A/N: This is the new chapter to my Koisuru Boukun Fire!verse series. As this story is a continuum of the previous stories, I would say, please read the first four segments before this!

Series order:

1) Consumed by your fire

2) Kindles and sparks

3) Scorching heat

4) Incendium

5) The brightest flame

P.S: Throughout the story, the way in which the 2 main characters are called will switch between these:

- Tatsumi Souichi: Souichi (in his own POV) / Sempai (in Morinaga's POV)

- Morinaga Tetsuhiro: Tetsuhiro (in his own POV) / Morinaga (in Souichi's POV)

Warning: This story is Yaoi

Disclaimer: As before, Koisuru Boukun does not belong to me.


Chapter 1: New prospects

xxx Souichi xxx

The plants were not cooperating.

Crouched in a corner of Todai's agricultural faculty's greenhouse, Souichi glanced critically at the five pots of genetically modified plants, each inserted with a different gene. With a syringe, he parted an exact dosage of fertilizer into the first pot. The first drop of the liquid had barely seeped into the soil before the plant withered, its leaves drooping almost dramatically right before his eyes.

"Damn—!" Frustrated by the sight of his failure, Souichi nonetheless continued on to the next pot. One, two, three drops. He counted to ten, holding his breath. Ah, it seemed that things would be fine—oh, shit! Once again, the second pot died before his eyes. Souichi removed the syringe and threw it back into his bag. Damnit, this was already his twentieth sample!

Pacing the cool interiors of the greenhouse but unable to think of an explanation, Souichi finally squatted down again and drizzled some water into the remaining three pots. Picking up his bag, he swiped up the two dead plants as well. He would do a post- mortem examination on them; discover what had killed them so quickly. He glanced once again at the browned leaves and sighed. At this rate, he was not going to be able to present the plant to Morinaga.

Sneakers making crunching sounds on the soil, Souichi exited the greenhouse and made his way back to the laboratory. The August sun was relentless and he could feel his scalp burning. The blast of the air- conditioning when he entered the science building made him sigh in relief. He pressed the button of the elevator and waited.

"Tatsumi- san! Good morning! How's everything?"

The female voice came from the eastern direction. Souichi turned, saw Yuki Manami dashing over in a flurry of books and sheets. Her brown hair was tied up today and she was sporting a pair of new glasses. Her unbuttoned lab coat flapped up, revealing the status of her four- month pregnancy.

Souichi walked up to Manami, effectively stopping her from running. He took the two tomes from her arms and then stepped into the waiting elevator, a frown on his brow. "Morning. Seriously, should you be running in your condition?"

"Ehh, what condi—oh, you mean this?" Manami indicated her womb. The woman had only discovered her pregnancy a while ago, though everybody had more or less guessed it from her appearance. "Ah, don't worry; I'll be fine, I'll be fine. What's that you are holding?"

"Just something I was playing around for the independent study," Souichi replied. The lift ascended smoothly and he glanced ponderously at his dead plants. He had two more weeks before their wedding. If he could figure out the problem with the plant's survivability by this week, he might just be able to show it to Morinaga.

"Just playing around? Doesn't seem that way to me. You've been staying back just to cultivate the seedlings, haven't you? Prof. is wondering about your progress, you know, just that he refuses to ask you directly." Manami chuckled, very tickled by their lead professor's stubbornness.

"The plant's not helping, though. The seedlings always die just before they flower. Fertilisers seem to kill them even quicker." Souichi showed her the plant, rattling off the name of the fertilizer as he did so.

"Hmm… Have you perhaps created a sterile strain? Those types of plants usually don't flower and have low survivability. Ah, is this a medicinal plant? The leaves look rather familiar…"

"Yes, this is a genetically recombined cnidium officinale. I wanted to increase the potency of the root's medicinal effects but I can't even study it when the plants are not even growing. The gene that I inserted might have disrupted an essential expression…" The lift opened to their floor and the two scientists stepped out.

"Hmm, perhaps it would be more efficient if you were to study the gene sequences in greater detail. Ah, I could help you!" Manami offered her help enthusiastically.

"It's all right, Yuki- san. You already have plenty on your side. Besides, it's just a small matter."

