Life is
Part 11
A Familiar Face
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned as he surveyed the paperwork spread out on his floor. "So . . ." he said tentatively, "This is not good." He punctuated the statement by letting his head thud softly to the paper strewn floor.
Touda made one of his few noises of acknowledgement by grunting in agreement. Tsuzuki raised his head slowly. "Well, on a good part, we're currently not doing anything illegal." He tapped another paper. "But last year . . . how did anyone not notice this?"
Souryu pulled a file out of the cabinet next to Tsuzuki's desk that he was wedged between. "Simple," he said, handing it to Tsuzuki. "Everyone else was too."
"Oh, okay, that makes it all right." Tsuzuki said cheerfully, throwing himself back to rest on the papers. "We can go home now."
Touda made a hissing sound through his teeth. "Seriously," he stressed, "Unless we give them reason to, a few corporate detectives will notice our history." Tsuzuki wondered if he was speaking specifically of Terazuma. Probably not.
"Unless our competitors give them information," Souryu added belatedly. To Tsuzuki's worried look he added, "We have a stalemate going with several of them."
Tsuzuki winced and ran a hand through his hair. "So, honestly, we're getting no where. Is there any way we can . . ." He looked at the papers, hoping they could supply the necessary words. "Erase? Erase our past?"
"Maybe if we give all our funds to charity and find outside financing." Touda shrugged indifferently. "And completely change personnel, and our product. Maybe even the location."
"Touda," Tsuzuki sighed, wiping at his forehead. "Stop being so pessimistic." Once upon a time he had looked forward to the future . . .
"I am not a pessimist," Touda interrupted Tsuzuki's recollection, twisting his neck so his head was directly in front of his President's. "I am a realist."
"Maybe we can sort through our records without fighting." Souryu suggested darkly.
Tsuzuki blinked. "Oh, so that's what we're doing." Souryu twitched, his face darkening by the second. Touda, although there was no apparent change in his demeanor, grew very still. Tsuzuki looked from one to the other. "What? It's basically the same thing."
No response.
"I mean, it like we're fighting corporate crime!" He leaned backwards and gave a few mock punches in the air. "It's not like I wasn't being constructive."
The jangling sound of the telephone interrupted the tense silence. Souryu, being the only person who could maneuver around to the phone with ease, reached for the interruption. Tsuzuki frowned, glancing at his office walls. "I wonder who it could be . . ." he paused as his eyes fell across the clock.
Touda just continued to look at him. "Oh, by the way, you had a dinner date tonight. It starts now." Tsuzuki could swear that he looked happy.
"You're a horrible assistant." Tsuzuki said instead. "Besides, it's not a dinner date. It's just Tatsumi."
"Who is enjoying listening in on your conversation," Souryu said dryly, dangling the phone in front of Tsuzuki's face like a doggy treat.
Tsuzuki snatched away and settled down in an easy crouch. "Um . . ." he began confidently. "Tatsumi?"
"Tsuzuki-san," was the curt reply. "I am sorry to contact you so late. You were apparently neither at the restaurant nor at your apartment." Tatsumi's voice held an odd note of pride.
"Yeah." Tsuzuki agreed, weary of the tone.
"I will not be able to join you for dinner tonight." Tatsumi's voice stated. "I apologize, but I had to work later than I expected."
"Oh," Despite Tatsumi's inability to see him, Tsuzuki nodded. "That's okay. I completely understand."
"Good." Oddly enough, there was no relief in the other man's voice. However, it softened marginally. "I suppose we will meet up later."
"Sounds good." Tsuzuki replied cheerfully. "Bye-bye."
As Souryu accepted the phone back, Touda shifted so he lounged across the papers. "I don't like him," he said.
Tsuzuki gave him a look of general disbelief. "You are mean," he said, as if he just discovered it.
Touda shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "There's something about him that's wrong. Stop seeing him, or running into him, or whatever you're doing with him."
The purple eyed man blinked slowly, his jaw hanging open in general disbelief. "Huh?"
"He's probably joking." Souryu growled. "Paperwork?"
