Part 46: Tests
It was hard to breathe steadily in the frigid air of the small interrogation room. Hitomi focused on keeping her voice and her hands steady as she met eyes with the imposing being across from her. Harold was quiet next to her, no help, as usual. This was the opportunity of a lifetime, and she only had one shot at it. This is important, button it up, woman!
"Mr. Krad, are you aware that as much as 65% of modern medicine is discovered and derived from biodiverse plants and animals?"
His eyes were frozen amber. He lilted his head, a silent warning.
"The more unique the organism, the more potential it has to show us a new enzyme or bacteria that could help us cure disease. It's my job to research-" she broke off, and tried to offer him a smile. Something primal in her small intestine had just ordered her to run from the look on his face. He definitely knew what was going on, and he definitely looked offended.
"I realize this proposition may be offensive, but we must ask it anyway. You are very, very unique. We're here to ask you to submit to some studies."
"We?" The cold tone of his voice suggested he was inquiring to learn who else he had to kill, and not to understand the scope of her research team. It was the first she'd heard him speak since they'd entered the room. At least he wasn't some stupid beast. But that would also make consent an issue.
"Pardon," she explained, "We is my team and I. I am proposing a study in my lab, with my staff. I'm aware that you and Sergeant Hiwatari aren't interested in a lot of public attention, and I assure you we would all work with the utmost discretion."
She searched his angry face for any sign of interest, or even humanity. His wings had arched slightly, and it reminded her of a great cat with its fur up. Amazing, that he could emote with them…what were they made of? Hitomi hadn't been sure what to expect upon meeting the angel, but this sense of carnal danger had not been among her theories. He made no effort to ease the silence in the room, either.
Try altruism. "Your body could hold the secret to helping a lot of people. People suffering with disease might be cured because of something we discover with your help." He looked unimpressed. She took a deep breath. She had the leverage...might as well use it. "Chief," she prompted.
The man's large hands were folded in front of him on the table. He looked up at her and then at the angel, gray eyes unsympathetic. "Let's put it this way. Sergeant Hiwatari's internal review is not boding well. He's covering for your actions, and I don't have the slightest idea why. I don't know who the hell you are or why one of my best men is compromising his career to protect you. Let me put this bluntly. Right now, Hiwatari's only shot is a demonstration of good character from you. If that matters to you, I strongly recommend that you cooperate with the Ministry."
The angel was so still that Hitomi started to wonder if he'd checked out of the conversation. The Chief's eyes looked doubtful. He didn't think Krad would accept.
"Mr. Krad?" she said with her sweetest tone. Yellow eyes were on her all at once, ablaze with some sort of inner energy. Amazing. "Will you allow the study?"
What followed was at least 30 seconds of the worst suspense she'd ever felt. His voice, when it came, was a soft growl. "What form of study?"
"Does it matter?" she appraised him. His hesitation to respond suggested it didn't.
"One week," the angel spoke. "No longer."
Excitement and frustration sparred for dominance. She reminded herself to be patient. "That is not enough time. We need you at least a year."
"Prioritize, then."
Oh, so he had some attitude to him. "Eight months."
"One, and I sleep at the apartment."
Did he look paler, or was it just the glowing eyes? "Science takes time!"
The angel's cold gaze read 'Figure it out' in all caps.
"Four, and I take a blood sample today," she crossed her arms. "Any less, and the character reference to the department is off the table.
Yeah, he definitely looked pale. Animals were so much simpler to research. When the angel just sat rigid without saying anything in protest, she signaled for Harold to get on with it.
The blonde didn't waver, but didn't look well either as Harold approached him. Harold laid his kit on the table and pulled on a pair of gloves. The angel stared in silence at the man's every move as the scientist positioned his arm straight out on the table, swabbed it, and drew the sample. By the time the syringe was removed, the angel had broken out in a sweat.
"This is our address," Hitomi said, sliding a business card down the table to the angel. His fingers lifted the card, but his eyes didn't leave Harold. "See you at noon."
