Title: "Chronicles of a Shinigami - BOOK I"
Author: LegolasLover2003 aka Ashley
Category: Anime - "Yami no Matsuei"
Genre: Angst/General
Rating: PG-13
Disclaimer: I do not own any rights to "Yami no Matsuei" though, I do have all 4 US dvds, both OSTs, the Drama CD, the Summer Vacation CD, and all 11 published US volumes (plus the Hana to Yume publications)... I don't own IT itself. I wish I did though... cause I'd be hanging out with Watari all day, man. Might stalk Muraki... don't know... I haven't decided if his sociopathic-ness scares or intrigues me yet...
Author's Note: The paper shreader I refer to int his chapter, is homage to Jazi. Go look up her YnM stuff on FF dot Net. She's AMAZING! I love her TatsumixWatari stories so much that I might explode! For the record... I haven't decided if this is going to be a WatarixTatsumi story or not. I mean, I thought about it and thought about it... but I just haven't decided. Maybe hints... who knows. PG-13 is for the graphic violence. I've got one helluva villain cooked up for this, so I hope you guys are ready!!!
When I first met Tatsumi Seiichirou… I thought I'd done something wrong.
Seriously!
I stood in the bullpen, putting my name on the mailbox that was going to be for section Six and my lab… and when I turned around, he was standing there.
Even in my lab coat and turtleneck sweater… I felt chilled.
So, I suppose first impressions really aren't everything.
I came to realize that for all his glares… there was a human soul in that tall broad body.
Of course before Tatsumi could even start saying anything to me at the time, Tsuzuki bounced in and threw his arm around my shoulders, begging to know where I'd come from and how long I'd been dead.
Granted maybe not the best way to break the ice… but it set a standard.
Tsuzuki would always be there to soften the blow for anything I did… especially where Tatsumi was concerned.
I would mold myself after the eldest shinigami in the Summons Bureau. I would use Tsuzuki's bizarre way of communicating with those around him, to my advantage. I would become almost a double of the man…
After all… one Tatsumi was enough, wasn't it?
Chronicles of a Shinigami
BOOK I
Chapter I
The Aftermath
"Demo… Waaaa-taaaaa-riiiii…."
"IIE!" the blond shinigami spoke up angrily, whirling on the spot and starring down the amethyst gaze that met his amber eyes. "Bed. Rest. What part of those two words don't you understand, Tsuzuki?"
Obviously pouting, the elder shinigami looked down at his own hands, which rested comfortably in his lap.
Tsuzuki was in a hospital bed, or rather as close as one came to it in Meifu. It had been only a few days since the fire in Kyoto, and while Tsuzuki wasn't badly injured...
He wasn't really fit to be doing anything just yet.
Smiling softly, Watari moved to the bedside, placing a calming hand on his friend's shoulder. "Tsuzuki… if you get up and run around, it's only going to worry Tatsumi and Bon. If you stay in bed… well… I'll bring you a nice big piece of cake later." The blond shinigami smirked mischievously. "How does that sound."
Strangely though, not even this really brightened Tsuzuki's disposition. "While it'd be nice to eat cake… I'd rather…"
"You're staying in bed." Watari finished, folding his arms over his chest and standing up straight. The shinigami glared down at his patient. "Unless you want me to test a new paralysis potion on…"
Immediately, Tsuzuki's hands were up in defense. "Gomen gomen… I'll stay in bed."
Smiling and laughing softly, Watari nodded. "I'll be back later to check on you again. Tatsumi wanted my report, and I've finally finished it. Best to turn things in before something unfortunate happens to them."
A small smile crept onto Tsuzuki's face. "So… you did accidently incinerate the spending bill for your lab… didn't you?"
"Eh… ano… e… to…" Watari laughed nervously, running a hand through his already messed up golden locks. "Gomen, Tsuzuki! I'd better go turn this in."
And quicker than a speeding Tsuzuki on a sugar high… Watari was out the door.
"Ohaiyo!"
With a bounce of golden curls and a spring in his step, Watari entered Tatsumi Seiichirou's office. a smile on his face.
Sighing slightly, the secretary of Meifu's Summon's Division looked up from the mountain of paperwork on his desk and fixed the younger shinigami in his blue gaze. "Tell me, Watari-san, that those papers in your hand are not you written apology for blowing up the lab tomorrow."
Frowning ever so slightly, the scientist plopped down a packet of about fifteen printed pages. "My report, Tatsumi. All in wonderful black and white about what I observed during the Kyoto case." The man smiled, before he spoke seriously, his smile suddenly gone. "Tsuzuki wants out of bed."