***
Tatsumi sighed painfully, resting his head for the briefest of moments on the unyielding wood of his desk. Then, before any nosy interns could enter his office, he immediately straightened, shuffling through the papers.
"Tomorrow morning," he whispered softly. With that, he sighed, straightened his collar, and forced his mind to focus on a different topic.
It was good to see that Tsuzuki had some sort of a work ethic. It was possible, if miraculous, that he would be able to survive a few more months.
He caught his hands from drifting self consciously to the drawer.
The folders were shuffled to a thick, unvarying alphabetical order. If on demand, he could repeat all of the names in their order. He would need to soon enough.
Still, habit forced Tatsumi to let his fingers brush over the desk drawer that held most of his life's work protectively.
***
"Uuh," Tsuzuki greeted him.
"Are you alright?" Tatsumi asked worriedly. He briefly considered waving a hand in front of Tsuzuki's face, but decided that the hallway just outside Tsuzuki's apartment was not the place. "Do you need medical assistance?"
"Nuh," Tsuzuki drooled emphatically.
Tatsumi sighed impatiently, glancing around the general area, hoping that a medical team could pop out of the snow. Doing so, he noticed the foot prints making a wayward journey through the snow. "Are you just coming home?" he asked carefully.
"Ughn." Tsuzuki's head bobbed in what could have been either a nod or an attempt to fight off sleep.
"Is this your first time working all night?" Tatsumi asked, sounding like a proud parent. This time, instead of answering Tsuzuki simply glared at him sullenly. Tatsumi beamed at him before carefully checking his watch. "If I run, I will make it on time . . ." he murmured.
He turned back to Tsuzuki happily. "Come," he commanded. "I will make you tea. Give me your key." He felt around Tsuzuki's pockets, ignoring the indignant look he was receiving for his efforts and held up the key triumphantly. "Good, let's go inside. No, not through the window, the door." A hand on the smaller man's back helped propel him into Tsuzuki's cold apartment.
"Told Touda to pay the heat bill," Tsuzuki grumbled plaintively as Tatsumi ushered him to a couch.
Tatsumi nodded indulgently, scanning the small adjoining kitchenette for tea. "Is this alright?" he called out, holding up a tea packet for inspection. Assuming Tsuzuki's grunt was an affirmative, he continued his preparations.
"It is very fortunate that I found you this early," Tatsumi commented loudly. He waited until Tsuzuki grunted to continue. "Otherwise, we might have not seen each other at all today." He waited for another grunt. "It is good that the weather is cold, otherwise you might have overworked your ankle. If you wish, I will attempt to leave work earlier than normal today and look at it."
"I have to go back tonight." Tsuzuki grumbled. He wiggled his foot and was happy to note the lack of pain.
"I understand." Tatsumi said warmly, returning to the couch to hand Tsuzuki life bearing tea. Tatsumi arranged Tsuzuki's hands in a manner to ensure he wouldn't spill any accidentally. "Until tonight," he promised, smiling at his handiwork.
***
"You don't have to walk me to my office," Tsuzuki shrugged, admiring the way that the new snow crunched under his feet. Well . . . foot.
Tatsumi shifted his grip on Tsuzuki's elbow as he smiled indifferently. "There are plenty of things I do not need to do," he replied distantly. "Besides, I promised Watari that I would confirm that you were not skipping your swim lessons for no reason, and you're your injury would not keep you from returning."
If he noticed the way Tsuzuki jumped, he didn't say anything. "Yeah," was the violet eyed man's slow response. "Well," Tsuzuki continued slowly. "I think it will only be a few more days, and then I can go back to normal hours."
Tatsumi let out a short laugh that was partially muffled by his glove. "You sound just like several of my coworkers when we started working." For a moment, his eyes grew distant and misty. "Those first few years, when I would spend almost eighteen hours working . . . I even had to bring a pillow and blanket to the office a few times."
Tsuzuki gave him a look that showed his doubts of the other man's sanity. "What happened to the other, sane people?" he asked suspiciously.
