Disclaimer: I do NOT own Peacemaker Kurogane or Shinsengumi Imon Peacemaker. I don't own Tetsu or Suzu or anyone else in this entire story. I do however own the universe that they now inhabit and the plot line…mwahahaha!
Warning: Ok this is Shonan-ai Guy loves Guyand all that happy junk. The main pairing is Tetsu and Suzu so if you don't like it leave. Other pairings include HeisukexShinpachiand OkitaxHijikata along with other minor thingamajigs. There. Is. No. Sex. In. This. Story. Unless it's implied. So meh. Please Read and Review!
Broken Responsibility-
Tetsu lolled on the couched his unfocused eyes fixed stupidly on the white ceiling above him. It was all he could do to keep his jaw from dropping. He was bored to say in the least, and neither Suzu nor Okita had returned yet. Tetsu had talked to Saya for a while, but always found his mind drifting away. After a while Saya had gotten fed up with him only half paying attention to her so she stalked off.
The creak of hinges made Tetsu body jolt up in anticipation. They where back! Well, two of them where back. Okita and Hijikata strolled through the door clad their swimming outfits, but there was no Suzu. Hijikata looked grumpy as always, but Okita seemed peculiarly chipper.
"Where's Suzu!" Tetsu blurted out before either of the men could leave the room.
Hijikata shot the little red head a cool glare, "How, or why for that matter, should we know where that punk is?"
Okita looked quizzically at Tetsu, "Didn't he come back here with you?"
Tetsu shook his head wildly, "No, I mean yes, but he went out to go look for you two a while ago." Tetsu explained, "You didn't see him?"
The atmosphere got oddly tense. Okita gave a long and worried gaze to Hijikata who gave a miniature shrug. What if Suzu had seen them?
"M…maybe he got lost on his way? It is his first time being at this Inn after all," Okita suggested, "It's possible he's still not familiar with the area."
Tetsu's eyes shot around the entire room in worry. He kept fiddling with his hands, as if he was in trouble. Finally he just shot off the couch running to the closet to grab his coat.
"Fine! The idiot can find his way to the city and come back and save a life! But sending him to the lake? Nooo... he just has to get lost!" The red head shouted as he hurriedly tried to put on his coat sending Hijikata and Okita shuffling back a few paces.
Tetsu bolted towards the stairs, "Tatsu I'm going out! I don't want dinner!" The red head yelled so loud the Okita had to plug his ears.
Before anyone could react the red puppy jolted out of the house and slammed the door behind him.
Okita sighed heavily, "Tetsu's beginning to turn into Tatsu."
"Wonderful," Hijikata grumbled wishing he had his pipe right about now, "Now we get to have two psychopathic worrywarts…"
The rapid thumping of feet reached the couple's ears once Tatsu began to sprint down the steps. The older brother looked around wide eyed, "Where's Tetsu?"
Okita waved his hands in front of Tatsu trying to calm the man down, "There's no need to worry Tatsu, Tetsu just went to look for Suzu. Everything's fine."
Tatsu seemed to calm down a little at Okita's coaxing, "Did he take a coat?" Okita nodded.
"Damn, that brat's loud..." Susumu mumbled slowly skulking down the stairs.
Tatsu just hung his head in shame, Susumu didn't take notice though, instead he looked over to Okita and Hijikata, "The showers are free…and I suspect Ayumu will be done with dinner shortly."
Okita smiled and thanked the younger man, "I…uh had a pretty big lunch today... I'm afraid I'm not that hungry." Okita smiled genuinely. He was pretty full; though he was sure it was entirely from their lunch.
Susumu gave Okita an odd look before nodding in acceptance letting the angel and demon walked past him up the stairs to disappear. Susumu left Tatsu alone to worry over his little brother while he went into the kitchen.
Ayumu was happily cooking when her brother came up behind her. "You're little plot seems to be contagious." Susumu muttered bitterly.
His older sister just grinned knowingly, "Yes, it seems everyone is getting into it!"
Dashing through the open field, hurtling towards the lake, Tetsu ran hard trying to find his friend. Strange how he could feel so attached to someone he knew so little about. The thought didn't really cross his mind though; he was too busy calling out Suzu's name in a desperate attempt to find the silver kitten.
