YAMI NO MATSUEI – DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS
THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?
Chapter Thirteen: Tug-of-War
Watari stirred from sleep at seven in the morning, his mind still half-asleep as he moved in bed. He instinctively reached over to the other side of the bed, his mind thereafter registering that something was out of place.
A soft groan escaped from Watari's lips, not wanting to wake up just yet but his subconscious prodded his hand to pat on the other side of the bed until his mind roused to wakefulness. He then momentarily blinked and his eyes slightly opened as he realized what – or who – was missing.
There was no Tatsumi beside Watari in bed.
The blonde scientist sat up as his eyes scanned the suite he and Tatsumi were in, thinking, "Where could he be? He's still sick."
Seconds later, Watari's question was answered as his gaze landed on Tatsumi. He saw the secretary sitting on the couch and looking at the view of the ocean outside as well as the clear skies. He also noticed how Tatsumi seemed deep in thought and somewhat quieter than usual.
Taking in a deep breath and then letting out a subtle sigh, Watari pondered, "Maybe he's upset because he couldn't go anywhere and be as 'productive' as he wants to be. He's still sick, after all."
It took a while of watching Tatsumi before Watari finally decided to take the risk and approach his lover. He then noticed the fancy ivory parchment envelope sitting on the nightstand table by his side of the bed. He was pursed-lipped when he picked up the still-sealed envelope with his name written in neat and artistic calligraphy, wondering where the card originated from. He flipped the envelope and blinked.
The envelope bore a fancy red wax seal with a majestic-looking letter M imprinted on the wax, fine strips of red silk ribbon secured by wax and giving the seal a more refined look.
Watari became more curious and intrigued, being so careful as he opened the envelope. A soft smile escaped from his pursed lips as he realized who and where the envelope and its contents came from. He read the invitation which said...
Kowabara Corporation cordially invites you and a guest
For a night of merriment and mystery aboard the prestigious Santa Lucia
Allow your imagination to escape as we transport you to Victorian England.
In your finest, you and others will roam the cobblestone roads and gas-lit streets.
Celebrate the launching of our newest role-playing game, Sleuth of Sussex Street
Enjoy the festivities by not only mingling with the brains behind the game
But by also being involved in our live-action role play as one of the characters.
Who knows? You might become the sleuth or the culprit for the evening.
Are you ready to unravel the mystery?
Do you have the mettle to do so?
Join us...if you dare...
An amused Watari then felt a post-it behind the cardstock parchment invitation. He turned over the invitation and read the note which said...
Yutaka-san,
I thank you for the help yesterday as well as the nice chat over tea.
I'll be humbled and honored if you and Tatsumi-san could come to the party.
Sleuth of Sussex Street is one of my creations, so I'm happy to see it launch.
Please call or visit me at my suite if you or Tatsumi-san would need anything from me.
Warmest regards, Ran
ps: Please send my regards to Tatsumi-san as well. I do hope that he gets well soon.
"That's very nice of him," thought Watari as his silent smile became a tad warmer than before.
"Is that from Miyazawa Ran?"
Watari glanced towards Tatsumi, the latter's gaze still transfixed at the view outside the window as the ship sailed to its first destination. Although Tatsumi's voice was even-toned, he could tell that the very object in his hand bothered the secretary.
And so Watari's equally even-toned yet inwardly nervous reply was, "Yes, it is. It's for both of us."
"I see…" murmured Tatsumi, shifting just a little bit to remain comfortable in his current position.
The blonde scientist approached the secretary and handed the invitation. His golden-brown eyes were focused on Tatsumi and he expected Tatsumi to show signs of irritation, disappointment, or doubt.
Yet to Watari's silent surprise and gnawing guilt, Tatsumi remained silent. He could tell from those watery yet smoldering blue eyes of Tatsumi's that Tatsumi was stewing over what happened last night.
Watari felt that he could not blame his lover. How could he? Here was the normally independent Tatsumi, sick and needing help. Here he was laboriously and heatedly debating with the secretary as to why the latter should allow for people to help him.
And after Tatsumi allowed help, Watari ended up talking to Ran…the conversation being so entertaining that he did not realize the importance of calling the secretary until two-and-a-half hours later.
The blonde scientist knew that last night was a mere oversight, but as to why he committed such a grave oversight was unknown to him. The argument between Tatsumi and him ended with him not giving Tatsumi a straight answer, and with Tatsumi merely dropping the subject.
The evening between the lovers was excruciatingly painful since they pretended to be asleep, although Tatsumi could not successfully do it as well as Watari did because he had been coughing and sneezing all evening.
Today, however, was another day – another day that Watari hoped would be better than last night.
Once Tatsumi began reading the fancy invitation and the accompanying note, Watari coaxed Tatsumi to scoot forward and give him room. He then cuddled Tatsumi from behind, letting his patient lean against his body and rest while doing his best to placate the other's silently sour mood.
