To do this, you can all start by checking out the fanart she made for this fic at Deviantart, her user name is lyn-miss-kittin and the name of the fanart is Contemplacion
Enjoy!
DEAD RECKONING
CHAPTER SEVEN
It wasn't the first time Tatsumi 'visited' the back of the house, for sure, but it was actually the first time there was enough light for him to see it in detail. Besides, he wasn't sneaking around this time, so it certainly took the edge away. It was like another world after crossing the narrow hallway; though it was part of the same house, the vibe was completely different. It felt... inhabited, alive, and the air was much cleaner.
Tatsumi's gaze clung to a picture hanging from the wall. It was a photograph: two people, two men posing for the camera, one obviously more willing than the other. It was a beautiful picture, one that gave him a warm feeling at the pit of his stomach. He would have wanted to study it further, but Tsuzuki tugged at their entwined hands, beckoning him to continue walking. Of course, he thought fondly, they were going to the kitchen. It was no wonder the other was anxious to get there. Tsuzuki looked happy, he noted; there was a sort of childish glow in his eyes. Well, more of a glow than usual. He wanted to believe that he was the cause,but the prospect of breakfast surely played a big part in it. If he had to be honest, though, he also felt rather giddy.
Letting go of his hand, Tsuzuki rushed into the kitchen and stopped at the fridge, turning around to flash him an adorable, bright smile.
"So? What it'll be?" he asked happily. "I can make you an American breakfast, if you want. Or maybe you'd like some rice omelet, or tamagoyaki?"
Tatsumi chuckled at the other's excitement and approached him, shaking his head. When he was close enough, he rested a hand on the fridge's door, trapping Tsuzuki, who stared at him with wide, mirthful eyes.
"There's no way in hell," he whispered, "I'm letting you cook."
Tsuzuki blinked, disconcerted.
"You don't like my cooking?" he asked pitifully, batting his eyelashes.
The Kagetsukai stared at him for a long moment, unfazed. He then opened the door, causing Tsuzuki to stumble forward, right into his chest. He kissed the top of the dark mane and then ruffled it playfully, pushing the other away, towards the table.
"You wait while I put something together, ok?"
The amethyst-eyed man laughed and plopped down the nearest chair. Tatsumi roamed the contents of the fridge with his eyes, took out the butter, a few eggs and milk and went to the counter. It felt so natural, like he'd done that all his life. Almost instinctively, he knew where everything was; the pan, the beater, the bowl. The whole situation felt so incredibly familiar. Tatsumi had never felt so good. It was unnatural. Once the dough was ready, he lit the stove, put the pan on the fire and poured a spoonful of the mix on it. He glanced Tsuzuki's way then; he couldn't help it. The man was resting his chin on the palm of his hand, looking at him fixedly, with an intensity that made his knees weaken.
"What?" he asked self-consciously. "Do I have something on my face?"
Tsuzuki shook his head lazily, smiling at him.
"I'm just getting used to it." He stood up and slowly made his way towards the blue eyed man, never breaking eye contact. "It's very beautiful, you know? Your face, I mean."
As incredible as it may sound, that comment didn't flatter him as much as he'd expected. In fact, it made him feel a pang of irrational jealousy.
"What do you mean? I've always looked the same."
Tsuzuki smirked knowingly, stopping inches away from him. He graced Tatsumi's cheek with his fingers.
"You have very good taste." The warm feeling at the pit of his stomach was suddenly replaced with unease- Something wasn't right with this picture. Tsuzuki's words made no sense, yet he understood them at some level. The other must have noticed the change of mood, because he immediately shook his head and leaned even closer, leaving the most unbearable of almost nonexistent spaces between them. Seductively, he added: "Your pancake is burning."
After dealing with that little 'emergency', Tatsumi and Tsuzuki sat down to eat breakfast in silence. He hadn't been able to shake that awkward feeling off completely, and the violet-eyed man seemed to realize it. Every so often, his eyes moved unwittingly to land on Tsuzuki. He'd always loved to watch the other eating; it was when Tsuzuki looked happier. But today it was different. He sure didn't look sad, or anything. It was just different. For one, he was eating way too neatly. Tatsumi had to admit he was almost hoping the other would make a mess, so he'd get to clean his face. It didn't happen. They actually finished eating without Tsuzuki getting food anywhere it wasn't intended to go. They finished, but the awkwardness remained. Awkwardness on his part, actually. Tsuzuki just leaned back on his chair and sighed contently, as if nothing had happened.
"That was delicious," he said, "You should make breakfast from now on."
