Souji kicked his socked feet randomly, making a drumming sound against the couch behind him. A faint, yellowish bruise tinged the side of his face and he was a little sore on one side, but he had healed fairly quickly.
It felt odd to be in jeans and a normal tee shirt. Susumu didn't comment, but he didn't have to. Maybe he was just glad that he knew he wouldn't come home to see Souji digging through his closet and trying on his clothes.
He had been slightly freaked out the one time that did happen, but Souji had been wondering about how well the dresses breathed.
Susumu was stretched out comfortably with a thick medical tome in front of him. Papers, notes, and smaller reference books were scattered about him, lending their support. A small talk radio chattered in the background, a gift from Souji, breaking up the monotony.
It was nice to be able to invite himself over to Susumu's house, much in the fashion that the other young man had invited himself over to Souji's apartment so many times before. Of course, he did manage to use the door, and he did knock before entering. The reason for his visits had nothing to do with Toshi, not at all. If he happened to run into the man he would be civil and polite and pretend like nothing at all had ever transpired. The bruises had faded away, but his resolve hadn't.
Not after he figured out why he was so attracted to the man.
There was always some logic to madness, just not necessarily good logic. Not that it mattered to Souji. Good or bad, this is what he wanted to do, so he was going to do it. There was nothing to complicate it further than that.
"Do you want to go out shopping after you finish?"
"No."
"Why not?" Souji pouted, really wanting a thick, chocolate shake. It just sounded good after being cooped up in the stuffy room with stuffy books and a stuffy, cranky guy who was overworking his brain.
"Because I am studying. I thought you were going to study also. Otherwise, I would never have invited you over. This is vital information I need to memorize for anatomy." Susumu replied with irritation. His pencil point paused over the skeleton's neck and snapped.
"Oh no, you killed him!" Souji cried in mock horror, "You broke his neck! The… um… neck bone! You broke the neck bone!"
Susumu glared, "It is not a 'neck bone.' You do not call your skull a 'head bone' do you?"
"Your leg bone's connected to your hip bone." Souji sung in a childish voice, dancing slightly. "Your hip bone's connected to your… um… back bone."
"Sit down and do your English."
The purple haired man plopped down with a pained sigh, as if having to sit still was the end of the world for him. He really had been in here too long.
The door slid open and he jumped up, ready to greet the intruder with hyperactivity.
Saitou peered in mildly with katana in hand. Another blade was snug at his side. The air about him seemed restricted, as if it dared to breath and move freely in the ensnaring presence of the man. Even Susumu moved to rise to his feet warily.
"I wish to test you." Saitou remarked, holding the blade out to Souji. It hung, demanding to be picked up and used.
Before he even knew what he was doing, Souji's fingers wrapped around the solid hilt. The metal blade was much heavier than he anticipated but not so much he couldn't handle it. The only problem he could see was the length. Neither mattered much if Saitou allowed him a few warm up swings. His body would automatically adjust.
"Wait." Susumu protested, trying to bar the door. His serious face looked nervous in the face of such a battle. "You can't do this."
"I believe we can." Souji corrected him with a chilling tone, his happy, hyper demeanor gone. He fixed his friend with a deadly glare, "You can't stop it. We were going to have to fight sometime. Now is as good a time as any." He gave a slightly warmer smile, "Call it fate. It's been destined since we first met."
Saitou led him out to the back into the settling dusk.
Souji had a pretty good idea why the area behind the apartment was so bare of any landscaping. Scuffle marks and other holes decorated the otherwise flat ground and slashes marred the surrounding shrubs from where sharp objects had found their mark. This was a well-used and well-loved practice yard, probably for Susumu. However, it worked well for a fight between two swordsmen. There were no roots or uneven ground to throw the fighter off balance nor higher ground to give an unfair advantage to the obtainee.
Saitou ignored Souji's shrewd glances around and slid forward with velvety grace.
Souji had to twist almost backwards to avoid the sharp blade that was aiming for his head. Reflexes saved him but they couldn't correct his feeble grip. His blade kicked up, deflecting Saitou's blow and saving him from a nasty cut across the face, but it shook and tore at his hands.
The smaller man hissed as metal slid into his upper left arm and stumbled back enough to regain his grip and balance.
Saitou gave no quarter to his stunned opponent. His slash was aimed for the right side, intended to disable Souji's main arm. The move left him open, but it was apparent that he didn't think Souji would dare do anything but defend.
He was wrong.
Souji could feel his mind numbing. It shut out all thoughts of pain or compassion or reason.
All that was left was a harsh drive to be the victor no matter the cost.
