Disclaimer: I do not own PMK or SIP(M). Nor do I own the Flitz brand metal polish. I only own this plot. So don't go stealing it, and don't sue me.

Mahono: Yo! Here's a bit of a warning. This is a Boy X Boy story; and yes I have to repeat this every chapter. It's for the people who are a bit slow…so be nice. This story's main pairing is Tetsunosuke and Suzu. There will be violence later in the story, and one of the characters is psychotic. Oh. And there's cussing in here. So if you don't like it leave now, and please don't yell at me. All of the rest of you enjoy! And please review when you're done!

Love Kills Thousands Book II:

Different View

Chapter II:

Cat's Luck

"I can't believe you just took a kid in like that, right off the street!" A thirty or so year old man yelped. "Do you realize how dangerous that could be?"

Ryoma sighed as he handed the man across the counter from him a cup of coffee. "Calm down Dragon Boy. He's a good kid. There's nothing to worry about."

Dragon Boy, or Ichimura Tatsunosuke, was leaning over the counter resting his weight on his elbows staring in exasperation at his friend. As he shook his head at Ryoma's carefree attitude he took the cup that was offered to him. Tatsu was a man with a fair pale complexion and slight frame but unfortunately, though he looked healthy, he had poor health which was due entirely to his habit of worrying almost obsessively. He had a sharp jaw, long nose, and sharp green eyes. His hair was cut short top and front but tapered in the back into a long thin mullet that he always kept tied back. His hair was an orange-brown color that often reminded Ryoma of chestnuts. He was also a proper dresser, every time he came into Ryoma's store after work he'd be dressed in slacks, a button-up shirt, and a tie.

Tatsu was always worrying about something, and having Ryoma as one of his closest friends hardly helped matters any. Ryoma, it seemed to Tatsu, was always pulling off crazy stunts. Not much unlike Tatsu's younger brother, Tetsunosuke. There was a good reason Tatsu kept the two apart. They were bad enough alone as it was.

"Nothing to worry about." Tatsu scoffed. "You don't know a thing about this new kid. He could be some juvenile runaway, or a druggie." He started to sulk as he stared down into his coffee. Why couldn't Ryoma just play it safe for once? He sighed. Maybe he was just doomed to forever be surrounded by crazy, incompetent, people who never had the decency to use common sense. He must have either done something horrible in some past life, or Destiny was an incredibly cruel joker. With his luck he'd probably die of a heart attack, or by that menacing ulcer that was slowly burning a hole in his stomach. Then who would take care of his little brother and Ryoma? Tatsu could just imagine all the utter chaos that would erupt once his spirit left this world. Ohh, was his ulcer ever getting bigger.

Ryoma just shook his head and smiled. "It's like I said, he's a good kid." Ryoma stated confidently. "He studies hard everyday. I don't even have to send him to school. Plus he listens to every instruction I give him, he's gonna make the perfect gun man someday."

"You hardly let me so much as touch a gun. Yet this kid comes along, and you make him your apprentice?" Tatsu muttered under his breath sourly. When Tatsu began tugging on his neck tie Ryoma had to smile even with Tatsu's bad mood, the guy never could keep that thing on for long. No matter what kind of fashion geek you were, ties were just plain evil.

"Aww come on Dragon Boy don't be like that." Ryoma laughed. He always used Tatsu's pet name especially when he wanted to weasel his way out of something; which happened more often than not.

Tatsunosuke glared at his friend. "That kid has got the same reason for wanting a gun as I do. He wants to protect someone." Tatsu said bluntly. "Only my reason is a lot more valid than his. Tetsu is family."

By now the coffee had become lukewarm but Tatsu drank it anyways just so not as to be rude. Ryoma watched bemused as Tatsu's face twitch slightly at the horrible taste. "You don't need a gun." He insisted. "That's all there is to it."

Downing the last of his coffee Tatsu slammed his cup down on the counter. "I have to get home before Tetsu sets the refrigerator on fire again." He muttered snatching his briefcase from the floor.