His answer was a slightly worried frown. "That is not the issue here," Tatsumi said quickly. "However, you should be proud that you are working responsibly. Your worker's morale is high, and important issues are being dealt with in a timely manner."
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned, stopping to point to the right. "Well, we're here." He looked up the side of the building. "Oh, and Touda's already here!"
Tatsumi looked up as well. "So he is." He reached out as if he would pat Tsuzuki's shoulder, but his arm fell short as if he abruptly changed his mind. "You have good workers," he said instead.
"Thanks." Tsuzuki frowned slightly at Touda's foreboding form. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning." He gave a short wave before disappearing into the building.
When he reached his office, he was only slightly discouraged when he saw the masses of papers still spread out haphazardly across his floor. "So," he greeted. "What's new?"
"I remember him now." Touda said softly, his words cutting through any reply Souryu would have said. He was still leaning against the wall, watching the street.
Tsuzuki wondered if Souryu had stayed all day working. "Who?" he asked distractedly while looking around the cluttered office for a coffee maker.
"Your Tatsumi Seiichirou." Touda replied enigmatically.
"You know," Tsuzuki said, giving up in his search to frown at Touda. "I really like how your answers are precise, and while not leaving me guessing, need little prompting-"
"He's one of the board members of our competition." Touda snapped tiredly. At Tsuzuki's confused look, he expanded, "We don't have anything on the company yet, but it's there. Its competitors have an odd way of disappearing, or being the prime target of detectives."
Tsuzuki blinked at Touda, before through the window Touda was leaning against. The angle gave a prime view of the street next to them, so Tsuzuki had no difficulties seeing a dark figure slowly return from the way it had come.
Touda sighed softly, returning to an easy crouch over the floor. "I am, of course, assuming you didn't know." Somewhere in the back of his head, Tsuzuki though he heard a note of regret in Touda's voice.
"Oh," Tsuzuki said sagely. "Okay, then, let's get started, and we won't have to come back tomorrow night."
End of Part 11
Part 11
A Familiar Face
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned as he surveyed the paperwork spread out on his floor. "So . . ." he said tentatively, "This is not good." He punctuated the statement by letting his head thud softly to the paper strewn floor.
Touda made one of his few noises of acknowledgement by grunting in agreement. Tsuzuki raised his head slowly. "Well, on a good part, we're currently not doing anything illegal." He tapped another paper. "But last year . . . how did anyone not notice this?"
Souryu pulled a file out of the cabinet next to Tsuzuki's desk that he was wedged between. "Simple," he said, handing it to Tsuzuki. "Everyone else was too."
"Oh, okay, that makes it all right." Tsuzuki said cheerfully, throwing himself back to rest on the papers. "We can go home now."
Touda made a hissing sound through his teeth. "Seriously," he stressed, "Unless we give them reason to, a few corporate detectives will notice our history." Tsuzuki wondered if he was speaking specifically of Terazuma. Probably not.
"Unless our competitors give them information," Souryu added belatedly. To Tsuzuki's worried look he added, "We have a stalemate going with several of them."
Tsuzuki winced and ran a hand through his hair. "So, honestly, we're getting no where. Is there any way we can . . ." He looked at the papers, hoping they could supply the necessary words. "Erase? Erase our past?"
"Maybe if we give all our funds to charity and find outside financing." Touda shrugged indifferently. "And completely change personnel, and our product. Maybe even the location."
"Touda," Tsuzuki sighed, wiping at his forehead. "Stop being so pessimistic." Once upon a time he had looked forward to the future . . .
"I am not a pessimist," Touda interrupted Tsuzuki's recollection, twisting his neck so his head was directly in front of his President's. "I am a realist."
"Maybe we can sort through our records without fighting." Souryu suggested darkly.
Tsuzuki blinked. "Oh, so that's what we're doing." Souryu twitched, his face darkening by the second. Touda, although there was no apparent change in his demeanor, grew very still. Tsuzuki looked from one to the other. "What? It's basically the same thing."
No response.
