YAMI NO MATSUEI - DESCENDANTS OF DARKNESS

THE BEGINNING OF A BEAUTIFUL RELATIONSHIP…OR NOT?

Chapter Fifteen – The Two Sleuthing Shinigami of Sussex Street

"Thank heavens you are awake, Doctor Wilkins. I was so worried about you."

After hearing that soothing voice, a very groggy Watari opened his eyes. Without his glasses, it was harder to focus and see who was actually doing the talking but he ventured a guess as to who was the owner of that voice when he asked, "R…Ran? Is that you?"

The owner of that voice handed Watari a pair of glasses while he murmured, "Ran….? Come on, Doctor Wilkins. I am Anthony. Anthony Crowder, Lord Reiley's manservant. You took a nasty blow to the head. How are you feeling?"

Once Watari wore his glasses, he did confirm that the one with him was indeed Ran Miyazawa which prompted him to say, "Ran, this isn't a joke. Where's Tatsumi Seiichiro? Where is he?"

Ran's eyes became more frantic and worried. "Doctor, Uncle and his men found you and Lord Reiley unconscious at the town square. You both have been unconscious for three days. I would not be surprised if you and Lord Reiley have at least a concussion, especially Lord Reiley. And who, may I ask, is Tatsumi Seiichiro? Is he the one who attacked you? Or is he a guest that you and Lord Reiley are expecting, yet were not able to tell me about his arrival? "

Watari's eyes squinted. He wanted to yell at Ran but his dizziness and pounding head gave him difficulty to focus. He vaguely remembered such names –

Wilkins… Anthony… Lord Reiley…. Then his mind ran an inventory of exactly who he was with, what was he doing along with the people around him, and how did he end up in his strange surroundings. He then thought, "Right… The cruise…. The party… Anthony was launching his software…. His game…. Before everything went dim, we had roles. I'm Doctor John Wilkins. Ran is Anthony Crowder. Seii's supposed to be this Count Radcliff Reiley."

Then Watari's headache became worse as he moved the wrong way, with Ran's words sinking deeper in his mind. Lord Reiley – or Tatsumi – was in a worse predicament than he was now. That realization prompted him to ask Ran, or should he say Anthony, "The Count…. Where is he?"

"Lord Reiley is in his room resting, Doctor. He had a nasty wound at the back of his head. He is also running a fever and is still unconscious the last time that I have checked. I had to stitch him up since you were also unconscious," was Ran's reply. His sights followed Watari's movements as the blonde scientist got up from bed and left the room, the younger man worried since Watari's steps were wobbly. He ran after Watari and then blocked the door.

"Out of my way, Ran," was Watari's even-toned yet intent-filled words. He could tell from Ran's eyes that the latter noted as to irked he was at this point.

Ran's eyes had this apologetic and pleading look as he explained, "Please, Doctor. You just woke up after three days' worth of unconsciousness. I do not want you to have a relapse."

"I'm fine!"

And Ran deadpanned, "You are not fine, Doctor. My name is Anthony, yet since you have woken up you kept calling me Ran. Please, Doctor…."

Giving Ran a dubious and probing stare, Watari then froze upon the realization that Ran was not kidding around. He found out that Ran truly knew him as Doctor Wilkins, had unequivocally accepted this make-believe world as reality, and had forgotten his life and memories as a software engineer for Kowabara's company. He then calmed down a bit, seeing the fear and worry in Ran's eyes. In a low tone that acknowledged that he was not exasperated and that he was considering Ran's advice, he told the younger man, "I want to see Lord Reiley. Once I see him, I'll rest. I promise."

Watari's eyes reflected as to how his heart sank at the pit of his stomach once he saw Ran's reaction while Ran sadly told him, "Lord Reiley's not well. He has been suffering the throes of a high-grade fever. He has been delirious since we found you and him unconscious days ago. He's been muttering the word Yutaka over and over again."

"Take me to him, Anthony. Please…."

