Of Promises and Lies- Chapter 4
Chika looked disbelievingly at the little boy sitting guilty in front of her, frying pan at hand. Next to her was the slumped figure of R.R. tied securely with rope. Suzaku glanced worriedly at his friend, wondering if he was still alive. The man was so still… His attention was then directed to the maid.
"Are you telling me that this man here," she jabbed a finger at R.R. "can talk to you with his mind? And he's supposed to be the friend you've been giving onigiri rolls to every night?" Suzaku nodded furiously to both accusations. Chika looked carefully for any signs of illness in the boy, but found none. She sighed. "We'll find out sooner or later when he wakes up." Then they fell into a tense silence.
Suzaku wanted to check up on R.R., but wasn't sure if he was allowed to. Chika-chan didn't seem so friendly with him. He looked at the still man's form. The maid, noticing his gaze drifting to R.R., again, sighed, looking away.
"Go on, see him if you want, but remember, I'll be keeping the frying pan close by." She warned. The boy grinned and circled around the table to R.R.'s side. Cautiously he poked at the man.
"R.R." he whispered. "Are you awake?" There was no response. He poked again. "R.R." Suddenly, the man's violet eyes snapped open and he bolted upright.
Clang.
R.R.'s mouth grew slack and his eyes rolled upward to the back of his head as he crumpled to the ground in dead faint, again.
"Chika-chan," Suzaku whined. "He just got up. Now we have to wait for him to wake up all over, again." The maid had the decency to blush.
"Sorry," she chuckled nervously. "It was… instinct." The boy rolled his eyes at her defensive tone and settled himself for another long wait.
When R.R. felt consciousness returning to him again, he was careful not to show any signs of it until he was aware of what was going on around him. He heard a slight shifting to his left along with a clank of metal, the object-wielding maid. There was a small presence on his chest, Suzaku. He strained his ears for any others, but didn't find any. There was no one else. He cracked an eyelid slowly open and saw his surroundings through his eyelashes. He sprang into action.
It started with a simple push and Suzaku was safely out of the way.
Chika squawked in surprise when the man leapt upright for the second time and raised the frying pan instinctively, intent on bashing R.R. to the ground for the third time. Then, she blinked and looked at her empty hands. Her eyes bugged out.
"W-what?" she stuttered, and looked at R.R. disbelievingly. He held the metal pan in his hand, cautiously, as if was going to bite him. "Hey! Give that back!" She snatched from his grasp. R.R. dropped his jaw and raised his arms around his head, backing away. Suzaku yawned from his place on the ground.
"R.R.!" he exclaimed when he saw the standing man. "You're awake!" R.R. gave Suzaku a dirty look, as if sarcastically saying no, really? Then, the boy noticed Chika brandishing the frying pan again and ran forward between the two. He raised his arms up and out.
"No!" The maid moved to push the boy aside.
"Suzaku-sama," she said firmly. "This man is dangerous, stay back!" The green-eyed boy laughed and ran forward to hug the man.
"Don't be silly, R.R. would never hurt me. We're best friends." Chika gasped.
"Suzaku-sama," but it was too late. R.R. had scooped the boy up in his embrace. Suzaku smiled triumphantly.
"See?" he said, wrapping his arms around R.R.'s shoulders. "R.R. isn't bad." Chika frowned, but noted the gentleness R.R. held the boy with, and the soft expression that appeared whenever the man saw the boy. She lowered the pan with a small smile.
"I'll believe you this time, but," she added menacingly to the man, "if you harm a single hair on Suzaku-sama's head, I will come after you with more than a frying pan." Suzaku giggled. R.R. sneezed, water droplets flying from his wet hair. Chika's maid instincts took over. She immediately took Suzaku from R.R. and ushered the man to another room.
"Come, we need to get you out of those clothes and into warm water." She ordered briskly. R.R. was sneezing in confusion as he was pushed into a bathroom. "Here, take a nice hot shower while I get some dry clothes for you." She looked his profile over. "I think you would be close to Toudou's size, though they might be a bit big. You're thin as a stick. He's also a little broader on the shoulders." The door shut behind him and the maid's muttering became slightly muffled.
R.R. looked at the shower apprehensively before turning the knob. Water poured out from the showerhead. Waiting for the shower to warm up, he started to unbuckle his black straightjacket. With a rasp and a heavy noise, the clothing dropped to the floor and he stepped under the warm water. He idly noticed his shoes were missing. Chika must have taken them when he was unconscious.
As the water washed over him he sighed, muscles relaxing. He hadn't had a shower in a long time, keeping himself clean instead by bathing in the river. The streams of water thumping against his back and body were like a giant massage to him.
He sighed as he tipped his head back, letting the water run through his face and hair while contemplating his next move. The current situation he was in was an unexpected turn of events. Chika, he thought, was a wildcard. She was impulsive, show by her display of pan-whacking, but was genuinely protective of Suzaku. She also seemed like the type able to keep secrets.
