I've finished the next chapter. Now you'll be able to see what Kunihiro'll do. ^-^
Thank you for all the reviews!
Disclaimer: I don't own anything. All that goes to Takanaga-sensei.
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Souichi, Morinaga, Kunihiro
Note: It's an AU fic.
Summary: Morinaga is a vampire and wants to play around. One night in a club he finds an interesting human and is mesmerized by him. Will he only use his new prey or will he fall in love? And how will the other one react on an immortal lover? What will his feelings be?
Chapter 21
'Oh shit!' Morinaga thought frantically. He tried to think of a good way out of this situation. His Nii-san had told him to get rid of the human some time ago and now the elder Morinaga had proof of his disobedience right in his hands. This could not end well. 'But I'll be damned if I let him hurt Tatsumi.'
"Let him go, Nii-san. He's not at fault here," Morinaga tried to make his enraged brother realize that the human was the innocent in this whole mess.
Instead of listening to his younger brother his Nii-san tightened the hold he had on Tatsumi's arm, making it very painful for the human.
"Ow! What the – owww! That hurts!" Tatsumi cried out. He tried to struggle his way out of the vampire's hold but Kunihiro only squeezed the flesh he was holding even tighter, bruising Tatsumi's arm in the process.
"Nii-san, please. You're hurting him," Morinaga pleaded. He needed to get Tatsumi out of his brother's grasp. He wasn't sure if Nii-san would kill the human right on the spot or let him live. He might kill him if he thought the human was meaningless. The younger Morinaga doubted that he would be able to save the human from his brother's killing strike. Morinaga was good, but not that good.
"I asked you a question, Tetsuhiro, and I'm waiting for an answer." Kunihiro ignored Morinaga's plea completely. He focused his attention on his younger brother, not even glancing at the struggling human.
Morinaga held his furious gaze for a moment but then relented, averting his own eyes for a moment. That moment was enough for him to gather his strength and meet his brother's gaze again.
"It's nothing. I was just about to bring him back to his own world, Nii-san, so let him go and –"
"Nothing you say?" Kunihiro bellowed. "I told you to get rid of him." To emphasize his words the elder vampire shook the human he still held by the bruised arm. It was probably only in part to relieve the anger the elder Vampire Lord felt. The other reason was that the human was still trying to pry the hand away from his aching arm. "And what have you done?"
The situation was getting more and more out of control and Morinaga started to seriously fear for Tatsumi's life. His brother was not listening, not letting Morinaga make everything better. Not to mention that he was hurting Tatsumi and Morinaga couldn't take that. He didn't want the human getting hurt, especially for something that was Morinaga's fault and not Souichi's.
"I was about to send him back, Nii-san. Really," Morinaga tried to explain. He thought that he had finally made his brother listen to him but Kunihiro started talking again, not letting Morinaga continue.
"Tetsuhiro, tell me how many days ago we talked about getting rid of him." Kunihiro shook Tatsumi again and the human yelled in pain.
"Owww! Stop it!" Tatsumi cried with a grimace and stilled.
Despite that Kunihiro bellowed, "SILENCE!"
Morinaga flinched at the volume and rage behind that one word. He turned his gaze from his seething brother to the human. His sensitive ears caught a soft whimper and his heart clenched. When Tatsumi looked up at him with big, frightened eyes, Morinaga saw that they were moist. His Nii-san was really hurting the human carelessly.
'Oh shit! Oh shit!' Morinaga started panicking. The more furious his brother became the more likely he was going to kill the human. 'I can't let him. I must protect Tatsumi!'
"Tell me!" Kunihiro hissed at his younger brother when Morinaga hadn't answered.
"Some time ago," Morinaga said weakly. His brain was working in overdrive. The view of the human now so silent, clearly shivering, and watching him with those beautiful although frightened eyes wasn't making it any easier for him. He had to find a way to make his brother spare Tatsumi's life. He refused to believe that everything was already lost, that Tatsumi was as good as dead.
"Then can you explain to me why he's still here, in this tower of all places? I thought you knew better than to turn this place into a hidey hole for your bitch!" Kunihiro ranted and he would have surely continued if Morinaga hadn't spoken.
"I wasn't through with him yet. I wanted to sate my fixation before I took him back home. It would have been a lot faster if I hadn't been away for so long. I haven't had time to indulge in him the way I planned." Morinaga tried another tactic. He wasn't sure that defending Tatsumi and making his brother realize how much he cared for the human wouldn't end up with Souichi dead since his brother might see caring for a human as a bad thing. Instead Morinaga tried to disregard Souichi's well being for a few moments. He opted to tell his brother the truth about why the human was still there without mentioning any emotional attachment that he had developed.