A tightlipped Ran uneasily complied with Watari's request, the young man in fear of Watari's well-being, but with the condition, "Only if you take my arm and let me escort you there, Doctor."

Watari then took Ran's arm, allowing Ran to escort him to where Lord Reiley – or Tatsumi – now rested.

The scientist was amazed with the size and grandeur of the house that they were now in, but he held back his awe since he did not want to alarm Ran any further. His heart raced for every minute that he had not seen Tatsumi, and he repeatedly thought, "Seii, you better be all right. We still have an argument to finish…to kiss and make up for…"

Watari's heart skipped a beat and it clenched as Ran's steps stopped at two heavy oak doors. He nearly bit his lip when Ran said before opening the door, "Here we are, Doctor. Just do not be too alarmed. After all, Lord Reiley is not faring out very well."

Ran opened the door leading to an elegantly decorated room befitting an English nobleman, not knowing as to how anxious Watari was as he did so.

And there was Tatsumi in a large Victorian gothic four-poster canopy bed, donned in a now-sweat-soaked linen sleeping gown. His eyes were closed, his face was flushed, and his body quivered from the fever. Ran had just changed his sleeping gown less than two hours ago, but he continued to sweat as the fever raged on.

The scientist's heart sank deeper into the pit of his stomach once he sat by his lover's bedside. He thought as he checked Tatsumi's pulse, "A little weak. He's just overcoming the flu. He had a relapse…."

Ran watched Watari make Tatsumi as comfortable as possible. He saw how Watari changed Tatsumi's sleeping gown, giving the secretary a sponge bath which consisted of rubbing alcohol mixed in hot water. He watched Watari help as much as he could so that Tatsumi – who he knew as Lord Reiley – would be able to rest more comfortably as soon as possible.

When Watari was done taking care of Tatsumi's immediate needs, he told Ran, "I'll watch over Lord Reiley, Anthony. I'll call for you if I need any help. For now, please rest."

"Very well, Doctor. I will just light up this extra lamp for both of you before I leave," was Ran's answer, not debating or arguing over the fact that Watari also needed rest. He knew that Watari – who he knew by the name of Doctor John Wilkins – was a steadfastly insistent man. After he lit up the lamp using a match and cleaned up once he was done with his task, he left quietly after bidding Watari good night.

Once Watari had been left alone with Tatsumi, his mind worked on overdrive as to what was actually going on.

Tatsumi stirred a bit, still in the throes of delirium. He kept mumbling the name Yutaka, which made Watari's heart ache.

As a response, Watari affectionately tightened his hold on Tatsumi's limp hand. It ached him even more that Tatsumi could not response in kind just as the latter would usually do. He missed Tatsumi…the touches…the kisses…and who could forget the lovemaking…?

"Hell, I miss us arguing too," whispered Watari near Tatsumi's as a soft rueful smile escaped from his lips. He swept away the unruly strands of brown hair covering Tatsumi's eyes, remembering how the two of them became intimately close to each other for a little over a month now.

Still not feeling well, Watari rubbed his forehead as his headache began to pound more painfully. He then glanced at a sleeping and delirious Tatsumi, with him murmuring, "A relapse from your flu…. Just our luck for this stupid demon to do this while we're in the middle of an argument…. Get well quickly, Seii. I don't know how much time we have left. We have to beat this demon's game before this game and the demon beats us."

The following day, Watari stirred as he felt movement on the bed that he shared with a sick Tatsumi. He sat up as he saw Tatsumi struggling to sit up. He got up and helped the secretary.

Watari heard Tatsumi murmur, "Thank you, but I can do it on my own."

Tatsumi's comment prompted Watari to ask the question, "Do you remember me?"

The secretary stopped for a minute as he gave the blonde scientist a bewildered look. "What type of question is that, and what is this weird place, anyway? Of course I remember you. Last thing that I remember was you not talking to me at the ship, being jealous over one of our suspects."

"So you do remember me… Thank goodness," said Watari, his honey-colored eyes lighting up just before he let out a relieved sigh. He was so relieved that he did not notice Tatsumi's subtle mention of Kowabara and his jealousy against the older man.

