Okay, so I've been taking only 2 days to update lately. I guess I've just been eager with writing this. ^^ This is a lot of fun! Phew...I'm so glad I'm still alive. Thank you for not killing me for the last chapter! *hands out Tsuzuki-shaped pocky* Okay, here's the next one. I had decided to wait until tomorrow or the next day to post this (the suspense factor, you know) but I couldn't wait. I have no patience, what can I say? ^__^
Fish1 - LOL. You'd better go check on that, then. ^__^ I'd hate for you to walk around wet all day...er, wait - that didn't sound right... .;;
Kara Angitia - Awww, don't be too hard on poor Tatsumi. He's had a rough time too, even if he is an uptight bastard sometimes. ^_^
JoniQuest - Phew, I'm glad you liked it. I'm glad everyone liked it! *was really expecting to be murdered*
Konnie-chan - *meeps and dives for cover* Yes, Master!
Kata - *hugs Kata tightly* Sankyuu!! I'm pleased that you caught the formality part at the end. I tried really hard to keep it all realistic. There's nothing worse than reading bad angst!
Ikki - *grins* Your wish is my command, dear. Enjoy the chapter!
Sarfox the Tod - Thank you very much! ^_^ I'm glad you like my style.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tatsumi didn't know if Watari showed up on time to work because he himself was late. He spent the morning lying in bed after a night of no sleep, the events of the past few weeks running through his head. When he had left Watari's apartment, all he could do was walk home dejectedly, a heavy burden on his heart. He had been used, like a lab rat. Except lab rats knew they were experiments, knew their lives would be over soon. Tatsumi didn't have the luxury of such knowledge. Watari had used him...his friend had used him. He was not the type of man who gave his heart lightly to anyone. But he had given his heart to the genki blonde scientist...thought him trustworthy, honest, real. So for him to find out it was all a lie, all an act...the thought tore him up inside. He had viewed Watari as one of the few people in his life that he could really trust and rely on. Now, he didn't know what was real and what was illusion anymore - and that terrified him. When he arrived at his apartment, all he could do for two hours was sit and stare at the wall, berating himself for ever having had the gullibility to trust someone so much.
And so, Tatsumi Seiichiro got no sleep that night, having to force himself out of bed in the morning. He was entirely unconcerned that the clock showed he had five minutes to get to work. No, he showered, changed, and sat on the sofa for an hour. He was beginning to fear what would happen when he arrived at the office. He knew that when he had left, Watari had been very distraught, although not angry. The Kagetsukai feared that his partner would bring their conflict into the office. In times of emotional distress, Watari Yutaka had a tendency to speak before he thought.
"What now?" Tatsumi asked himself. He tried to think about whether he still considered the other man his boyfriend, but didn't have the heart to tackle that question yet. It was just too painful. All of his common sense and logic screamed at him to cut ties with the scientist, to push him far away so that the emotional barriers could be rebuilt. But there was a small, soft-spoken part that whispered it's not too late. Tatsumi stood, deciding that he couldn't think about any of it until he'd had some damn coffee.
***********
The office was strangely cheerful when Tatsumi finally arrived. Then again, perhaps it just seemed that way due to his own miserable mood. He dragged himself to his office, throwing his briefcase to the floor with a loud crack, then went in search of coffee. He ended up at the break room, where Tsuzuki sat alone, nursing a piece of cheesecake silently. The secretary entered the room quietly, realizing that Watari had probably already spoken to Tsuzuki. He stopped in front of the coffee machine, his back to the other man. He grabbed a cup, pouring the coffee into it carefully.
"Tatsumi."
He sighed, not wanting to turn around and face what would probably be an angry Shinigami. He was the scientist's best friend, after all. Still, he turned around.
"What's wrong?" Tsuzuki's face was a mask of concern.
"...You don't know yet?"
The younger man shook his head, a look of genuine puzzlement adorning his features.
Tatsumi sighed, taking a seat next to his former partner.
"I assume you knew about this... All this time, and you didn't stop it?"
He turned bitter eyes on his surprised friend.