"I mean, it like we're fighting corporate crime!" He leaned backwards and gave a few mock punches in the air. "It's not like I wasn't being constructive."
The jangling sound of the telephone interrupted the tense silence. Souryu, being the only person who could maneuver around to the phone with ease, reached for the interruption. Tsuzuki frowned, glancing at his office walls. "I wonder who it could be . . ." he paused as his eyes fell across the clock.
Touda just continued to look at him. "Oh, by the way, you had a dinner date tonight. It starts now." Tsuzuki could swear that he looked happy.
"You're a horrible assistant." Tsuzuki said instead. "Besides, it's not a dinner date. It's just Tatsumi."
"Who is enjoying listening in on your conversation," Souryu said dryly, dangling the phone in front of Tsuzuki's face like a doggy treat.
Tsuzuki snatched away and settled down in an easy crouch. "Um . . ." he began confidently. "Tatsumi?"
"Tsuzuki-san," was the curt reply. "I am sorry to contact you so late. You were apparently neither at the restaurant nor at your apartment." Tatsumi's voice held an odd note of pride.
"Yeah." Tsuzuki agreed, weary of the tone.
"I will not be able to join you for dinner tonight." Tatsumi's voice stated. "I apologize, but I had to work later than I expected."
"Oh," Despite Tatsumi's inability to see him, Tsuzuki nodded. "That's okay. I completely understand."
"Good." Oddly enough, there was no relief in the other man's voice. However, it softened marginally. "I suppose we will meet up later."
"Sounds good." Tsuzuki replied cheerfully. "Bye-bye."
As Souryu accepted the phone back, Touda shifted so he lounged across the papers. "I don't like him," he said.
Tsuzuki gave him a look of general disbelief. "You are mean," he said, as if he just discovered it.
Touda shrugged, rolling his shoulders. "There's something about him that's wrong. Stop seeing him, or running into him, or whatever you're doing with him."
The purple eyed man blinked slowly, his jaw hanging open in general disbelief. "Huh?"
"He's probably joking." Souryu growled. "Paperwork?"
***
Tatsumi sighed painfully, resting his head for the briefest of moments on the unyielding wood of his desk. Then, before any nosy interns could enter his office, he immediately straightened, shuffling through the papers.
"Tomorrow morning," he whispered softly. With that, he sighed, straightened his collar, and forced his mind to focus on a different topic.
It was good to see that Tsuzuki had some sort of a work ethic. It was possible, if miraculous, that he would be able to survive a few more months.
He caught his hands from drifting self consciously to the drawer.
The folders were shuffled to a thick, unvarying alphabetical order. If on demand, he could repeat all of the names in their order. He would need to soon enough.
Still, habit forced Tatsumi to let his fingers brush over the desk drawer that held most of his life's work protectively.
***
"Uuh," Tsuzuki greeted him.
"Are you alright?" Tatsumi asked worriedly. He briefly considered waving a hand in front of Tsuzuki's face, but decided that the hallway just outside Tsuzuki's apartment was not the place. "Do you need medical assistance?"
"Nuh," Tsuzuki drooled emphatically.
Tatsumi sighed impatiently, glancing around the general area, hoping that a medical team could pop out of the snow. Doing so, he noticed the foot prints making a wayward journey through the snow. "Are you just coming home?" he asked carefully.
"Ughn." Tsuzuki's head bobbed in what could have been either a nod or an attempt to fight off sleep.
"Is this your first time working all night?" Tatsumi asked, sounding like a proud parent. This time, instead of answering Tsuzuki simply glared at him sullenly. Tatsumi beamed at him before carefully checking his watch. "If I run, I will make it on time . . ." he murmured.
He turned back to Tsuzuki happily. "Come," he commanded. "I will make you tea. Give me your key." He felt around Tsuzuki's pockets, ignoring the indignant look he was receiving for his efforts and held up the key triumphantly. "Good, let's go inside. No, not through the window, the door." A hand on the smaller man's back helped propel him into Tsuzuki's cold apartment.
"Told Touda to pay the heat bill," Tsuzuki grumbled plaintively as Tatsumi ushered him to a couch.