"What's been going on, Yutaka? Where are –?"

Tatsumi then stopped and blinked a bit, glancing at the door as he heard heavy and intent footsteps heading towards his door followed by the pleas, "Uncle, please! Lord Reiley is resting! You cannot just traipse in there! Uncle!"

Watari stood up beside Tatsumi as they heard semi-familiar voices.

Tatsumi asked, "Is that Ran's voice?"

Before Watari could answer Tatsumi's question, the door opened with Ran blocking a group of men's way – the group being spearheaded by….

"Kowabara-san?" mentally asked Tatsumi as his eyes went wide while Watari did pretty much an inward version of his reaction.

Kowabara pretty much got flustered as he realized that Tatsumi – or Lord Reiley – was merely donning a sheer linen sleeping gown. He said repeatedly, "I am sorry, Lord Reiley. We just needed to speak with you. You know how Scotland Yard placed The Gouger matter high on the priority list."

"Please let Lord Reiley get at least half decent first. We will go downstairs to speak with you, just give us some space and privacy," said Watari in a stern voice as he rested a firm grip on Tatsumi's arm – a cue for Tatsumi to leave the speaking up to him. Blood rushed to his ears, feeling peeved.

"Yes, yes…" was Kowabara's stammered reply as he and his men quickly went about-face and went out of the room while being sent out by Ran.

But before Ran closed the door to give Tatsumi and Watari some privacy, Watari said, "Anthony, let them wait downstairs. We need you here for a minute."

Ran closed the door behind him, his gaze resting on Tatsumi and Watari. He received a big shock when Tatsumi asked, "Who was that who barged in the door?"

"The one who apologized to you is my Uncle, Lord Reiley. The rest who accompanied him are his men from Scotland Yard. Once again, I am so sorry for his antics. I told him time and time again not to just barge in. He may seem to be uncouth at times, but he is a good-hearted man. He is just very passionate with his work. "

Tatsumi closed his eyes, trying to muster as much energy as he could in his weakened state. "What is his name?"

"He is Stanley Crowder, my lord. He is a chief inspector at Scotland Yard. I do not know all the names of the ones who accompanied him, but your family has known my family very well for many years. You and my uncle also have this sort of love-hate relationship."

"Oh, really?" mumbled Watari with a frown on his face, feeling his blood boil a bit as he watched Tatsumi's reaction to Ran's explanation.

Much to Watari's displeasure, Tatsumi took a subtle swallow before asking Ran, "What do you mean by that?'

Ran's eyes narrowed a bit, unable to place exactly what was going on with his two companions. Nonetheless, he answered as he crossed his arms over his chest, "Well, let me see… He tells you at times not to meddle, you and the doctor do your investigation, you two include my begrudging uncle in the middle of the investigation, you and the doctor solve the case, and then you and he are tightlipped about it as the case closes. You have also been gracious all these years about letting my uncle have the credit for solving most if not all of the cases that you and Doctor Wilkins have personally solved," was Ran's reply, his gaze switching its resting place from Tatsumi and then Watari.

Watari had a tightlipped smile on his face as he asked, "You must be thinking that this is weird, the two of us asking you for names and details that we should know... Am I right, Anthony?"

"Y-yes…" was Ran's admission, his gaze diverting a bit from the two men before him. He did not know what to say at first. He did his best to gather his thoughts as his stare rested on the floor. He then looked at the two men, deeming it best to look at them straight in the eye and say, "My lord… Doctor Wilkins…. You two are scaring me right now. You have been calling me a different name since you two have awoken. You do not know Uncle's name when he barges into your door and pesters this household almost every day for many years. You two do not seem to know where you are. I am worried and scared for both of you."

Tatsumi could see the fear in Ran's eyes, and so he said, "Anthony, once your uncle leaves, I promise you that Doctor Wilkins and I will provide you with an explanation to everything. For now, we really need your assistance. When someone walks in the door or whenever we encounter someone, please fill us in as to who he or she is. It will also help if you tell us a little bit about that person."