Ryoma sighed as he watched his friend walk out the door. "You don't need to protect others," Ryoma thought to himself as he picked up Tatsu's empty mug, "when you already have someone who's more than willing to protect you."

Ryoma walked into the back galley pushing his way through the double doors. A smile crept on to his face slyly as he closed his eyes. "You know, Tatsu may seem a little uptight, but he's really not that bad of a guy. You should introduce yourself next time."

A rustle of clothing came from the staircase as Suzu poked his head out over the railing a little embarrassed to be caught eavesdropping. "How long did you know I was here?" Suzu asked curiously.

"From the moment you started coming downstairs, faked going back up, and started listening." Ryoma chuckled.

"So pretty much the whole time…" Suzu muttered.

Ryoma gave him a pitying smile. "Your gaze is much too intense for spying." Then Ryoma laughed. "However I bet it's perfect for wooing a lover. Girls love that sort of attention."

A soft blush burned itself onto Suzu's cheeks. Uncomfortable, he shifted his gaze to the side and down. "That's not something I want to hear coming from you." Suzu muttered shoving his hands in his pockets and kicking the edge of the step he was standing on.

"No," Ryoma grinned, "I guess it wouldn't be."

As he tossed the mug up into the air and caught it again Ryoma pondered a bit. "Ya' know," He started. "you shouldn't be scared to introduce yourself to some of the folks around here. Dragon Boy's got a little brother about your age. The kid's a bit sporadic, but you should get along fine. You should try stopping by their place sometime."

"I have some studying to do." Suzu muttered coolly. Not even bothering to look back at Ryoma he started walking back up to his room.

Ryoma continued to toss the cup up and down while he thought. "He's a good kid." He told himself. "I just wish he'd pull his head out of those books for a while and breath. He needs a little fun in his life."

Catching the cup in his hand once more he looked at it for a bit before realizing that he still needed to clean it. "Oh, Hey Bell Tree, could you put this in the sink for me?" Ryoma called up the stairs. Just as he asked he heard Suzu's door close and lock.

"Yeah," Ryoma whispered to himself. "'kid needs more fun in his life."

Once the lock slipped into place Suzu flopped down onto the old mattress he was sleeping on and buried his face in his pillow. Now that there was no one to see him he couldn't stop himself from grinning. He chuckled softly to himself as his thoughts raced. He was here. Tetsu was here, in this rundown little town living close by. Suzu had traveled so far for so long, but now he had finally found what he had been looking for.

He pulled a small photograph out of his pillowcase. It was the only picture he had of Tetsu, he had had to swipe it from the Yamazaki's before he left that city. For months it had been the only thing that kept him from abandoning everything. There had been others in the photograph, but Suzu had cut them off. You could still see Tatsu's arm, some of Harada's body, and a bit of Susumu's hair, but Suzu didn't care. All he saw was his beloved.

"Six months." He whispered. "Six months of endless travel, of searching for you. I always figured I'd find you in some big city. It would have made sense if Tatsu was truly trying to keep you from me. It would be like trying to find a needle in some damned haystack." His grin widened and a breathy chuckle escaped his lungs. "Yet here you are, in this tiny town."

Pressing his forehead to the picture he tried to stop the tears that began to swell up in his eyes. His heart was pounding and his head felt light. He felt elated. Nothing would be able to stop him now; nothing could stop them.

He wanted to cry but he just laughed. "You're so close now… our destiny is so… damn… close…"

Creaking boards warned Suzu of Ryoma's presence. He stifled his laughs biting down on his tongue and waited for the old man to pass. When he heard the click of Ryoma's door closing Suzu licked his lips. What derisory irony this was, to be picked up off the streets and cared for by someone who was so close to the opposition without either of them knowing the better. Suzu shook his head in disbelief; this was some fucked up world.

"You know Mr. Sakamoto… I believe I will take your advice." Suzu smiled gleefully "It's time I paid 'Iron Boy' a little visit."

