KEYS OF TRUTH

by mentaru

rated T (PG13); for language mainly

disclaimer I don't own anything but this plot, which is my baby. I worship CLAMP and all their works, so if I owned GD, I'd be worshiping myself. And I do not worship myself, so I do not own GD. There. XP The song "Caged Bird" that is used in the fic later on is copyrighted by Miyamoto Shunichi.

summary Tsukiko is dead. Rikuou doesn't know this. So, when Kakei sends Kazahaya and Rikuou on one of those "special jobs"—this one involving them finding an old piano—Rikuou must face the heart-wrenching truth, while Kazahaya must try and break through Rikuou's icy demeanor to try and comfort the one he may be falling in love with. BL, KazaRiku, semiangst, maybe some fluff.

a/n Revised this chapter coz it was bothering me. XD Enjoy.

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

keys of truth:one:truth

"Kudou-kun," Kakei said in his normal manner.

Kazahaya's spun around from what he was doing to face his boss. "... Yes?"

"I have another job, if you would please see me in my office?" He smiled at Kazahaya before turning and walking to his office.

Kazahaya's face lit up. Another job! That meant ... more money! And more money meant the less time he'd have to spend working for Kakei and doing all these stupid "special jobs."

"Of course, Kakei-san!" He rushed toward Kakei's office, a stoic Rikuou in his wake—shaking his head, muttering to himself, "Idiot ..."

As soon as the two stepped foot inside Kakei's office, Kakei began explaining. "The client has asked for you to find—not retrieve—this"—he held up a photo of an aging piano, that seemed like it was in an abandoned, run-down dojo—"and, in order for this job to redeem you any credit—Kudou-kun, Himura-kun—you will have to do this together."

Kazahaya stared at Kakei as if he had just said something extremely insulting. "WHAT?!" he roared, overreacting again; a sleeping Saiga was still peacefully laying on his side even with Kazahaya's loud voicing. "With that jerk?!"

Rikuou rolled his eyes. "Kazahaya, you're an idiot, you know that?"

Kazahaya mumbled something rude under his breath, crossing his arms over his chest, but Kakei simply said, "Do you want the job or not, Kudou-kun?"

"Yeah, yeah ... I need the money," he grumbled, refusing to make any eye contact with anyone, opting to sulk toward the wall.

"Himura-kun?" Rikuou nodded silently, his face still as stoic as ever. Kakei smiled again. "Great! Then I expect that you will be on your way to the dojo tonight." He had clearly said this last part as a statement, and not a question, which meant that they were to start the job as soon as they got off work. But what dojo was Kakei talking about? How would they find it?

As if reading Kazahaya's thoughts like a book, he said, "The dojo is here," and shoved forth a piece of paper with an unfamiliar district name on it. Rikuou reached out for it, but Kazahaya intercepted both the piece of paper and the photo of the piano from Kakei's desk. "We'll start right after our shifts end, Kakei-san," he said, speaking for both Rikuou and himself. Kakei nodded, which meant that they could get back to work.

"Let me see that piece of paper," Rikuou said as they exited Kakei's office.

"Why?" Kazahaya snapped.

"Because I want to know where the hell we have to go tonight, you idiot!" Rikuou shot back, glaring in Kazahaya's general direction.

Kazahaya glowered at Rikuou and pulled out the piece of paper with the district's name on it, shoving it hotly in Rikuou's direction. "Here, then," he said, and Rikuou snatched the paper out of Kazahaya's delicate grip. What the hell was wrong with the lighter-haired boy today? He was being especially moody for some reason ... And Rikuou couldn't think of anything he could have done that was out of the ordinary to make him act like this. But he decided he would just shrug it off—it was probably just one of Kazahaya's mood swings.

Rikuou looked at the district name on the piece of paper, while Kazahaya had walked off to continue whatever it was he had been doing before. The name of the district seemed so familiar to Rikuou, he just couldn't place why ... He hoped it was nothing dreadfully important to have retained, though—but he had a feeling that it was.

