When the Sakura Stops Falling – chapter 3
It didn't take long for the brunette shinigami to reach the laboratory where his co-worker Watari would be found no doubt trying to figure out why his latest invention had suddenly started to smoke. Or maybe he would be pouring over some arcane text trying to discover some new potion to try out on his unsuspecting friends and co-workers alike. The one and only thing you could be sure of when dealing with the genki would be engineer turned scientist after his death would be to expect anything and everything to happen when he was around. Slowing down from his job to a power walker's pace he cautiously approached the door which was marked as the entrance to the dreaded lab where he was hoping he could persuade his friend to help him on his latest endeavour. The purple eyed guardian of death slowed down to a stand still and stood staring at the door as if it would suddenly spring to life and tell him whether or not it would be safe to go inside. Of course being a door there was no way it could do such a thing, but he decided he might suggest it to his blond friend as a new invention he could work on. Talking doors which would inform you if the person you were looking for was in their office did seem rather useful. With his mind pondering the ins and the outs of such a project he raised a hand to lightly knock on the reinforced door leading to the lab when a rather large crash was heard coming from the other side. Concerned for the welfare of a colleague and not in the least bit worried about his one chance to get assistance for his scheme to turn his nemesis into a good person again he forgo knocking and just burst through the door.
The sight which greeted him on the other side of the hinged piece of wood was of a large and very messy room which had become even more unorganized then usual. Stood in the centre of the wreckage more commonly known as Watari's lab stood the blonde engineer turned scientist himself. His normally tamed wavy locks standing to attention in all directions covered in as much soot as the rest of him and the surrounding room. Obviously what ever he had been tinkering with had just blown up, in his face.
"Well that didn't work now did it 003?" he casually talked to his pet owl completely unaware of the other shinigami's presence as he cleaned the soot from his glasses blinking blindly as he did so. "Now what did I do with my notes?" once the spectacles where usable and perched back on the bridge of his nose he set about searching through wreckage for his notepad. Until he was stopped in his tracks by the hooting of his feathery friend who was flying around Tsuzuki's head in greeting causing Watari to look up and finally realise he had a visitor. With grand sweeping gestures the genki blonde cleaned off the nearest stool and half walked half bounced over to his colleague gesturing that he should in fact sit down and not be worried at all by the results of his failed experiments. This offer was nervously accepted and the brunette cautiously perched himself upon the offered stool and braced himself for the item of furniture collapsing from under him. Relaxing after it held steady for a few minutes giving his attention to the small avian creature now sitting on his shoulder and hooting happily down his left ear. He raised his hand to gently pat the creature on it's feathered head and watched with curiosity as his friend rummaged around through soot covered books and paperwork having a eureka moment when he found the pad in question.
"Still no luck with your potion Watari?" Tsuzuki asked conversationally, if truth be known he dreaded each and every day the blond shinigami thought he'd finally come up with the correct formula. As did most of the employees in the summoning division most of who had ended up as an unfortunate guinea pig at one point of other in then afterlife. 003 hooted an affirmative before flying off around Watari's head and then finally setting on a perch near the lab window where he set about preening the feathers of his left wing and left the two men to their discussion. Upon receiving a rather exasperated look in response to his question the purple eyed god of death realised he must have said the wrong thing and quickly back peddled. "Erm… Yeah that was a dumb question really sorry. What were you working on just now then?" quickly trying to change the topic before the mood in the room went against him. If he was to put his plan into action he needed to keep the scientist on side. For a few minutes the only sound in the room was the scrunching up of random pieces of paper and a few choice curses not all of which were in Japanese and as such Tsuzuki didn't recognise them. Eventually he got a response just not the sort of response he was expecting.
"Oh nothing much it's just a piece of junk really" the normally bouncy blonde sniffed slightly, "I figured if I couldn't get my gender switching potion to work maybe I could simply invent a machine to allow men to understand women instead…" he trailed off absent minded as he turned to rummage through another pile of books and papers. "It was a stroke of genius I thought! Even better then my original idea, I mean yes you would understand women while you were one but what about when you swapped back? You'd forget it all again." From his perch on the somewhat sturdy stool Tsuzuki just nodded and smiled and gave the occasional murmur he of acknowledgement. "I was just testing it moments before you arrived don't you know?"
"I did wonder what had exploded now you mention it." The brunette replied thoughtfully.
"It didn't blow up Tsuzuki! It more… well … it committed suicide on me." The blonde retorted in a matter of fact fashion. "I had it working fine this morning. Carried out all my initial tests to make sure the AI was functional but when I asked it to help me understand a woman's mind it shut down on me. So Naturally I switched it back on and then it entered self destruct mode, I can't for the life of me figure out why." There was a clatter as a small pile of paperwork and note books were dropped into a large metal container which served as the laboratory waste paper bin, owing to the sheer amount of paper which Watari threw away relating to his failed endeavours. With an audible sigh he searched around for the other stool he knew was hiding under one of the many desks somewhere and dragged it over the floor to sit next to his colleague and friend. "Enough of that eh? Tell me what brings you down here to see me; it's been a while since I've had any visitors save for Tatsumi summoning me to the Chief's office."
