YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?
Chapter Four: A Higher State of Candor
Watari had been sipping his umpteenth cup of coffee before dawn. He and the rest of the Shokan Division had the weekend to spend at their leisure, yet he got up earlier than the usual time. He could not sleep since he arrived home after his dinner date with Tatsumi.
"So wrong…. I'm so stupid. To think that things will be better if I told the truth…gave it a little push for him to open up…" was Watari's ranted thought while he drank his coffee and stared at whatever his gaze felt like resting on.
003 fluttered around where Watari sat – the blonde scientist's favorite spot in the kitchen. She flew around every now and then, at times perching on the spots where Watari would focus his sight on.
When the owl noticed that her master was still absentminded and absolutely upset, she flew towards the kitchen's island and rested on his hand. She then lightly hopped on Watari, starting from the other's left hand and skipping upward until she got to his shoulders.
Once there, 003 stayed on Watari's shoulders. She softly hooted, the sound seemingly laced with concern and sadness.
Looking sideways and noticing 003, Watari faintly smiled. "I'm all right, girl. Just bent out of shape because of him…. "
After Watari remained silent for a while as he spent his time gazing at 003, he sighed as he thought, "What in hell am I moping about here? It's not my lost – it's his! I've never moped about anyone before, and I'm definitely not going to start now!"
A smile escaped from Watari's lips, letting out another heavy sigh before telling 003, "Why don't we go to Chijou today, girl – just you and me?"
The owl preened her feathers first then made happy noises that Watari knew meant "yes" from her. She then hopped on the kitchen counter and watched Watari enter his bedroom to get dressed.
As Watari marched in the bathroom, his thoughts once again drifted towards Tatsumi, how badly their evening had gone, and how much he wished that he could turn back the clock and correct his mistakes.
Then Watari contemplated on whether he did make a mistake last night, and if he did then what was the mistake. He became more troubled as he could not think of anything that he had done to push last night's conversation into a battle of egos with Tatsumi.
Watari's mind entertained different scenarios for last night's outcome. He thought about not saying anything at all, but he figured that he would eventually go mad if he did not get a sense of closure about Tatsumi and where the two of them truly stand.
The blonde scientist then pondered on using a softer approach by keeping the questions open-ended, yet he dismissed that option as a bad idea since he knew that Tatsumi would manage to squirm his way out of answering the question.
Another scenario that Watari reflected on – which was to grab Tatsumi by the collar without any forewarning and give him a lingering kiss on the lips – made him chuckle ruefully as he thought, "He'll slap me then send his shadows to bind me. I can see those eyes of his right now…."
Watari played the last scenario in his mind and his rambled and innately mischief-creating thoughts brought the words "slap" and "bind" a different and much kinkier meaning. He thought about Tatsumi, an impish smile escaping from his lips as he shook his head.
By the time that he gave up his mental dialogue, Watari was already dressed in a turtleneck, thin sweater, and dark pants. He grabbed his favorite brown coat, wore it, and tied back his long, wavy blonde hair in place with a brown silk ribbon.
Once her master was ready, 003 flew towards him and hopped on his shoulder. While the two of them walked towards the door, she made little hooting noises as Watari stroked her head and her body with his gentle fingertips.
When Watari opened the door, his eye caught on a white envelope that lay by the foot of his door. He crouched down, noticing that the envelope had his name written on it.
003 gave Watari some room. She flew away from his shoulder and rested on the small railing nearby the door.
"Tatsumi's handwriting…" thought Watari, his heart racing a bit as he wondered what was in the envelope and what prompted Tatsumi to write to him. He then slid his finger in an open space to pry the envelope open.
Watari pulled out a four-by-six piece of paper which had been folded into two. He unfolded the paper as he stood up, now reading the note which said…
Watari-san,
I'm sorry about last night. I wouldn't blame you if you're still upset with me.
I would've wanted it to end differently…something of a more pleasant note.
I wasn't thinking straight last night. I said things that were uncalled for.
Please pass by my home anytime today for lunch or supper so that I could make it up to you.
In case that you don't feel like joining me today, I'd understand.
I do hope, however, that I would get to see you today.
Tatsumi
The blonde scientist refolded the note, placed it back in the envelope, and slipped it in his coat pocket. He looked at his pet owl, asking her, "He's inviting me to his home today, 003. What do I do?"