'Maybe this will work,' Morinaga hoped. Nii-san wasn't comfortable with Morinaga's orientation and the younger vampire wasn't sure if his brother would just eradicate the nuisance that was distracting Morinaga from his duties as a Lord. In Morinaga's head the easiest way to make Nii-san focus his attention on him and not Tatsumi was to make it seem like he didn't care about the human. The only thing that was making the whole situation very difficult was Tatsumi himself. Morinaga tried to ignore the hurt and disbelieving stare Tatsumi was sending his way but it proved more difficult than he had expected. He couldn't bear to see such an expression on the human's face. He feared what Tatsumi was thinking right now but pushed these fears aside for the moment.
Kunihiro watched his brother intently, not saying anything. Kunihiro's eyes narrowed and Morinaga broke.
"Damn it, Nii-san. Let the human go. I give you my word I'll return him to his own world and won't see him again," Morinaga promised. "It is not his fault he's here. I was the one who forced him to come to this world. Please, Nii-san, let him leave."
The elder Demon Lord looked calculatingly at his younger brother. He hadn't said anything yet but Morinaga could see that he was making up his mind about the human's fate in that moment. Before Morinaga could add anything else to plead his case and Tatsumi's life, he noticed the change in his brother's stance. Kunihiro had made up his mind already and Morinaga knew from previous experience that nothing he said or did now would change his brother's mind.
"No," his brother finally said.
Morinaga closed his eyes in utter despair, his heart breaking. He didn't want to let Tatsumi die. He was too sweet, too precious to let him die.
"Please," Morinaga begged shamelessly, entirely disregarding his position and anything else that might have been in the way of doing what it took to save Tatsumi's life. "Nii-san, I'm beg– "
"Stop!" Kunihiro interrupted his younger brother harshly. It looked like he knew what Morinaga wanted to say and he didn't want his younger brother to actually say it. The older Vampire Lord was staring at his little brother in a way that Morinaga couldn't decipher.
"Tell me, Tetsuhiro." Kunihiro forced the oddly silent Tatsumi to stand in front of Morinaga with Kunihiro right behind his back. "Why shouldn't I make an example out of him?"
Despite the fact that it felt wrong, Morinaga was grateful that Souichi wasn't saying anything. It would have made the situation so much worse if Souichi had fought Kunihiro the way he fought with Morinaga. The vampire looked at the human and saw how pale and clearly frightened Tatsumi was. It looked like he understood the seriousness of the situation and Morinaga was somewhat relieved he did. It made his job a little less difficult. If he had needed to make Tatsumi behave on top of everything else, he might not have been able to handle the situation in its entirety.
Morinaga contemplated his brother's question. He knew that Tatsumi's life depended on the answer he gave. His brother was generous enough in allowing Morinaga this one chance to make it clear why the human should be left alive, and Morinaga didn't want to screw it up. He remained quiet for a very long time, looking from the human to his brother. One pair of eyes wide with fright looked at him expectantly, waiting for help; the other pair appeared stern as well as expectant from what Morinaga could gather.
'Fuck. I can't think of anything that would satisfy Nii-san.'
Finally when the silence stretched and Morinaga thought that his brother would lose his patience, he spoke. "What do you want me to say, Nii-san?" he asked. "That I've learned my lesson already? That I'm giving you my word that I won't do something like this ever again? That I won't bring anybody from the Human World here to the tower or this world in general? That I'll… that I won't fuck men ever again? Tell me Nii-san. What will it take to make you let him go?"
"Are you telling me that you'll do whatever it takes?" Kunihiro asked curiously. Although he didn't sound so angry anymore, he still held the human tightly and didn't let him move.
"Yes," Morinaga answered without hesitation, looking confidently into his brother's eyes. He heard Tatsumi gasp and glanced at the human. His eyes were wide with shock as if he couldn't believe that Morinaga would do something like that for him. There was also something else in those beautiful eyes, some other emotion, but unfortunately Morinaga didn't have time to glance into Tatsumi's mind.
Kunihiro actually looked stunned by Morinaga's answer. It looked like the older Demon Lord hadn't anticipated such a response. His face became very serious and his narrowed eyes looked at the human he was still holding.
Something flashed across Kunihiro's face but it was so fast and fleeting that Morinaga wasn't even sure that his brother's expression changed at all, not to mention what it meant. What made his blood freeze in his veins was what happened next.
'That's not possible. He's smiling… sadly? No, please no!' Morinaga was horrified.