Manami smirked at Souichi, completely unimpressed by his acted flippancy. She pointed at his leather folder, his cardigan and Mont Blanc pen, all new. "All of these are from Morinaga- kun, aren't they? Is the plant gonna be a return present?"

"H-hah?!" Shoving his folder and pen ratherly abruptly aside, Souichi vehemently denied her allegations. "R-rubbish! Why the hell would I go to such troubles for him? Besides, he's not even doing research anymore!" Urghh, could women get any more astute?

"Heheh, but isn't he working in a pharmaceuticals company? I heard that herbal medicine is very in demand now. If your recombination worked, it would mean a breakthrough in work for him, no?" Manami teased. Laughing aloud when Souichi shot a disgruntled glare at her, she picked up her books and waved. "All right, all right, shan't disturb you any longer. I'm off to do my own work; thanks for helping with the books!"

The human whirlwind was finally gone. Souichi heaved a sigh of relief and opened his logbook. Yuki Manami had somehow become a friendly face, especially after her visit to their home. That was all well and good; the problem was with her teasing! Seriously, the woman never let go of any chances to tease him about Morinaga! Was it that entertaining? First, she had asked about Morinaga's response to the leather briefcase and taken credit for introducing Souichi to the leather smith; now, she was in on his motives for cultivating the medicinal plant!

She had been wrong about it being a return gift though; it was actually his present for their wedding. Souichi paused in the midst of getting a microscope slide. Rather than another ring or an accessory, he had wanted to give something of more practicality to Morinaga. After endless rumination, he had finally hit on this idea. His forte was plant biology, after all.

Their wedding, huh. It was just going to be a simple signing ceremony though, followed by a luncheon. Matsuda- san had prayed for and gotten an auspicious date near the end of August, two weeks from now. It was still rather unbelievable that he was getting married, and to a man, to boot. A miracle, according to Morinaga. The silly man had too much poetry in his soul, seriously.

Ah, enough rambling. He had a riddle on his hand and, from the looks of it, he would be the one needing a miracle if he wanted to even talk about the plant to Morinaga in two weeks! Taking a pair of scissors, Souichi cut off a snippet of the plant's leaves. Work, werk.


"Sempai, is that you…? Welcome home…"

At the sound of Morinaga's voice, Souichi groaned. He closed the bedroom door behind him and took off his cardigan, laying it on the back of the chair. Coming home at one in the morning, he had tried to be as quiet as possible so as not to awaken the other man. It had obviously not worked, however. "Yea, I'm home. Go back to sleep, Morinaga."

"Hnnn…" Morinaga stretched, joints popping. He sat up on their bed, rubbing his eyes sleepily before getting up. Even in the dark, he managed to navigate his way to Souichi. The scent of sleep and soap surrounded him before he felt warm lips press against his head. "You must be hungry. I'll go heat up the dinner."

"No, Mori—" Morinaga was already out the door, steps soft on the stairs. Souichi huffed in exasperation and quickly changed into pajamas. The idiot! He had told Morinaga umpteen times not to wait up for him! At the rate that his experiment was going, Morinaga was going to die of lack of sleep before he succeeded! Souichi exited the bedroom and hurried to the kitchen, where the smell of miso soup and nikujaga was already wafting out.

"Eat up, eat up, Sempai. I added more meat into the dish just for you," Morinaga beamed at Souichi as he entered. He set a tray of the steaming food on the table, indicated for Souichi to sit and eat. "Want something to drink?"

"No. I just want you to go back to sleep." Souichi picked up his rice, frowning when Morinaga simply pulled out a chair and sat opposite him. "I can take care of myself!"

"Heh, is that so, Sempai? I seem to recall somebody nearly burning the kitchen down, a long time ago…" Even when Souichi socked him on the head, Morinaga continued to regard him with affection. "…Is the food good? You must have worked hard."

"…You know that the food is excellent," Souichi said, a tad peevishly. Morinaga did not seem to want to budge and, with his stubbornness, whatever that Souichi said would not induce him to go back to the bedroom. "Itadakimasu."

"Yea, eat to your fill, Sempai."