Slowing down to a halt Tetsu doubled over gasping for breath. He had run so hard sweat was beginning to pour off of him. Worst thing was, even though Suzu had probably headed in this direction, he could have easily wondered off by now. Tetsu's gaze was blurring; it was getting hard to even see the lake in front of him.
"Damn Suzu, what are you some lost little kid?" Tetsu swore as he sucked more oxygen into his aching lungs.
"I don't know," A mischievous voice whispered behind Tetsu's ear, "I wasn't even aware that I was lost."
Tetsu's initial reaction was to stumble forth blindly, turn around, and then scream. Once he saw the mystery person's face though he settled for just the first two.
The little puppy flopped onto his back suddenly lacking the stamina to sit up straight, "Jeez Suzu, you scared me half ta' death!"
The silver kitten laughed and smiled, "Sorry, I fell asleep." Suzu tried to explain innocently.
"Fell asleep?" Tetsu eyed Suzu suspiciously, "You were supposed to help Okita drag Hijikata home!" Suzu just shrugged with no reply.
"They were on their way home when I saw them." Suzu stated dodging an explanation. He didn't want to tell Tetsu about what the two men where doing before that, or who they where talking about.
Tetsu let his eyes drift up to the starry sky and let out a low sigh, "Well, whatever. They made it back O.k. Just, next time, come home alright?"
Suzu just looked down at the resting pup. Next time? He highly doubted that there would be one. This wasn't his home anyways. He didn't want it to be either. Susumu was annoying, and while Ayumu was a great cook, the woman seemed slightly scatter brained. Besides she already loved Susumu with all her heart, he doubted she could squeeze another person in there. Especially someone who wasn't blood related.
Suzu shook of the depressing thought with a crooked grin. "Wow, you really are turning into your big brother!"
Tetsu hoisted himself into a sitting position, crossing his legs under one another. "I am not!" The sullen puppy barked.
"Are too." The silver kitten chimed.
"No I'm not!"
"Yes, you are."
"I'm not!"
"Ooh, yes you are."
"No I'm not! Not not not!"
Suzu finally shrugged, "Fine you're not."
"What are you talking about? Yes I am!"
The silver kitten shot the seething puppy a sly grin. It took poor Tetsu a few moments to realize what had happened.
Tetsu groaned falling backwards with a thud. "Not fair," Tetsu pouted, "You pulled a Bugs Bunny on me!"
Chuckling Suzu poked his friend in the ribs with his toe jokingly. "That must mean I'm the smart one."
"Jerk." Tetsu grumbled. The boy couldn't keep himself from grinning to save his life though.
The sun was slowly vanishing and now only the moon's rays undulated upon the lake's waters. It was dark, but it wasn't pitch black. The wind was picking up rippling the icy water and making the tree's sway to and fro in a slow dance. Crickets creaked hidden in the grass and neither rodent nor bird stirred from their nests.
The grass tickled Tetsu's unprotected legs as he breathed in the gentle night air. He wished he could just lay right there for eternity. It was so peaceful. A voice kept nagging him in the back of his skull though. He knew if he didn't get up and go home that Tatsu would worry his head off about him. But hell, since when was he known to be so responsible?
A soft rustle of grass let Tetsu know that Suzu had flopped down beside him. For a long moment neither of them said a word. Tetsu knew that if one of them did then it would only serve as an annoying reminder that they needed to head back.
Out of the corner of his eye Tetsu could sense Suzu rolling onto his side closer to him. A strange sensation slipped across his abdomen causing Tetsu's eyes to tear themselves away from the shimmering sky. The puppy had to fight down a blush when he saw that Suzu had slung his well toned arm across his stomach. He had to fight it down even harder when he started to feel Suzu's tepid breath tickle his ear. Suzu had pulled himself closer to Tetsu in a comforting way. The kitten wasn't so close or holding onto Tetsu so tight that the pup felt the need to look for an escape rout, but he was close enough for some to call it intimate. That was how they laid for awhile, just reveling in each other's presence, soaking up the night's endearing atmosphere.
Tetsu's eyes drooped; the sleep demon was sneaking up on him trying to sweet talk him into slipping off into the intoxicating world of slumber. Suzu's voice had a pronged influence on his physical state though. The simple muttering of a cuss word would have jounced Tetsu out of even the groggiest of moods. The silver kitten just had to go one step further though. Did the boy really have to talk to him in that unique low bewitching tone?
