4. Intrusion.
T: Warnings and disclaimers remain the same.
Xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
"I had thought you better than this, Ryuichi-kun." He tenses the very moment he hears that remark and, turning on his heals, he is met with the familiar face of Tamaki Akira.
"Tamaki-san…"
"Do not waist your breath, Ryuichi-kun, it is all too clear what has occurred here." The elder man pauses a moment and then says, "I had no want to believe that any of my 'children' were actually my enemies and yet Keigo-kun was so very insistent that that was indeed the case. Thus I began the rumour of a meeting between the two of us, a meeting that would occur in my office and which would last an attractively long period of time."
"So it was a trap?"
"Correct." There is an edge of danger in the word that he has never before heard from the other, a change that he is certain Tamaki-san had intended as intimidation but that he meets with an unflinching confidence the enquiry of,
"So what happens now?"
"You 'vanish without a trace'." This last comes from over Tamaki-san's shoulder and, moving to one side the elder man says,
"I apologise for disturbing you, Keigo-kun."
"Actually it was this little mouse that broke my concentration." The other remarks as he dips his chin in the direction of the figure lying in his arms.
"What have you done to her?" He enquires as the other sets his burden to the floor.
"I simply answered the questions that she put to me." He responds as his hands rise to play, almost absentmindedly, with the sleeves of his Shifku.
"Tetsua Keigo?" He enquires as he bends down to asses his partner's well being.
"That is correct and you are Minase Hijiri the boy who was hailed as a 'violin virtuoso' and who has, for the past few months been living his life as 'Ishida Ryuichi'."
"Then you knew he was at the heart of this from the beginning?" Tamaki-san enquires, the barest hint of betrayal clear in his voice.
"I knew only that one of your 'flock' was not what they seemed, Akira-kun."
Sensing a possible way of turning this matter to their advantage he turns his attention towards Tetsua-san and enquires,
"Yet, if that is true, how did you know both my true name and the name I used for my assumed identity?"
Tetsua-san's lips stretch out into an odd smile and, confidence filling his voice, he says,
"I commend your effort, Minase-kun and yet it will take more than that to unsettle our friendship." Pausing, Tetsua-san turns to Tamaki-san and says, "You know how very much I love classical music, Akira-kun and thus for me to recognise a classical musician as famous as Minase Hijiri is not all that strange. As to linking that individual with Ishida Ryuichi…would you not say that that would also be something I could easily do?"
"Because I have talked to you many times of Ryuichi-kun and described him to you in the most accurate of details."
"Precisely." There is a clear note of victory in Tetsua-san's voice and, as he turns again to face him, he can see that emotion clear also in the other's eyes. "Now that we have cleared up that little matter I believe it is time we dealt with our other problem, wouldn't you agree, Akira-kun?"
There is a power behind the words that weighs his mind with an intense fatigue and he is able to remain conscious only long enough to hear Tamaki-san respond, "I would indeed, Keigo-kun," before that weight gets the better of him.
……………………………………………………………………….
"…baki-kun, Tsubaki-kun?" Worried green eyes meet her as she returns to conscious and, for the briefest of moments, she believes herself to be facing Hisoka. Piece by piece her eyes begin to register the differences between this figure and her former partner, until she realises that she is, in fact, seeing Hijiri's face. She wonders, in an absent sort of a way, why she has not noticed this similarity before, then her partner enquires, "How are you feeling?" and the thought vanishes like smoke.
"A little foggy," she responds, before enquiring, "Where are we?"
"In an out of the way room that has no doors or windows and that is enveloped in some fairly powerful warding spells. A room that I would guess is somewhere in Tetsua-san's portion of the building; however, as I was under the influence of a sleeping spell when they brought us here, I can not state that as fact." He pauses a moment and then remarks, "it seems we should have practiced caution, after all."
"Yet if we had done that then I would never have learned the vital information that has allowed me to 'solve' this case."
"Which was?"
"The identity of the man who is behind the whole affair."
"It's Tetsua-san, isn't it?"
Of course it would be easier to simply tell a half truth and give a positive response to this enquiry. However, understanding well how important trust is both to her partner and the integrity of their partnership, she responds,
"Though it is true that Tetsua-san's power is what has been used to cause the disruptions he is not the one who has benefited from them."
"Then you are talking of Tamaki-san?"
"The most recent disruptions have, indeed, been of benefit to Tamaki-san; however he was not the initial beneficiary, nor the 'brains' behind the matter." Pausing for a moment in order to find the right words, she says, "There is another involved in this matter, a very dangerous individual who has evaded the bureaux on more than one occasion."
Hijiri seems to be contemplating this statement a moment and then he says,
"I did not think it possible to evade the bureaux, not where there are people as determined as him working amongst their ranks."
Understanding well that her partner will tell her the tale surrounding this mysterious 'him' when he feels ready she does not push him on the matter now but instead responds,
"I do not think the bureaux believed it possible until they encountered that man and the darkness that surrounds him."
"Something you can tell all about once we're safe and sound."
There is a moment of companionable silence and then, gaining her feet, she enquires,
"Let's find a way out of here, shall we?"
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
T: Next chapter up on Friday at the latest. Review?