"Tatsumi...what..." Tsuzuki stopped, realization dawning in his eyes. "Oh...Watari told you, didn't he?"
The Kagetsukai nodded, his face reflecting the weariness in his soul. The violet-eyed man looked away guiltily.
"Yeah, he told me. That was the day I got so mad at him, remember? I wish there had been something I could have done, but it was too late by then. Besides, how could I have told you? I looked into his eyes, Tatsumi, and I didn't see deceit there. I saw genuine affection for you and guilt over having started the experiment at all. I knew that if I told you, I'd be ruining any chances the two of you would ever have to be together."
Tsuzuki looked over at the other man.
"What happened, exactly?"
Tatsumi sighed, pushing his glasses higher on his nose.
"He confessed to me that I was an experiment of his."
"Obviously, but how did he say it? What else did he say?"
The secretary grimaced, convinced that Tsuzuki would sympathize with Watari, not him.
"He said that...that he loves me, and that all the things he's told me have been truthful. He said he regrets ever having begun such a foolish experiment. He said...that he's sorry..." It was painful to recount their conversation, unwelcome emotions rushing to the surface.
"Do you believe him?"
Tatsumi shook his head.
"I don't know. I don't know what to believe."
Tsuzuki smiled sadly.
"I do," he whispered.
The Kagetsukai looked at him oddly.
"You what?"
"I believe him. He looks at you...the same way I look at Hisoka," the younger man confessed, a faint blush of embarrassment staining his cheeks.
Tatsumi stared at his friend for a long moment, weighing everything he knew in his head. Tsuzuki Asato was no liar, far from it...but he was the kind of man who could probably comfort a serial murderer if necessary. The Kagetsukai had a brief image of Tsuzuki sitting in a psychiatrist's chair, listening sympathetically to patients. It was almost enough to make him smile. Almost.
"...I'm going to get to work now," he stated, rising from the chair. The violet-eyed man rose as well, stopping him with a hand on his shoulder.
"If you don't believe me, ask Hisoka. He's the empath here. Just...don't mention the part I said about him, okay?"
Tatsumi hesitated, then nodded. Tsuzuki's hand dropped, and the secretary left the room.
************
Hisoka groaned softly, placing his head atop his arms. For the whole morning, he had sensed nothing but negative, painful emotions. At one point, Terazuma had baited Tsuzuki but, seeing his young partner's distress, the Shinigami had not risen to it. There were so many emotions...anger, sadness, desperation, love...they were everywhere, but in an abundance that day. Hisoka was so distracted that it was near impossible to get any work done.
"Soka! I need a favor," Tsuzuki said as he ran up to the desk.
The boy growled softly, slowly lifting his head.
"Tsuzuki...dunfeelgood...kill you..."
The older man smiled, leaning his head down.
"If you do me this favor, it might make your headache go away..."
Hisoka blinked, looking at his partner skeptically.
************
"I said I'm sorry, 'Soka!"
Tatsumi paused in his work, hearing Tsuzuki's voice down the hall.
"Just shut up, baka! I can't believe you did that to me!"
"But Hisoka, I'm sorry... I love you! Please forgive me?"
"No! Get away from me, I don't want to see your face!"
A door creaked open and was slammed. Tatsumi stared at his own office door. It opened a minute later, a dejected Tsuzuki dragging himself inside.
"Tatsumi..."
The Kagetsukai rolled his eyes irritably, not at all in the mood to listen to anyone's problems.
"What, Tsuzuki-san?"
The violet-eyed man took a seat, fidgeting.
"I made 'Soka mad again..."
Tatsumi glared.
"Obviously."
Tsuzuki looked up, his eyes wide and vulnerable.
"But...but...I was only trying to help! I didn't mean to make him mad, honest! I just wanted to help... He won't listen to me, Tatsumi! I said I'm sorry, but he won't forgive me. What do I do?"
Tatsumi gritted his teeth, counting to ten mentally.
"If it was something truly that bad, you need to prove to him that you meant no harm. Surely Kurosaki-kun of all people will understand your idiocy."
Tsuzuki's lip quivered.
"But...what if he doesn't forgive me?"