"Are you two suffering from amnesia?"

Watari then answered, "Yes, and no. But for now, can Lord Reiley and I depend on you for that help?"

Ran nodded. He was not certain as to what was going on with Watari and Tatsumi, but he would certainly not abandon them in their time of need. He then remembered that Kowabara and the others were waiting downstairs. "What should I tell them?"

Without hesitation, a still very weak Tatsumi requested, "Please tell them that Doctor Wilkins and I will be down shortly. Just help us out by making our lack of recollection as inconspicuous as possible. Fill us in on as much information as you can without making it look obvious. The last adventure that the good doctor and I were involved in – whatever it was – didn't bode well as much as we had hoped for. We'd like to talk to you about it once our guests leave."

"Yes, my lord. I will tell Uncle and the others that you and the doctor will be joining them downstairs."

With a faint smile, Tatsumi said, "Thank you, Anthony. We really appreciate your help."

Tatsumi and Watari could tell that Ran was rather perturbed as he left the room and gave them their privacy. Once they felt that Ran could not hear them, Watari asked Tatsumi, "Seii, you have a relapse. Are you sure that you're up for this?"

After letting out a soft sigh, Tatsumi rested his body against the bed. "We have no choice. This demon trapped us in this world. We have to get out of here before the situation worsens."

Watari frowned. "I agree. So, why don't we talk about the facts that we do know while I get you a lounging robe? I'll borrow this other one so that we could go downstairs and get this all over with. We need to meet with our guests downstairs and get them out of here so that we could get to work."

Tatsumi extended his arm, reaching out for the robe that Watari had offered him to wear. After mumbling his thanks, he carefully rose from the bed that he sat in and wore his robe. He could tell that he did not have his full sense of balance, so he leaned against one of the bedposts.

The secretary nearly lost his balance when he tried to lift his left arm, feeling more lightheaded than before. Luckily, he felt Watari grip his right arm. He closed his eyes, trying to regain some equilibrium to stop the room from spinning.

"Didn't I tell you to take it easy, Seii? Why do you never listen?" admonished Watari as he helped Tatsumi sit down on the bed. From there, he helped Tatsumi with the robe and once Tatsumi looked presentable enough he looked into Tatsumi's watery eyes. "Just hold my arm and we'll go downstairs. We still have a case to solve here. If you feel too sick at any point in time, just say the word and I'll get you out of there."

"So let us just sort through our facts before we go downstairs," said Tatsumi while he tightened his hold on Watari's hand, doing so not just as expression gratitude but also as a gesture of affection.

After the two briefly talked while Tatsumi gathered some strength, the laundry list of facts boiled down to the following…

There was Kowabara Kenji, the major suspect, whose enemies end up dead with their eyes missing from their sockets…the man who had been fancying Tatsumi much to Watari's jealousy.

There was Miyazawa Ran, the young, mysterious, and handsome software engineer who had been fawning over Watari much to Tatsumi's jealousy…the Shokan Division suspecting that he would be the next target.

There was the business of the missing souls – all of those souls belonging to Kowabara's enemies. What was the significance of their souls as well as their eyes missing from their corpses?

And then who could forget the mysterious and malevolent demon who added one more to the list of victims – the one who brought all of them into this illusionary world of Ran's imagination? The demon could have chosen any illusion to entrap them in, but why Ran's world out of all possibilities?

Once the set of facts were established, the two made eye contact and agreed that it was now time to go downstairs and gather more facts from their guests waiting downstairs.

Although Tatsumi did not feel comfortable needing any assistance to walk or descend the stairs, he acknowledged that it was a necessary evil that he had to relent to as he held on to Watari's arm.

The guests, led by Kowabara, all held their hats near their chest and gave a subtle nod of respect towards Tatsumi. Kowabara spoke for the entire group when he said, "I apologize for the intrusion, Lord Reiley, but there has been another victim."

