YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?
Chapter One: The Invitation
To the Reader
For those who are not familiar with Yami no Matsuei (YNM) or Descendants of Darkness, this anime/manga series is shounen-ai (guy/guy relationships or suggestions of such). This entire fan fiction has a PG-13 rating due to its content, and keeping in line with how the actual anime and manga are rated.
Timeline of this fanfic
The timeline and setting of this fanfic is immediately after the incidents at the end of Kyoto Files Revisited and a year before Apocalypse Rising. This fanfic is stand-alone, which means that it is not necessary for the reader to have read KFR and Apocalypse to understand this fanfic's plot.
The latter part of this fic would also pick up parts that have been touched upon by the fic The Shadows of My Past. Again, it is not required for one to read Shadows in order to understand the plot for the fic you are about to read – especially since events touched upon in Shadows will be mentioned at a much later part of this fic Once I do get to that part, I will mention it as part of the author note at the chapter(s) concerned.
This fic is also intended to be much shorter than the fics that I normally write. I need to give my YnM muses a peace offering.
For the benefit of those who have not read KFR and those who have read it a while back, the Shokan Division's primary mission / case has gone to a close. Watari Yutaka invites Tatsumi Seeichiro to go out to dinner. Tatsumi accepts the invitation.
Shortly before the invitation, Tatsumi had finished talking to and threatening Chief Satori of the Preservation Bureau. More importantly, Tatsumi once again turned down a promotion that Lord Enma offers him – a promotion that would have placed him on equal footing with Chief Konoe if he had accepted the position.
After accepting the invitation, Watari and Tatsumi agree to meet in the evening.
And this is where the fic picks up from….
Disclaimer
By the way, I do not own Yami no Matsuei and its lovable characters. However, I do own this fic and Chief Satori and other original characters. Please read and review. Let me know what you think.
Please sit back and enjoy reading. I hope that you enjoy reading it as much as I enjoyed writing this and the fics that I have been writing.
Many thanks,
PJ Zatken
It was just a couple of minutes before seven in the evening and the wind blew its cool air heavily in Meifu. Although there was no snow nor was it the season for it, the night breeze was chilly.
As some of the citizens walked towards their respective homes after spending a few hours outside the unusually-cold weather, two figures whizzed past them.
The first was a tall, spry one who perpetually gave his heartfelt apologies to everyone he nearly bumped into every now and then. He made an effort to keep his balance and coordination as he made a mad dash towards the small park at the corner of his street, his brown trench coat billowing behind him as if it was a cape.
A much-smaller fluttering companion followed the sprinting figure, flying just a couple of feet away. She caught the small handkerchief-sized scarf that was displaced from her master's long blonde hair, catching the scarf just in time with her beak while making cooing noises.
"Yes, I know! Thank you!" said Watari in-between inhales and exhales, mentally thinking that he was getting too old for such activity. He would not be late for his appointment but he had to return to his apartment to grab his coat.
Watari then finally slowed down his sprint to a brisk walk as he saw the first tree that marked the beginning of the park grounds. Once his racing heart slowed down its beats, he slowed down to a casual walk as 003 dropped the small square scarf on his shoulder.
Just as Watari finished combing through his hair and securing it with the scarf, he caught sight of Tatsumi Seiichiro in the act of sitting in the park bench while checking his wristwatch for the time. He grinned nervously as Tatsumi glanced sideways and smiled back.
Tatsumi stood up and walked towards Watari, meeting the blonde scientist halfway. He let out a subtle sigh as he noticed the slight mark of guilt in Watari's smile. Part of him thought that the other should feel that way since he had been waiting at the park as they have agreed upon since six-forty-five.
As for Watari, he repeatedly prayed to the gods that Tatsumi would not get angry or give him a hard time about his tardiness just as the latter always did whenever he was late for meetings at work. He felt a bit better when the secretary gave him a genial smile although the latter told him, "You're late…as always."