Sighing, Tatsumi pushed his glasses up onto his nose with one index finger. He didn't speak for a long moment, but when he did, Watari could have sworn that he saw a spark of regret in the man's eye.
"Naturally, you told him it was doctor's orders to remain in bed until the end of the week?" the secretary asked, passing long fingers over Watari's report before picking up the packet and setting it in front of him.
Tatsumi began to rifle through it, expecting the scientist to answer.
When Watari didn't, Tatsumi looked up.
"He wants answers." The scientist spoke, leaning on the other side of Tatsumi's desk, his hands planted firmly on the wood before him. "He hasn't asked directly, not since he woke up, but you can see it in his eyes, Tatsumi. He NEEDS to know what happened."
Tatsumi scoffed at this, "You don't think he knows?"
"About Muraki being alive? No. He doesn't. Tatsumi, Tsuzuki has every right to believe that the sociopath died in the flames."
Silence reigned between the two shinigami, until finally, Tatsumi spoke up once more.
"Why does he need to know?"
At this, Watari straightened, putting his hands on his hips and raising one thin golden eyebrow. "So what, we lie?" he asked, his voice neutral.
For the moment.
"We wait until he needles it out of Bon? Tatsumi, you can't possibly think…"
"For nothing."
"It wasn't 'for nothing', Tatsumi! It…"
But even as Watari's voice rose in anger, the secretary stood, slamming his hands down on the desk.
The sounding thud caused Watari to jump.
"What do you think will go through his mind first, Yutaka?" Tatsumi asked, his voice icy cold.
Watari frowned slightly, looking at the man in front of him with sympathetic eyes. 'You can't protect him forever, Seii…' the man thought, but realized he probably shouldn't say it out loud.
"He'll think he failed." Tatsumi continued when the scientist didn't reply. "Tsuzuki will blame himself for putting us all in harms way. He'll realize that he nearly died for nothing."
Sighing, Watari crossed his arms over his chest. It was an obviously protective gesture, especially since the secretary seemed too volatile at the moment.
"Then Bon tells him." Watari replied, shaking his head slightly. "I won't let him go through the rest of his existence thinking that he killed Muraki. Because there will come a day, Tatsumi, when Muraki comes back." Amber eyes were deathly serious as he looked at the man before him. "And when Muraki comes back… what do you think will happen?"
Tatsumi nodded. "I'll tell Kurosaki-san that he can disclose the information to Tsuzuki at his leisure. But you, Watari, are not to tell him. Nor will I."
"Fair enough." The scientist spoke, though he seemed a bit bristled. Watari turned on his heel, heading for the door, when the elder shinigami's voice caught him.
"Watari." Tatsumi spoke, looking down at the report on his desk.
Even though the scientist had stopped, he only glanced over his shoulder.
"Thank you for the report."
Sighing, Watari left the room, closing the door briskly behind him before heading back to his lab.
'Sometimes…' Yutaka thought to himself, 'Tatsumi can be such an ass...'
It was quiet.
So very quiet in Watari Yutaka's lab that one might have thought the scientist asleep.
Quite the opposite, though the man wasn't fooling with a new concoction, drawing designs for his next invention, or even trying to animate a paper shredder.
No…
Watari was seated at his desk, arms crossed over his chest, head resting back against the warm leather of the chair… amber eyes closed.
At first, Kurosaki Hisoka thought the man was asleep.
Occasionally, 003 would flutter her wings before preening herself. The tiny bird was perched on top of Watari's computer monitor.
But other than that, there was no movement in the room.
The young shinigami turned to leave, thinking it better to disturb Watari when the man was actually awake.
"I'm not asleep, Bon." came Watari's voice.
Stopped in his tracks, Hisoka turned to look at the scientist, who was now watching him with a curious stare.
"I…" Hisoka started, before looking away and trying to remember why he'd come to Watari's lab in the first place.
Smiling softly, the elder shinigami sat up completely, unfolding his arms and motioning for Hisoka to come sit down. He himself stood, moving to a nearby coffee pot and poured himself a cup.
"Tatsumi sent you, didn't he?" Watari asked, not bothering to turn around as he added cream and sugar to the coffee.
Hisoka sat down gingerly, appearing almost afraid that something would explode if he touched it.
"Now that I think about it," Watari spoke, turning around and studying the youngest shinigami in the division, "You've never actually SAT in my lab before." the scientist smirked, enjoying the look of slight discomfort on Hisoka's face. "Trust me, nothing will explode in your face, Bon. I haven't been working on anything the last few days except my reports."
"That… that makes me feel a little better…" Hisoka spoke softly, to which Watari laughed.
The scientist sat back down, crossing one lithe leg over the other while he held his hot coffee cup on his hands. "Tatsumi did send you, didn't he?"