The only sounds in the kitchen were of his chopsticks clacking against the porcelain plates. As Souichi ate, Morinaga simply sat quietly and looked at him. Their late suppers required little conversation; the bustle of their lives had taught them the value of wordless communication, to simply take comfort in the presence of each other. It was also their only time together during the weekdays.

"Gonchisousama." Stomach filled, spirits recharged, Souichi put down his chopsticks and began to clean up. He took the dishes to the sink and turned on the tap, intending to wash them.

Arms wrapped around his waist; a broad chest pressed against his back. Souichi paused, soapy sponge in hand. He turned back and looked up into Morinaga's dark green eyes. He read the passion banked within, the desperation that had been growing all week since he started working overtime. "What are you…doing?"

"You know what I'm doing, Sempai…" Morinaga tilted Souichi's chin up, pressed a kiss on his lips. When he met with little resistance, the younger man turned Souichi around fully and pressed him into the counter. All signs of sleep were gone; now, his desire was openly alive. Roughly, Morinaga jerked Souichi up and coaxed his mouth open.

"Uhnnn…! Morinaga! Stop!" The suddenness of his onslaught, the ferocity of it, was too much for Souichi to handle. With a restraining hand, he managed to push Morinaga away. Both of them stood beside the sink, panting. "Doing this so suddenly—!"

"But it's been a week since we did it, Sempai! I can't take it, being apart from you for so long…!" Morinaga's eyes were smoldering. His hands sidled up Souichi's body, caressing his back, his chest, and his butt. It was as though he were searching for an antidote, the cure for his fever. Finally, his fingers flitted upwards and nudged into Souichi's mouth. "…I feel so far away from you sometimes that I get scared, Sempai. I don't get to see you in the day and I wouldn't even be able to see you if I didn't wake up for your suppers…our wedding's coming, but we don't even have time to sit down and go through the details properly…"

Well, just who was he staying so late back for, huh? Was it his fault that the plants were being so damned stubborn about dying? And here he was being blamed for neglecting Morinaga! Souichi bit on the man's fingers, suddenly pissed off. At the plants, at his inability to cultivate them, at Morinaga for guilt- tripping him. Hell, he knew that their wedding was nearing, all right! "…Get off."

"Sempa—"

"I said, get off! I'm not in the mood for this!" Souichi shoved Morinaga away. He caught a glimpse of his shock, his hurt. His heart throbbed in answer. In spite of that, he still stalked out of the kitchen and up the stairs. Turning right instead of left, he entered the nursery.

His galloping heart jarred with the tranquility of the nursery. Alone, Souichi took a moment to collect himself at the door before he approached the crib. Emi's sleeping countenance came into view, reassuring him. He stroked her cheek, temporarily forgetting about his frustration. Ah, if only he could have spent some more time with her. She would wake up soon, though, to feed. At that time, he would have to prepare the milk.

Souichi gripped the crib tightly. There were so many damned things that needed his attention! He was only a man with twenty- four hours; even if he wanted to devote himself to his loved ones, there were times when he would not be able to do that! Damned that Morinaga. He was a grown man; why was he unable to withstand it just a little longer?!

"I feel so far away from you sometimes that I get scared, Sempai…"

Morinaga's voice, tinged with loneliness. His eyes, longing and hungry. His body, pressed incessantly close, igniting in Souichi the memory of heated touches and sweaty connection.

A shiver ran through his body. Souichi pushed away from the crib, fatigued and irritated and damned bloody worked up. His hand wandered to the front of his pants and he felt the hardening ridge there. Sheer instinct had him stroking it, his palm sidling against it. The friction felt…delicious. Souichi shuddered and cupped his member. Kami.

"…Sempai."

Souichi's head jerked up as the connecting door to the master bedroom swung open. Dim light flooded into the nursery, lighting up his face, illuminating the fact that he was fondling himself.

The contriteness in Morinaga's eyes slid away and forlornness crept up to replace it. He stood at the doorway for a second, saying not a single word, suggestive or cajoling or otherwise. Then he turned away. A few seconds later, there was a creaking sound, a rustling of sheets. Morinaga had climbed into their bed.

The light in the master bedroom switched off. Suddenly, Souichi's view was thrown into darkness. His hand was still against his crotch, though he had forgotten about it. Morinaga had finally gone to bed, just as he had asked. It was late and both of them should sleep. So then, why was he still standing here, feeling like the worst human being alive?

