A Walk in the Park

The sun settled high upon a rich backdrop of cerulean sky dappled by the occasional white cloud that floated, drifted lazily across the horizon. Here and there were specks of black, shadows of birds flying too high to see. For a minute, there was a loud roar, a mechanical hum that disrupted the peaceful sounds of nature. Looking up, one could see a speck of red and white, signature of a plane. In it, the lives of over a hundred mortals.

Tsuzuki leaned back against a bench in the park, closing his eyes under the black shades of his sunglasses. His senses grew accustomed to his temporary lack of sight, and in its wake, his hearing grew sharper.

There was the click-click-clacking of pointy stilettos as businesswomen hurried past, leaving behind clouds of musk, flowers, and other scents of heavy perfume they showered themselves with. There was the light pitter-patter of children's footsteps, as they scurried along squealing happily in a game of hide-and-seek. There was the gentle chidings of mothers and fathers as they brushed a smudge of dirt off their children's face.

There was something missing.

"Don't move." Something cool and metallic presses against your head. You shift to find his emerald gaze trained on you. "I found you, vampire!"

He opened his eyes again, finding the world tinted an even grey through the coloured lenses. Even the helium balloons that glittered and sparkled under the warm sunlight was dulled, a crowd of dreary colours clutched in a teenage girl's hand as she offered it to a little boy. His father sighed, and reached in his pocket for his wallet.

Watching the balloons, Tsuzuki caught himself wondering how many it would take to lift the girl up in the air. Twenty? Thirty? She was a petite thing, small even for her age, he'd presume. He recalled a conversation like this one time he was here with . . . he felt his breath hitch.

". . . breathe, baka." He chides with an impish smile. You feel you own face crack into a wide beam. It was so rare, so, so rare to see him smile.

"Only for you." Elation. How long have you been denied . . . this?

He wrinkles his nose, an action you find immensely adorable. Not that you'd ever tell him, he enjoys deluding himself as 'prickly' in the eyes of others. Still, you can't help but lean down to steal a kiss.

He blushes a pretty pink. "Lech!" he exclaims.

"Oh? I thought I was a vampire. You said so yourself. Right here, if I remember correctly."

"I . . . ah! Did you just bit me?"

No. No more.

Black coat swirling around him, he stood so abruptly he didn't notice a little girl who was running towards him. Startled, he took a step back as the little girl fell to the ground with a soft thud.

"Oof!"

Quickly, Tsuzuki knelt down on one knee, leaning towards the girl and helping her up. "You okay?"

Verdant eyes greeted him, bright and fresh with youthful innocence.

"You'll be okay, won't you?" Green eyes search yours for assurance.

"You are the one with a case, love. And you call me an idiot."

"Yes, well, I'm not the one with a big gaping wound on my leg, am I? Clumsy oaf."

You laugh, and gather him in a hug. "I'll be fine. Stop stressing."

Kimiko watched as the pretty man disappeared, a puzzled frown wrinkling her small brows.

"Kimiko?"

She turned, and ran to greet her mother. "Mummy!"

Her mother picked her up, settling the child at her hip with practised ease. "And where have you been, young lady?"

"I was playing hide-and-seek with Ko-chan and Hi-chan and I was it, and then I was running and I bumped into this big man. He helped me up, and then he went poof!" She put up her hands for emphasis. 

Her mother raised an eyebrow. "'Went poof', did he?"

"Yes! Like Dobby." Her green eyes opened very wide. "Is he a house-elf, too?" Kimiko whispered.

"Maybe he is," was the amused reply. "You'll have to ask him."

"He wasn't very wrinkly . . ." A flash of white caught the little girl's eyes. "Ooh! A flower!" She reached for it.

Her mother held her back with a frown. "No, Kimiko. That's a chrysanthemum."

"So?"

"So, it's a flower for the dead. Now why would anyone put that there?"

Because there are no graves in Meifu.

~~~~~~

AN: I'm sick of writing 'Keepsake'. Hisoka frustrates me with his denial and his grief. Tatsumi frustrates me with his grief and sense of duty. Unfortunately, there are no other ways to write them. So this is an exercise, sorta . . . I don't really know what for, since I seem to be experiencing the infamous 'Writer's Block'. ^^;

Once again, because I have a feeling I may be repeating this for a while yet. I'm in desperate, desperate need of a beta-reader. If anyone is interested and has a basic knowledge of the YnM manga, please contact me at breze@doramail.com or drop a review. I'd like to discuss plot, characterisation with someone who can most importantly correct my abysmal grammar. Thank you in advance!