She stood up, and Harold followed her lead. The angel did the same, the movement too smooth and quick to be human. She didn't get the impression he was standing out of respect for the end of their meeting. It seemed more like a maneuver to maintain high ground. Like he expected an attack. For the first time, she wondered if he was as freaked out by the humans in this room as they were by him.
"Well, ladies and gentleman, thank you for your time today," the Chief offered, rising to go to the door. He didn't look happy, but she didn't think it was because he had any investment in Krad's decision. He'd done his part to arrange the meeting. The police force had met its obligation to the government's request. The chief opened the door and held it for them as the meeting dismissed. "Krad, Sergeant Hiwatari should be ending his shift about now. I'll inform him you're here. You can return with him."
The temperature in the room pierced downward one last time before the blonde left ahead of them.
Hitomi felt deflated as she walked out a safe distance behind, through a long linoleum-paved hallway.
"Do you think it will go well?" Harold asked from beside her.
"With only four months? Damned if I know." She sighed and shook her head slowly. "I shouldn't have folded."
"At least you didn't freeze to your seat and consider wetting your pants for 20 minutes," Harold quipped, "And I'm only half joking."
She chuckled as they stopped at the main desk and waited to sign out. The angel was probably crossing the lobby behind them, because she could hear whispered conversations around them.
"I see him now," a voice said matter-of-factly from her left. She looked toward the source: A blue-haired man who was holding a cell to his ear and weaving through the busy lobby. He brushed into her as he passed. "Sorry," he said over his shoulder, pausing long enough to look at her and bow his head. Sergeant Hiwatari, Krad's handler, was taller than he'd looked on the news. Bright, blue eyes matched his hair. Their eye contact was brief before he bee-lined for the angel.
She was confused to see Krad's dangerous expression modulate as soon as he noticed the sergeant's approach. They spoke briefly, but she couldn't make out their words over the noise of the office. Then they walked out together.
Tomorrow, he was hers.
ooooooOooooooooooOooooo
He saw the boy coming from across the room and swallowed hard. Don't fall apart, you fool. Don't give them any satisfaction.
"They told me you were here," Satoshi said. "Let's get home."
Home. Krad turned stiffly and let the boy lead him out of the awful building. They'd touched him. They'd trapped him. He ran into someone, but barely noticed. One foot in front of the other. His sore arm felt like an enemy.
"You actually came to the appointment," Satoshi said low enough that others wouldn't listen in. They were setting a brisk stride on the busy sidewalk, but attention was inevitable. They'd gone several blocks now, and pedestrians and traffic were rubbernecking as they passed. "I'm pleasantly surprised."
Krad released an impatient breath, barely holding back his bristling fury. He couldn't get his pulse under control, or make his skin stop trying to crawl off. Satoshi had sent him into that. Satoshi had sent him into that! "You insisted it was important."
Satoshi frowned. "Chief said it was. What did he want?"
The angel stole a glance at his wing host and kept moving. Satoshi hadn't mentioned the scientists from the Ministry. Looking at his face now, it seemed like Satoshi hadn't known what the meeting was really about. A choking knot of betrayal in his stomach slowly unwound. Satoshi hadn't known the government wanted him as a guinea pig. The relief almost made him dizzy. "They offered me a job."
Satoshi stopped short, but was forced to jog back abreast of Krad as the angel kept going without a care. "Krad, whatever they offered you, it's a bad idea."
"Is it?" the angel asked with a surreptitious sneer. He was running too hot. This anxiety was making him sound more crazy than sarcastic. "Maybe it was something good."
"The less you interact with the department, the better. I haven't fully explained you to them yet. They don't know about your…tendencies."
Krad stretched his wings low behind him, a gesture of frustration. The boy obviously meant his violent tendencies, which Satoshi had been forced to gloss over with the police to keep him out of prison. "You want me to freeload, then?"