R.R. smiled, reminded of a certain loyal kunoichi maid from his past. His smiled slipped when he was reminded also of her end at the sword of Zero. She wasn't even buried under her own name, taking his instead to the grave with her.
Chika, he decided, could be trusted. He reached for one of the bottles lining the shower walls. Now, what else would he need to do?
He stepped out of the shower with a refreshed appearance about him, noticing a set of neatly folded clothes on the countertop. His straightjacket was missing though. He grabbed the top piece and started to dress.
R.R. buttoned the last button and smoothed any wrinkles from his shirt and pants. He had a very simple plan. Having gone through countless plans, each getting more and more complex each time until he realized he was over-thinking and over analyzing the situation. This isn't a war zone he chided to himself, there's no reason for all of this, but a little voice in the back of his mind whispered "yet". He firmly pushed it to the farthest and deepest corner of his mind.
He would just convince Chika that he was trustworthy, with a little side help from an unsuspecting Suzaku. Then, he would leave in the middle of the night to leave Suzaku with the explaining tomorrow.
Yes, he nodded to himself that was a very simple plan, effective too. With a confident air, he opened the sliding door and stepped out. He was greeted with a smiling Suzaku, who was already dressed for bed, and followed the boy to another room, already going over what he was going to do in his mind.
However, it seemed like fate wasn't smiling on him that day, because instead of seeing one face across the table, he saw three. He was able to identify all of them, judging from Suzaku's earlier descriptions.
First was Chika Sasaki, the maid. Her expression was carefully neutral outwardly and she sat stiffly on her cushion. Her brow, however, was furrowed slightly and if you looked closely enough, there was a noticeable certain stiffness around her mouth.
Second was Jiro Watanabe, the bodyguard. He was a heavyset man and had large muscles. His head didn't have much hair on the top, but what he lacked there was made up by his thick eyebrows and sideburns. His overall appearance was tough and stern.
The thin, but obviously muscled man sitting in a perfectly balanced position was Toudou Kyoshiro. His hair was short and controlled. Sharp, intelligent, eyes peered at R.R. closely, trying to find the others main intent through his body's movements.
R.R. took a closer look at Toudou, curious as to how the older version compared to the younger. It seemed the younger had darker, thicker hair. Locks poked from the meticulous haircut in the back, more in number than they would be in the future. Also, the sharp look in the others eyes was less harsh and more rounded. Stress lines that were faintly part of his future appearance weren't present on his face. This version hadn't had the change from a teacher to a rebellion leader happen to him yet.
"I think it would be best if we started with introductions first." Chika started. "I am Chika Sasaki."
"Jiro Watanabe."
"Toudou Kyoshiro."
"I'm Suzaku Kururugi!" R.R. beckoned the boy to grasp his hand. Jiro and Toudou tensed, but Chika stopped them with a sharp glare.
Suzaku seemed to hear something they couldn't and nodded. "R.R. says do not be surprised by what will happen next. To quote, 'please do not attack us.'" Toudou raised a spiked eyebrow, about to question what would be so surprising that they would be inclined attack.
"Greetings, Sasaki-san, Watanabe-san, Kyoshiro-san." The first two jumped in surprise, but Toudou narrowed his eyes in suspicion and wonder. R.R.'s lips had moved, but the voice had come from and been Suzaku's own, only softer and more mature. The words were annunciated clearly and evenly in a cultured manner. The boy's eyes blinked in wonder, and he had control over his mouth again.
"That was so cool! How did you do that?" R.R. smiled and there was a moment of silence. Suzaku nodded. "Okay, I think I get it." Toudou watched this exchange, thoughts forming in his mind based off the information he was toke from Chika.
"I'm guessing this was the telepathy Chika was referring to earlier, and you're name is… R.R.?" R.R. nodded and then used Suzaku's voice to speak.
"You are right in your assumption, T-Kyoshiro-san," R.R. corrected his mistake, scolding himself for the slip-up. "And even though R.R. is not my true name, I would like to be referred to as such. I have abandoned my past name and most afflictions related to it. I see no reason to be referred as such and will not reveal what it was." Toudou frowned at the answer, but didn't saying anything.
Jiro smoothly injected another question into the conversation.
"What are your intentions towards Suzaku-sama?" R.R. smiled at the boy next to him. The three across the table all exchanged glances, confirming the fondness in that action to each other.
"I am a companion and friend to Suzie-chan here." If the three noticed the Britannian nickname given to Suzaku, they didn't show any reaction to it. "I reason being here is to get rid on his loneliness and make sure he has a happy childhood a boy like him deserves. I want to protect him." Chika asked the next question.
"Why would you want to do all that when you are obviously not Japanese? You are a Britannian, are you not?"
"It's true I'm a Britannian originally. I won't deny that I'm not Japanese."
"Then why? Why are you here of all places at the Kururugi Shrine where the Prime Minister and his son lives?" Toudou's eyes darkened in suspicion. "Are you here to assassinate them, or at least Kururugi-sama?" R.R. looked shocked at the accusation. He raised both his hands, still holding onto Suzaku's. The three adults prepared for an assault, but R.R. only showed his weaponless hands.