The owl made her usual noises – upbeat ones that she would give whenever he invented something new, figured out a solution to a tough clue or problem, or felt that he had a better day at work. She also made the same soft, cheerful noises when he talked about Tatsumi and asked her many times whether he should be more upfront and make efforts to be closer to the secretary.
And now, 003 made those soft hooting noises. The noises changed their pitch, as if she was insisting on her point. After her master still stood there and pondered on the question, she flew and rested on Watari's shoulders, brushing her wing lightly against him.
Knowing what 003 was hinting at, Watari chuckled and said, "All right, all right…. We're going."
Tatsumi was tidying up the receiving area of his quaint home – an everyday ritual that he did before going to work, the time spent on the task increasing during the weekend. His kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom had already been tidied up.
Unlike a workday wherein he would be dressed in his suit and tie, Tatsumi was dressed in a polo sweater and pants, his hair still neat but looking a bit more relaxed as he continued working around the house. He wore a blue apron which he intended to remove once he was done working.
The secretary had also finished working on the small gardens at the front and back of his house, also taking the time to gather fresh vegetables and herbs for today's meal. He had also gone to the market and bought some fish and beef, the two items now already cooked and waiting to be served.
As he cleaned the living room, Tatsumi hoped that the one he offended most last night had finally received his note. He most especially hoped that the other would take his invitation, even if the time would just be enough for him to apologize about last night.
At the same time, Tatsumi knew how Watari's temper could be. Throughout the years, the subtle yet very-existent battle of wits and ego between them would normally end up in amiable terms. The two would part ways after their encounter agreeing to disagree to whatever caused the discussion in the first place. If work was involved in the discussion, the work would be done and all would be well afterwards.
Last night, however, was different.
Tatsumi's thoughts lingered on a very important fact – Watari was the only one who knew how to get through him. The blonde scientist was the only one who could talk to him in a matter-of-factly fashion and manage for him to see another perspective away from his own experience.
Throughout Tatsumi's experience – whether it was during his lifetime as a human or his existence as a shinigami – it was Watari who could manage to keep up with his quick and decisive pace.
Chiefs outside the Shokan Division and even Konoe would back off when they saw the first signs of Tatsumi's temper flaring – the piercing blue gaze and the cold demeanor. They would not even dare think of what Tatsumi was capable of doing. They could sense that beneath that professional demeanor was an intelligent man who was not afraid to show what he could truly do – whether it was productive or destructive.
Enma also recognized and sensed the same element of danger that Tatsumi innately wielded within the core of his being. He kept a close eye on the secretary and was pleased to prove time and time again that the latter was loyal even though he was not afraid to speak his mind.
Yet Tatsumi found it refreshing that someone had enough mettle and brains to bout with him at a level that the chiefs, their enemies, or even Enma would not dare go. The someone that he had in mind understood him at a level that no one probably ever did, even probably at a level that he had not reached himself.
While he dusted the fixtures, Tatsumi repeatedly asked himself why he pushed Watari back on all levels as harshly as he did last night. He wracked his brain trying to find a reason why he would lie about his feelings to Watari when the latter had already opened the door for something to happen.
Tatsumi then pondered on a reason that seemed plausible to him – fear. He knew that fear due to many different reasons held him back all these years when it came to Watari, and those same fears were the ones who made him snap back against Watari last night.
But the fear that really resonated strongly within Tatsumi was the same fear that pushed him to end his partnership and relationship with Tsuzuki many years ago. As his mind's eye recalled the many instances that he secretly looked after Tsuzuki all these years, he knew that there were unresolved matters between them when they parted ways.
And now, Tatsumi realized something that stunned him and made him stop for a while. His train of thought, however, was interrupted as the doorbell rang.
Snapping back to his senses, Tatsumi hurried to the door and opened it. His heart beat faster as he saw the new arrival, the latter carrying a freshly-baked strawberry pie from a popular pastry shop in Watari's assigned district. He hid his nervousness with a faint smile, opening the door wider for the other.
Watari came inside the house and offered the pie to Tatsumi once the secretary closed the door. "It's for you."
Tatsumi accepted the pie, saying as he watched Watari take off his shoes and offered slippers for the other to use during his visit, "Thank you. It's a nice thought. Just take a seat in the dining room and I'll get lunch ready for us."