Satoshi seemed thrown off for the second time in this conversation, much to Krad's bitter satisfaction. What to do with this anger? They hadn't discussed the fact that he was staying with the boy without contributing to expenses. Their house rules were dominated by don'ts. Don't go in my head, Don't pursue revenge, Don't hurt anyone, Don't hurt me. They seemed light years away from discussing the dos of living together. Cleaning, cooking, bills, rent… none of it had come up. The boy's expectations of him were set low. Crater-at-the-bottom-of-the-ocean low.
"Maybe they'll make me your partner," Krad said ominously. When he saw the boy's skin drop a shade paler, he added, "Or your boss" with an evil smile.
"You can't be a cop, Krad." The vehemence in Satoshi's tone washed Krad's mood blank. The boy sounded actually angry. "Do you really think you can 'serve and protect' humans? Don't make a joke out of my profession. I work here because I want to help people. I'm damn good at it, and right now, I barely have a badge. I can't do shit because of you."
Krad stiffened and slowed. Satoshi went on ahead, steadily putting distance between them. The blonde stared at the boy's back and waited for his temper to burst. It didn't, which was worse. Angry enough that he couldn't settle himself, but not to the point where he was ready to throw away everything he'd established with the boy so far.
What had he established, exactly? The boy wasn't getting used to him at all. Krad kept absorbing order after order, and none of it had calmed the boy down. He was starting to think he'd misjudged the situation. Human grudges typically wore off… and the boy's behavior hadn't. If anything, it was getting worse. Perhaps it wasn't a matter of waiting out the anger. Maybe Satoshi just despised him, and was too altruistic to leave him alone.
He jerked sideways and almost literally made something explode when a microphone jutted out into his face from his right. Someone was saying something to him, but his ears were still ringing with adrenaline. He whirled on the reporter, lip curled in a snarl. The look he gave her was serious as a cobra's hood. She froze, and asked her question again, quieter and with the mic closer to her chest this time. Brave woman. Krad let the quiet sphere of violent energy dissipate from his palm.
Ahead of him, Satoshi had paused. The boy was looking back at him, body tense.
Krad's senses were back online, and now fully registered the usual crowd that lurked outside the apartment, begging for interviews. He was rarely on foot with Satoshi, but he'd seen the boy deal with reporters plenty of times, both outside the apartment and in the news bites he scanned online. Ahead of him, Satoshi pushed on through the gate, safely past the chaos. Krad gritted his teeth and strove for the same goal, trying not to think about humans and their equipment pressing around him. He shot his wings wide to force them out of his space, and strode forward.
He was a few feet from the gate when a clammy hand clasped his forearm and held tight. Okay, there was only so much he could be expected to tolerate. Frustration welled up inside him. Frost spread from his skin up the woman's arm as the angel rounded on her, ready for blood.
The woman was small and petite, and older. Perhaps in her thirties. Her face looked like it had been scrunched up with anxiety for far longer than this interaction. "H-hello, excuse me," she blurted, but seemed unwilling to let go of his arm. The red in his vision cleared by a fraction as he tried to imagine who on earth this woman was. She wasn't wearing a suit or ID like the other reporters, and she looked completely out of place.
He froze her hand a little more, and she finally withdrew her fingers. Satisfied with the startled look on her face, he turned to leave.
"I think y-you know my son, Jirou," she rushed.
Krad looked back at her, gold eyes measuring her height, the auburn tint in her dark hair, her facial features. He stopped moving. His attention seemed to be a relief and a horror to her at once. "You really do know him," she said with wide eyes.
"Come," he commanded, and moved tiredly past the rest of the cameras. Kouga straightened at his post, preparing to bounce the woman at the gate. Krad gave him a look and extended a wing backward, over her head, like a giant awning. The guard took the hint, mystified, and let her follow Krad into the courtyard.
Krad walked to a sheltered area where the property wall blocked visibility from the street, and turned on his strange visitor. He offered her nothing, just waited with a cool frown.
