Chapter Thirteen
Kamatari couldn't help it; he felt nervous. Not the good, butterflies fluttering in the stomach nervous. It was more like something had grabbed all of his insides and was slowly twisting them like a dishrag.
It wasn't this mission, was it? No, it didn't seem like it. Shishio, as Sano called him, was crispy, but that didn't matter. Damn, not one bit. Of course, fending off a completely vicious women who was so infatuated that she'd jump off a cliff for the man was no picnic. If he could just get rid of her…
But that was just nonsense. Kamatari wasn't stupid. Growing up as he had he was aware of what most people thought of him and his 'kind'. Shishio wasn't the type of man to scorn for those sorts of reasons, but he also wasn't interested in Kamatari's advances. That was clear enough to everyone. Except Yumi. Really, he had to do something with that woman. Maybe tie her up in a storage closet for a day or two…
Back on track. While he behaved frivolously and flamboyantly, he really wasn't that sort of person underneath. Even so, being an actor was part of him and had been ever since he found it necessary to learn as a child. People were so easily fooled. The kids at school, his parents, his teachers. Only his sister really knew and she promised to never tell. But that was before.
Well, at least he was putting his skills to use if nothing else.
But something else was bothering him. He had noticed the moving van and had seen Saitoh. He had also noticed the red-haired Battousai coming and going. He knew his friends were safe. Saitoh wouldn't let anything happen to either Tokio or Megumi if he could possibly help it. And the girls were no slouches either. There was nothing to worry about there. Nothing at all.
Sano? Well, aside from reminding the big mouth that he was undercover he wasn't particularly worried.
He leaned against the dirty window and stared out over the desolate parking lot at the small, comely house perched in between two squat buildings. Maybe he should go get some lunch or something. Food, according to Sano, healed all ills.
He turned around and started violently.
"H-hello, have we met before? You seem familiar…" Damn straight he seemed familiar. Who could forget a man like Aoshi Shinomori? Especially after being on the business end of his blade.
"Why are you here?" His cold voice seemed to chill the air around them and Kamatari backpedaled slightly. He wasn't a coward, but he sure knew when he was outmatched.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about handsome. I'm here for Lord Shishio of course. To lend my services and fulfill his commands!" Great job, falling back on old tricks always worked. Unless you were up against a psychotic block of ice.
The blue eyes narrowed.
"I am sure you are, Shinsengumi." He hissed dangerously and Kamatari looked around. If the wrong ears heard that he was as good as dead. Maybe Sano too. "Why?"
"Why are you here Shinomori. That last job not pan out well for you?" Kamatari snapped back. He was backed into a corner. He could have told some lie, but he found that lies had a bad habit of coming back and biting one in the ass twice as hard.
The taller man's lips twisted into what might have been a smirk, "Stay out of my way. I don't have a problem with you. Just your friends."
"That's reassuring. After all, why wouldn't I care about them?" Kamatari growled and the man gave him a patronizing look.
"I will extract what is mine. Out of hides if I must."
Can you say brrr? Kamatari wasn't sure why he was here in alliance with Shishio. Was his spy group in the middle of this mess too? It wasn't good having all these powerful people in one building. The cross-dresser knew who could best him and steered clear accordingly. That chance meeting with Usui was enough to make him shiver even now.
As his luck ran he would probably run into Soujirou next.
"Kamatari, how are you today?"
Yup, see?
"Oh you know." He said airily and waved a hand for effect, "How about you Sou?"
"Shinomori was here a few moments ago, was he not?" Oh boy, that didn't bode well. There was something in the boy assassin's tone that didn't sit right. No wonder Kamatari felt so out of sorts. The nuts housed in here were giving off enough tension to crush a stone.
"Yes. Do you have business with him because he only left a few seconds ago. You can still catch him."
Soujirou didn't seem to recognize Kamatari or Sano from that dark night. Then again, he wouldn't have recognized the boy except from the bouncy girl that seemed to be tagging along.
"I'd rather not." The boy commented with a cold smile. "He and I had a disagreement."
Which is why you're tailing him right? Good luck with the inevitable confrontation. Kamatari said mentally to himself. Just make sure you don't obliterate the rest of us when you get a bit overzealous.
I have to get out of here; they're going to drive me out of my mind. Kamatari sighed. Of course that mean going back to his room to fetch his purse. And with his luck he'd run into Anji. Or Chou. Good lord, Chou. He had to get out of here.