"I'll help you. You know that I hate sitting around and doing nothing."
Glancing at the other and realizing how true the other's statement was, Tatsumi told Watari once he had the small clay pot of miso soup ready to be carried to the dining room, "I'm glad that you came and I'm sorry. I feel terrible about yesterday. I don't know what came over me to say things like that."
"Maybe because what you said was true," was all that Watari could say as he poured some ginger sauce over the crispy-fried butter fish lying on a platter adorned with lettuce leaves, sliced tomatoes, and carrots carved to look like little flowers. There was no hint of blame or anger with his words. In fact, his tone was one who accepted the uttered words as facts with a sense of peace.
"But they're not true…or the implications were not true…."
Watari let out a subtle sigh, letting the ladle rest on a saucer. "All of them aren't true?"
A tightlipped Tatsumi gazed into Watari's eyes and said, "When I asked you what made you think that I felt the same way that you did… I…. I wasn't being honest with you. The truth is that I do have feelings for you."
Meeting that gaze and mustering the courage not to back down or become exasperated, Watari calmly asked Tatsumi, "Then why did last night happen the way that it did? Did I say something to offend you? If I did, let me know what it is and I'll apologize for it."
Tatsumi gave Watari a light yet reassuring smile. "You didn't do anything wrong. We've always had a rapport with each other, so you should've been free to speak to me as candidly as you did last night. I was out of line last night. What I should've done is told you that I need more time to think, not snap at you."
The two then stood by the stove. A long period of silence stood between them as the exchange of gazes continued.
Tatsumi then broke the silence, his soft smile heartfelt and apologetic as he moved closer to Watari. He held the other's hand. "I don't want things between us to end the way that they did last night. To be more accurate, I want things to begin between us…the way that you and I going at a direction where we both feel we should go."
Watari could not say anything, the lack of words being compensated by the affectionate tightening of his reciprocal hold on Tatsumi's hand. He gazed into the other's eyes as the two were drawn closer to each other.
Lifting his free hand and touching Watari's cheek, Tatsumi's smile became warmer. He took in a subtle yet deep breath, drawing the other closer to him and planting a lingering kiss on the other's lips. He eventually closed his eyes, letting those pent-up feelings which had been barely satisfied from watching and loving the other at a distance be released…realized…be made known to the other.
Once Tatsumi drew away from the kiss that he and Watari shared so that they could catch their breath, he could see the gentle smile from Watari as well as the happy tears that beaded at the corner of the other's eyes.
Being so tender and affectionate, Tatsumi wiped away the tears that streamed down Watari's cheek. He then rested his forehead against the other's forehead, his entire being still in the state of euphoric rush from the kiss that they had as he whispered, "What do you see in me, Watari Yutaka? You still want to be with me even though I forced you to do an autopsy?"
Watari had a pursed-lipped smirk when he replied, "You owe me twice now - one for that unforgivable autopsy you made me do, and two for last night. I know that this lunch we're about to have is good, but what do you propose?"
Tatsumi chuckled. "Sneaky devil. All right. I'll pick you up at your home by six in the evening, and then we go to Chijou. We could do something other than just have dinner. A movie or a play, perhaps? Maybe rent some videos and watch here at my place after dinner...any choice will be my treat."
With his eyes narrowing a bit and then with an eyebrow raising, Watari asked, "Are you feverish?"
The secretary blinked, stumped over what he heard from the other before he managed to ask, "What makes you say that?"
"You, Tatsumi Seiichiro, proposing to take me out for dinner and a movie on your expense?"
After shaking his head and chuckling a bit, Tatsumi said, "I feel bad. I want to make up for it. And if I don't, I'll keep hearing about that autopsy that I coaxed you to do for us every single opportunity that you get."
Tatsumi then gazed into the other's eyes and gave the other a heartwarming smile, his blue eyes reflecting how happy he was. "I also want to celebrate...mark today as a special day for the two of us."
The two then exchanged meaningful smiles before Watari initiated a kiss between them, the kiss lingering and passionate...the two not mindful of the fact that their lunch was getting cold.
End of Chapter Four
Normal Disclaimer
I do not own Yami no Matsuei and its lovable characters. However, I do own this fic and Chief Satori and other original characters.