August 3, 2004
Title: Providence
Chapter: Deciding (5/?)
Author: Charlie (Lycthem)
Disclaimer: See Part One.
5.
He had expected his meeting with Yamato, if such meeting was bound to happen, to be nothing short of a fairy tale experience. Decorated with fireworks, tinged with excitement, and adrenaline cursing through them faster than the water pumped daily at a water-cleansing factory. He had expected the meeting to be spectacular. Yamato was to immediately take a liking to him, and they would follow with the best conversation in their lifetime, and end up feeling immensely satisfied and yearning for more. He had expected the meeting to be grand.
Which was clearly not in the Book of Things that Are to Be as the only thing he experienced when such meeting took place was what most would classify as, nothing, really. Other than the increased thumping of his heart, the activation of his sweat glands, and the dilatation of his pupils, everything else remained the same. Even the air had neglected to freeze, and he was sure that was not what was supposed to happen in such an occasion.
Only one thought took hold of his mind during the few seconds their eyes met ('thoseeyessoblue') and it was because of it he had missed the first word spoken to him by the inestimable Yamato Ishida. And the second. And the third.
"...Sir?" the words managed to make their way to his brain, and he stopped his staring. Once Yamato noticed he had the newcomer's attention he half-smiled.
"Is there something you wanted?" he asked, his voice tinged with amusement.
The blond man hadn't moved from his position and was looking at the angel with inquiring eyes. Taichi found himself uncomfortable, and felt awkward in his shoes.
"Hi, I'm Taichi. And I'm here for-"
"-Oh! You're the wallet guy!" Yamato interrupted, and at Taichi's semi-surprised look, he chuckled. "I'm sorry, it's just we were wondering if you, er, whether you would show up or not. Since you didn't call back... you're not paying much attention to me, are you?" he finished.
Once the words were processed by Taichi's brain he tried to gather his bearings as they had seemingly been scattered along the garden once he'd seen the blue-eyed man.
"No, I mean, yes! I am paying attention, it's just that..." he broke off. How was he to explain that Yamato was someone he had most definitely not been expecting to see at this place without sounding like a complete stalker? He opted instead for the rather vague, and most commonly used expression when not knowing what to say. "Sorry."
Yamato looked at him with an unreadable expression and shrugged. "The wallet's over there by the table." he said pointing to the wooden outdoor table about five feet away from where the brunet stood. Taichi walked quickly towards it, picking up the wallet and placing it on his back pocket. He didn't look inside to check if everything was still there, he somehow thought everything would be. He also didn't want to be rude, and somehow, for him, opening the wallet there would only increase his rudeness.
"My name's Yamato." the blonde man said placing a few weeds on a bucket next to him. He opened his mouth to say something more, but Taichi was quicker.
"I know." he said quickly, interrupting the other man's words, and immediately berated himself. I know? Where did he come up with this stuff? Why did he feel so awkward? He was Taichi, smoothest guardian angel ever!
Yamato looked at him with an oddly. "You do?"
"It says so on your shirt." Taichi covered, pointing clumsily at said article.
"On my shirt...?" Yamato muttered loud enough for Taichi to hear, and looked down. Indeed, embroidered on the pocket was the name Yamato, clearly legit in red block letters. "Oh." he breathed and then looked confusedly at Taichi. "Don't remember putting this shirt on this morning."
He hadn't, in fact, put that t-shirt on that morning. But Taichi barely had enough time to think, and it was the first thing that came to mind. It never occurred to him that writing the man's name on something else would've been less... incriminating. But Yamato wasn't giving the matter much thought.
"I swear, if my head weren't attached to my neck..." he chuckled, and Taichi smiled weakly.
An awkward silence took hold of the moment, and Taichi found himself with nothing to say. Funny, since his mind didn't seem to know the meaning of the phrase 'shut up', and was constantly mocking his words and thoughts.
"Sorry about the wallet, I'm sure my niece didn't mean to." Yamato tried to say something before turning back to his weeding. "Well, I can't vouch for that, but I apologize on her behalf since she's not here. She's also young, and therefore stupid, but..."
"That's okay." the brown haired angel managed to say, between the loud sounding cough he used to not so discreetly mask a snort. He was about to add something more to continue the conversation, when he noticed a familiar red twinkling besides Yamato -- Hitoi.
/Go away, Yagami. / The low voice of Hitoi made itself heard inside the brunet's head. /You retrieved the wallet. You have no business here anymore. /
In his mind, the Yagami smiled. /Leave? But I'm just getting started. /
But only he seemed to think so, for he was shaken the next instant when Yamato spoke to him.
"Shouldn't you be going somewhere?" the blond man voiced. His expression, which earlier was an open one, welcoming even, was now guarded and cool. Taichi blinked.
"You already have your wallet, so..." he didn't finish the sentence, but it was obvious that the next words were 'you should leave'. Taichi didn't have to Sense to know that. Yamato's expression was enough.
He took a step back and frowned. What the...?
"I guess," he said instead. What had happened…? Did Hitoi...?
Yamato nodded, bid the angel a good journey back, and resumed with his weeding. Taichi couldn't remember a time he had been so... dismissed. There was nothing he could do, because the next second, even the trees seemed to hold back at him, and he could tell they were feeling Yamato's coolness. So, with a confused frown, he said goodbye and left.
Had Hitoi interfered?
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He didn't know what went wrong. He didn't know what happened. He had no idea, but as he let himself fall onto his bed there was one thing he was sure of. Hitoi had something to do with it. Of course he would! Everything was coming along perfectly until that little creep decided to show his hostility. A hostility that Yamato couldn't hear, but could feel as though it was his own. Such was the connection of a guardian angel and their charge.
Damn him!