"Tetsu…"Suzu slowly breathed out his companion's name, playing with it, testing it as if it was something completely foreign. "What do you dream about?"
The question caught Tetsu off guard. He never even considered that Suzu would be interested in getting close to someone. Physically yes, but not emotionally. So the red head said the first thing that came to his mind.
"Cats." Tetsu blurted. Suzu shifted onto his elbow so he could look down at Tetsu and so the red head could get a good look at his confused face.
"Cats?" Suzu laughed, "I never figured you'd be interested in something like that."
Tetsu screwed up his face in repulsion, "Ew, not like that man!" Just thinking about that made Tetsu want to hurl.
"Then why do you dream about cats?" Suzu cocked an eyebrow.
Tetsu's eyes shied away from Suzu's demanding gaze. "I…I used to have this weird dream…Me and my brother would be walking through the city and I would be screaming about some cat, but Tatsu would always tell me that I couldn't have one." Tetsu tried to explain the confusing dream. "I had it again just last night…"
Suzu just snorted rolling back onto his back, "Still think you have a cat fetish…" the tan skinned lad mumbled.
"It's not like that!" Now it was Tetsu's turn to position himself over his friend, "In the dream, the cat, it always calls to me. Well, not really to me…to anyone really, but it's like I'm the only one who can hear it…"
Suzu's eye locked on Tetsu's questioning orbs, "Or you're the only one who cares to listen…"
Tetsu nodded dumbfounded, "Yeah…it's like that…" It was hard to believe that Suzu could understand the cerebral parts of his subconscious visions. "Only, last night was the first time I ever got to actually see the cat…it ran away from me." Tetsu finished in a saddened tone.
Suzu merely shrugged, "It's possible that the dream doesn't mean anything, it could just be a memory."
"Or maybe your inner child never got over not having a pet. Dreams were never meant to make sense; you know not all dreams have some secret meaning." Suzu went on trying to persuade Tetsu into believing that it was really no big deal.
Tetsu didn't realize until his muscles began to relax that he had been tense. He remembered Tatsu trying to tell him the something similar when he had first told his big brother about the dream. He never believed him though, but Suzu, just the way he said it, the whole notion seemed a lot more plausible.
All of Tetsu's worries seemed to melt and slide away at Suzu's tranquil coaxing. Calmly Tetsu settled himself back down into a comforting position on the soft grass. The boy found himself unconsciously snuggling closer into the embrace of his new found advocate.
Suzu rested on of his hands on top of Tetsu's spiky hair, calmly stroking the teen's wild mane. "Of course, there is the possibility that it does have some significance."
A small smile sneaked it's upon Suzu's lips when he felt Tetsu's body tense once again. "I wouldn't worry about it though, by the time you do catch that devilish kitty-cat I'm sure everything will be clear." Suzu grinned ruffling his companion's pointy locks.
Tetsu couldn't help but grin. His heart felt so much lighter now that he had talked to Suzu. Everything seemed in place. The entire day he felt off without Suzu lurking somewhere near by. When he was out playing, when he was joking with Tatsu, especially when he was talking to Saya, he just felt completely off balance. Suzu was weird, that was for sure. The guy ran circles around his head and kept surprising him with new details that he would have never even guessed at. Suzu just had this feeling of balance around him though. Like no matter what, through all the quirks and turns, it was like he knew he could always set things straight. The idea did strike Tetsu as weird, considering that Suzu was anything but balanced, but the feeling was right.
This time when Suzu's arm tightened around Tetsu's waist, when their lips met in a kiss, it didn't feel wrong or weird. This kiss wasn't hard or forceful like all the other times. It was tender, slow. Suzu was giving his comrade room to breathe and break away if he wanted to. This kiss wasn't passionate, it was intimate, and you couldn't describe it as needy, because it was too giving. Tetsu realized; Suzu wasn't trying to tell him something this time. The screaming and shouting was done with, the need to be heard had been met, and everything that had to be told was. Now he needed an answer. Suzu had already told him that he wanted him, now the silver haired boy was asking. Will you have me? It was then that all the answers that had been plaguing Tetsu senses since the beginning were finally answered.