Block. Low swing. Clang. Upper right side. Blink. Block. Ignore the blood streaming down the left arm and several other places where Saitou's blade made contact.
The fight had changed from a formal test of strength to a silent, deadly dance of metal and wills. The blades flew with malicious earnest, seeking a taste of coppery blood. More than a taste.
Souji ducked to the side, not minding the ends of lavender hair that sprayed around them. The little fibers flew in his face and eyes, but he paid no mind. They were mere inconveniences. Even the lack of breath that was pressing down on his lungs and throat weren't an issue.
Saitou was as good or possibly better, Souji realized. They were evenly matched for the moment, but the other man wasn't even panting. He had endurance and grace that Souji couldn't even hope to achieve. Even so, the smaller man was far more lithe and fast. As long as he could dodge then nothing else mattered. Eventually, there would be a fatal opening; in the meantime he could wait.
Restraint had been long absent between the two. In the back of his mind, he realized that this could end very badly. That little voice was an insignificant speck compared to the need to fight to the fullest. His well-trained body and calculating mind had destroyed any hope for reason.
He didn't notice when Susumu left nor when he returned. He didn't notice the figure with Susumu nor did he hear the command to quit.
It wasn't until Saitou calmly turned aside a strike, looking mildly concerned, that Souji figured out there was interference. Even though Saitou had time enough to change his direction, Souji was committed to the thrust.
By some miracle, Toshi managed to borrow Saitou's blade and deflect most of the blow.
The force between the two blades sent Souji stumbling back, struggling to keep his balance on flimsy flip-flops. He fell, in a controlled way, and sat looking up in bewilderment at Toshi.
The older man had moved quickly to stand over him in a menacing way and growled, "Where did you learn swordplay?"
Souji's chest decided suddenly that coughing was more important than answering. He clutched his chest and bent over, feeling burning liquid in his throat and mouth. Part of him hated being on the ground, so vulnerable and weak. Desperate coughing tore from his body as his lungs burned for oxygen. Blood trickled out the side of his mouth, but he didn't bother to wipe it off as he tried to straighten up.
Toshi waiting in an eerie silence as he managed to look up and give a slight smile, "From my older brother." There was a wheeze in his sentence, but at least he didn't spit blood on Toshi's shoes. The dispassionate glare continued as Souji struggled to his feet although the man did allow him the room to stand. Maybe he realized that intimidation and threats did little to sway Souji. "He was a good teacher, right?"
"His name."
Souji gave him a look of mild reprove then shook his head making his sweaty bangs brush across his face.
"Who." Toshi growled, "Who taught you that style?"
Even beaten bloody, Souji just didn't know when to quit. Sadomachist to the core. A patronizing smile painted his lips, "Don't you know already? I mean, it is obvious, the fighting style I mean. I admit, it took me a while to remember who you were. It has been over nine years since we last met."
The older man stared down thoughtfully, with a harsh look on his face. He wasn't taking for granted that once upon a time they might have met in the super market.
"Soujirou?" He questioned, sounding unsure, "Soujirou." The second time was surer. "You are that little brat that followed Isami around everywhere like a whipped dog. And when I came you hid behind his legs like it was your mother's skirt."
"Children are often shy around handsome, scary strangers." Souji coughed lightly, pleased that Toshi actually remembered. "It didn't take long for me to follow you around like a lost puppy either."
"You had black hair."
"I dyed it silly. People aren't born with purple hair."
He didn't notice that Saitou and Susumu had disappeared.
"Come with me." With no warning Toshi grabbed his upper arm and dragged him forward. The younger man stumbled into his chest and grabbed on out of reflex. Toshi didn't seem to mind, in fact, he pulled Souji closer to support him.
"Heeey," Souji complained into his shirt, "You're not going to call Kondou, are you? I'm not supposed to be fighting. I sometimes lose control and hurt people unless someone intervenes." He glanced up through his lashes at that someone.
"I have no intention of tell him." Souji sighed in relief. Toshi wasn't going to tattle on him, "You are going to tell him. Everything. But not until I stop the bleeding."
Souji opened his mouth to protest but suddenly found a warm palm over his face. Giving up momentarily, he settled for nuzzling into the hand and trying to keep his balance while ignoring the other hand, which had settled on his lower back to steer him.
Toshi's house wasn't much bigger than Susumu. Clearly, it was a certified bachelor's pad. However, rather than messy, it was cold and sterile. Two dark leather couches lined the living room like sentinels and a black, modern entertainment center towered behind them. There was a hall beyond that Souji speculated led to an equally plush, yet depressing bedroom.