Kazahaya sunk to the ground in a far off corner, hidden by shelves of drugs. Dammit, what the hell is wrong with me? He pulled his knees into his chest and hung his head, hiding his face, refusing to cry.

Why couldn't he even look at Rikuou today?

Why did it hurt?

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

Saiga rolled over on the couch he was currently laying on, sitting up slowly. Kakei was sitting at his desk, looking at something on the computer he had recently had shipped to the store.

"Did you tell them what the significance of that old piano is?" he asked, even though he knew the answer already.

Kakei swiveled his chair slowly around, and got up to sit next to Saiga. A devilish grin graced his girlish features, and Saiga pulled him closer to him. "What would be the fun in that? They'll find out soon enough. Though ... I hope it doesn't hurt Himura-kun too much. But, I know Kudou-kun will be there for him, no matter how much he says he hates Himura-kun." He looked up at Saiga, into his eyes, as if he could see beyond the sunglasses Saiga always wore.

"You can be so sadistic," Saiga replied. "And I love it."

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

For the rest of his shift, Kazahaya did everything in his power to distance himself from Rikuou. Nothing made sense to him anymore, so he wanted to avoid the one person that was causing all these new feelings to appear. But even with the avoidance, Kazahaya couldn't seem to get Rikuou out of his head. Ugh! Why can't I stop thinking about him? All he did was save my life ... Why should he care about the rest of it? ... And why do I care about him so much ...?

A hand came down on Kazahaya's shoulder, and he nearly screamed bloody murder. He spun around, his heart beating faster than normal, breathing fast. He glared when he saw who was standing in front of him. "What the hell was that for?!" he yelled, his confusion lashing out in the form of anger. "You scared the shit out of me!" He hated yelling, though, and when he saw the flicker of hurt in Rikuou's eyes every time he raised his voice against the older boy, Kazahaya couldn't help but feel his chest twinge in self-hate for doing so—but it was easily masked, and Kazahaya had become a master.

"Shift is over, idiot," Rikuou responded dully, his voice half as loud as Kazahaya's. "I wasn't trying to kill you."

Kazahaya continued to glare. "Fine," he replied, anger masking the nervousness he felt. He didn't know how to handle himself around Rikuou anymore; his brain was on overload. He shoved past the taller boy, needing to escape—he needed to take a shower, clear his head.

As Kazahaya stalked away, Rikuou stared after him, frowning, concerned. He's never been this moody before ... What could I have done to piss him off so much ...? He sighed. These thoughts were pointless, really. Kazahaya would be Kazahaya, and there wasn't much of a point in worrying why he was so moody—he'd be back to normal eventually. Rikuou just hoped that Kazahaya's moodiness wouldn't affect their job ...

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

Kazahaya had been silent all the way to the district. And whenever Rikuou tried to get him to talk, he would just snap or yell—which only made Rikuou mad. This moodiness of Kazahaya's was starting to get on his nerves. He could stand normal Kazahaya to an extent, but this one was just a pain in the ass.

"Kazahaya, what the hell is wrong with you?" he demanded of the lighter-haired boy as they made their way slowly to the dojo Kakei told them to go to. Kazahaya was silent.

"Kazahaya!" Rikuou yelled, annoyed almost to the point he wanted to slap the younger boy to get him to come to his senses. He stepped in front of Kazahaya, blocking his way, stopping the shorter boy in his tracks by placing a strong grip on his shoulders. "Look at me," he said firmly. Kazahaya didn't move, only stared at the ground, refusing to meet Rikuou's eyes.

Kazahaya couldn't keep this up for long. Rikuou was beginning to get suspicious of his behavior. But what could he do? He didn't know what to do. He didn't know how to handle his feelings. It hurt to look at Rikuou, but why?

Kazahaya had never been in love before ... Was this how it felt?

He looked up slowly. He tried not to make eye contact, but that was impossible. His eyes were almost sorrowful, as if they were full of a deep regret.

"What's wrong?" Rikuou said softly, wishing Kazahaya would open up to him finally. "I know there's something you're not telling me. I can see it in your eyes." Rikuou stared deep into Kazahaya's eyes: regret, sorrow, lies, anger—and something more that was stronger than all of those combined.