The secretary closed his eyes with exhaustion.
"Kurosaki-kun cares for you, Tsuzuki-san. He will forgive you. Maybe not today, but by the end of the week, he'll have forgiven you."
"But why?" Tsuzuki whispered self-deprecatingly. "Why should he forgive me? I hurt him... I don't deserve to have someone so good in my life."
Tatsumi's eyes opened, softening at his ex-partner's words.
"Tsuzuki...Kurosaki-kun likely thinks along the same lines. He probably wonders how he deserves someone as understanding and caring as you. He will forgive you because if he didn't, he'd be miserable. He just needs a little time to calm down."
"Like...how much time?"
Tatsumi frowned.
"I don't know."
Tsuzuki was persistent, however.
"A day? Two? More...?"
The Kagetsukai sighed yet again, beginning to get annoyed.
"I don't know, Tsuzuki-san. Give him a day or so, and get out of my office."
Tsuzuki stood, his forlorn look nearly gone.
"A day or so, huh? Okay, Tatsumi...a day or so it is. But you should take your own advice for once..."
The secretary stared at his friend as if he had lost him mind. Tsuzuki merely winked and skipped out of the room, leaving the older man thoroughly confused.
***********
Outside Tatsumi's office, Hisoka was leaned against the wall, waiting.
Tsuzuki walked out, flashing a thumbs-up.
"I take it your plan worked?" the green-eyed boy asked.
"It sure did! Now, on to the second half of it..."
Hisoka rolled his eyes, pushing away from the wall and crossing his arms.
"Then I can go back to working now, right?"
He began to walk away, but Tsuzuki's hand on his arm stopped him.
"Thanks, 'Soka," he whispered, pulling the boy into a hug.
Hisoka froze for a moment before gently pushing the other man away.
"Yeah..." He turned, walking back to his desk.
Tsuzuki smiled, watching his partner's retreat. When he couldn't see him anymore, he turned in the opposite direction, heading to the lab. He reached the door, knocking softly. When no one answered, the Shinigami frowned and entered the room.
The lab was a mess, old experiments and chemicals sitting haphazardly close to the edge of the counter. There were papers strewn everywhere. The walls were stained and broken glass littered the floor, as if someone had thrown beakers at the wall.
"Watari?" Tsuzuki called out hesitantly.
There was a shuffling from behind some boxes, the scientist emerging. His normally bright eyes were dulled and red, bags beneath them. His skin was wan, and his beautiful hair was knotted and unkempt.
"What?" the blonde barked, causing his friend to jump.
Tsuzuki stared at him aghast.
"Watari...what happened here?"
The scientist frowned, looking around as if he was just seeing the room.
"Oh...this. Well, I was thinking that maybe I need to just...get away. I mean, obviously I can't do anything right when it comes to my experiments, so why bother? Maybe I'll just bandage wounds for the rest of eternity. Doesn't that sound nice, Tsuzuki? Surely I can't screw that up, too - can I? Can I?!"
Tsuzuki winced, frightened by his friend's desperation.
"Watari, that's not true. A lot of your experiments turn out fine...maybe not always as expected, but still. Like Jason-kun, for example. That may not be of much use in Meifu, but any hard-working mortal mom would love to have something like that!"
"They already make pre-sliced foods," the blonde said flatly.
"Yeah, er...but they cost more!"
Watari sighed, shaking his head. Tsuzuki noticed the tremors in the scientist's hands.
"Look...I talked to Tatsumi. He seems confused, upset, a little betrayed...but he isn't angry. He doesn't hate you, Watari. He just feels lost right now. Give him a day or so, then try to talk to him. He needs a little time to sort things out, you know?"
Watari looked down at the tile floor, nodding his head softly. It hurt Tsuzuki to see his closest friend in such pain. He walked closer to the man, careful not to step on the glass shards. When he stood directly in front of him, the violet-eyed man reached out, wrapping his arms around his friend's slender frame. Watari let out a soft sigh, leaning into the embrace, his hands gripping the back of Tsuzuki's suit jacket tightly. He squeezed his eyes shut, sobbing gently onto the older Shinigami's shoulder.