Editor's note and Disclaimer: these characters don't belong to me blah blah blah. This is just a short story about Takeuchi and Kunikida taking place after the end of Blue Seed and before Blue Seed Beyond. If you want to really get the vibe of Takeuchi's evening, it's best if you listen to Pantera's cover of Black Sabbath's song "Planet Caravan" and Silverchair's "Steam WIll Rise" for which this was named. What goes on in the middle part of this story was written to the song 'Steam Will Rise' and it fits what goes on very well ;-)
Takeuchi sinks into a hot bubblebath after a long hard day of work. A cheery blossom scented candle burning on the bathroom counter, some soft rock playing in the background, a handfull of bath salts and bubbles. This is just about the only pleasure she has time left for in the evening. She sinks down into the tub letting the warm water circle her easing away all the tension of the day. There are no arigami here, no one for her to look after, no bosses and no kushinada. Just Ryoko and her stereo. She settles, watches the candle flame dance for a while before washing up. Her thoughts drift back and forth, settling mostly on the relationships within the office. Everyone had started pairing up now. Momiji and Kusinagi, Koume and Yegashi. Matsu had her ex husband, Kunikida has his work which is all he'll ever need to stay busy, and she'd even seen Sugishita flirting with Sakura. Seems as if she'll be the provrbial odd man out again. She shakes the thoughts away before they make her lonley and watches the candle for a little while longer before blowing out the flame.
The phone rings as she's getting dressed and she scrambles for it. "Takeuchi?" comes a guff voice from over the phone. "Sir?" she replies, knowing that voice all to well. "Can I come over? I need to discuss something about the TAC with you, and I can't exactly talk about it over the phone where I am now." He asks as she pulls back the covers on her bed. She stops abruptly, it'd be a while longer before she can crawl in it. She glances at the clock, 6:00. At least he's not asking to come over at an unreasonable time. He probably needs to talk to her about Momiji and he can't with Momiji being in the house. "Sure Sir." She replies. "I don't mean to be a pain in the ass..." he apologizes quickly. ":Don't worry about it Sir c'mon." She replies and hears a click on the other side. Always to the point he never says goobye before hanging up. She changes into jeans and a t shirt, not wanting him to see her in what she sleeps in. She didn't really need to be answering the foor in her underwear anyway.
It wasn't but 10 minutes before a knock sounded at the door. "Are you sure you don't mind this?" he asks as she motions for him to come inside. "I just don't know who else to talk to about this and Momiji's home so I couldn't talk about this over the phone where she'd hear." "No it's fine sir, take a seat." She says taking a seat in the chair across from the seat he takes on her couch. "What's on your mind sir?" she asks. "Well I wanted to ask if you know anything about how Momiji feels about living here. The arigami are asleep so there's no reason she can't go home. I'm worried about her being by herself but at the same time I'm not her father.." He says rubbing the back of his neck. "You might as well be Daitutsu. You've been the closest thing she's had to a father. And she hasn't said anything to me about wanting to leave. I get the vibe that she feels she fits in here. And besides, Kusinagi's here. and no girl would want to be taken away from her crush." "You have a point." He acknowleges. "So do you think I should even ask if she wants to go home or not?" He asks. "I don't belive so sir. Let her have a sort of toning down period now that things are relatively normal. She can go through the change with the rest of us." She adds with a laugh.
"Thank you Takeuchi you just settled it for me. You have no idea had bad that's worried me." He replies. "Well I guess I'll be going now I'm sure you've got things you want to do. Thanks again for talking with me." He says as he reaches for the door. At the feeling of Takeuchi's hand on his arm he turns to face her. "Wether you believe it or not you are a really good father. You've treated both the kushinadas just as if they were both your own and that's alot better than most people would have done with them." He stares in her eyes for a moment then silently thanks her. "Daitutsu.." she begins to say something but quickly realizes that what she wants to say just won't come out right. Instead she places a hand on Kunikida's face and kisses him gently, not giving him much time to react.
A momnent passes between them and at first he doesn't react to her kiss, just mearly looks into her eyes. Then he returns the favor with a longer, softly passionate kiss of his own. No words pass between them as she slips his jacket from his shoulders and wraps her arms around his chest, deepening the kiss as she does. They pull away from each other briefly, both feeling that this is wrong. "I've waited too long to let you know I feel this way just to let if pass like this." He replies before going back to her, kissing her again. He moves to her neck and she begins to unbutton his shirt slowly, tracing lines against his skin leaving fire behind. They look ach other in the eyes, a silent agreement passing between themn to carry on. Their kisses started at her front door and led to her room, leaving a trail of clothing behind. Everything they'd ever felt for each other coming together, both of them finally confessing their love for the other.
Water covers Takeuchi's face, jarring her from sleep. She looks around to find herself in the tub. The candle flame still dances and she lifts a hand from the water to find it wrinkled with time in the water. Carefully she climbs from the tub, dries and dresses in her sleep clothes that were by the tub. She opens the door to room fully expecting to see Daitutsu there but only finding a neatly made bed. It had all been a dream. Takeuchi sighs sadly and climbs into her empty bed to snuggle with the stuffed monkey Kunikida had won her from a claw machine, wishing it was him instead. Another night alone. The question was, how was she going to face him at work the next morning after seeing so much of him in her dream?