Sliding out one of the many back doors he strode out wishing he had brought a jacket. Shoving his hands in the trashy hoodie he was still dressed in he considered running. Since he had joined up with Shishio he hadn't had the time to start a running route. Now that things had settled down maybe he should consider it. Running was always an excellent stress reliever. It was some much needed me time, even for an extreme extrovert like Kamatari.
He glanced ruefully at the sneakers covering his feet. They were fairly new and still white, but if he started splashing through mud puddles they'd turn out brown. With a shrug he decided a good run was worth it.
Doing a quick stretch he jogged off being careful to skirt the house. A drizzle started up, but he enjoyed the quick, cold splats of the drops on his skin.
Despite his sunny nature he really enjoyed days when the clouds rolled over the sky like a fluffy, gray blanket and the sun couldn't get through. It was almost like a grounder saying that he was in the real world and not some crazy dream.
Before he knew it he had circled a wide radius and was heading back. His hamstrings were protesting and he was short of breath. Amazing how much toning he lost over the span of a mere week.
Slowing to a trot he almost ran into a slight, damp figure. At the person's side was a small, shaggy dog. The creature was carefully walking along. Actually, with all the bandages it was comparable to Shishio.
Kamatari paused to digest that thought and came up with a delightful image of Shishio as a puppy dog. One he couldn't help giggle at.
The figure jerked its head up and Kamatari found himself face to face with the Battousai. Was his luck screwed or what? He must have as many lives as a cat considering how closely he was flirting with death today.
"You!" The Battousai said and jumped back.
Oh dear, just what had Megumi been telling the poor man about him? Such a negative reaction!
"Darling, have we met?" Kamatari asked innocently. He probably looked like a drowned rat, running in the rain with only some old sweats and a hoodie.
"I… uh… Kamatari right?" The man sputtered and the dog looked up at him like he was insane.
"And you're the Battousai." Kamatari grinned. Who knew that the man did some dog walking on his time off? Damn, a sexy man at that. Also, regrettably, straighter than a line despite his long, lovely hair and feminine build.
"Uh, that's not a name I would like to be called in public, that I would not." He said while the dog cautiously limped up. Kamatari bent down and offered the back of his hand. The mutt looked him over before cautiously sniffing. It wagged its tail slightly and backed off.
"So what should I call you sweetheart?" Oh this was great. Having been assured that his life was safe Kamatari wasn't going to let this go. He wasn't sure when this had become a running tally between himself and Sano, but they were always bragging about their deeds.
"Himura is fine." The man said stiffly while he regained some of his lost dignity and composure.
"Since I can't cross camps do you mind me asking a few questions? I'm assuming that's little Meg's dog." A cautious nod. Good, very good. Start out with the easy ones. It was bad enough the man was ready to bolt at any moment, dog or no. "That girl's got a mind of her own. Imagine, acquiring a pooch in the middle of an undercover operation. And she'd taking this okay right?"
"She's very smart." Himura replied with a vague smile, "She already calls Saitoh Daddy."
Kamatari choked suddenly and started laughing. Between gasps he managed, "That's rich. Oh boy, Sano's going to love that one. And Tokio? I'm sure she's calling him something not so nice about now."
Himura made a gurgling sound that was not remotely human. It sounded like oro? So what if he was interested in what was going on in that small, enclosed, penned in house. He had lived under the tyranny of the Wolf for long enough. It was fun to think that Saitoh was getting some hell of his own. After all, that's what made the world go round!
"I take that as a yes. Something must have happened. They've been smacked together in there for a week now. It won't hurt to tell me. I'm Saitoh's co-worker after all." Saying friend might have sounded better, but that would be a stretch. Saitoh didn't have friends. Half the time he didn't even acknowledge other people existed if they weren't annoying him.
"Miss Tokio and Saitoh have come to an understanding, that they have."
"Well, suck all the juicy parts out. That's it? No fireworks, nada?"
The other man gave a mysterious smile and shielded his violet eyes with his bangs. "Saitoh does not want to keep the dog. He and Megumi have been fighting with Miss Tokio as a referee."
Kamatari stared down at the damp mutt and laughed, "I have a good guess who won."