Suddenly, before Morinaga could react in any way or form, the elder Demon Lord thrust the human right at his younger brother. Morinaga caught Tatsumi and wound his arms around the human, supporting and steadying him. He felt Tatsumi tremble in his arms and Morinaga could tell that the human was very afraid. He just hoped that he didn't fear Morinaga and that he would calm down soon.
Morinaga couldn't focus his full attention on the human and calm him. Even while holding Tatsumi protectively in his arms he kept looking at his brother. Morinaga didn't really understand why Kunihiro had let Souichi go. Wasn't he about to kill the human? Why had he let Morinaga have him when Kunihiro could get rid of him so easily? It didn't really make any sense to the younger Vampire Lord. He had been sure Tatsumi was a goner, but here he was, safely tucked in Morinaga's arms, breathing, living. Hearing the human's heart beat made Morinaga exhale a sigh of relief. He was so very grateful to his brother even if he didn't understand why Kunihiro had let the human go. 'I'm not going to look a gift horse in the mouth.'
"Thank you, Nii-san," Morinaga whispered warmly. He was sure his eyes reflected a flurry of emotions Morinaga normally wouldn't show, but he didn't care. He would worry about his image later, when Tatsumi was safely back in his own world.
"Do not thank me. I do not need it. Besides, I need my hands to open a portal for him," his brother said and moved to the bathroom door. He stopped in front of them and closed his eyes.
Morinaga recognized what his brother was doing. He was preparing to open a portal connecting the Demon and the Human Worlds. Morinaga was not so adept at creating portals. He could do it, sure, but it tapped a lot of his energy. That was the reason why when he made one and stepped into the Human World he tended to stay there a few days. He needed to recharge before he could open a portal again. In the current situation, with the Hunters running loose in the Human World, it would have been very dangerous to stay there. Even so, Morinaga had been determined to do it before his brother had interrupted them. He had promised Tatsumi he would get him back home after all.
Before Morinaga could blink, his brother had opened the portal. How he knew which town Tatsumi lived in was beyond Morinaga, although he suspected that Kunihiro had made himself at home in Tatsumi's mind while Morinaga had tried to make him leave the human be. The only thing left for Morinaga to do now was to step into it with Tatsumi.
Unfortunately, it looked like his brother had other plans because he turned around and stalked to where Morinaga was still holding the human. Tatsumi had calmed down quite a bit while in Morinaga's arms but he was still clinging to him rather desperately and hadn't said anything yet. It worried Morinaga a bit but before he could address the issue his brother extended his arm and indicated with his eyes to the human. In reaction Morinaga tightened his arms around Tatsumi. He wasn't sure he trusted his brother with the human's wellbeing.
"What are you going to do?" he asked the elder Demon Lord suspiciously.
"Return him to the Human World," Kunihiro answered swiftly. "Now hand him over."
Morinaga didn't budge. He wasn't ready to part with Tatsumi yet. He needed to talk with the human before he left.
"I can get him there myself. You don't need to – "
"I am not going to go to the Human World. And you are going nowhere either, Tetsuhiro. I will not risk the life of my only brother for a mortal," Kunihiro said sternly.
"But I thought…"
"Do not test me now, little brother. I have been lenient enough as it is." Without waiting for Morinaga's reaction, he reached out at took hold of the human's hair.
"Oww!" Tatsumi yelled and raised his hands to alleviate the pull on his hair. When that didn't help he took a step back.
Morinaga couldn't do anything but let go of him. If he had continued holding the human in his arms, his brother might have actually pulled Tatsumi's hair out of his head. Stubbornness ran in the family and Morinaga wasn't the most stubborn one. Though normally Kunihiro wouldn't go to such lengths as to hurt someone the way he was hurting Tatsumi now.
'He's still pissed. Damn it,' Morinaga thought while watching the scene unhappily.
"That hurts!" Tatsumi yelled. It looked like the human had recovered from his previous stillness and was starting to fight again.
Morinaga's brother ignored Tatsumi's complaints and led him towards the bathroom door where the portal shimmered, showing the Human World on the other side.
"Nii-san, you don't have to be so rough. He'll go with you, right Tatsumi?" Morinaga asked, hoping that the human would for once cooperate.
"Yeah, sure," the human mumbled.
He looked at Morinaga oddly but the vampire let it go, focusing on his brother. Kunihiro looked from one to the other and then released the human's hair, allowing Tatsumi leave on his own. The human glanced gratefully at Morinaga and followed the other vampire to the portal.
"In you go, human," Kunihiro commanded. He pointed at the portal anchored on the bathroom's doorframe.
