Tetsuhiro woke to the chirping and whistling of birds. The melody drifted in from a window. Dark emerald green eyes scanned the simple room, disappearing behind heavy eyelids as the man blinked a few times. He didn't recognize the place; it was somewhere new. The double bed he was laying on was placed in a corner of the room, a wall spanning to his left. A night stand rested to his right near the head of the bed. There wasn't much on it, only a lamp and an empty drinking glass.
Tetsuhiro tried to get up, but had to immediately halt his movements as shots of pain sprang from all over his body. He cringed. Everything ached. What hurt the most, though, was the throbbing in his left ankle, the blooming pain in his right side and the dull ache at the bottom of his spine. Those would take some time to heal.
He attempted to move again, but this time he made sure to be very careful. Gently sliding his legs over the edge of the bed, he was grateful to see that he didn't seem to have any broken bones. He took it nice and slow before standing, making sure his ankle didn't hurt too much. Regardless, he still managed to stand up a bit too quickly and felt a little dizzy – the early onset of what promised to be a painful headache.
A long tail swished behind him, helping to keep his balance. Consequently, that simple action shot sharp pain up his spine. Seriously, what was up with people? Everyone always felt the need to pull on his tail to check if it was real. Yes, it was real, and it really hurt. No, it didn't come off, even if you'd pull on it really hard.
Tetsuhiro sighed and looked to his right. A window was located in the centre of the wall behind the bed and night stand. It was opened just a crack. A small breeze came through. Peering outside through wispy curtains, he could see that it was already morning. He had slept the whole afternoon and all of last night. Or had he been asleep longer than that?
Turning back to the room, the tall dark haired man analyzed his surroundings in more detail. To his left was the bed while to his right was a fairly large dresser, its surface clean and devoid of clutter. Before him against the far wall was a large bookcase. The wide variety of books with differently coloured spines standing neatly on their shelves pulled him in. Slowly but surely, he made his way to it to take a better look. There were a lot of books, most of them pertaining to science – mainly biology, chemistry or a combination of both. He also noticed that there were quite a few books on legends, mythology and spirits. 'What an interesting combination.'
Stepping away from the shelves, Tetsuhiro's attention was drawn to a desk on his left, spanning the wall beyond the bed. It, too, was organized and devoid of any personal items. Looking around the room, he had just noticed that there were no pictures of any kind, anywhere. It seemed a little too impersonal for his taste. Regardless, in the far corner – near the bookcase – but on the same wall as the dresser, was a door. He headed towards it.
Gently sliding the door aside, Tetsuhiro peeked around the corner, quickly scanning for anything that could be a threat, before stepping out into a hallway. At the end, a little ways to his right, was another sliding door. There were three more doors along the hallway, two on each side (counting the door he just stepped through). To the left, the hallway opened up to a room.
He really didn't recognize this place. Everything seemed foreign. He didn't remember much from the day before. Most of it was a blur as he ran and stumbled through an endless forest. He did remember finding a house in the woods, collapsing near it amongst the bushes and cherry trees. He remembered a man with round glasses, a stern look and long silver-blonde hair. He remembered asking for his help, but expecting none. He expected this stranger to run away or chase him away, just like everyone else. However, those hard hazel eyes went soft, and a hand was offered to him. He remembered the man helping him inside and onto a bed where he struggled to remain conscious. His wounds were cleaned and his throat was no longer dry. He remembered the name. Tatsumi Souichi – the name of the man who pretty much saved his life.
Without making a sound, Tetsuhiro headed towards the open space, his tail swishing behind him. He found what looked like the living room. Two couches and a coffee table were in the middle of the room. One of the couches faced a television set next to the right wall. In the corner of the room, to the right of the television, was a small desk.
Tetsuhiro's attention was captured by what lay on its surface. A few pictures were displayed, amongst other decorative objects. Walking up to it, he carefully picked up a picture frame. The image displayed within its borders was one of a light haired man and a brown haired woman. She smiled fondly up to the man standing next to her, whom was displaying such a proud smile, his eyes gleaming brilliantly. It was clearly apparent that these two individuals truly loved each other. Tetsuhiro didn't recognize them, but the man looked somehow familiar.
"I see you're up." Tetsuhiro nearly jumped out of his skin. He flinched, almost dropping the picture. He hastily laid the frame onto the desk before spinning around to face the source of that voice.
Someone was sitting on the couch facing the television. He hadn't seen him there. Blond hair hung loosely around the man's shoulders while a blanket lay haphazardly across his lap. Hazel eyes peered through round wire-frame glasses. The man stared up at him. It was a stern look, laced with accusation, much like the first time they met.
"Ah... Yah..." The tall man was at a loss of words. He felt more than a little guilty for looking through someone else's home, let alone being caught in the act.