A/N: I got a job (well, almost, drug test). I don't know if that will affect my writing (probably not). It will just eat my screw around time (like me spending three hours surfing the net instead of finishing Transgender). Midterm grades next week ^________^ And a paper due monday. I need to stop messing around!
Fyyrrose: No, but you did after it was over *laughs* -__- Susumu bitch-slapping Tatsu was like *rolls eyes* The context was amusing I suppose. And S's comment in regards to blocking. How fast can you write? I'm 1/3 of the way through the second to last chapter. Yes, you guys like 15. I found the whole thing hilarious, but I like 17 still. HH notices everything. She just needs to take it like Tru. Ignore what I was doing entirely and flip it around! Oh please, fluff? Lukewarm at best. I don't do fluff well as Kerry commented. You need to order your stories like I do. I have a million in my head, but I only write the most important/best. Just knock him off. If I can kill Sano you can kill Naraku.
MissBehavin: Established pack ranking ^^ Tokio is making some serious errors __ Or not? It seems to me like it could turn into a game of power. Sano has a bad affect on people (including my and my suddenly dirty mouth from writing him). Hehe, Kenshin is really the one with problems I think. Usui may or may not. I haven't decided. Besides, even when I mark people I still change my mind over and over when new ideas come. 15 was great. Why do I get the feeling that the whole thing has happened before. HE knew WHO had taken IT right away! That speakth a pattern ^^ I just loved the begining when he's looking and screaming. The ending SUCKED! Not only was it all fairy tale-like, but it didn't resolve ANYTHING (except Tetsu's problem). Now, I'm not saying, oooooo go out and get everyone killed (esp. since I know how all the historical figures go out), but it ended so crappy -__-'.
eriesalia: ^^ Genetics never lie. The dynamics of the pair is fun (but diff. for me; I'm not too practiced at that sort of thing). Sorry about the grammer and such. My beta has retired and I'm too lazy to find a new one. Plus, I've been stretching myself too thin. I haven't taken the time to go back over this and fix things like I generally do. Transgender was purely raw @__@
Wistful-Eyes: Well done? It was nicely pulled off for me, relation-challenged woman (not even romantic relations @__@). Honest is good. No surprises down the line ^__~ Maybe Tokio learned something from her problems with Hiko?
Kamatari couldn't help it; he felt nervous. Not the good, butterflies fluttering in the stomach nervous. It was more like something had grabbed all of his insides and was slowly twisting them like a dishrag.
It wasn't this mission, was it? No, it didn't seem like it. Shishio, as Sano called him, was crispy, but that didn't matter. Damn, not one bit. Of course, fending off a completely vicious women who was so infatuated that she'd jump off a cliff for the man was no picnic. If he could just get rid of her…
But that was just nonsense. Kamatari wasn't stupid. Growing up as he had he was aware of what most people thought of him and his 'kind'. Shishio wasn't the type of man to scorn for those sorts of reasons, but he also wasn't interested in Kamatari's advances. That was clear enough to everyone. Except Yumi. Really, he had to do something with that woman. Maybe tie her up in a storage closet for a day or two…
Back on track. While he behaved frivolously and flamboyantly, he really wasn't that sort of person underneath. Even so, being an actor was part of him and had been ever since he found it necessary to learn as a child. People were so easily fooled. The kids at school, his parents, his teachers. Only his sister really knew and she promised to never tell. But that was before.
Well, at least he was putting his skills to use if nothing else.
But something else was bothering him. He had noticed the moving van and had seen Saitoh. He had also noticed the red-haired Battousai coming and going. He knew his friends were safe. Saitoh wouldn't let anything happen to either Tokio or Megumi if he could possibly help it. And the girls were no slouches either. There was nothing to worry about there. Nothing at all.
Sano? Well, aside from reminding the big mouth that he was undercover he wasn't particularly worried.
He leaned against the dirty window and stared out over the desolate parking lot at the small, comely house perched in between two squat buildings. Maybe he should go get some lunch or something. Food, according to Sano, healed all ills.
He turned around and started violently.
"H-hello, have we met before? You seem familiar…" Damn straight he seemed familiar. Who could forget a man like Aoshi Shinomori? Especially after being on the business end of his blade.
"Why are you here?" His cold voice seemed to chill the air around them and Kamatari backpedaled slightly. He wasn't a coward, but he sure knew when he was outmatched.
