saitou is a police officer, and therefore probably won't actually hurt Kamatari, but I'm a little nervous nonetheless.
Sano is bouncing over to the cop car parked in the driveway. Once there, he glances back at us and gestures for Saitou to get out. The man merely rolls down his window. "What?"
"Konbanwa, Saitou-san!" Kamatari greets him with a wave.
"You remember Kamatari, right?" Sano says.
Saitou nods. This does not look promising.
"Well, um, he's trying to kiss all the guys at the party, and–"
Saitou's eyes narrow. "Get in the car."
Sano looks at Kamatari with a shrug. "Toldja he'd be in a bad mood."
"I'm not in a bad mood," Saitou growls. "Just get in the damn car."
Sano grins. "See? That's what happens when you give too many speeding tickets and book too many cheap drunks."
Saitou scowls. "Every damn New Year…" And he rolls up his window.
There's that pout again. "Oh, Sanosuke, you're not persistent at all," Tari protests.
"I'm just not suicidal," Sano replies as he vaults over the hood of the car. "But I'll have him feelin' better in no time. Night, you guys. Happy New Year!"
I wave goodbye as they back out of the driveway and head off up the street much faster than a cop who's just been pseudo-complaining about speeders should drive.
"Fine." Tari kicks a rock into the street and turns towards the door.
"Hey, you two, come in here and be on my team!" Tae calls to us from the doorway into the living room just as we're reentering the house. This is a good idea, as Tari needs cheering up. So we join her without much reluctance, and while away the time rather pleasantly for what remains of the night.
But the year's final minutes find us again wandering the house in a frenzy, Tari newly determined to be kissed or die in the attempt — especially since he hasn't found anyone with whom to share the all-important midnight kiss. I have no clue where he gets these ideas about kissing on New Year's Eve — from America or something, probably — but it really does mean something to him just because he's been doing it for so long. But still no luck. And finally we're down to the very end of the day, and utterly kissless. Kamatari throws himself on the bottom step of the upward staircase and mopes.
"Almost midnight," he grumbles.
His sorrow is interesting. It's nothing like the heavy, mundane melancholy through which I plod day after day (and have occasionally idly thought might be clinical depression, but I won't get into that). His is like something fragile, a coating of dark glass or maybe ice that spreads over him so I want to touch him very gently and breathe only the softest breaths. But he always shatters it with a smile or a laugh; he never stays sad for long, and as he dispels his own I invariably feel mine begin to lift just a little. And, really, he isn't sad tonight. He wouldn't let a little thing like kisses on New Year's Eve really get him down. But I can't stand to see him even like this.
And maybe it's that that finally gives me the courage I need. No, don't start thinking I burst out with a passionate revelation or anything; but I do realize that a kiss and a confession are two different things, especially when Kamatari's first happiness of the year is at stake. So I sit down beside him and say his name; elsewhere in the house I can hear the countdown to midnight commencing.
Tari's not stupid. He knows what I mean. And he doesn't wait for me. Smiling, he leans forward and presses his lips against mine. And everything else in the world just melts away: the cheers of those downstairs who aren't kissing someone as midnight marks the passing of the previous twelvemonth (though they might be cheering about the game for all I know); Shishio's continual business-talk on his cell phone not far off while Yumi grumps because she isn't being kissed either; my curiosity as to whether any of those women managed to engage Kenshin in midnight kissing in the living room (or whether Misao will claim tomorrow that Aoshi's drunken kisses were some kind of contract; or whether Enishi's worked through his confused mind enough to kiss Soujirou; or whether Chou is drunk enough to attempt making out with himself or perhaps some of Kenshin's cooking utensils in the kitchen, unless he's passed out already; or whether Niitsu ever kisses that pretty car of his when nobody's looking) …yeah, so even the stuff I'm not thinking about involves kissing. Kissing is the whole world right about now. Although I have to admit that I may be just a little conscious of the at least twenty-four types of bacteria that are happily mixing inside our mouths. But all in all, my first kiss with Kamatari is an experience that I won't be forgetting any time soon.
It isn't as deep and doesn't last as long as I'd like, but I have to remember that Tari still thinks I'm straight and is aiming to be polite. I try desperately to keep my face composed as he pulls away from me; I do have to admit this thing at some point, but as a speechless googly idiot is not how I plan on doing it.
Tari's smiling again. "You're a sweetheart, Katsu," he says, and squeezes my knee. "Not many straight guys would do that, you know."
I couldn't ask for a better moment than this if I'd been arranging the evening to my specifications all along; it's a paint-by-number from here. And the look in his eyes really gives me hope that I won't be rejected. He's got to like me at least a little, doesn't he? Otherwise he wouldn't put up with such a dreary, misanthropic, artistically-obsessed man, right? Sure, it could be because I take great photographs, but still… Well, we'll find out now. I take a deep breath, ready to acknowledge everything…
but somehow all I manage to say is…
"What are friends for?"
And the moment is gone.
Tari leans against my shoulder, and I long to put my arm around him. But I lost my chance, and it'll have to wait. "Happy New Year," he says, and all the cheer has returned to his voice. Which makes me want to cry, though not all of the tears would mean the same thing.
"Happy New Year," I reply instead, calmly and without letting it sound in my tone that there's anything in the world I desperately want to say to him and just can't.
(New Year's Resolution: Tell Kamatari that I love him. Somehow.)
And for all the ambivalence of the scene, I consider this a happy ending.
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This story is included in the Rurouni Kenshin Collection ebook.