"Ha… Hai…" Hisoka replied, avoiding Watari's penetrating gaze. "He told me that I was supposed to tell Tsuzuki about Muraki…"
Sighing, Watari looked away from the youth, trying to decide how to phrase his next words.
"Tatsumi told me that you were angry with him too…" Hisoka brought up, a phrase which caused Watari to quickly look back to the young shinigami. "I mean, because he won't tell Tsuzuki."
"Of course I'm mad." Watari replied, seeming a bit ruffled.
For a moment, Hisoka almost thought the scientist resembled a puffed up owl.
The blond shook his head, "Don't get me wrong, Bon… I understand perfectly well why Tatsumi refuses to tell Tsuzuki the truth. 'Spare the man' is written all over the secretary's face. But…" Watari shook his head, his amber gaze taking on a far sadder glint than it had in Tatsumi's office. "Muraki will be back, Bon. When that happens… don't you think Tsuzuki needs to be ready for it?"
Hisoka sighed, wrapping his arms around his body, hugging himself. "I still feel him, Watari-san… I can feel Muraki… What happens when Tsuzuki asks me what's wrong? I don't want to lie to him… demo…"
"Then don't." the scientist replied, standing from his chair and crossing around the desk. He came to stop next to Hisoka, placing a calming hand on the youth's shoulder. "Don't lie to him, Bon. When Tsuzuki leaves the medical wing on Friday… tell him everything. Take him somewhere.," Watari smiled softly, "Dinner would probably be the best place. But tell him… then treat him. Don't run from him. Stay by his side and make sure he understands."
Looking up, Hisoka frowned, "Understands what?"
"That he's not alone." Watari replied, his voice gentle. "It's a habit of his, Bon. Tsuzuki thinks he's alone in the world… oh you may not think it by looking at him, but…"
"But he's good at masking his true self?" Hisoka finished, to which the scientist nodded. As Watari retreated back to sit behind his desk, the young shinigami continued. "I don't think he trusts me, Watari-san."
But Watari shook his head, blond hair very nearly falling into his coffee cup. "If he trusts anyone, Hisoka… it's you." The scientist spoke, using the young shinigami's name for the first time in their conversation. "Trust me on this… you've broken through his shell, Hisoka. That's why you have to tell him. It can't be myself, as much as I want to spill it right now… and it can't be Tatsumi… heavens, don't let Tatsumi do it. While I'd spit out the words bluntly without tact," the scientist was smiling, making fun of his own strange quirks, "Tatsumi would tell him… and then Tsuzuki would hide behind Tatsumi, never dealing with the issue at hand." Watari's smile remained, though it appeared a bit softer now. "He won't hide behind you, Bon. He wants to protect you."
Hisoka sighed, crossing his arms over his chest again, "Yeah… from every little thing that goes 'bump' in the night."
"So? Let him." Watari replied lightly before laughing. "Gives him something to do besides snack."
Standing, Hisoka nodded. "Then I'll tell him. Oh, by the way, Watari-san…" the young shinigami pulled an envelope from his jeans pocket. "Tatsumi told me to give this to you. It just came through the fax. I think it's a mission, but Tatsumi wouldn't say."
Carefully, Watari took the envelope. "Arigatou, Bon."
Hisoka nodded, before leaving the lab.
In truth, Watari didn't envy the kid's job of having to break the news to Tsuzuki.
But Tsuzuki would know.
One way or another.
And the scientist rather it be Tsuzuki's partner than either himself or Tatsumi. Or… heaven forbid… Terazuma!
Shaking that frightening thought from his mind, Watari studied the envelope which he had just set on his desk. He stared at it for a long moment, before a soft touch on his fingers distracted him. Looking down, Watari found 003 was nudging her way into his hand in an effort to get rubbed. The scientist happily obliged, running his forefinger up and down her soft feathered stomach.
But his amber gaze never left the envelope.
There were a few hoots of worry from the tiny owl, to which Watari soon smiled ruefully.
"Hai… I don't like the feel of it either…" the scientist whispered softly.
Tsuzuku... (To Be Continued...)
Translations: Keep in mind, I won't translate a word twice. Also, if I start to slip in my translating, let me know (in a review) if you have a question about a word. Thanks!
Demo = But
Iie = No
Gomen = Sorry
Ohaiyo = Good morning
Ano... e... to... = (basically "um" sorts of sounds)
-san = Mr./Mrs.(a suffix added to a name for politeness)
Hai = Yes
Arigatou = Thank you
Bon = Kid (it's Watari's name for Hisoka. A lot of people will just write "kid" but I prefer "Bon")