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 Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 8:48 pm
Tsuzuki smiled, sitting up and folding his hands together, his elbows on his thighs as he leaned forward, resting.
With a sigh, he looked up at Muraki.
"Well, I suppose you are right. Even though we can operate without sleep, it doesn't mean we like to, or that is it technically good for us or anything."
It seemed for a moment like the shnigami was debating something with himself, but whatever it was he didn't say. Tapping his fingers on his knee, he decided to stand up and stretch for a moment before sitting back down, legs crossed to the side.
"You're going to be just fine, Kazu." Tsuzuki said rather suddenly. It wasn't one of those things one said to someone just to comfort them. Instead, it was an absolute declaration. The way he figured it, if he had come this far, he was going to take it all the way. Muraki was going to be just fine, no matter what. He had been telling himself that, and he intended for it to be so.
"When you finish your tea, would you like to come to bed with me?" Tsuzuki asked, smiling.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Pushing his glasses up onto his nose with two fingers, Tatsumi watched with private delight as the blond scientist entered. It was so adorable, the secretary thought, the way Watari smiled, his odd little mannerisms, even the fluid fashion in which his body always moved.
Clearing his throat, he nodded to his partner.
"Yes...there are some things that have been left out as far as expenditures in the budget. The amount of money your department was given and the amount of money that it has left doesn't add up, so I need you to double check the expenses you have listed and add in anything that might be missing. Preferably with receipts if at all possible."
Smiling, he pushed the forms toward the blond.
"It's alright though, I do understand what it is to be busy...but paperwork is very important for things to run smoothly."
Smooth...Tatsumi thought that to touch Watari's skin would feel smooth, and soft as well. Of course, there was nothing other than an almost imperceptible change in the way the secretary's head tilted that let on to the man's thoughts in the slightest.
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 9:41 pm
Watari may have been a scientist... but he wasn't very observant when it came to such matters. Especially where Tatsumi was concerned.
To the blond, the secretary was his partner and nothing more, much to Watari's own chagrin. He liked Tatsumi... a lot... but the stern man always seemed just a bit out of reach somehow.
He reached out one lithe hand, plucking up a pen and the papers and looking over the list.
"Oh, here's the problem!" the scientist smiled, scribbling in a few details. "I forgot about the shipment of slides which came in the other day... I was researching and completely forgot to catalog them. I think it should cover the yen discrepancies."
Smiling, Watari handed the paper back. "Wouldn't want you to get in trouble for my lack of paperwork... again..." sighing, the blond shinigami sat back in the chair, hands in his lap for a moment, before idly twirling a long strange of curly hair between two fingers. "I'm... still in trouble, after all... for what I did when I hacked into Mother. So... guess I need to walk a straight and narrow path right now, ne?"
~ ~ ~
That question somewhat surprised the doctor... but only somewhat.
"Of course." Muraki replied with a soft smile, sipping his tea. "I need rest and you need rest... and with your seal in place, things should run just fine so there shouldn't be anything to worry about, right?"
Somehow... Kazutaka wasn't completely convinced that he wasn't going to wake up killing Tsuzuki...
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Posted: Sun Sep 05, 2010 10:28 pm
"Thank you very much." was all the secretary got out, being as focused as he was on that long finger twirling that golden tress.
"In...indeed..." he actually faltered for a moment before quickly looking over the paperwork and verifying the numbers in his head.
Silently, he looked back at Watari, then looked away, then looked back again.
Standing up and leaning over his desk, Tatsumi tangled his hand in Watari's hair, his face perilously close to his partner's, his hot breath falling upon the blond's lips....so very close....as he began to pull his hand through that softly curling hair. As suddenly as he had stood, he drew back and sat down again.
"Gomen..." the secretary apologized as he placed a few circular bits of paper on the desk, "It would seem you got some of the paper chads from my hole punch in your hair just now."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Right." he agreed confidently, though he tapped his fingers nervously on the table without noticing it.
"I'll go get the bed together then. When you're ready, just come on in. Like I said, make yourself at home."