The tone of Tsuzuki's voice as he said that made Tatsumi smile. It was like saying 'we'll have breakfast together every morning', or something. Still, there was something he needed to ask; it had been only three pancakes for each, after all.
"Are you satisfied?" Somehow, even when his words had lacked any sort of double meaning, Tatsumi knew he'd said the wrong thing- so to speak. Tsuzuki's eyes revealed that he had also thought the same thing; he practically undressed him with his gaze and Tatsumi couldn't help but to blush. "I mean," he corrected, "Aren't you still hungry?"
"Hmmm," the man answered eloquently, as he begun playing suggestively with his fork. "Hungry? Not really." And yet he sure looked it, Tatsumi thought nervously. "I can't say I'm... satisfied, though." He stood up and the Kagetsukai noted that his heartbeat speeded up at the same time everything else slowed down dangerously.
"I..." he mumbled, while Tsuzuki walked up to him. "I can make something else, if you want."
"I want something else," the younger man breathed, running a hand through Tatsumi's hair. Without thinking, Tatsumi placed his own hand on top of the other's, and wrapped his free arm around Tsuzuki's waist, which the violet-eyed man, it seemed, took as an invitation to straddle him. "You'll help me, right?"
Well, the awkwardness was gone, that was for sure. The warm feeling didn't return, though; this was more like burning. It felt so good, so damn good. Unable to restrain himself, he gingerly traced his lips along Tsuzuki's jaw line. Tsuzuki nuzzled his hair and Tatsumi could swear he heard him purr. He'd lied, thought Tatsumi idly; no one who wasn't hungry could do 'that' to an earlobe. Groaning, he pushed Tsuzuki away, just a little, to look at his face. That was a sight to behold; it hadn't been more than a few seconds, and the young man was already all flushed and panting. Neither of them resisted for long. In an instant they were kissing, deeply.
Tatsumi couldn't believe it was actually happening. Even if he didn't admit it to himself, he'd wanted this, for so long. The kiss was wonderful, mind you, hot as hell, but he couldn't help feeling weird. There was something about it; he couldn't put his finger on it. He was beyond caring, though, mentally and physically. Tsuzuki was also very... enthusiastic, to put it lightly. The amethyst eyed man wouldn't conform with just kissing- as if that could be called 'just' a kiss; his hands were everywhere; on his chest, his stomach, his arms, his hair. Not that he was trying, but he couldn't have stopped his own body from responding. It 'had' been a long time, he figured; for both of them.
Everything would have been great, he could have gone on like that forever for all he cared, but then Tsuzuki pressed his groin against Tatsumi's. That was a bucket of cold water, ironically enough. Breaking the kiss, and after a much needed gulp of air, Tatsumi pushed Tsuzuki away, this time completely, causing the other to fall flat on his ass. He felt like scum at the way Tsuzuki looked at him, his eyes big with a surprise that left no room for frustration.
"What...?" the young man asked confusedly, "What's wrong?"
Tatsumi didn't know what to say, how to explain it. There 'was' something wrong; everything about what had just happened had been wrong. The thing was that, though he could recognize it had been his fault, at the moment it wasn't with himself he was angry, and he certainly didn't want to lash out at Tsuzuki; especially when he was looking like that. How did he manage to look so innocent after 'that'?
"I'm sorry," he said sheepishly, standing up and reaching out a hand for Tsuzuki to take. He helped the other up, managing to do it without really looking at him. "That was out of line."
"What was?" Tsuzuki asked, with a hint of anger in his voice. "You pushing me, right?"
Tatsumi ran a hand through his hair and huffed.
"Tsuzuki-san, I don't think... We shouldn't..."
He wasn't looking at Tsuzuki, of course; if he had, he probably would have seen the other's movements 'before' he felt the slap. Shocked, he lifted a hand to the now sore spot and looked questioningly at him. Tsuzuki's eyes were so full of anger it would have easily been mistaken with hate.
"Son of a bitch," Tsuzuki snarled. "You haven't changed. You'll never change."
"Tsuzuki-san..."
Something dangerous flashed through the other's eyes as he said this. Tatsumi wouldn't have been surprised if he slapped him again, but he couldn't figure out why.
"Fuck you," he said in an eerily calm tone, and stormed out of the room.
The cab speeded away, leaving Tsuzuki behind and lifting a cloud of dust that had him coughing and crying at the same time. One would have thought the cabdriver was being chased by the police or something but, then again, he hadn't gone any slower on the ride there. Tsuzuki had the three cherry-filled donuts he'd had for breakfast still stuck in his throat. He glared at the retreating vehicle before looking around.