Suzu waited for hours in the darkness of his room until he could hear Ryoma's snoring shake the walls. Quietly he slipped out of his bed and opened his door. As he creped down the hallway only the light of the waning moon that shown through the window at the end of the hall brightened the house.

Suzu made his way down the flight of stairs and into the front of the shop. He stood with his back against the wall for a moment, listening for any sign that Ryoma had heard him or awaken by chance. There was nothing. Suzu licked his lips in fervor. Slowly his eyes scanned the empty shop.

"Now where could he have left it?" Suzu whispered to himself. Skimming his bare feet along the old floor boards Suzu felt his way to the counter patiently waiting for his eyes to adjust to the darkness. When he was able to see the basic outlines of some of the objects in the shop he became a little surer in his step. After a few moments of searching he finally found what he was looking for.

Next to the cash register that Ryoma left carelessly unlocked was a registration book that was always kept up front. Anyone who bought merchandise from Ryoma was required to leave their name and address in the book. If they refused, they simply didn't get what they wanted.

Suzu thought that it would be all too easy to leave false alias, but Ryoma swore to the fact that every last name in the book was a real one. Suzu flipped through the book rapidly hoping that even though Ryoma never let Tatsu buy anything his residence would still be listed. He was not disappointed. Ryoma had even highlighted it for some reason.

"Guy's gotta be a crackpot." Suzu muttered. Insane or not though, he was grateful that Ryoma had made it so easy to find; the last thing he wanted was for Ryoma to catch him snooping around.

Suzu tore the page out of the book, folded it, and stuffed it into his pocket quickly. As he snuck back up the stairs Suzu's mind filled with thoughts of the near and far future. Every step seemed to speed him towards his destination. All that time spent waiting was going into overdrive; every second that ticked by took months off his sentence. So close, so much closer was he now than ever before. If only this emotion could be put into a drug, then he'd never have to go without it again.

Before he slipped back into his bed Suzu pulled the sheet of paper out of his pocket and stuffed it under his pillow next to his beloved photo.

"Tomorrow," He whispered softly into his pillow as he drifted to sleep. "will be a most glorious day..."

The warm rays of sunshine that filtered through the windows warmed Ryoma's skin as he walked out into the front of his shop. With a warm mug of fresh coffee in his hand he smiled. These were the kinds of days he lived for. There was a certain calming peace that overtook the place that reminded Ryoma of his childhood. Standing there in front of this same shop with his face pressed against the glass windows, eyes wide in awe. Every morning he would stare at the collection of pistols, revolvers, shotguns, and rifles just dreaming of a day when he would be the one standing behind the counter polishing those beauts. At that young age though Ryoma didn't even dare think that this estate would be handed down to him. The day it was, was a dream come true. That day it was as if he was on top of Atlas' shoulders; on top of the world.

"Katsu Kaishu, you were one helluva man." Ryoma chuckled.

Ryoma cocked his head up at the sound of heavy footsteps rushing down the stairs. A streak of silver passed before his eyes as Suzu rushed past the two swinging doors. Curious, Ryoma poked his head over into the next room and follow the boy with his eyes. Suzu stopped at the side door crouching down to hurriedly pull on his sneakers. Slinging one arm over the door and resting the bulk of his body on top of it Ryoma leaned halfway into the back room. For a few seconds he watched the young lad with a small smile on his face in a bemused manner.

"Mornin' little Bell Tree." He greeted cheerfully as Suzu pulled his laces tight. "Where are you off to in such a hurry?"

Suzu glanced up at Ryoma for only a second then returned his attention back to lacing his shoes. "No where." He muttered as he tried to slow down his movement to a normal pace with difficultly. One loop, two loop, around, under, through, pull tight.

Ryoma just smirked shaking his head. "Well on your way back would you mind picking up a few things? I left a list up on the counter somewhere I think…" He mused turning his head to look up the stairs as he rubbed his chin.

"Already grabbed it." Suzu said quickly. Spinning around he opened the door, but before he could even get half way out Ryoma spoke up again.

"Hey Suzu." He called after him. Suzu turned around to look at the older man a bit impatiently.