"Sorry. I didn't mean to disturb you." Not knowing what to do with himself, he bowed his head to show no disrespect.
"You're sounding much better." Looking back at the man sitting before him, Tetsuhiro noticed that those eyes had lost their sharp edge.
"Ah, thanks. I feel better." He smiled.
"Hmmm... That's good." Stealing his gaze from the man towering above him, the blond directed it towards the blanket on his lap. Getting up, he grabbed it and started to fold. That's when a thought crossed Tetsuhiro's mind.
"You... slept on the couch?" Hazel eyes looked up at him. Tetsuhiro had just noticed that this man was slightly shorter than him.
"Yah... So?" The blond looked a little annoyed.
"Why...? Why didn't you just sleep in your own bed?"
"I would have if I could." The shorter man gave him a meaningful look.
"A certain someone happened to be using it." Dropping the folded blanket onto the couch, Tatsumi Souichi looked up at him. It took but a moment for those words to make sense in Tetsuhiro's mind.
"Oh! I'm sorry! I didn't mean to use up your bed." Guilt was made apparent in his features. He hadn't known. Tatsumi let out a small sigh, looking away.
"Never mind. It's alright. At least you're able to stand today." Tetsuhiro couldn't tell if the other was annoyed. The last thing he wanted was to impose himself on someone – to be a bother.
"Yes! Thank you very much! I wouldn't be recovering if it wasn't for you. Thank you so much!" Tetsuhiro bowed again. He wondered if he'd ever be able to convey how thankful he was.
"Mah... It's nothing, really. By the way..." The long haired man turned to face his guest, once again.
"What the hell happened to you?" This man was very blunt. Not that Tetsuhiro was surprised, but he should have expected it.
"Ah... It's-... It isn't something I should talk about." He didn't need to burden this man with his own problems.
"Oi! I just helped you. The very least you can do is repay the favour." He was straight forward and very blunt. Tetsuhiro was learning more and more about the man to whom he was indebted to.
"Well... It's not really something I like to recall." He looked away, his gaze downcast.
"Huh?... Did you do something bad? You're not some sort of criminal or something, are you?" The voice took a cautious tone.
"No! No... Nothing like that. It's just-..." Tetsuhiro tried to maintain eye contact, but couldn't. Words were lost to him. 'What do I say? How will I make him understand? No one else did.'
"Hmmm... Then it should be fine. You don't have anything to worry about. You can tell me." Straight forward, blunt and determined.
"Ah... It's just... You've been so kind to me; I don't want you to hate me." The last bit was mumbled, nearly inaudible. Surprisingly, Tatsumi heard him.
"And why would I hate you?... You haven't done anything to make me hate you. I barely know you." That was true. Tetsuhiro looked back at the man standing before him, waiting for an answer. His own questions flooded his mind.
'Why did he take me in? He saw how I look like... Everyone else has rejected me. I wouldn't even do anything, and people would take one look at me and hate me for what I am... I am NOT a demon... but there is no denying what I look like, is there?'
"Why did you help me?" The words left his mouth.
"Huh? What do you mean?" Tatsumi seemed taken aback slightly. Those weren't the words he was expecting.
"You didn't have to help me. Why did you?"
"You were on my property-"
"But you could have chased me away... Just like everyone else did. So why did you?" Forgetting that the other had asked a question first, Tetsuhiro pressed on. The silence that followed only lasted but an instant.
"You asked for my help, didn't you?"
"Ah... I did, but-"
"But what? This place is a shrine. A sacred sanctuary. It's a place of peace and serenity. My mother would have been disappointed if we ever turned away anyone in need." Tetsuhiro simply stared. No one ever helped him, unless if they wanted something in return. 'His mother... She sounds like a wonderful woman.'
"Besides... you didn't seem evil." Those words were muttered just above a whisper.
"Wha-... ?!" Did Tetsuhiro hear correctly?
"Your eyes... " Long silver-blonde hair hanging loosely, framing that angular face, swayed as hazel eyes gazed up to meet his. They were strong, looking into him. Analyzing him.
"Your eyes have no malice in them. I've met plenty of people who seek nothing but to use or abuse those around them. Their eyes are ugly and cruel. But yours are nothing like that. So I knew I had nothing to fear." Wow. Was that a compliment? Tetsuhiro really didn't expect that. 'He's actually not afraid of me... Maybe... Maybe he will understand.'
A/N: Yay! Finally got another chapter done! To think it's already been over 2 months since I posted the first chapter. *sigh* I guess this is what I get for trying to write 2 stories at the same time... I'm such a slow writer. Oh well, at least it keeps me busy. :P For this story, I've decided to answer your comments/reviews in this section. I've seen other authors do this and thought that it was a brilliant idea! Please continue to support me. I really enjoy hearing from you! - Getsuei ;)
Until next time!