What about Saya? His mind screamed at him. She's just a friend. And Tatsu? What will he think of this! Who cares? Isn't this some kind of sin? Then I'll go to hell. How can you be sure he's serious? Nothing in life is certain. Don't people get beaten up for being gay? I can handle 'em. You know this is going to change everything; do you really want to go through with it? Hell yeah…
Tetsu's lips began to move of their own accord; pressing, locking, tugging. He didn't want their supple actions to stop. He knew they could be rough, knew that eventually they would be, but this was just too sweet. Tetsu's actions seemed to be exactly what Suzu was looking for. The red head could tell that his new flame was struggling desperately to hold himself back. He could feel it in the way that Suzu kept himself so rigid. He didn't want to scare him away. Suzu wasn't certain how far he could go yet without running the puppy off. Tetsu appreciated that.
The two went at it like that until their lungs piercingly began demanding oxygen. Even once they broke away they kept close. It was by then that the sky had gotten pitch black. With the exception of the fading rays of the silver moon that kept getting blocked out by the midnight clouds, there was no light not even a twinkling star. The boys where so relaxed and comfortable though that it pained Tetsu at what he knew he had to do.
"Suzu," Tetsu shifted slightly under his boyfriend who was currently acting as his blanket, "Suzu, we need to get back to the Inn …"
Suzu gave no reply. Once Tetsu began to push himself up and out of his lover's embrace the kitten let out a low groan.
"Suzu, we gotta, Tatsu and the others are no doubt already out and lookin' for us by now." Tetsu tried his best to fight for the side that he really didn't believe in.
Suzu just tightened his grip on Tetsu, pulling the puppy back down.
"Come' on Suzu! I dun wanna go either, but we gotta'!" Tetsu complained resisting the urge to cuddle with the tan skinned teen.
"No…" Suzu growled deeply, sulking like a three year old.
Tetsu tried to struggle free against Suzu's fierce grip. "But, Suzu…!"
The older teen finally got tired of his companion's resistance and yanked him harshly back down to the ground with a yelp. "God damn you Tetsu!" Suzu barked, "Stop being so damned responsible! You're not Tatsu!"
Tetsu finally gave up and wiggled his way back into the embrace that he really didn't want to leave in the first place. The thought of freezing didn't cross his mind. With Suzu holding him Tetsu knew that there couldn't possibly be a warmer blanket at the Inn or anywhere else for that matter.
There wasn't a rustle in the bushes, or a gleam of disturbing light. Suzu couldn't feel energy, but he still had the vague intuition that someone was lurking near, watching them. You would think that once it disappeared he would be relieved, but it just made him tenser. Since he couldn't tell who it was he couldn't be sure if they where a threat to the ripe love that the cozy couple had acquired. He wanted to believe that the person was on their side, but nothing could be certain. If they made it through this night in peace, he would owe a great dept to someone, if not... Well, it was just another name on his list to kill.
The watcher darted through the woods, silently making his get away grinning. Such juicy information, such a sweet and touching show of affection, he couldn't possibly bring himself to break it up. He knew it was bound to happen anyways. The two made such the perfect match, well next to him and his lover.
Okita's purple hair danced in the air as he ran. When he made it out into the open he found the rest of the group. Most were just standing around, a few where actually trying to find the supposedly lost boys. The purple haired man just smiled and briskly walked up to the fretting Tatsunosuke. Tapping that man lightly on the shoulder he was able to grab the worrywart's attention.
"Okita!" Tatsu grab the slim man by the shoulders, "Did you find them? Are they ok?" Tatsu shouted beads of sweat pouring off of his brow.
The angel smiled and waved his hand to ward off the older man who was nearly hyperventilating. "No need to worry. It seems that after Tetsu found Suzu they decided to camp out under the stars." Okita smiled genuinely as he tried to twist the circumstances around so that the newest couple could stay with each other.
"Without telling anyone?" Tatsu shouted angrily, "Tetsu is so…irresponsible!" The older brother spat the words out with great distaste.