Granted, the meeting had gone nothing like he had thought it would. In his mind he had never thought of being thrown into that circumstance. And he had given that a lot of thought, he just didn't think that one, if any, would come true. He didn't think -- he didn't -- wait. What if that was a chance? A chance he was given to...
Taichi closed his eyes and burrowed his face deeper into his pillow. No thinking. Thinking was not good. Thinking was for... for... well, certainly not for him. Better to leave things like that to Koushirou. Koushirou could -- Izzy! He lifted his head and opened his eyes. That's whom he needed! It hadn't taken the clock enough time to tick before the brunet angel had disappeared.
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Sitting in a rather small and uncomfortable chair in the shop where the pink loving Urara worked in the mortal plane, Taichi could affirm that today was not his day. Koushirou had recently taken a permanent guardianship over someone, and since the first days were critical, he wasn't allowed outer visits. Ergo, Taichi couldn't talk to him. Which was, you know, excellent.
"Loose the long face and just tell me about it." an exasperated voice reached his ears.
"I don't want to tell you." Taichi said childishly, not looking at her, rather to an ugly looking portrait in front of him. "I'd tell this to anyone but you."
Instead of taking offence with the words, she laughed and placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.
"That bad?"
"No, not that bad. Since nothing's wrong." He frowned. She shrugged.
"Suit yourself." she said and stepped back. After a few seconds she turned around and looked for a slip of paper before handing it to him. "Here's your list. Be a good angel and pick one."
Taichi took the paper and looked at it. At first the words were blurred together as he wasn't making much effort to see, but when he did his eyes widened.
Mimi Tachikawa...? Wasn't that…?
"Oh freaks! I'm so, so, sorry! A-Are you alright?"
Had Taichi been a mortal he was sure the car would've broken some vital part of him. Being an angel had its uses; still he wasn't impervious to such an impact. Out of breath, Taichi nodded as best he could. Around him a small crowd was starting to form, and he was sure the police would take no time in arriving.
He tried sitting up, and with the help of a young woman, who he was sure was the one driving the car, he managed so.
"Play along." he whispered, and he noticed her confused look but ignored it.
"Dammit, Meems. I know you said you'd crash up to me one day, I didn't think you meant literally." He said in a semi-loud voice so the people around could hear.
She picked up right away, but looked at him doubtfully. Why was he helping her?, she thought. Because I hate being mean, Taichi said to himself.
"Next time, try to be gentler." he said smiling at her, eyes saying 'yes, I'm helping you. Trust me', and she nodded. Nervously she chuckled.
After that, the crowd just started dispersing, and it seemed like second nature that he invite her for coffee. They were in front of a cafe anyway.
He had hoped that she hadn't noticed his use of her nickname, but as usual, he thought before saying something that could put any suspicion on him. He had only used it because it was the name in the front license plate of her car, something he clearly could miss when the car headed dead centre towards him.
Urara saw his reaction and half-chuckled half-sighed, "Alia used to have her but she went poof a few days ago. She's with Shin but needs a new temp since they're having problems up there with her guardian."
Taichi winced at the 'going poof' comment. It was something no angel wanted to experience. Much like a human heart attack, going poof meant you were going past your limit. Though not capable of dying, they were taken back up and cleansed in a matter of speaking. Then you were taken to another division and weren't able to serve guardianship duties anymore. Alia had been a guardian even before he came through, he was sure if there was any trouble regarding Mimi's angel it had something to do with the fiery black-haired Alia and her illustrious temper. When Alia took a charge, it was as personal as her own life.
"You planning on taking her?" Urara queried from over his shoulder.
Should he? It would take his time and he wouldn't be able to visit Yamato. It's not like he wants to see you. That was true. The blond just saw him as a person whose wallet was stolen and now that he had taken what was his, there was nothing more to do. No reason to see him.
But should he take her?
Forget about him.
Was he ready?
Don't think.
"I'll guard her." Taichi said, and Urara smiled.
"Good."
-------
Once he uttered the words, he didn't flash and appear where Mimi was, as he'd initially feared he would. In fact, the only difference he could notice was the absence of the pounding headache that has accompanied him everywhere in the last couple of weeks.
At his confused look, Urara clarified.
"You're just a temp, don't you remember how it feels like?"
He didn't. All he remembered was that, before taking permanent charges they'd been tested once temporarily, but that had been hundreds of years ago, and his memory tended to erase a few things every once in a while. It was bothersome to keep up with more than half a century worth of information.
"Well." she said sitting on the floor near his feet, "You'll just hear her all the time and help her out. Offer advice, which she could take and maybe even guide her if things aren't already too complicated for you. You'll be like a really good friend. Think you can handle that?"
He glared at her, and she stuck out her tongue. Rolling his eyes, Taichi let himself smile.
"I can handle that."
"Can you really?" she asked quickly. "I mean," she said when she noticed his startled look. "Are you sure you're ready to involve yourself like this again?"
From the moment he noticed her tone, he knew she was referring to his instability after the Clarisse incident. He started to speak then paused.
Was he ready to put himself on the line again? What he'd been doing for almost a year now involved no real commitment. He helped as an outsider. A one-time deal, Taichi the friendly 'mortal', that was his persona. He made a signal for her to lean against his legs and started playing with her hair. It was something they'd always done; she was as familiar to him as Kari was.
Taking this charge meant he was available to taking more permanent ones. Taking this one meant he was once again in The List, and could be called whenever they found someone that could benefit from his guidance.
Slowly he nodded once.
"Yeah, I think I'm ready."
She smiled softly up at him and closed her eyes.
"It's nice to know you're trying to come back Tai."
Yeah, he thought to himself, it really was.
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To Be Continued...
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