According to the old lady sitting next to him on the bus- well, she hadn't been sitting there originally, but until after she saw him alone- there was only one town near Yokohama with a hotel that fitted the description of the one he'd seen in the fragment of the brochure. This, however, where he was now, was arguably a 'town'. At least at plain sight, there weren't more than six blocks around, and half the buildings looked about to crumble. It was fitting, he thought: the lingering cloud of dust, the midday sun forcing his eyes to squint, the ghost town; it looked like out of a movie and, as silly as it may sound, he was amused by it. He would have headed straight for the bar, half hoping to find a white-hatted cowboy there, if he hadn't noticed right away that it was closed. Lucky for him, he'd grabbed a bite back at the bus stop, or he'd risk dying of starvation.
Time to get to the point, he thought, putting his bag over his shoulder. He had to ask for directions if he wanted to find Tatsumi before the day was over. Surely someone still lived there; hopefully. He started walking, slowly, lazily, enjoying the scenery, Dead and all, the town had its charm. Shop after shop he passed, finding them all closed and with enough dirt on their doors to tell him they hadn't been open for a while. What the hell was Tatsumi doing in a place like this? He would have to find the shore, he figured, and walk until he found the inn. It would take forever!
A squeaking sound caught his attention and, looking straight ahead to the main street, he saw a lonely figure approach him. Signs of life, he noted relieved. As soon as his virtual savior was close enough for him to see it was an old man riding an equally old bike, he saw the old man's expression of surprise directed at him. Tsuzuki flashed him one of his most charmingly sweet smiles and waved his way. The man slowed down to a stop by his side, not very gracefully by the way, and eyed him from head to toe.
"Good afternoon, Jii-san," The old man nodded curtly as a reply, making Tsuzuki feel a little awkward. "I'm a bit lost and I was wondering if you could give me a hand." No answer, just a piercing set of clouded brown eyes focused straight at him. Undeterred, and even widening his smile, he asked again. "Would you happen to know a western looking hotel? It should be nearby."
This must have caught the old man's attention, thought Tsuzuki, who suddenly found an accusing bony finger pressed against his chest.
"Who are you?" rasped the man out. "Are you one of those reporters? You look like one." Tsuzuki blinked a few times.
"Huh? A reporter?" He pointed at himself. "I'm not a reporter."
A few, rather harsh pokes at his chest with the aforementioned finger let him know the old man wasn't at all convinced.
"You leave Kaede-kun alone, you hear me? He's a good kid!"
"Sir, Jii-san!" Tsuzuki tried to stop the other man from carving a hole in his chest. "I'm not a reporter, I swear!" In an act of desperation, he grabbed the old man by the wrist to stop the attack. "I'm just looking for a friend!"
After a bit of struggling, the man gave up and gave him a weary look.
"You better not be lying to me, son," he threatened and, as decrepit as he looked, Tsuzuki couldn't help feeling a little intimidated. "A friend, you say?"
The violet eyed man nodded, encouraged.
"Yes, yes! I'm almost certain he went to that hotel I asked you about, and it's urgent I find him."
"I don't know," he said, unsure. "That hotel has been closed for over a year. Are you sure you're in the right town?"
"As sure as I can be. I'm sort of following him without his permission," admitted Tsuzuki. "Do you know where it is?"
"Yes," the old man said reluctantly, and pointed on the direction he'd come from. "A few miles that way. You just follow the main street and you'll find it continues into a dirt road. It would lead you right to the Silent Siren. But..." He looked down, biting his lip. "I'm sure your friend isn't there. You must have got it wrong."
Tsuzuki smiled grateful.
"I'll check, anyway. It can't hurt to make sure, right?" He patted the man in the arm and turned to walk away. "Thanks a lot!" he exclaimed. The man, however, wasn't ready to let him leave. He caught Tsuzuki by the arm, almost causing him to fall over.
"Wait! Son, please... You shouldn't go. Your friend is not there."
The pleading tone caused him to frown. Shaking the hand off, he tried hard not to glare at the increasingly annoying old man. This had gone from awkward to plain bizarre and more than just a bit creepy.
"What do you mean? He came to this town and, unless there's another western looking hotel around, he's staying there!"
Still, the old man shook his head and insisted adamantly.
"Kaede-kun wouldn't let him stay there. Not after... The inn is closed."
"Well," Tsuzuki said between gritted teeth. "Then I guess I'll go and ask this Kaede person if he's seen my friend, because it's obvious he didn't know it was closed when he decided to come, isn't it?" Making sure to keep his arms out of the other's reach, he took a step back. "Again, thanks for your help, but I'm in a hurry."
With one last look at that odd little man, Tsuzuki rushed out of there faster than the cab had a while ago.