Tatsumi secured the invitation back into its envelope and gave it back to Watari. He took a deep breath and let out a sigh, allowing his body to snuggle more comfortably against Watari once the invitation had been put away. He was still not feeling well. His eyes were still reddish and watery. His chest and nose were still congested. He still had a fever although his temperature had gone down since last night. His body ached and his head throbbed with a headache.
While Tatsumi had his eyes closed in efforts to relax, Watari asked, "You're still angry with me, aren't you?"
It took a little while before Tatsumi managed to reply, "I'll get over it."
After a long period of silence between them, Watari said in a calm, soft, and appeasing tone, "He's just a sweet kid who doesn't have many friends, Seii. He's friendly and harmless. He and I just talked after I helped him – nothing more."
The secretary let out a subtle sigh before responding, "I know…"
A tightlipped smile escaped from Watari's lips. He gently drew Tatsumi closer to him and affectionately tightened his cuddle. "I'm very sorry about last night, Seii. It was my fault for losing track of time. I should've returned sooner last night…not made you worry about me. I didn't realize that you'd worry that much about me until last night."
A still-sick Tatsumi did not say anything yet he did listen intently to what Watari had just told him. For his reply, he lay down on the couch, used his lover's lap as a cushion for his head, snuggled against the other until he was comfortable, and closed his eyes.
Although there were no words said between them, Watari understood what was going on in Tatsumi's mind. He empathetically smiled as he gently carded his fingers through Tatsumi's hair, providing Tatsumi some much-needed comfort and affection especially after their spat last night.
Later on, Tatsumi murmured while his eyes remained closed, "There was a light hint of cologne along with other psychic traces on the invitation. He is a sweet kid. Lighthearted aura about him… He also likes you."
Watari was about to ask Tatsumi about what was just said but the question remained unasked. He let out a soft sigh as he continued comforting a now-sleeping Tatsumi.
The blonde scientist remained silent as another tinge of guilt pinched his heart while his gaze rested on Tatsumi. On a factual standpoint, nothing happened between Ran and him save for an engrossing conversation between two geeks. However, the more that he thought about the spat that he and Tatsumi had last night the harder it became to convince himself that Tatsumi's jealousy had no merit.
Glancing at Tatsumi, Watari train of thought ran as if he was talking to his lover, "I love you, Seii. There's nothing for you to worry about. Nothing at all…. What should I do to convince you?"
Eventually, Watari fell asleep along with Tatsumi while his thoughts nagged him. Before he fell asleep, he decided for Tatsumi and him to accept Ran's invitation. He figured that the party was the perfect opportunity to get closer to Kowabara and Ran. He also figured that spending some time with Ran would give him some answers to the questions that now plagued his mind.
--
The following day came with Tatsumi opening his eyes. As he stretched for a couple of seconds, gauging that he felt much better after his seemingly-endless bout with the flu. He was relieved that his congestion and headache lightened up considerably.
Tatsumi then stirred in bed. He smiled softly and cuddled Watari from behind. His smile became warmer as a still-sleeping Watari instinctively snuggled against him as if he was a security blanket.
In turn, Tatsumi drew Watari close to him and closed his eyes. He hated waking up late or sleeping in, but he chose to make an unbelievable exception. After all, staying in bed meant more rest for recovery as well as more quality time to spend with Watari.
Minutes later, sleep visited Tatsumi once more as his still-healing body coaxed his subconscious to rest once more.
The hours then flew uneventfully for the two lovers. When the two had the chance to get up from bed and start their day at three in the afternoon, the two were respectively in a good mood.
It was also the first time in the past couple of days that Tatsumi had some of his appetite back – a sign that Watari took as a strong and hopeful positive that Tatsumi was on the road to recovery. Nonetheless, a still-worried Watari asked, "Are you sure that you're ready to be out like this? There's still two entire days' worth of bed-rest that need to catch up on."
Tatsumi smiled warmly, although the smile still had hints of his weak health at this time. "Yes. I need some air. You're coming with me, so I'll be all right."
Watari gazed at Tatsumi. He saw that the secretary wanted to take a stroll outside the ship and grab a bite to eat. "All right… But at the very moment that I see you get cold or not feeling well, you and I are marching back to our suite."
"Yes, Doctor," said Tatsumi with an amused grin. His semi-watery eyes lit up a bit as he added, "Come here…."
The secretary then drew Watari close to him, planting an affectionate peck on Watari's lips before drawing away for a couple of seconds…those couple of seconds spent to gaze into Watari's eyes and sweep away the unruly strands of hair from the other's face.
Then Tatsumi initiated a series of kisses, those kisses being much-longer and passionately deeper. His embrace became more intimate and affectionate.