They neared the couch and he suddenly found himself in the air. The leather was slightly stiff but soft and cushioned. A towel was tossed at him. Toshi seemed to play quite the ungracious host because he disappeared into the depths of the apartment without a word. He returned with an impressive menagerie of first aid.
"Don't bleed on my leather." He warned, sitting down beside Souji.
"Sorry, I bet it's expensive." Souji pulled himself into Toshi's lap making sure that not a bit of him was touching leather. "Better?"
The shove wasn't a surprise, but the younger man wasn't sure how the towel was placed under him before he landed. What was even more surprising than the skills with the towel was the fact that his landing was gentle.
It was clear this wasn't the first time Toshi had patched someone up in his house. His blunt fingers prodded and poked in all the right places to get the bandages to cooperate and there was experience in his touch. Everything was done with no wasted movement and quickly.
The ministry was done long before Souji would have wanted it to end.
"Now, drink this and take these."
Souji didn't ask. Instead he took the proffered medication without complaint, noting that somewhere Toshi had dug up some honey to sweeten the original brew.
Souji dreaded when Toshi would hand him the phone. What would he tell Kondou? He had broken several promises. Several. And the biggest offense would be that he had deliberately entangled himself with Kondou's old ex-best friend. Purposely. Even though he knew they parted on bad terms and that Kondou disapproved of whatever Toshi had or was still doing.
"Here."
Souji flinched slightly before he felt something cold and wet press against his lips. Glancing up, he realized Toshi had gotten him an ice pack, not the phone. Gratefully he took it and placed it on a rather nasty swelling on his forehead.
"You should have better control."
Souji pressed the ice pack harder and looked chastened, "I know."
"Saito is an extremely dangerous man."
"I know."
"Then why did you deliberately fight with him?"
Souji wanted to say he hadn't had a choice, but that wasn't entirely true and it would cast the blame on Saito. Besides, lying to Toshi tended to leave a gritty taste in his mouth since Toshi figured out his sex.
"Deliberately is such a harsh word." Souji paused, hoping to appeal to Toshi's better nature. "He seemed strong. And I had to prove something to him as well as myself."
"But…"
Souji placed a finger across his lips with a smile. It was slightly scary that such a confident man could have insecurities over his subordinates. He was quite obviously blind to the devotion Susumu and Saito gave him, probably thinking himself unworthy of such feelings.
"He was defending you."
"What? That is ridiculous Soujirou." Toshi frowned deeply, drawing back from Souji's intrusive finger. "I am more than capably to defend myself from you."
"So you say." Souji grinned widely, "You can defend your body but what about your sanity? How long can you withstand me Toshi? Hmm?"
Instead of answering, Toshi slid off the couch. Souji leaned against a pillow, missing the warmth. He jumped when a cascade of blankets and pillows hit him.
"Tomorrow you will call Kondou." Toshi told him, watching as he struggled to get out of the dark comforter.
"Yes." Souji replied meekly then peeked out from behind a pillow, "Why are you sleeping on the couch? I'm sure your bed is big enough for more than just me."
Toshi didn't seem amused by the thought of sharing his bed.
"Good night." He remarked and flicked off the light leaving Souji to wonder just where the bathroom was. Well, it wouldn't hurt to find out… once Toshi was asleep of course. And he was kind of hungry too.
He could always say he was a sleepwalker in the morning.
A/N: I don't know if I like this chapter, even after some revising. This story really frustrates me. I guess that's what I get for not finishing it last semester where it started: Ethics.
Yume2X1: LOL, I had an interesting time writing it. I guess I need to be nicer O.o
Mahida: Thank you, and I hope to continue it.
Sapphirethief: Susumu is kind of growing on me - And I didn't stray too much from the original where he dressed up as a job. I don't know if I didn't make this clear, but when he's not working he's wearing normal clothing. Somehow, Hijikata is fairly easily. I guess because we have similar personalities O.o;;
x-gal-x: -
Yzak's Mousuke: Thank you for the constructive feedback. I've been having a terrible time with the flow of this story because I wrote it backwards (wrote the end first). That's also why there's a long time between updates because I keep revising.
Yami no Tenshi: Hijikata's certainly has bite to him... maybe frostbite? To be honest, I can't get in Souji's head. He just directs me! Really. So... I can't answer; you'll just have to see! (so will I).
FireanIce: Aren't we optimistic:D
Fyyrrose: Oh yes, the poor bus. I think I need to edit your Naruto... have you written more of that? The one with Neji-torment? Anyhow, I'll send the next chapter when I finish it. Maybe on friday.