Okita withheld a knowing grin that tugged at his lips. Tatsu would never have believed how much his worrying attitude had rubbed off on Tetsu. All for the better he supposed, if he had actually seen what had happened Okita doubted that Tatsu would be praising his little brother for finally thinking responsibly. Okita knew it was wrong not to tell the older brother what was going on with the little red head, Tatsu had after all raised the boy since their parents death. There were a few things holding him back from telling Tatsu though. One was that it would be better for Tatsu to find out from Tetsu, it wasn't going to help anyone if the older man found out from someone else. Besides that, Souji wasn't completely convinced that it was any of Tatsu's business what Tetsu did with his personal life, or whom he did it with for that matter. Most of all though, those two little teens had just been way too cute! It made Souji wish he was back in his adolescent years. Only this time he wanted to be young, reckless, and cuddling up under the stars with a certain police hunk!
"Oh just let the two brats freeze" Hijikata barked. "I'm going in…" The officer spared a glance at his purple haired companion before turning to head back in. "Coming Souji?"
Okita nodded and happily skipped to keep up with the older man. It didn't take long for the others to follow in their steed. Tatsu was the last one to reluctantly make his way back to the inn.
As the group made their way back to the Inn Heisuke slyly linked his long arm with his crush's arm startling the poor tiny redhead.
"Heisuke, what do you think your doing?" Shinpachi spat slightly annoyed, yet he didn't make any move to indicate that he wanted free.
Encouraged Heisuke sighed dramatically, "Don't you think it would be so romantic to lay under the stars with your lover?" As he spoke the taller man leaned into his smaller counterpart.
Shinpachi trying to lead the conversation to a more comfortable topic just grinned goofily. "What stars?" The older man quipped sassily.
Heisuke was undeterred, though. As he looked to press on his subject of choice, he lowered his head down to Shinpachi's. "You know Eiji… you look exceptionally delicious in this midnight light…" Heisuke's warm breath slipped over Shinpachi's flesh, making his muscles involuntarily convulse under the sudden warmth.
"Hei…Heisuke nock it off!" Shinpachi yelped snaking his arm out of his friend's grip.
As the man pushed himself away from his antagonist he could feel the heat of a blush rise to his cheeks. What was worse was that the carrot top wasn't sure if he blushed out of embarrassment or furry. He was certainly feeling a mixture of both at that moment. Trying to calm himself down Shinpachi ran forward until he caught up with Sanosuke. Even as he tried his best to keep pace with the long strides of his friend the little man found it extremely hard to get his face to go back to its normal complexion.
Heisuke watched with amused eyes as his prey ran from him. That little red head was just too cute! Heisuke didn't mind Shinpachi's little game of playing hard to get, he enjoyed it actually. It proved to be most amusing. It did sadden him from time to time that he couldn't cuddle his little pet without being pushed away, but every time he got one good glance at the man, he couldn't help but feel happy again. It never even crossed his mind that maybe, just maybe, that cute, adorable, feisty little man didn't return his affections.
Once they arrived at the Inn nearly everyone dispersed and went up to their rooms for some sleep. One little girl sat on the couch silently brooding as she stared down at the blank blackness of her miniature chalkboard. Her parents had told her to go to bed soon, but she didn't think she could sleep. Not until her love returned to her, and left that despicable demon behind him. The light of the fire was the only source that let her see as she sat there just staring.
Slowly her hand began to move, sketching a drawing of white chalk. Saya wasn't the best artist in the world, and she would never claim to be. One could hardly even call her an artist, but it helped to lighten her mood when she was sad or depressed. As she drew she recalled all the good times she had with Testu. How close they had been, how close they still were. She didn't want to lose that, not to some pompous jerk with white hair. Not to anyone. Tetsu was supposed to be hers, so why wasn't she his? A storm brewed in her eyes as her chalk flew across the miniature board. Hatred, depression, devotion, the feeling of betrayal, it was all there.
The storm slowly seeped away when she heard the creaking of feet coming down the old stairway. She looked up slightly bewildered to see the purple haired Okita. She had thought everyone was sleeping.
"Something bothering you Saya?" Okita smiled a sad smile at her as he came to sit next to her.
Saya realized there was no other reason for her to be up so late other than that something was plaguing her mind. She nodded in defeat; she couldn't hide her depression forever.
"You're worried about Tetsu." Okita stated rather than asked. He could tell just from the look that had been imprinted on her face when he had announced that Tetsu was spending the night with Suzu that she didn't feel comfortable with the two boys being left alone. She felt threatened. She had every right to feel that way; she didn't know that she had been defeated.