"Should we go to the parlor, Lord Reiley…Doctor Watkins?" Ran proposed in a form disguised as a question, the visitors and even his uncle not noticing the intentions behind Ran's words.

"Yes, that'll be most comfortable for Lord Reiley," said Watari as he gave Ran a sideways glance and a soft, grateful smile.

Tatsumi felt the pangs of jealousy when he saw Watari smile at Ran, but he noticed that exerting any emotions also sapped out his strength so he sighed out his frustration.

Everyone walked towards the parlor, with Ran leading the way by just a few feet. He then opened the door to receive everyone.

"All right, Inspector Crowder, tell me about this latest victim and compare this victim to all the others that we have discussed and have not discussed," said Tatsumi as Ran helped Watari, guiding the two men to have Tatsumi sit in the usual chair that Lord Reiley loved to sit in whenever he was in the mood for solitude or receiving guests.

Kowabara – known in this world as Inspector Crowder – was caught off-guard and nearly stammered the words, "I beg your pardon, Lord Reiley?"

With a calm yet firm tone, Tatsumi said as he gave Kowabara a piercing gaze with those now-watery blue eyes, "You heard what I said, Inspector Crowder. Tell us everything about this case from start to finish or you are not getting the usual assistance that we provide here."

"This aristocratic blowhard must be kidding," spat one of Kowabara's men, the low-ranking man from Scotland Yard seemingly shrinking as his superior Kowabara viciously glared at him for the remark.

"I do not kid around," Tatsumi countered, the sharpness of his earlier glare now ever-increasing.

"Forgive him for his rudeness, Lord Reiley. Anthony, my boy, would you be so kind as to escort the men out of this room? I would like to have a private audience with Lord Reiley and Doctor Watkins regarding this case." Kowabara then glared at the man who erred earlier, making the latter feel more embarrassed and nerve-wracked as he added, "It would also ensure that there would be no more unnecessary interruptions."

Ran gave a subtle nod of agreement and then did as his uncle had requested, inwardly wanting to kick the erring man's rear for being so blatantly disrespectful towards his master, Lord Reiley.

As the door now closed behind them, Kowabara shared what he thought he had shared before to the two shinigami. He showed the pictures of the victims, explained the details regarding each victim – such as location of the body, time of death, and other pertinent data. He then disclosed the details regarding the last victim – the one who died at the party before they all were transported and trapped in this world.

Since Tatsumi and Watari recognized that these victims were the some of the ones from their current case from the Shokan Division, Watari cleared his throat a bit which prompted Tatsumi to say, "I was serious about what I have said earlier before your men, Inspector Crowder. If you do not tell me everything about this case, all help from here on out is cut off."

Kowabara blinked. "I still do not know what you mean, Lord Reiley. I have been most candid with you about this matter."

A wry smirk escaped from Tatsumi's lips before he shook his head. A few seconds later, he said, "You are not candid enough, Inspector. These are not all of the victims. You are insulting the good doctor's and my intelligence with your careful omissions."

With eyes going wide from shock, Kowabara's jaw hung open for a while before he managed to say, "How….? How did….?"

Tatsumi leaned forward and interjected, "How did I know? It is simple. I can tell it from the look in your eyes and how you pull your documents from that envelope. A thoroughly candid person would have no hesitation in emptying the envelope, spreading the documents, and sharing the information at the shared table between us. Aside from that, you have been very nervous since I posed the threat of not helping you solve this case. Your body betrays you so easily. We have had this discussion many times before, yet you still feel the urge to do it. You should know by now that trying to deceive me does not and will not get you anywhere."

Feeling cornered and utterly stupid for getting caught yet again, Kowabara laid out all the contents from his brown manila envelope and showed everything to Tatsumi and Watari – the pictures and data from the remaining victims, news clippings, other documented evidence found in the scene of the crime.