"Fuck…" Throwing the word out, throwing down the gauntlet, Souichi entered their bedroom and shut the door to the nursery. He reached their bed and glanced at the huddle of sheets that hid his upset lover. Damnit, in front of this man, he had no pride. No pride, just the urgent need to explain himself and take away the pain. "Morinaga."

There was no answer. Morinaga continued to hide his head from Souichi. His silence was so eloquent that Souichi could not help but feel ashamed of his temper. It was clear that Morinaga was not the only one yearning for something; berating him for it had been hypocritical on Souichi's part. He tried once more, this time sitting on the edge of the bed and putting his hand on the man's shoulder. "Morinaga."

"…I'm fine, Sempai. Just go and sleep—I won't disturb you. Goodnight."

"If you are fine, then why aren't you looking at me?" With difficulty, Souichi managed to pull the blanket down. Morinaga's profile came into view, black hair all mussed up, eyes tightly shut. Souichi took hold of Morinaga's shoulders and made him face him. "Stop pretending to sleep! Look at me."

"I don't want to…" Like a little boy, Morinaga put his arms up and shied his eyes, as though by doing that, Souichi could not see his expressions. "Why should I, when you prefer touching yourself to letting me do it? You don't need me, even though I'm about to die from wanting you!"

Morinaga's words relieved him, to the point that he had to smile. Souichi pulled Morinaga's arms away and sure enough, the man was pouting, bottom lip sticking out just like Emi when she wanted a hug. "Don't tell me—you are sulking?"

"I'm not! Don't look at me! Just—just go to sleep, Sempai. If you continue to touch me, I won't be able to control myself any longer! Kami, letting me see you touch…you are really killing me, Sempai!"

Such tantrum. Did he want to be treated like their baby daughter? Souichi thought about it and flushed. No, Morinaga would definitely not want something so…chaste. Then it just meant that both of them wanted the same thing. Another bolt of desire shot directly to his groin and Souichi gritted his teeth, more against the surging horniness than his innate embarrassment. He leaned down and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Morinaga. If his body were really more honest than his mouth, as Morinaga always said, then he would let it do all the talking, and apologizing.

"Ehhh…?" Morinaga was suddenly all attention. His voice rumbled around Souichi's ear, making him shiver in response. Seeming to forget that he was supposed to be sleeping, Morinaga answered his embrace, pulling Souichi until he was reclining fully on him. The feel of Souichi's arousal seemed to make him very happy. Both men regarded each other fully, communicating their mutual feelings. Morinaga's eyes were no longer lonely, just delighted and passionate. "You want me, Sempai?"

"…Do I have to make it any more obvious!"

"Hehhe, nope! Nope, nope, nope!"

"Wahh—stop; you are gonna ruin my pajamas!"

"Who cares!"


"Urgh, damnit! Why the fuck do you keep dying!"

Souichi threw down the shovel and glared at his twentieth-first, twentieth- second and twentieth- third samples, all withered. This was only the third day after the seedlings had sprouted but now, all that remained were brown weeds. Fuck, he had already perused all the available texts on C. officinale and followed the conditions for their growth faithfully. Where the hell had he gone wrong?

Souichi picked up a pot and poked despondently at the sad remains of his efforts. It was not uncommon for genetically recombined plant samples to have low survivability but the speed and complete withering of the seedlings was just plain weird and inexplicable. It almost felt as though his plants had been poisoned. But what exactly was the cause? The fertilizer that he had used might be the root of the problem, after all.

This called for an analysis on the soil and fertilizer, then. He would check the water, too, just in case. So decided, Souichi exited the greenhouse and headed to the university's main building. His cell rang at the moment.

"Hello?"

"Tatsumi- san? Prof. wants to have a meeting with you later this afternoon. Do you have time?" Manami's voice spoke through the receiver.

Since when had Manami become the professor's personal assistant? He could have sent an email to Souichi for the appointment. Ah, well, whatever. "Yes, I'll be free. What does he want to talk about?"

"Ehh, you'll have to find out later. He didn't tell me! Then, I'll pass the message to Prof. See you in the lab!"

"Yea, see you. Thanks, Yuki- san." Souichi hung up.