She closed her hands nervously in front of her, fiddling with the cool skin where he'd frosted her. "I'm...uh, sure this is strange. You don't know me at all. I saw on the news that you were living here, and-"
"You want something." Krad's unsympathetic glare burned into her.
"I wanted to ask you-" she faltered, and then regrouped, "Tomorrow, Saturday is his birthday. It's kind of an important one this year. I've planned a party for him, at the park, with his classmates. He's never been all that comfortable at school, and I'm not sure he'll enjoy... I realize a lot is going on for you at the moment," she glanced back toward where the reporters would be on the other side of the wall. "But if you could just… even just a few minutes. If he had even one real friend there..."
Krad just stared at her. Friend?
She bowed deeply. "If it's even possible… it's at noon, at Koteki park. It's small, on the eastern side of the city. It's fairly private, and nowhere near the park where you-...you…"
Where I died, he finished mentally. He was surprised she'd considered that. He was surprised by about 175 percent of this conversation. Was this woman insane? Inviting him to a birthday party? Then again, everything she knew about him was probably from that mushpot kid. And based on this conversation, his mother was just as senseless as he was. A weird part of him liked that they actually thought he was harmless.
He pinched the bridge of his nose and knit his brows in frustration. Too much had happened, and his nerves were shot. "No," he offered the woman.
"Would Jirou take that as a yes?" she asked, looking concerned.
Apparently guts and senseless optimism ran in the family. He almost could have laughed. He would be in a government lab at noon tomorrow. He turned toward the building, away from her, and answered. "Go home." His head was all scrambled. He needed to get somewhere quiet and calm down.
When he got up to the apartment, the first thing he saw was a redheaded boy sitting on one of the stools at the counter. He froze. He'd forgotten that the Niwa boy was coming over today. He seriously didn't feel like dealing with another human right now.
Satoshi was cooking something in the microwave, but he turned and shot the angel a tense look as he entered.
"What?" Krad demanded, unable to account for the boy's hostility. For god's sake, he was following the stupid rules. Dark's wing host was two yards away, and he wasn't attacking. Was that not good enough? There was only so much he could take. He tried not to throw anything as he removed his shoes in the entryway. He tilted his head and met Satoshi's cross expression with one of his own. The Niwa kid sat carefully silent, observing them both.
"Those people are civilians, Krad."
Krad grimaced. Of course Satoshi had noticed his impromptu guest. "I did her no harm," he said blandly.
"Oh, yay. Silly me, I forgot how good you are at making friends." Satoshi's sarcasm was sandpaper on the angel's mood.
"Can I not? Is that against your rules?" Krad hissed through a cold smile. He leaned back against the foyer wall and crossed his arms.
Satoshi looked startled by the question. Or maybe confused. "It's not a joke, Krad. I saw you almost blow up a reporter a minute ago, just for getting in your personal space. That's not normal or reasonable, not by a long shot. That's psychopath behavior."
The word psychopath stuck like a thorn in his side. This was impossible. The angel groaned and thunked his head back against the wall. "You told me to go to the damned appointment!" he snarled. He couldn't take this anymore. He couldn't look at them. He tore the tie from his hair, releasing it around his shoulders as he stormed toward the bathroom. "Disgusting rats. I'll wash you all off of me." He growled the words and tugged the door firmly shut behind him.
oooooooOooooooooOoooooooo
"Oh...my." Daisuke peered at his best friend, who was still glaring at his own bathroom door. "Is that, uh… what it's been like here?"
"More or less." Satoshi leaned on his forearms over the counter like he was recovering from a dizzy spell. He looked up to find Daisuke's garnet eyes worrying at him. "It is what it is."
"It is, but-" Daisuke looked back toward the sound of the shower running. "I can't believe I'm saying this, but I thought it might be different for you two this time. I mean, he actually hasn't hurt anyone yet."
Satoshi's eyes flashed to the bathroom. "He will. It's a matter of time, and I need to decide what I'll do when it happens."