Watari frowned as he listened to Kowabara, thinking, "Everything is so primitive. I'm sure that Seii and I could do a better job than they can. This forensic evidence is a joke, and it takes that long to get it done? Oh, I keep forgetting…Victorian era. To them, Scotland Yard's methods which we now see before is state-of-the-art. And Seii's playing his part perfectly. Well, when I think about it, this isn't much of a deviation from who he normally is. He gave his personality just the right noble flair, and Kowabara here took it hook, line, and sinker. That'll buy us enough time."

An hour and a half had more than passed for their meeting, with Kowabara doing most of the talking and Tatsumi asking questions here and there which led to more information being shed with more clarity. Before the meeting wrapped up, Kowabara said, "I have told you everything that I know, Lord Reiley. Please help us with this Gouger case. The public is in a state of panic because of it."

After taking in a deep breath and feeling the exhaustion settle on him once again, Tatsumi looked at Kowabara and replied in an even tone as he crossed his right leg over his left, "Doctor Wilkins and I will help you, Inspector Crowder. For now, you are forgiven for your earlier exercise of poor judgment. Do it again, and I will make good on my threat."

"Very well, then. I will share everything to you once more information is passed on to me. Get well soon, Lord Reiley," said Kowabara as he rose from his chair and extended a hand, leaning forward a bit so that Tatsumi did not have to get up in case the latter decided to accept his handshake.

Tatsumi shook hands with Kowabara, which made Watari rather miffed and wary but he nonetheless let it go. He just wanted Kowabara out of the room not only because of his jealousy but also because he saw that Tatsumi was getting too tired.

Before he exited out of the parlor, Kowabara looked behind and gave Tatsumi another meaningful glance – the same one that made Watari irked on the ship when he first met Kowabara.

When Anthony closed the door behind them to give them privacy, Watari told Tatsumi, "Unbelievable. That man still wants to get into your pants even in this world. And you better not tell me that Ran's doing the same."

With his left hand, Tatsumi then took a quill pen which sat on the table where the evidence now lay as well as parchment paper. He then wrote notes on the paper and then once done with his task, he rested his back against the chair and closed his eyes a bit. He took off his glasses, closed his eyes, and pinched the bridge of his nose when he mumbled, "I am so sorry, John. I am not paying attention…."

A startled Watari stopped for a minute and reassessed what he just heard and saw from Tatsumi. He then asked, "I'm sorry. I didn't catch what you just said and what name did you just call me?"

The secretary let out a sigh and then put his glasses back on. He gave Watari a puzzled look. "I didn't say anything, Yutaka. I hate to do it, but I'm going to listen to what you said. I just became very tired from that meeting. I'd like to talk about the case while we look though these documents that Kowabara had left behind for us."

Watari observed Tatsumi's every movement and listened to every word that the secretary had just uttered. Something did not settle well with him. There was something in the way that Tatsumi's eyes gleamed that made him uncomfortable. For now, all that he could think of as his heart and mind raced for a quick solution and a sure exit out of this game world, "I know that Seii could easily use two adding machines or ten-key calculators at the same time – one for the right and another for the left hand…but since when did Seii ever write with his left hand?"

Then a fact hit Watari hard, his honey-colored eyes now resting on Tatsumi. "The flu... He has the flu, so his resistance is substantially down. He doesn't have the usual resistance to such things, so he's the same as the rest of them...well, almost."

Tatsumi sounded really sapped out of strength when he said, "May we stay here for a while, Yutaka? I don't think that I have enough strength in my legs to climb those stairs right now. Just for thirty minutes...?" He was so tired that he was not able to wait for Watari's reply.

As Watari watched Tatsumi close his eyes, letting Tatsumi take a short nap in the chair where the latter now sat, he continued his train of thought by saying to himself, "Seii…. This isn't good…. This isn't good at all… Don't slip away from me…."

End of Chapter Fifteen

Normal Disclaimer

Yami No Matsuei (Descendants of Darkness) and its characters are copyrighted properties of Matsushita Yoko. This fan fiction and the original characters that appear within this fan fiction belong to PJ Zatken.