As to Watari, he melted into those kisses and reciprocated it with equal warmth. After all, this was the most intimate that Tatsumi and he had been since they set foot on the ship.
Tatsumi then pulled away, his blue eyes half-lidded and darkened with lust. "Walk first, then this….?"
"Yes…although I wouldn't mind if we just stay here," murmured Watari with a sheepish smile while his mind still swam from the kiss they just shared.
"We won't be long. I promise," replied Tatsumi with a warm smile before he planted a kiss on Watari's cheek. "Let us go, so that we could return here sooner?"
Watari nodded with a lighthearted grin as he and Tatsumi left their cabin suite for their stroll.
The time together between the lovers indicated that whatever issues they have disagreed upon was merely water under the bridge. The two took the time to go through the ship's museum which was technically the entire ship – the Santa Lucia being a luxury liner during peaceful times and a cargo ship of soldiers and supplies during the two World Wars. The detail-oriented Tatsumi loved his numbers and his history, while the technologically-inclined Watari loved looking at schematics of the ship which was ahead of its time when it was first built.
Eventually, the two went to the restaurant inside the ship. Once Watari informed the hostess that there were two of them dining, she immediately ushered Tatsumi and him to their table.
Tatsumi asked to be excused to wash his hands and went straight to the washroom, leaving Watari at their table.
Once Tatsumi was nearly done washing his hands and was using the hand dryer, he heard someone enthusiastically ask from behind, "Is that you, Koji?'
Tatsumi, knowing that there was no more than one person aside from him inside the washroom, blinked and glanced sideways. He then saw the owner of that voice blink and said, "My apologies. I thought that you're a dear business mentor's son. You and he share similar features."
"It's… It's him..." thought Tatsumi as he immediately recognized Kowabara Kenji. The first thought that he had in mind was that the elder man had an air of charisma in appearance and speech.
"I'm sorry if I startled you," added an apologetic Kowabara.
"No, no… Not at all," replied Tatsumi with a light smile. Once he finished drying his hands, he faced the man and slightly bowed. "Tatsumi Seiichiro's my name. I'm pleased to meet you. I apologize if my voice doesn't sound as well at it normally did since I've been under the weather lately."
Kowabara bowed also, the bow being lower to signify the laced apology behind the gesture. "My name's Kowabara… Kowabara Kenji. I'm pleased to meet you as well."
Feigning ignorance, Tatsumi blinked a bit and his eyes lit up. "Kowabara…as in Kowabara Corporation…? I saw the event postings at the ship's reception area as well as the ballrooms being prepared for the evening."
"Yes, yes…" said Kowabara with a smile veiled with pride. "I'm looking forward to launching this new game and my hard-working staff needs to know that their efforts are appreciated. They'll all be here for the party which would be two nights from tonight. Are you a gamer or are familiar with role-playing games?"
"My companion is familiar with gaming. I'm more interested in history."
"Hold on for a minute, please…" said Kowabara as a warm and enthusiastic smile escaped from his lips, making him look as charming as ever. He pulled out a leather folder from his briefcase and took out an invitation. Afterwards, he took a gold pen and scribbled for a couple of minutes.
As the smile from Kowabara's lips became warmer, he handed a familiar-looking envelope to Tatsumi. "This is an invitation to my company's party. Feel free to bring your guest if you have any. You're a history buff so I could ask for an objective opinion on how historically accurate is this game. I want my products to be high quality and educational, so historical accuracy is very important to me. I also want players to be entertained and educated at the same time."
"Thank you, Kowabara-san…"
"And please, Seiichiro…. Call me Kenji…."
"All right, Kenji" said Tatsumi with a light smile. He did not feel comfortable having a total stranger call him by his first name, nor did he feel comfortable calling a stranger by his first name. Since the rare opportunity of getting close to a suspect was there then he did his best to hide his discomfort.
"I will see you at the party, then?"
"Yes, yes you will," was Tatsumi's reply.
Kowabara then bowed before Tatsumi then said, "I have a couple of business partners to meet. I will see you at the restaurant then."
After returning the cordial gesture, Tatsumi then watch Kowabara leave the washroom. He then washed his hands again as he thought, "Good… This is another opportunity to get closer to the case."
At first, Tatsumi's intention once he left the washroom was to inconspicuously spot where Kowabara was sitting and who the man was sitting with. However, his attention quickly diverted to his table and his eyes instinctively narrowed.
Tatsumi definitely did not like what he saw….
Watari was at the table talking with Miyazawa Ran, the two having no trouble continuing the conversation that had been left off from the night before.
End of Chapter Thirteen
Normal Disclaimer
I do not own Yami no Matsuei and its lovable characters. However, I do own this fic and Chief Satori, Kowabara, Miyazawa Ran, Medea the Enchantress, Mercurio, Terra Novum, Sleuth of Sussex Street, and other original characters and names.