"Wait!" Morinaga cried, rushing to the portal. He wanted to go with Tatsumi. He had realized some things and needed to talk with the human before they parted. Also after this confrontation with his brother, Morinaga owed the human some explanations and an apology.
"He's going. You're staying." Kunihiro gave Morinaga a hardened look. It seemed as if his brother was aware of what Morinaga was planning to do and wasn't about to allow it.
"Aren't you concerned that something might happen to him on the other side?" Morinaga asked. He knew he sounded stupid but he wanted to go and make sure Tatsumi arrived home safely, that he wouldn't lose consciousness again. "So many things might go wrong. It –"
"The Hunters are out there. They'll make sure he's all right," Kunihiro reasoned. Then he turned his focus to the human standing in front of the portal, eyeing it uncertainly. "Walk through it. I will not hold the portal open any longer. It might attract the Hunters. Go."
Morinaga looked at the human and Tatsumi looked back at him. The vampire lost the ability to form words and it looked like the human wasn't sure what to say, either. It was so odd since just a minute ago he knew exactly what he wanted to tell Tatsumi. Somehow his brother's presence stopped the words in his throat. The two of them just kept looking each other in the eyes. It lasted only a moment but for both of them it seemed like their eyes were locked on each other for minutes. During that time something passed between them, something that didn't need words.
"Good bye," Tatsumi whispered, turned back, and without waiting for Morinaga's answer walked through the portal.
The moment he was on the other side, Kunihiro closed the portal, depriving Morinaga of the view. The younger Vampire Lord blinked. He bit his lip, suppressing the urge to open another portal and follow Souichi. He missed the human already; he yearned to be near him. Now when apparently Tatsumi had started to handle his sexuality better, they were being separated. It was not fair.
He was already making plans for when he would be able to go into the Human World and find Souichi Tatsumi again when his Nii-san spoke.
"Please refrain from further visits to the Human World until the Hunters are gone." It looked like his brother knew exactly what Morinaga was thinking about and from the look he was giving his younger brother he wasn't all that happy with that knowledge. Even so, he had let the human go, hadn't hurt or killed him, like Morinaga thought he might. The younger Morinaga didn't know why his brother had changed his mind, but he was more grateful to his Nii-san than he remembered being for a long time, if not ever.
When his brother's words finally registered, Morinaga winced. He had planned to go in a few hours or at least tomorrow, to see how Souichi was doing. Now he needed to reconsider his plans for the near future.
"I expect to see you in my office to give me your report from your visit to Maderia, like you should have done right after you returned," the elder Morinaga said, moving to the teleportation point in the middle of the room.
Morinaga still couldn't say anything. He wasn't sure what to tell his brother. He knew that he would need to do as his brother asked him. He owed him at least that much for letting Tatsumi go. When his brother turned around, stopping on the teleportation sigil on the floor, Morinaga nodded his head yes so that his brother knew he understood and would do as he was told.
Kunihiro surprised Morinaga by speaking again. "You know, Tetsuhiro, if you'd just come to see me when you returned, I probably wouldn't have found out about your lover being here," Kunihiro said casually. "But you needed to see him first, didn't you?"
Morinaga was struck speechless. His brother had never spoken with him like this, like he understood Morinaga's feelings, as if he didn't have anything against him loving men. That was surreal. His brother's forwardness about Morinaga's sexuality emboldened the younger vampire to ask some questions.
"Nii-san? Can I ask you something?" Morinaga managed to catch the elder vampire's attention before he teleported out of the room.
"Go ahead," he said encouragingly. He looked calmly at his younger brother, waiting for whatever questions the other vampire might have.
"What caused you to change your mind?" At his brother's questioning look, Morinaga elaborated. "You were ready to kill Tatsumi. I saw it in your eyes. What made you change your mind?"
Kunihiro looked at him for a moment as if contemplating if he should answer or not. Or maybe he was thinking of what to tell his younger brother? Morinaga wasn't sure which, but he hoped his brother wouldn't brush off his question and leave his curiosity unsatisfied.
"I'm not an idiot, Tetsuhiro. Do you think I haven't noticed that you've changed? I don't know what caused you to lose that sparkle in your eyes, but now you have it back. And it's thanks to that human, I could tell. I missed that sparkle and I'm happy I can see it again, even if it's because of your love for a human," Kunihiro explained and added, "It's a good thing that you haven't lied to me while defending him. I would have been very disappointed if you had said that you didn't care about his life."
Kunihiro teleported from the room, leaving the younger vampire to stare into space and contemplate his brother's words. There was a lot he needed to think about.
Note: I hope you liked this chapter. ^-^ Please, review. ^-^ Next chapter should be up in about two weeks.