Daisuke's brows knitted together. "I guess you would know him best… you're the one linked to him."
"We don't use the link."
Daisuke blinked. "Don't use it, like don't use it at all?"
He nodded. "I made it a rule."
"Satoshi," Daisuke started, but hesitated.
"What?" Satoshi sighed, recognizing his friend's too-nervous-to-say-something face. "Out with it."
Daisuke scratched at his wild hair. "This could have nothing to do with you and Krad," he flushed. "But dealing with Dark without a link has taught me a lot about the way he communicates with humans."
"Such as?"
"Such as he sucks at it. Sucks at it badly," Daisuke complained.
Satoshi couldn't help but laugh. "If you two are out of sync, I'm screwed with Krad.
Daisuke smiled distantly. "We're working on it. I don't feel like anything changed from my end, but it's like he's lost his first language or something. I never realized he leaned on it so heavily. I just don't think they do very well without... I think the link might be pretty important for them."
First language? What? "Krad's a different situation," Satoshi waved his hand. But it was too late… his thoughts were churning now. He tried to specifically recall times when Krad had been honest or intimate with him. A chill went through him as he looked at the closed bathroom door. "Shit." How had he never noticed… Every real, meaningful communication… every one of them had been psychic.
"Shit!" he said again, dumbfounded. "Sometimes you're so intuitive it freaks me out."
Daisuke gave one of his frustratingly wise nods and stood up. "I'm gonna check out for tonight. Let me know how it goes."
"How it goes?" Satoshi frowned as his friend gathered his backpack. Frankly, he didn't want to lose his company yet. It had been less than an hour. But Daisuke gave his usual chipper goodbyes, clapped Satoshi genially on the shoulder, and let himself out.
That left Satoshi to sit in frustration at the counter. He finished his dinner, and read his newspaper. He would have been more comfortable on the couch, but that was kind of Krad's bed now, and smelled like the angel a little too much for him to feel calm there. He usually just locked himself in his room early… Maybe he should get ready for bed. He glanced at his watch.
That was about when it dawned on him that the shower was still running. He looked again at the watch.
Krad had been in there for 40 minutes.
What the?
What did this mean? There was no way something could happen to him in a bathroom. And he couldn't have disappeared.
"I'll wash you all off of me," Krad had said. Apparently, that was a time consuming process. If he thought about it, the angel's behavior seemed edgier than usual. What had happened? Did he miss something?
Jeez, he was wasting a lot of water. He rose stiffly and walked to the bathroom door. Was he seriously going to knock? We're both men. It's no big deal.
He'd poised his knuckles to knock, his heart hammering in his throat. Then the water shut off. Satoshi paled. He wanted to back away like the door was on fire, but he realized now that if he moved, the floor would creak. And Krad would know he'd been standing there.
There were faint rustles of movement behind the door. Satoshi waited for a noise from inside that would cover his movement. He was just finished bracing himself when Krad opened the door. The angel was dressed from the waist down, a towel draped over his shoulder alongside his wet hair. He froze in the doorway, inches from his wing host. His bare skin was damp and paler than normal.
"What the heck are you doing?" Satoshi snapped, tension making his voice too high.
"Doing?" The angel followed Satoshi's gaze downward, as though confused. Then his cheeks darkened with realization. He drew a pale wrist up across his chest, clasping the end of the towel in front of him. He looked ready to pull it over himself for coverage. "I expected you to be in your room."
Before this moment, Satoshi would not have been capable of imagining Krad acting bashful about his state of dress, but right now the blonde looked mortified. Satoshi absolutely could not stare at the angel right now. That would be the worst thing to do. So he looked away, frowning at the corner of the kitchen and not at Krad's bare, wet chest.
The angel observed his reaction in silence. "I'll get a shirt," Krad sighed, stepping around his wing host. Their shoulders brushed as he passed. Satoshi's stomach flipped. The angel's damp skin was ice cold. Krad was way past him by the time Satoshi recovered, halfway to the closet.