"Yes?" He replied.

Ryoma rubbed his neck with his free hand and sighed. "Look kid, I know you might not like socializing much, but…You really should go to the Ichimura's place sometime. It'll do you some good to make a few friends. You know, just someone who can take your mind off studying for a while. It's not healthy to have your nose in the books all the time."

Ryoma looked straight at Suzu to make eye contact. "Ya' get what I'm sayin' kid?"

There was a long pause as Suzu just stood there looking at Ryoma, his hand on the doorknob looking ready to sprint. His face was completely blank. During the silence Ryoma quietly wondered just what went on in that head of his. Tilting his head to the side and quirking an eyebrow up at the kid Ryoma called out to him. "Suzu?"

Suzu blinked quickly then his eyes shot down to the floor, then to the side and up. "Yeah whatever." He muttered. Turning he slammed the door securely behind him and Ryoma could hear the patter of his footsteps as he ran off down the gravel alley.

"Kids today sure are strange." Ryoma sighed turning back to his shop. "I wonder if I was that confusing to my old man…."

Ryoma leaned onto the front counter next to the register and let his mind wade through all the memories he had of his father. A small smile played at his lips as he chuckled remembering all the mishaps he had gotten himself into as a child. His poor father was always so frustrated with him. "Lucky for him I grew up." Ryoma laughed. "I wonder if Dragon Boy's that way with Iron Boy." he smiled.

Ryoma's eyes drifted down to the address book he kept next to the register anticipating seeing a small highlighted tag sticking out of its pages. When his eyes didn't catch it he pushed his self up straight snatching the tiny book up into his hands. Quickly he flipped through it thumbing the two pages the Ichimura's address was supposed to be between.

"Where could it have…" Ryoma muttered. As he wondered aloud his eyes picked up the tiny bits of paper left behind in the book's rings from the torn-out paper. His eyebrows furrowed together for a moment, then relaxed as a wide grin spread out across his face.

Ryoma shook his head clucking his tongue. "Stranger than strange." He grinned. "Those two will get along perfectly…."

Everything raced past Suzu's vision as he ran down the dusty streets of town. Trees, streetlamps, fences, they were all just indistinguishable blurs of color to him. Crumpled in his fist was his destination. He had already memorized the numbers and the name of the street, so technically he didn't even need it anymore, but somehow he couldn't bring himself to let go of it. His heart was throbbing painfully against his rib cage. With every step he anticipated what would happen, what he would see, what he would say, and most importantly what he would do.

As he came upon the street he slowed his pace down to a walk. His heart was still throbbing, the adrenaline rushing to his brain. He licked his lips as he passed house after house. Closer, and closer, he brought himself. So close…so close….

Before he even realized it he was there. Standing in the empty gravel driveway staring at the small one story house; that sly grin of his crept over his lips. "Are you ready Tetsu?" he purred softly while brushing his disheveled locks back into place. "Because I'm back…"

"…And this time I'm not going anywhere without you by my side…"

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Mahono: Wow, I was really surprised by all the reviews I got for the first chapter. For LKT I only got like 2 reviews for the first chapter. Not to mention all the come-back readers! Damn you guys have been waiting a long time for this. Oh and for all those who want to know "how many books the LKT series will be", it's going to be 3. No more. For anymore info on that you can go to my profile page. Oh! Also, (and I know I might lose a lot of readers by saying this but…) no. Susumu will not have a bigger role in this story. (I can see them leaving now…)Susumu's role is minimal. So sorry…well not really, but hey.

Before I leave you all to write another exciting chapter of Love Kills Thousands: Different View I would like to give a piece of info to all you drivers out there. Stop means Stop! Not 'Slowly edge your car forward into oncoming traffic then back up when you realize Oh Shit I Might Get Hit!' I nearly got rear-ended by some psycho who was doing that today…so yeah.

So anyways, please review! I really appreciate it when you do! It's also nice to get constructive criticism from you guys! So please review and thank you for reading! I really hope you enjoyed it.