Watari chuckled a bit. The sounds of his soft chuckled mingled with 003's hoots of hello to Tatsumi. "You need to learn how to relax –"
The secretary buried his leather-gloved hands inside his coat pockets, his mood light and teasing. "Relax just like you and Tsuzuki-san? You two are too relaxed for my taste. You two should take pointers on promptness, prudence, and industry from Kurosaki-kun."
Just smiling and not saying a word, Watari waved his hand and opened a portal leading to Chijou – a part of Kyoto where there was a good selection of restaurants, shops, and places to hang out in after eating and shopping.
"Thank goodness for April weather in Kyoto. We could roam around and see some cherry blossoms afterwards," murmured Watari as he felt warmer, with Tatsumi agreeing with him.
Watari's pet owl fluttered about between the two men, eventually resting on Tatsumi's shoulders just as she would do here and there for years – a gesture of 003 that was endearing to Tatsumi and surprising to Watari.
As the two walked across the street, the blonde scientist said, "I'm glad you're not biting 003's head off, just as you did with Chief Satori."
"You make me sound as if I'm an ogre," Tatsumi quipped, a gentle smirk escaping his lips as the owl hooted and flapped her small wings for a couple of seconds.
Once 003 settled on his shoulders again, Tatsumi added, "And what makes you think that I bit anyone's head off? I just gave him the message that Enma-DaiOh-sama wanted me to give to him."
This time, it was Watari's turn to let out a subtle sigh. He removed his leather gloves and secured them in his coat pocket. "And I thought Meifu weather's exceptionally and surprisingly cold this time of the year. You're colder and more unpredictable than the weather, judging by how Chief Satori's kissing up to Tsuzuki and our chief. Moreover, you've once again turned down a promotion."
Tatsumi's tone was calm, yet the tone of his voice made Watari nervous. They stopped walking and stood at the corner of a street, waiting to cross the street. "Is that why you invited me to dinner, Watari Yutaka? Are you curious to find out the truth?"
After gaining some of his composure back and feeling defensive for what he considered as an accusation from Tatsumi, Watari replied with an equally calm yet matter-of-factly tone, "I invited you because I was alone tonight. I hung out with everyone alone and got to bond with them outside the office except for you. I am not just curious about the truth of what happened just recently. I have been curious about you for a very long time."
Tatsumi's icy-blue gaze remained transfixed on Watari. Then the chilling cold gaze of the secretary slowly but surely melted into a relaxed one – the normal demeanor that he mostly exhibited around the scientist. "I have my reasons, Watari-san. Maybe later on in the evening, I'll have a chance to share them with you."
"If you don't want to share those reasons with me or anyone, it's fine. It's been like that for decades so no harm, no foul. I just want to hang out with you and in my way thank you for the raise that everyone got."
The pedestrian prompt changed, and people began to cross the intersection. The two followed their fellow pedestrians, walking side-by-side and contemplating what the other's thoughts were.
After a long period of silence as the two walked towards the restaurant with Tatsumi following Watari's lead, Tatsumi gave the other a sideway glance and smiled. "You're welcome."
The blonde scientist looked sideways, his gaze meeting the secretary's. In such a quiet yet customarily-lighthearted tone, he said, "I knew it. I knew it. Who would know that the Shokan Division scrooge would be our raise fairy in disguise?"
With a smile and a quiet yet teasing tone, Tatsumi's reply was, "Share a soul about it, and I'll cut your budget for the entire year."
"It's our secret," murmured Watari with a knowing smirk escaping his lips, thinking in the back of his mind that Tatsumi was such an unpredictable, blackmailing sadistic bastard.
Watari's eyes lit up as he saw his favorite restaurant just a block away from where they were. He pointed it out to Tatsumi, the latter nodding in agreement and remembering how he enjoyed dining there as well many years ago.
By the time that they reached the restaurant and had now waited for a booth, Tatsumi asked Watari, "You said that you were curious about me, Watari-san. Why, and what about?"
The blonde scientist smiled warmly, his brown eyes reflecting that smile and so much more which made Tatsumi more curious. "I have my reasons. Maybe later on tonight, or later on down the road, I'll have the chance to share them with you."
End of Chapter One