"Krad," Satoshi followed him on wooden legs. The angel was grimly freeing a shirt from its hanger. "Stop a second. Krad. Why are you cold?" He had no idea what was happening. The blonde wouldn't look at him.
*Krad!*
The angel's head whipped around. Wet blonde hair framed a startled, blank expression. Looking at those eyes made Satoshi's stomach hurt. Did the mental contact really impact Krad this much? *Tell me what's going on.*
"I'm getting dressed!" the angel snarled. "It was quiet, so I thought you went to bed!" He spoke like he was denying a crime.
*Well I'm up, and I'm trying to figure out why the hell you were standing in a cold shower!*
"Why are you using that?"
Satoshi's face felt like it was on fire. *Daisuke said it's your first language. Do you need it? If so, we can use it.* Despite efforts not to, he felt his own fear slip into the link along with the words.
The fight went out of Krad's posture. "Go to bed, Satoshi," he said quietly.
Satoshi winced. Was that pain in his voice? Was the link hurting instead of helping? *I'm trying to understand you.*
"You can't even look at me!"
That took the bluenette off guard. "What? Yes, I can."
Krad narrowed his eyes and faced him, throwing the shirt to the chair next to him. Slower, he pulled the towel off his shoulder and dropped it beside the shirt. He stepped in close to Satoshi, bared from the waist up. Things deep in the boy's body stretched out curiously in response. Satoshi glanced aside.
"There. You can't look at me like this. Why?"
The boy flushed beautifully. "You have to ask?"
The angel grimaced. "You think I have flaws, but I don't think my body is one of them."
Satoshi tried not to gape. Krad was insecure about his looks? Was this because of the smock thing? Oh, god. This was dangerous. And he smelled like shampoo and feathers. The misunderstanding was actually a little hilarious. But they couldn't leave something like this unclarified. "Your body is...nothing is wrong with your body," he tried to say calmly. It emerged as a half-squeak.
Krad inhaled - a strange, whole-body movement. It did intriguing things to the muscles in the angel's chest. God help him, Satoshi stared. A cold finger touched under his chin, lifting it upward. Then, Krad's mouth was on his, a golden, electric contact.
Satoshi lost track of where his knees and ankles were. A strong arm looped around his back, supporting him and drawing them chest to chest. Krad's skin was icy. He'd really taken a cold shower. But his lips were warm. They left Satoshi's skin searing as the angel drew out of the kiss. Staring was unavoidable now. The boy's body was on fire from such a simple thing.
Krad's forehead rested lightly against his. "Satoshi-sama...If you want to use the link, use it. If you want to look, you should look. Do what you want, at your pace. I won't touch you or your mind until you ask."
Satoshi's chest throbbed. This conversation didn't seem real. It sounded an awful lot like Krad was alluding to a real relationship. Like he didn't intend to disappear, or revert back to hate and violence on a whim. Krad was putting him completely in control and not asking anything in return. Selfless affection? Could he ever really believe that?
"And if I decide that nothing changes?" he asked.
Krad's lips tightened into a thin, false smile. "Then nothing changes. I will still stay."
"What if I decide that you leave?"
He regretted it as soon as he said it. Krad looked startled. No smoothe reply rolled off the angel's tongue. Satoshi could almost see Krad's gears spinning, struggling to keep up with these tests. It was already clear the angel hadn't had a good day. Why was he pushing him so hard? Take it back. Admit you didn't mean it!
"I will," Krad barely confirmed. The contact between them disappeared as the angel stepped back. Silence sliced paper cuts into the mood between them. "Let's call it a night." The blonde picked up his shirt and turned to go retreat to the safe exile of the living room.
Satoshi stared as he walked away. He was screaming at himself, but couldn't get a sound out. Just now, he'd definitely hurt him. And practically on purpose. For the first time, Krad had expressed his feelings honestly and clearly…
...and he'd responded by throwing them back in his face.
To be continued...
Muahaha I am evil!