"Well now that you ask Watari I kind of need a favour, and it's really really important that you don't tell Hisoka about it, I'd be really grateful if you could help." The brunette flashed his best pleading puppy eyed look he could muster and hoped he wouldn't have to do too much persuading.
"Lie to Bon?" the longer haired shinigami looked positively shocked, "But he's you're partner… he's not in trouble is he? Is that's what this is about? Has that dam blasted doctor been sniffing around him again has he?" On the last question Watari had stood up, rolled his lab coat sleeves up to his elbows and started to march towards the door causing Tsuzuki to have to jump off his seat and grab him by the arm to stop him leaving.
"Watariiiiii" the brunette whined for effect, instantly gaining the desire result, "Hisoka is safe but it does involve Muraki-san. That's why you can't tell him anything." He loosened his grip slightly on the other man's arm and prayed he wouldn't dash out of the room to fetch the Chief, or worse Tatsumi. Sensing something was seriously troubling his friend Watari stopped in his onward march and looked the other male over with a clinical expression.
"I think you better tell me exactly what has been going on, you've been acting weird ever since you and Bon got sent on that mission to retrieve that woman's soul from that hospital in Nagasaki." The stern tone and look in the amber coloured eyes told the purple eyed brunette he had better comply he wanted to gain the trust and assistance he had come here for.
ooOOoo
After a long and tedious explanation of the events from Nagasaki and then some further tedious pleading and bargaining both Tsuzuki and Watari found themselves later that night standing outside of the Kokakurou restaurant. The former taking the lead as they approached the entrance taking it upon himself to knock on the front door expecting it to be opened by one of the girls who worked there. Instead both shinigami were greeted by the impressive site of the tall muscular long haired brunette owner, Oriya Mibu. Both men immediately recognized each other from the time Muraki had invited Tsuzuki to come with him for a meal and had been chastised. Oriya mistaking the purple eyed man for a male prostitute. Just like the last time their paths crossed he didn't appear to be too impressed or pleased to see him for that matter.
"I already told you once already we do not allow kagema in this establishment, Muraki is an old friend but even he is not allowed to break the rules of my house. Now kindly leave and take your client with you." The tall kimono clad male went to close the door only to have his progress stopped by another's hand holding it open with surprising strength.
"I know you are Muraki-sans friend, and that you both attended the same college along with his fiancée Ukyo Sakuraiji, who died recently and I also know he's likely to be here. Please I need to speak to him and I am not a male prostitute just because he is attracted to me doesn't make me that sort of person." The words came out stiffly, twice now he'd been practically called a whore by this man but if he was to find out anything which might tell him why Muraki had changed from the man who cared deeply about the preservation of life and became a man who destroyed it for his own pleasure he would need a link to the man's past. Oriya Mibu the man standing before him was the only known link he had to work on. Dark brown eyes watched him impassively as he stood there holding the door open, before appraising the blonde standing behind him. Now he looked at the other man properly he felt that he recognized him from somewhere but he wasn't sure where from. With little effort he pushed past Tsuzuki and approached the seemingly bored blonde in the lab coat standing at the bottom of the stairs staring up at the sky, leaving the brunette to bristle at his ignorance.
"I know you from somewhere." Oriya stated simply. It wasn't a question more a statement of a fact they both should already be aware of but yet they weren't quite fully aware of it. In the quiet moment which passed between the three of them the head of the Mibu family fished his beloved and ever present pipe out from the folds of his kimono and lit it, taking a deep intake of breath. Holding it momentarily before releasing it, watching the way the smoke flowed in the night between them as if it held life's answers and death's mysteries. "The kid." He said finally with a smile. "You came with the kid for the key cards to save your friend from mine. Tell me, did you manage to rescue him?" Of course Oriya already knew that Muraki's plan had been foiled but he wanted to hear it from this partial stranger. Stranger in the sense he didn't know who he was yet they'd met before however briefly, but it was a different man who had spoken for him back then. For both him and the kid with skill with the blade. At first Watari seemed surprised that the restaurant owner was talking to him and not Tsuzuki and gave him a small apologetic smile directed at where he was standing next to the open front door.
"Well yes we did actually, had to save him more from himself then you're… Erm… friend yes. He's standing next to the door up on the steps; I believe you and him are already acquainted?" Watari replied jovially pointing to the amethyst eyed man who was leaning against the door frame looking particularly fed up. Both men looked in the direction the finger was pointing in and Oriya nodded in acknowledgement.
"It would appear I was mistaken in my assumptions, for that I apologise. However I do not want to see him on my property again, if he wants to go chasing Muraki that's his business not mine. I shall bid you both a pleasant evening." With those words spoken the business owner turned to take his leave only stopped when the blonde shinigami tried to question him further on the doctor's whereabouts.