"I… I don't know what you're talking about handsome. I'm here for Lord Shishio of course. To lend my services and fulfill his commands!" Great job, falling back on old tricks always worked. Unless you were up against a psychotic block of ice.
The blue eyes narrowed.
"I am sure you are, Shinsengumi." He hissed dangerously and Kamatari looked around. If the wrong ears heard that he was as good as dead. Maybe Sano too. "Why?"
"Why are you here Shinomori. That last job not pan out well for you?" Kamatari snapped back. He was backed into a corner. He could have told some lie, but he found that lies had a bad habit of coming back and biting one in the ass twice as hard.
The taller man's lips twisted into what might have been a smirk, "Stay out of my way. I don't have a problem with you. Just your friends."
"That's reassuring. After all, why wouldn't I care about them?" Kamatari growled and the man gave him a patronizing look.
"I will extract what is mine. Out of hides if I must."
Can you say brrr? Kamatari wasn't sure why he was here in alliance with Shishio. Was his spy group in the middle of this mess too? It wasn't good having all these powerful people in one building. The cross-dresser knew who could best him and steered clear accordingly. That chance meeting with Usui was enough to make him shiver even now.
As his luck ran he would probably run into Soujirou next.
"Kamatari, how are you today?"
Yup, see?
"Oh you know." He said airily and waved a hand for effect, "How about you Sou?"
"Shinomori was here a few moments ago, was he not?" Oh boy, that didn't bode well. There was something in the boy assassin's tone that didn't sit right. No wonder Kamatari felt so out of sorts. The nuts housed in here were giving off enough tension to crush a stone.
"Yes. Do you have business with him because he only left a few seconds ago. You can still catch him."
Soujirou didn't seem to recognize Kamatari or Sano from that dark night. Then again, he wouldn't have recognized the boy except from the bouncy girl that seemed to be tagging along.
"I'd rather not." The boy commented with a cold smile. "He and I had a disagreement."
Which is why you're tailing him right? Good luck with the inevitable confrontation. Kamatari said mentally to himself. Just make sure you don't obliterate the rest of us when you get a bit overzealous.
I have to get out of here; they're going to drive me out of my mind. Kamatari sighed. Of course that mean going back to his room to fetch his purse. And with his luck he'd run into Anji. Or Chou. Good lord, Chou. He had to get out of here.
Sliding out one of the many back doors he strode out wishing he had brought a jacket. Shoving his hands in the trashy hoodie he was still dressed in he considered running. Since he had joined up with Shishio he hadn't had the time to start a running route. Now that things had settled down maybe he should consider it. Running was always an excellent stress reliever. It was some much needed me time, even for an extreme extrovert like Kamatari.
He glanced ruefully at the sneakers covering his feet. They were fairly new and still white, but if he started splashing through mud puddles they'd turn out brown. With a shrug he decided a good run was worth it.
Doing a quick stretch he jogged off being careful to skirt the house. A drizzle started up, but he enjoyed the quick, cold splats of the drops on his skin.
Despite his sunny nature he really enjoyed days when the clouds rolled over the sky like a fluffy, gray blanket and the sun couldn't get through. It was almost like a grounder saying that he was in the real world and not some crazy dream.
Before he knew it he had circled a wide radius and was heading back. His hamstrings were protesting and he was short of breath. Amazing how much toning he lost over the span of a mere week.
Slowing to a trot he almost ran into a slight, damp figure. At the person's side was a small, shaggy dog. The creature was carefully walking along. Actually, with all the bandages it was comparable to Shishio.
Kamatari paused to digest that thought and came up with a delightful image of Shishio as a puppy dog. One he couldn't help giggle at.
The figure jerked its head up and Kamatari found himself face to face with the Battousai. Was his luck screwed or what? He must have as many lives as a cat considering how closely he was flirting with death today.
"You!" The Battousai said and jumped back.
Oh dear, just what had Megumi been telling the poor man about him? Such a negative reaction!
"Darling, have we met?" Kamatari asked innocently. He probably looked like a drowned rat, running in the rain with only some old sweats and a hoodie.
"I… uh… Kamatari right?" The man sputtered and the dog looked up at him like he was insane.
"And you're the Battousai." Kamatari grinned. Who knew that the man did some dog walking on his time off? Damn, a sexy man at that. Also, regrettably, straighter than a line despite his long, lovely hair and feminine build.