"It's nothing," Kazahaya said a little coldly.

"Stop lying, Kazahaya!"

Kazahaya winced inwardly and diverted his eyes from Rikuou's hard stare. He couldn't do this, not now. He had a job to do—they had a job to do. He managed to break free of Rikuou's strong grip and continue on to the dojo that lay only a few more meters away.

Rikuou watched Kazahaya's retreating back in defeat, but followed on silently behind. He would find out what was wrong with the shorter boy if it killed him.

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

The exterior of the dojo was much worse in person—termites had probably been infesting the wood for centuries, so they would both have to be wary of dead wood patches. The place probably hadn't been inhabited in over fifty years, either.

But, even through its decaying exterior, Rikuou felt something familiar about this place. Still, though, he couldn't seem to place it. He had had this feeling when he had first read the district's name, but that didn't seem to bother him as much as this did.

As they entered, Rikuou noted the interior was far worse than outside. There were cobwebs everywhere, and you were immediately immersed in a dust cloud as soon as you walked in. Windows were missing, and it looked as if a tornado had hit the place.

Rikuou coughed as they stepped into a huge cloud of dust; Kazahaya didn't seem to notice. They walked in silence, trying to find the room with the piano in it.

They were having no such luck when Rikuou, as if he knew the place, stepped into a room. It was completely dust free. And there were no cobwebs. It was if someone had specifically only cleaned this room. The piano was sitting in the middle of the room, looking as it was in the photo.

Kazahaya, having realized that Rikuou had found the piano, silently made his way into the room.

"What do you think we're supposed to do now?" Rikuou asked calmly, wondering if Kazahaya would bite his head off.

But, unexpectedly, Kazahaya replied just as calmly; he was focused on the job for once, and not Rikuou, and that seemed to block his other emotions. "I don't know. Maybe I should try to play it?"

"Can you?" Rikuou asked.

"No. But maybe once I touch it, I will ..."

Rikuou was relieved that Kazahaya was speaking in a normal tone again, and wasn't pissed every time he tried to talk to him.

Kazahaya slowly made his way over to the piano, sitting down on the bench delicately. Rikuou watched the lighter-haired boy's graceful movements, and was silently captivated. He'd never seen the younger boy this way ... And for the first time, Kazahaya looked truly beautiful to him.

Kazahaya placed his fingers lightly on the keys on the piano, suddenly being filled with memories unknown to him. But, the girl in these memories ... she looked so familiar ... he just couldn't place who she was.

Along with memories came the sense that he was being possessed by the spirit of the piano. His fingers began gliding across the keys of the piano, a sweet, yet melancholy, melody playing. It was almost bittersweet.

Rikuou stared at the now possessed Kazahaya, watching his thin fingers gracefully dance with the white ivory keys. He hadn't expected Kazahaya to play such a melody, but what was even more surprising to Rikuou was what Kazahaya—or, rather, the spirit—did next.

Kazahaya opened his mouth, a voice coming out that could put any man into a trance. Was this Kazahaya's real voice? Or was it the spirit? Whoever's voice it was, though, began to sing softly, but beautifully.

"Takaku dono kurai tonde ittara
Haruka tooku no kimi ga mienaku naru no?
Hitomi soraseba raku ni naru no kamo shirenai
Demo itsumo dokoka de mitsumete itai
Wasureru koto nante deki wa shinai kara
Nasu sube mo naku, sora wo miageteru dake.
Maru de kago no naka no chiisana tori no you ni
Mado wo sagashite atemo naku, samayotte iru.
Ima sugu ni aitai kimi ga suki dakara
Kizutsuku koto ga kowakute nigetai kedo
Mienai shigarami ni tsubasa torawaretemo
Sore demo kimi wa kanashii hodo taisetsu na hito."

Kazahaya's fingers glided on the keys for a few more minutes after he had stopped singing. And, soon, the music from the piano stopped. Only silence was left to fill the room. Kazahaya still remained seated on the bench, but soon stood up and walked over to Rikuou, standing only inches away from the taller boy.