"I am unarmed and don't mean any harm to anybody inside this household." His eyes softened momentarily before hardening again. "As to why I'm here, I owe it to an old friend." Jiro was curious.
"What happened to this… friend?"
"He died," was flatly said. There was silence.
"I'm sorry," Chika said. R.R. shifted his eyes to look at her.
"No harm done. That's why I'm here after all."
The rest of the questions were asked without any problems or further complications. As words were exchanged, a candle burned on and melted steadily until there was only a small stub left in the lantern.
The night wore on into early morning and signs of fatigue could be seen with everyone sitting at the table except R.R. Not a single thing looked out of place for him. Toudou idly wondered how the other man managed to pull it off, but the one mostly affected was the youngest of the four, Suzaku. All the others noticed the little boy's tired face and how sleepy he was, but still Suzaku fought the urge to sleep so he could act as R.R.'s voice.
"I think that's all we need to know and more." Toudou finally announced, running a hand over his face. He cast a glance to the other two and saw they were thinking the same thing he was. They nodded, though one of them had to be convinced to respond with a nudge.
"Then, R.R. welcome to the Kururugi household unofficially." R.R. smiled.
"Thank you, all of you. I will take Suzie-chan to his bedroom. I already know were it is." At the end of the statement, Suzaku's voice trailed off to an almost inaudible whisper, the boy finally succumbing to sleep. The two men looked surprised by this statement, but Chika stood up.
"I'll accompany you." The three exited the room together, leaving the two men by themselves. When the sliding door slid shut, Jiro turned to Toudou.
"Do you really think that man, R.R., is trustworthy? Chika is usually a good judge of character, but R.R. could've convinced her using more, unconventional, means, if you know what I mean." Toudou's forehead creased.
"He seems honest enough for a Britannian, and he has honorable reasons for being here." Jiro snorted, disbelief written across his features.
"Honorable? What does a Britannian know about honor? I'll tell you, they don't know anything about honor!"
"I agree with you on that matter, but I have a feeling this Britannian is different. He called us Japanese in a favorable manner, and used honorifics from our language. No prejudiced Britannian would display such actions they deem unworthy." Jiro rose from his seat.
"That poor excuse for a boy is just like any other Britannian!" he snarled. "They never learn. They're just arrogant pigs, greedy for corrupted power!" Toudou looked disapprovingly at the standing man.
"Are you truly this prejudiced again Britannians, or are you just saying that to hide the fact you are jealous that R.R., has gotten close to Suzaku and protects him, doing what normally would be your job?" Jiro snorted, dismissively waving a hand in Toudou's direction, moving to exit the kitchen.
"Whatever. I still don't trust him." He closed the door behind him loudly. Toudou sighed and asked a question directed at the man he knew wouldn't grant him any answers.
"Who are you really, R.R.?"
R.R. sneezed again in the halls, careful not to drop the sleeping figure in his arms. He wrinkled his nose in an attempt to stop his sneezing fest.
"You are okay, R.R.?" The man nodded. Chika smiled with a knowing look. "Those two back there are probably talking about you without us being present, still suspicious of you. Don't worry about them," she assured R.R., "they'll come around eventually." They entered Suzaku's room. Chika lifted the sheets and R.R. slipped the boy under.
Habitually tucking Suzaku in, he didn't notice the smile the maid was giving him. It was gone by the time he looked back at her.
"I'll show you a room you can stay in now," she said, but R.R. shook his head and sat down next to Suzaku's sleeping body. "You're staying here?" There was a nod. "You sure?" Another nod was made. Chika shrugged.
"Good night then. Breakfast is at six-thirty in the morning. Kururugi-sama usually eats his in his room so you'll probably be safe. Also, since you're staying in the same room as Suzaku-sama, I'll leave waking him up at the appropriate time to you, alright?" R.R. motioned he understood and the maid left the two alone, closing the door.
R.R. relaxed completely once he and Suzaku was alone. Talking through another person took a lot of energy out of him, and with that long period of questioning he was exhausted. He was grateful Chika didn't put up a fuss over his choice of rooming. He doubted he would've had enough energy to convince her otherwise.
He looked at Suzaku's sleeping form as he lied down next to the futon. Brushing a few stray hairs out of the boy's face, he pecked Suzaku quickly and lightly on the forehead. Sighing, he closed his eyes and drew comfort from Suzaku's presence.
Sometime during the night Suzaku had made his way towards R.R. to snuggle against the man while R.R would find his arm draped protectively around the small boy's form in the morning, but for now, they slept.
And that's Chapter four, everyone! Am I dragging this on too much, or is this too fast? What do you think of the interrogation? Was it convincing? Is Jiro's character acceptable? I hope Toudou wasn't too OOC... Please feel free to point out any errors in this chapter! I checked it over, but that may not have been as thorough as I thought.
Well, tell me what you all think! I've enabled the anonymous review, so anybody who doesn't have an account can still give some feedback. I love feedback! Though, that doesn't mean I'll reply. XD
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