"Uh, that's not a name I would like to be called in public, that I would not." He said while the dog cautiously limped up. Kamatari bent down and offered the back of his hand. The mutt looked him over before cautiously sniffing. It wagged its tail slightly and backed off.
"So what should I call you sweetheart?" Oh this was great. Having been assured that his life was safe Kamatari wasn't going to let this go. He wasn't sure when this had become a running tally between himself and Sano, but they were always bragging about their deeds.
"Himura is fine." The man said stiffly while he regained some of his lost dignity and composure.
"Since I can't cross camps do you mind me asking a few questions? I'm assuming that's little Meg's dog." A cautious nod. Good, very good. Start out with the easy ones. It was bad enough the man was ready to bolt at any moment, dog or no. "That girl's got a mind of her own. Imagine, acquiring a pooch in the middle of an undercover operation. And she'd taking this okay right?"
"She's very smart." Himura replied with a vague smile, "She already calls Saitoh Daddy."
Kamatari choked suddenly and started laughing. Between gasps he managed, "That's rich. Oh boy, Sano's going to love that one. And Tokio? I'm sure she's calling him something not so nice about now."
Himura made a gurgling sound that was not remotely human. It sounded like oro? So what if he was interested in what was going on in that small, enclosed, penned in house. He had lived under the tyranny of the Wolf for long enough. It was fun to think that Saitoh was getting some hell of his own. After all, that's what made the world go round!
"I take that as a yes. Something must have happened. They've been smacked together in there for a week now. It won't hurt to tell me. I'm Saitoh's co-worker after all." Saying friend might have sounded better, but that would be a stretch. Saitoh didn't have friends. Half the time he didn't even acknowledge other people existed if they weren't annoying him.
"Miss Tokio and Saitoh have come to an understanding, that they have."
"Well, suck all the juicy parts out. That's it? No fireworks, nada?"
The other man gave a mysterious smile and shielded his violet eyes with his bangs. "Saitoh does not want to keep the dog. He and Megumi have been fighting with Miss Tokio as a referee."
Kamatari stared down at the damp mutt and laughed, "I have a good guess who won."
A/N: I got a job (well, almost, drug test). I don't know if that will affect my writing (probably not). It will just eat my screw around time (like me spending three hours surfing the net instead of finishing Transgender). Midterm grades next week ^________^ And a paper due monday. I need to stop messing around!
Fyyrrose: No, but you did after it was over *laughs* -__- Susumu bitch-slapping Tatsu was like *rolls eyes* The context was amusing I suppose. And S's comment in regards to blocking. How fast can you write? I'm 1/3 of the way through the second to last chapter. Yes, you guys like 15. I found the whole thing hilarious, but I like 17 still. HH notices everything. She just needs to take it like Tru. Ignore what I was doing entirely and flip it around! Oh please, fluff? Lukewarm at best. I don't do fluff well as Kerry commented. You need to order your stories like I do. I have a million in my head, but I only write the most important/best. Just knock him off. If I can kill Sano you can kill Naraku.
MissBehavin: Established pack ranking ^^ Tokio is making some serious errors __ Or not? It seems to me like it could turn into a game of power. Sano has a bad affect on people (including my and my suddenly dirty mouth from writing him). Hehe, Kenshin is really the one with problems I think. Usui may or may not. I haven't decided. Besides, even when I mark people I still change my mind over and over when new ideas come. 15 was great. Why do I get the feeling that the whole thing has happened before. HE knew WHO had taken IT right away! That speakth a pattern ^^ I just loved the begining when he's looking and screaming. The ending SUCKED! Not only was it all fairy tale-like, but it didn't resolve ANYTHING (except Tetsu's problem). Now, I'm not saying, oooooo go out and get everyone killed (esp. since I know how all the historical figures go out), but it ended so crappy -__-'.
eriesalia: ^^ Genetics never lie. The dynamics of the pair is fun (but diff. for me; I'm not too practiced at that sort of thing). Sorry about the grammer and such. My beta has retired and I'm too lazy to find a new one. Plus, I've been stretching myself too thin. I haven't taken the time to go back over this and fix things like I generally do. Transgender was purely raw @__@
Wistful-Eyes: Well done? It was nicely pulled off for me, relation-challenged woman (not even romantic relations @__@). Honest is good. No surprises down the line ^__~ Maybe Tokio learned something from her problems with Hiko?