"You finally got to hear me play ..." the voice, quite obviously not Kazahaya's, said softly. "You finally got to listen, to be captivated. I am eternally grateful, and I can finally be in peace now ..."

Rikuou's face was stricken. That voice. He knew that voice ... "Tsu ... Tsukiko ...? No ..."

Lips met lips. Rikuou wanted to push Kazahaya, now possessed by Tsukiko, away, but, for some reason, this kiss didn't feel like it was Tsukiko's doing ... This felt like Kazahaya. So why could he not push him away? Was he falling so fast now that there would be no one there to catch him?

Kazahaya drew away, still possessed. "Goodbye, my love. Goodbye Rikuou. I am at peace now. Let me go ..."

Rikuou wouldn't accept this. Tsukiko was not dead. This must have been one of Kakei's stupid tricks ...

Or was it?

"Tsukiko ... No ... You can't be ... No ..."

"Let me go, Rikuou. Let me go. Let me go so I can be free."

"No ... I can't believe it ... I won't ... Tsukiko, don't go ..." Though he tried hard to hold them back, tears spilled over like a waterfall.

"Goodbye" were Tsukiko's final words before she left Kazahaya's body. As Kazahaya began to fall lifelessly, Rikuou screamed, "Tsukiko!" but, seeing that Kazahaya was about to fall to the ground, Rikuou rushed to catch him. He cradled the smaller boy in his arms, crying over him as if he had died, yet not crying because of him. "No ... Tsukiko ..."

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

"...dou-kun. Kudou-kun." Kazahaya blearily opened his eyes to see Kakei smiling warmly down at him. "Ah, good, you're awake."

Kazahaya looked around him, and realized that he was in Kakei's office. "Yeah ... What time is it, Kakei-san?"

"Five after midnight. You slept an awful long time. We were worried you might never wake up. But, now you are, so everything's fine." Kakei seemed a little too happy for the moment, and Kazahaya guessed that the owner probably knew exactly what had happened at the dojo. Kazahaya himself wasn't fully aware of everything that happened, but he knew that he had been possessed by Tsukiko's spirit.

Tsukiko ... The name seemed so familiar.

"But it's not fine, Kakei-san." He frowned. Where had he heard the name Tsukiko before? Ah! She was that girl Rikuou wanted to find ...

Kakei grinned his mocking little grin. "But you don't know why, do you? Is it because of Rikuou, do you think?"

Rikuou! What had happened to him?

Kazahaya stood up suddenly. "Kakei-san ... I've never fallen in love, but this twinging feeling in my chest whenever I think of him ... I think that's me falling for him again and again ..."

Kakei nodded in understanding. "Go." So Kazahaya nodded curtly in response and sprinted out of Kakei's office without another word. He had to find Rikuou. He knew how much Tsukiko meant to the darker-haired boy, as he always got so defensive when Kazahaya mentioned her. And, if the spirit was truly Tsukiko, Kazahaya didn't want to think of what kind of state Rikuou might be in.

Kakei stared after Kazahaya. "Dear, dear Kudou-kun ... I'm sorry for having to put you two through so much pain ... But the truth had to come out sooner or later ..."

.: Daily use of the drug may be hazardous :.

a/n Since I revised it, let's check out my new word count: 2768! Yay.

next to come (eventually but probably never): "save"—Rikuou, you—you saved my life ... and I can save yours if you just let me! ... I—I love you, Rikuou ...

And, if you'd like to know, the translation for the song is this:

How high would I have to fly
To lose sight of you, so far away?
If I turn my eyes away, I might feel better.
But I want to always be looking at you from somewhere.
Because there's no way I could forget you.
At my wits' end, I simply keep staring up at the sky.
It's almost as if I were like a small bird inside a cage,
Searching for the window, aimlessly wandering around.
I want to see you right away, because I love you,
Even though I want to run away because I'm scared of being hurt.
If this unseen barrier around me should tear away my wings,
Still, you are so precious to me that it makes me sad.