Afternoon came and Souichi reached Professor Satou's office five minutes before the appointed time. He knocked and was answered with a terse, "Come in."

"Sorry to disturb." Souichi entered the wide office with its brimming shelves of books. A double- paned window let in the sunlight and fresh air. Beneath it was a L- shaped glass and chrome table, equipped with a desktop and piled high with research papers. Sitting behind the impressive desk was his principal investigator and team leader, Professor Satou. "Good afternoon, Professor. I understood that you wanted to see me."

"Tatsumi- kun. Take a seat." Without looking up, Prof. Satou continued to mark out sections in a paper as he spoke. His long, dry fingers held a red pen with a steady grip that drew firm lines across sentences.

Souichi took a seat and took the chance to study the surroundings and his professor. His supervisor was a tall, reedy man, as unbending and eminent as an oak. He favoured strict suits and stripped blouses, sleek laptops and modern furnishings. Having been under his tutelage for four months, Souichi also knew that he was a strict and demanding teacher, a dedicated and esteemed researcher. His name appeared in more than forty research articles and reviews, all of them published in prestigious and respected journals.

"I heard that you've been researching on Cnidium officinale." That was the first utterance in ten minutes.

"Yes…but that is only for an independent study," Souichi replied. He wondered where this conversation was going.

"What's the area of research?" Prof. Satou had the ability to utter every question like a statement. His educated, slightly brusque tone was monotonous and arresting at the same time.

"Genetic modification for the plant. I inserted an amplifier promoter into the gene for factor CAN2 to increase its expression, in the hopes that the anti- tumour abilities of the root would increase in potency." Souichi answered him smoothly, knowing that Prof. Satou could follow him perfectly.

"Right. Explain why you decided on this gene, and that particular promoter."

And so the discussion went on, with Prof. Satou shooting out each question like a bullet, and Souichi answering him as completely as he could. It was starting to feel like an inquisition until, finally, the professor stopped writing and looked at him directly for the first time since he had come in.

"I want you to write up a proposal on your experiment, indicating the aim, materials, methods, and hypothesis. Hand it in to me by the end of the week. If I find it satisfactory, I will submit it to the grants board. We will see if we would even reach that stage, if at all. You are dismissed."

The professor's words were slowly sinking into his understanding. Souichi blinked and kept a steady gaze on his teacher. If he had not heard wrongly, then what Prof. Satou had just offered him was…amazing. When Prof. Satou looked up again and saw that he was still there, he raised a quizzical brow. "Is there a problem?"

"Ah, no. No. Thank you, Professor. I will take my leave now."

"Please do. Shut the door properly behind you, please." The man peered at Souichi for a last time, faded eyes still piercing sharp in his assessment. "Hrmph. Let's see how far you will go."

"Then, excuse me." He was quite sure that that last statement had been rhetorical. Souichi bowed and left the office, making sure that he shut the door properly. He had barely taken a step away when somebody popped out from nowhere, surprising him.

"So, so, what did the professor want with you? Tell me everything!" Yuki Manami had been lying in wait and she immediately pounced on him.

"Uh, it might be better to get away from here first." Souichi gestured dryly back towards the professor's office.

"Hmm, you are right; let's go to the main lab! We can talk at leisure there, then." With that, Manami tugged at his arm and pulled him through the hallway, down the stairs and through the doors. She did not stop until they had reached his bench. "All right, so spill."

"Hold your horses. Sit down first, you."

Souichi pulled up a chair and Manami promptly plopped down on it, her gaze expectant. The large lab was quietly busy, mainly filled with graduate students and research assistants carrying out their experiments. Souichi swept a customary glance around the place before settling down to tell Manami about the news. "So, it seems that Prof. Satou is rather interested in my independent study."

"Ah, that's right! I told you that, right? It's because he asked me about you! The fact that your research has gotten his interest is fantastic! He doesn't recruit new projects so easily, you know. If he thinks that your research has value, then it most certainly does! Did he ask you to write a proposal?"

"Ehh, yes. I told him that it was just a side thing, something to do in my spare time. He didn't seem to care, though."