It was quite the contrast, thought Hisoka, to walk around a place like the Castle of Candles, that emitted so much solemnity and respect, while listening to the endless tirade of nonsense coming from Hakushaku's mouth. The green eyed boy had put up with it as much as he could, but the occasional eye-roll had escape him. Hisoka had done his best to block the Earl's voice out, and concentrated on the task at hand. Considering that there wasn't any room in that invisible skull of his for anything other than Tsuzuki, he had known it would be hard. Imagine millions and millions of candles and having to make a pervert suffering from ADD to notice just the one he needed to find. Going over the Kiseki hadn't be much difference.
But it was done; he was out of there, thank God, and more than ready to get down to business. In fact, he was almost anxious about it. Maybe he was making too much of it, perhaps he was overreacting, but Tatsumi was his role model, the only one he truly believed to be reliable, and now not only was the Kagetsukai cracking up, he was anything short of a fugitive. It was no wonder Hisoka felt a little off balance. Now that he knew a bit more about the case, though- if only the name of the subject- it didn't seem so hopeless. He rushed into JuOhCho, gripping a tiny piece of paper between his fingers like a life-line and hoping Konoe had found the time to tell Watari that they would be working together. He wasn't about to wait to find the man to take the next step, though. He would go straight to the Gushoushin and pray his findings would mean anything at all to them.
To his surprise, Watari was already there, waiting for him at the Library's entrance, and he looked happy. Sadly, that didn't necessarily mean anything; that could be just Watari being Watari, and Hisoka wasn't sure he was thrilled of having to spend the rest of his day with another nut-job.
"Bon!" cheered the blond, as if he were to announce he'd won the lottery, or something. "I was just about to go get you!"
Hisoka just bowed politely.
"Good afternoon, Watari san. I take it Konoe told you?"
Watari nodded, putting on the most over-dramatic expression.
"He told me everything. Tatsumi is in big, BIG trouble."
"Not if we can help it," answered Hisoka gravely. "I'm certain there's more to this than we're getting. If we find out what Tatsumi's case was, we'll understand why he did what he did." He said this with such confidence that even to him sounded a bit like denial, but he couldn't help it. Watari seemed to buy it, though, and if he didn't, he didn't comment on it. They both walked into the library together. His eyes landed on the elder Gushoushin and, without wasting a single moment on pleasantries, walked up to it and, dropping the small piece of paper in front of him, said: "Look this up for me."
The chicken blinked, so did Watari.
"Excuse me?"
Rather rudely- or at least, rude for Hisoka-, he pointed at the laptop screen the elder Gushoushin had in front of it and then at the paper.
"Please, look it up. It's very important."
The elder Gushoushin picked it up and, scratching his head, read out loud.
"Nobutsuna Katsuhiko?"
TSUZUKU
REVIEWS
First of all to Lyn, even though she didn't review, because she's so nice and helpfull and I'm one step away from naming her co-autor of this story.
Dragonsong: I'm glad you enjoy it. I also hope my precious fic doesn't end up in the pits of unfinished fanfic hell, because I liek it too much. Hugs.
Ellrohan: Of course it's good! No worries. You can review whenever you like. I agree, Tatsumi is not normal, but I'm not going to answer your question. You'll just have to keep reading to see if you were right. Mwuahaha
sari: I know I took a long time to update. My saint seiya fic hasn't been update for five months and counting, yet I haven't given up on it yet, so don't worry. And Tatsuki is always good!
BakayaroManiac: Well, I'm glad you haven't forgot about this! I love your reviews! Though I'm not glad about creeping you out... oh, who am I kidding, I love it! Hugs
Brass Dragon: Tell me about this substance my fic has. Is it gooey? Smelly? Anyway, thanks for your lovely review, k? Hugs.
Schatten Wolfendorf: Si es buena idea, no? Yay, yo. Bueno, me encanta que te encante como escribo, je je. Actualice mas rapido, no? Contenta? Besos.
Sugoi momo Candy: Que viva el Tatsuki, indeed! A Lyn-san la voy a sopapear por que no dejo review. Kaede es Kaede y Tsuzuki es Tsuzuki, pero Tatsumi parece tener problemas para decidir cual es cual, y eso es todo lo que tenes que saber por ahora. Besos.
dodger-chan: Thank you for forgiving me! You have no idea how scared I was! I'm always waiting for your review because you say the nicest things, so don't let me down this time, lol. Huggles and I hope you like this chapter as well.
firedraygon: Thanks. Things are getting lively, aren't they? I hope you liked this chappy as well. Hugs.
JA NE PEOPLE!