Tatsumi nodded indulgently, scanning the small adjoining kitchenette for tea. "Is this alright?" he called out, holding up a tea packet for inspection. Assuming Tsuzuki's grunt was an affirmative, he continued his preparations.
"It is very fortunate that I found you this early," Tatsumi commented loudly. He waited until Tsuzuki grunted to continue. "Otherwise, we might have not seen each other at all today." He waited for another grunt. "It is good that the weather is cold, otherwise you might have overworked your ankle. If you wish, I will attempt to leave work earlier than normal today and look at it."
"I have to go back tonight." Tsuzuki grumbled. He wiggled his foot and was happy to note the lack of pain.
"I understand." Tatsumi said warmly, returning to the couch to hand Tsuzuki life bearing tea. Tatsumi arranged Tsuzuki's hands in a manner to ensure he wouldn't spill any accidentally. "Until tonight," he promised, smiling at his handiwork.
***
"You don't have to walk me to my office," Tsuzuki shrugged, admiring the way that the new snow crunched under his feet. Well . . . foot.
Tatsumi shifted his grip on Tsuzuki's elbow as he smiled indifferently. "There are plenty of things I do not need to do," he replied distantly. "Besides, I promised Watari that I would confirm that you were not skipping your swim lessons for no reason, and you're your injury would not keep you from returning."
If he noticed the way Tsuzuki jumped, he didn't say anything. "Yeah," was the violet eyed man's slow response. "Well," Tsuzuki continued slowly. "I think it will only be a few more days, and then I can go back to normal hours."
Tatsumi let out a short laugh that was partially muffled by his glove. "You sound just like several of my coworkers when we started working." For a moment, his eyes grew distant and misty. "Those first few years, when I would spend almost eighteen hours working . . . I even had to bring a pillow and blanket to the office a few times."
Tsuzuki gave him a look that showed his doubts of the other man's sanity. "What happened to the other, sane people?" he asked suspiciously.
His answer was a slightly worried frown. "That is not the issue here," Tatsumi said quickly. "However, you should be proud that you are working responsibly. Your worker's morale is high, and important issues are being dealt with in a timely manner."
"Okay," Tsuzuki frowned, stopping to point to the right. "Well, we're here." He looked up the side of the building. "Oh, and Touda's already here!"
Tatsumi looked up as well. "So he is." He reached out as if he would pat Tsuzuki's shoulder, but his arm fell short as if he abruptly changed his mind. "You have good workers," he said instead.
"Thanks." Tsuzuki frowned slightly at Touda's foreboding form. "Well, I guess I'll see you tomorrow morning." He gave a short wave before disappearing into the building.
When he reached his office, he was only slightly discouraged when he saw the masses of papers still spread out haphazardly across his floor. "So," he greeted. "What's new?"
"I remember him now." Touda said softly, his words cutting through any reply Souryu would have said. He was still leaning against the wall, watching the street.
Tsuzuki wondered if Souryu had stayed all day working. "Who?" he asked distractedly while looking around the cluttered office for a coffee maker.
"Your Tatsumi Seiichirou." Touda replied enigmatically.
"You know," Tsuzuki said, giving up in his search to frown at Touda. "I really like how your answers are precise, and while not leaving me guessing, need little prompting-"
"He's one of the board members of our competition." Touda snapped tiredly. At Tsuzuki's confused look, he expanded, "We don't have anything on the company yet, but it's there. Its competitors have an odd way of disappearing, or being the prime target of detectives."
Tsuzuki blinked at Touda, before through the window Touda was leaning against. The angle gave a prime view of the street next to them, so Tsuzuki had no difficulties seeing a dark figure slowly return from the way it had come.
Touda sighed softly, returning to an easy crouch over the floor. "I am, of course, assuming you didn't know." Somewhere in the back of his head, Tsuzuki though he heard a note of regret in Touda's voice.
"Oh," Tsuzuki said sagely. "Okay, then, let's get started, and we won't have to come back tomorrow night."
End of Part 11