Saya slowly nodded her head, admitting to her worry. She just looked down at her little sketch. It was a rather crude drawing. There was a grassy hill, a white picket fence. A being with long messy hair stood on one side of the fence while another, smaller, being stood on the other side reaching out to the first. Tears sprang to her eyes as she realized who they where. Me and Tetsu. Her mind whispered to her. She knew all too well that they where slowly drifting apart. If she just kept sitting around she would never be able to patch up the rift that had been wide torn open in their friendship, in their love.
It's all that silver haired brats fault! Her mind screamed at her. If it wasn't for his evil tricks Tetsu would still love me!
"You're jealous aren't you Saya?" Okita's soft voice pierced her subconscious, bringing her back to reality.
Saya quickly shook her head in denial hair flying every which way. Quickly erasing her drawing Saya scribbled her reply down on the black board and handed it to Okita.
I have nothing to be jealous about! The chalk read. I'm just worried about them being out there alone!
Okita just smiled his usual sugary sweet smile. "I'm sorry; it was rude of me to say such a thing…"
It's all that vile Suzu's fault, that's what she kept telling herself. It didn't matter though, it still burned her. Tetsu had chosen someone else over her. Tetsu had chosen another man over her. The boy that she had known since childhood, the one person she loved most dearly, was a faggot. Fat tears rolled down her soft cheeks as the thought replayed over and over in her brain. She couldn't thwart the image; she couldn't get rid of the agonizing voice that repeated the words to her over and over in such an accusing tone.
"Oh...Saya…" Okita sighed sympathetically and pulled the little girl into his arms. "'A broken heart can't pull itself back together without scars showing up at every turn'…I know it hurts Saya, but it will pass." Okita stroked the little girl's hair trying his best to sooth her.
Okita's words never reached Saya's drowning mind. The only things she could hear was the wracking of her frame with each painful sob, and the silent breaking of her own heart. For every crack in her heat and with each tear that cascaded down her face her mind whispered to her. He left you for a man, He left you for Suzu. This is all that bastard's fault. If he wasn't here you wouldn't be in this much pain. If he wasn't here you'd still have Tetsunosuke…
It was nearly two in the morning when Saya had finally cried herself to sleep. To Saya though, it had felt like she had been laying there in Okita's comforting arms for nearly a century before fatigue finally claimed her. Okita had stayed up the entire time just letting her bawl like an infant.
Scooping the slumbering child up into his arms Okita got up off the couch. Carefully he made his way around all the furniture and up the stairs. The last thing he wanted to do was wake the little girl, or anyone else in the house for that matter. Tiptoeing down the upstairs hallway Okita slipped by several other rooms on cotton covered feet. When he reached the last door he slowly tried to turn the handle without disturbing Saya. Once he finally got it open he squeezed his way through, moving around Yamanami and Akeseko's bed, to set Saya down on her own bed. Once he tucked her in he briefly brushed away the hair that had caught itself in her tiny mouth.
A small sad line presented itself on Okita's lips when he bent over to place a chaste kiss on Saya's forehead, "Don't fret Saya, your heart will heal…" the purple haired angel whispered into Saya's unhearing ear.
Then, as silently as he came, he went. Unbeknownst to anyone Yamanami lied wide awake. He had been waiting for his little girl to come back to their room. The aging father had wanted to make sure that his child was safe. He realized now that the thing that had been plaguing his daughter was the one thing in life he couldn't protect her from.
"Forgive me Saya." He whispered into the darkness. "This is one monster that your mother and I can never chase out of your closet."
All Yamanami could do was pray that his prized possession make the right choice and let the ache follow its course. Fighting it would only prolong her suffering.
Mahono: It. Is. Finally. Done! I am soo sorry for not updating in forever and a day! I couldn't find any inspiration, and on top of that I now have Tennis with all of my other after school things to do like Karate, Japanese, and Homework! Grah! Forgive me! On a brighter note I see that I have new reviewers! I love you guys so much! You all make my day. I actually was thinking about not finishing when I get an e-mail review from YaoiGurls. Not that everyone else's review didn't inspire me! It's just that I had spent so long away from the computer and her review came just a couple days ago, so it was kind of the jab in myribs that I needed to get going again. You all inspire me so much, along with all my music! I needed a lot of sad songs for this chapter...anyhow. Please reviewww I'm begging you! Thankieeeess! Review!