"But you do know where we could find your friend? I take it he's not with you at the moment from what you've said." Watari's words caused Oriya to stop on his way back inside his back to the blonde but he could tell that the question was more for the benefit of the purple eyed man on the stairs then for the questioner. So it was to Tsuzuki that he directed his reply.
"Ukyo was a dear friend to me long before she and Kazutaka were engaged to be married; she was really very much in love with him and him with her. She was the only woman to make him forget about the photograph he found in his grandfather's study and I do not know what made him remember you again but I know this. He was better off without you! Whatever he is, and whatever he's done in the past was done to get your attention and for what?" as he spoke he moved deliberately and carefully keeping the shinigami pinned in his chocolate gaze, "He moved her to that hospital deliberately to see you again, if you ask me he gave up on her for you. For the sake of seeing you one last time, and as to the purpose of your visit. No he is not here. I've only spoken to him once since the funeral you want him then you will have to go to Tokyo, go to his work book an appointment I'm sure he'll be thrilled to see you again. Now kindly leave me be in my grief for a dearly departed friend if you have any decency in you at all." The last sentence was spoken in a harsh whisper as Oriya finally came to stand next to the man he was addressing his speech towards. Tsuzuki sheepishly moved away from the door to let the other pass by, after all it was his home, his livelihood he had no right to block his entrance.
"Mibu-san, please understand I didn't know who she was when I was sent to that hospital, I wasn't expecting to see him there. Nor was I expecting to see him acting so humane towards another living thing, I think he has a chance at redemption surely as his friend you want that for him too?" to his credit Tsuzuki managed to keep his voice calm and his tone steady, he felt he deserved whatever this man wanted to throw at him. However he still felt obliged to try regardless. He just wished he could understand his own motivations and why he had changed so much because of one chance meeting.
"She was indeed a remarkable woman, if anyone could have tamed the darkness within his heart it was her but she is gone now. Although I feel it would be fitting if you were to try, even though I feel no good would come of it." There was a pause followed by a tired sigh, "Wait here, I'll get you his contact details but this is last I wish to see of you is that understood?" Tsuzuki only had a few seconds to nod his consent before the other disappeared back into the building in a furry of colour, the sound of his traditional wooden sandals echoing off the wooden flooring. Before that too grew silent leaving both shinigami standing in the twilight of the front courtyard, Watari busy admiring the building and the star filled sky. The silence lasted only a few minutes before the echoing sound re-emerged down the hallway growing loader signalling the owner's return in his hand was a piece of paper neatly folded he held it out to the purple eyed brunette who took it gingerly. As if he was scared Oriya might attack him and reveal it was all an elaborate ploy and Muraki has been waiting for him all along.
"Thank-you." He stated rather dumbly. The long haired brunette simply nodded with a pained forced smile.
"That's all the contact information I have. His home phone, work phone and personal cell phone. Home address and work addresses. He has his own practise but he still helps out at the hospital from time to time." He reached out and grabbed hold of Tsuzuki's coat in a swift cat like gesture, "Now before you go shinigami I have one thing I need to make clear. Muraki is more then the man you know, hurt him and I will have to hunt you down and I don't care if I have to find away to break into the afterlife to do it. Do I make myself clear?" The only thing Tsuzuki could do was nod nervously; if Muraki didn't scare him then his best friend certainly was capable of instilling fear into him. Satisfied with the response Oriya let his grip on the other's coat go and watched impassively as he hastily made his way back to his colleague's side. Closing the door only after seeing them both vanish before his eyes, after which he retreated to his own private room and leant back against the door now separating him from the hubbub of the restaurant. Part of him feeling a weight had been lifted, and the rest concerned he might of made the biggest mistake of his life so far. His gaze fell on his private phone and he made his way over to the large desk occupying the space where the handset currently resided and picked it up, dialling the number which he knew off by heart. It rang, once, then twice before somebody picked up and a voice answered.
"Hello?" Back in Tokyo Muraki had been reading in his living room when the phone had started ringing, without bothering to check the caller ID he had simply picked it up. However he got no response when he answered so he tried again, "Hello? Who is calling please?" Again he received no answer, shrugging he hung up. He'd not been sleeping much since Ukyou's funeral and decided he must have imagined the whole thing. This in itself was rather troubling, with a languid stretch he decided that there was no time like the present to try and catch up on his much needed sleep.
Hearing his long time friend's voice answer the call Oriya uncharacteristically lost his nerve and said nothing, listening as the other's voice asked for the caller's identity then waited before hanging up. He sighed to himself, they hadn't been on good terms recently but it was hardly surprising the amount of trouble the doctor caused for him and everyone around him. Alas he couldn't trouble himself with such personal problems when he had a business to run and customers to greet and business deals to seal, so he put on his usual impassive mask and steeled himself for the night ahead. Leaving all thoughts of his two dearest friends, one departed and one still amongst the living but for how long he couldn't be sure, behind in hi personal rooms and went out to the restaurant to play his role as the gracious host. Just as he always had since the day he inherited the place from his father.