"You told me that your research is on C. officinale, right? Since it has medicinal properties that are supported by other studies, he probably thinks that studying it would be beneficial scientifically as well as commercially," Manami pondered. "Hmm, but medicinal plants are not really in Prof. Satou's basket of expertise. Prof. Naoki spearheads most of such projects…"

"Well, but plant genetics is right up his alley, so I'm sure that's why he's interested in my project. Regardless, I'm going to write up the proposal and hand it in. We'll see how it goes, then." Souichi whipped out his cell and typed a rapid message. He hit 'send'. Morinaga would surely ask for details but for now, a simple note would suffice.

"Messaging Morinaga- kun, ehh?" Ever the merciless tease, Manami chortled at Souichi's murderous expression. "This is great news, though! He would be happy for you."

"Un." Not keen to share his private life in school so freely, Souichi veered the topic away from his partner. He pointed at his latest plant samples and brought Manami's attention to the dead plants. "A grant is fine and all, but I wouldn't even be able to convince the panel if I don't solve the issue of the plant's low survivability."

"You are right. So, no idea yet on what could have led to this?" Manami perused each sample carefully, her scientist eyes taking in the green- black hue of the leaves. "The colour looks…weird."

"Exactly. I haven't seen a dead plant with that colour before, unless you count decayed ones. These ones just died this morning, though. They shouldn't have decomposed so quickly."

"Well, let's do a chemical analysis on the plants, the soil and the fertilizer. We could then perhaps elucidate the physical and biochemical reasons behind the deaths."

"My thoughts, exactly." Glad that he had found a second opinion on his prognosis, Souichi immediately began to list out the analysis that he wanted to carry out. "Thanks, Yuki- san."

"No problem. Just, one more thing, though." Manami glanced around her shoulder before leaning in to talk to Souichi.

"Hmm?"

"It might be good if you didn't talk about the grant prospects with Nakanishi- san. His project proposal just got rejected, so he's rather upset about it at the moment."

"Nakanishi…?" Try as he might, Souichi could not conjure a face to match with the name. It did sound rather familiar, though.

"Nakanishi! Nakanishi Shin! You know, our research teammate? He's the oldest postgraduate in Prof. Satou's group." Manami smacked a palm against her forehead. "Really tall, really quiet man? The one who can operate all of the liquid and gas chromatography machines with ease?"

"A-ah…Nakanishi. He did the mass spectrometry for the herb research last week, isn't it?" Souichi finally recalled his teammate. Damn, he should really start to pay attention to his surroundings even when immersed in his work…

"Exactly. So, now that you know who he is, try not to bring up the topic of proposals and grants, okay? This is already his third rejection, if I'm not wrong." Manami Yuki may look and appear careless but the extensiveness of her grapevine was fantastic.

"Un. It's not as if I'd go around flaunting, anyway. Thanks, though."

"I know you aren't that sort but, just in case, you know?"

"Sure." Souichi had just barely replied when the man in question entered the lab. Even though he was easily one hundred- and eighty- centimeters tall, Nakanishi Shin cut a discreet figure with his simple hairdo and unobtrusive aura. He was clutching a pile of folders in his arms and, as he passed Souichi and Manami, the man nodded at them, his small smile as sad as though he had frowned.

"…I can see what you mean, Yuki- san." The gloominess around Nakanishi was thick enough to cut with a knife. Souichi felt a pang of sympathy go to him. It sucked when one's work was not recognized, or when the area of one's research interest was deemed unworthy of further study.

"Right? That's why I think it's better to keep your proposal to yourself first." Manami's brown eyes were soft with sympathy too.

Souichi glanced down at his logbook, which contained the details of his independent study. Now that he was in the academic field, the topic of grants was a sensitive one because it was highly covetable and yet difficult to garner. In Todai, applying for a grant must be even more stringent. Success would mean prestige, while failure would bring double the disappointment. Souichi glanced once more at Nakanishi's slumped back and bit his lip. This was a rare opportunity that Prof. Satou had quietly dropped into his lap. Now, it meant more than just a wedding gift; it was a chance for him to cut his path in the academic world. He had better put in the best effort.


To be continued.

a/n: New story! Sorry for the extra duper long wait but please, continue to enjoy. It is great to be able to write, but absolute joy to have somebody enjoy it. Thank you :)