Tsuzuki walked around the corner and right into the bedroom, discarding his coat and shirt immediately, leaving them in the laundry bin nearest the bathroom. His bed was already made with fresh, lime green sheets. Before these events, Tsuzuki had been sleeping quite a bit at his desk in the office at work, pulling as many hours as he could to make up for lost wages and poor work as of late. Removing his pants, the shinigami pulled on a soft, cottony pair of bright red pajama pants and placing a pair of black ones on the other side of the bed for the doctor before turning down the covers and laying on the bed, waiting for Muraki to come join him.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:11 am
Deer caught in the headlights would've been an appropriate term for Watari Yutaka's expression.
He froze.
Completely froze.
"A... arigatou..." Watari eventually said, a very slight blush crossing his fair cheeks. "Didn't mean to dirty up your office." he teased before standing. "Well then, um... if there's nothing else you need me to sign off on... I'd better go make sure my lab's all in good order..."
In truth, the blond was uber panicking. Tatsumi was acting strange... very strange... and it set him on edge.
Especially given everything that had happened the last few days...
~ ~ ~
By the time that Tsuzuki was tucked into bed, Muraki was just finishing the last of his tea.
Until he heard it...
'Poor Kazu-kun... you don't really want to get rid of me, do you?'
Wincing, Muraki put one hand to his head, setting the cup down on the table. "You're sealed... you can't do anything."
'Can't I?'
Suddenly, the tea cup shattered into a million pieces, cutting the silver haired man's hand up badly. He bit his lip, stifling an out cry so as not to alarm Tsuzuki.
"Doushite?"
'Easy...' came the voice. 'I may be sealed, but I'm still a part of you...'
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 9:31 am
Picking up a yellow pencil, Tatsumi tapped it lightly against the desk, seeming deep in thought.
"Yes, well thank you for coming in, Watari-san."
Again, he pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose, leaning back in his chair. Frankly, the shadow master was lonely. He had been that way for quite some time now, but he had never been able to do anything about it. Ever since his...indiscretions...with Tsuzuki all those decades ago when they had been partners, Tatsumi had shut himself off from forming such connections, with anybody, especially not his partner, though that was the one person who really seemed to understand him, to care about his well being, to really make him happy.
The big problem here was that the secretary was afraid to do anything about it. Instead, he had always chosen silence and avoidance, making up excuses all the time as to why it wouldn't work, why it would be inconvenient, why it would cause problems. All things that he knew simply wouldn't be the case...not with Watari.
"Wait....there is one thing...." the kagetsukai blurted out at the last minute. It was so unlike him, and he knew it. Honestly, he wasn't even sure why he was doing this. Perhaps it was the way Watari's hair fell just so today. Or maybe the way his eyes seemed to shine behind those cute glasses at the particular moment. Either way, Tatsumi had begun this process now, and it would be wasteful of both time, words, and energy if he stopped now.
"Just one thing that I need, Watari-san. If you could, that is. You see, at the moment, what I need most....is you."
Sending out a snaking tendril of shadow, Tatsumi pulled the cracked door completely closed and locked it, waiting for the scientist's response. Either way things went, he was prepared to handle the situation gracefully.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tsuzuki was far more tired than he had thought. It had only been a moment before he found himself dosing off, curling up in the bed like a child.
Just as quickly as he and fallen asleep, however, he woke back up with a start. Something felt...off...but he wasn't sure what.
"Kazu...." he called out in a tired voice, "you coming to bed?"
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 11:34 am
Watari had turned and was on his way to the door when Tatsumi spoke again. He looked back, facing the secretary. "Hai?" he asked, wanting to be of help if he could.
He heard it.
Well, he had heard it right, right?
"J... joudan... deshou?" The scientist asked, before laughing softly. "Yare yare, Tatsumi-san... it's not a very funny joke, but your expression really did... have... me..." he turned slightly as he heard the audible click of the lock. "fooled..."
Swallowing uncomfortably, the blond shinigami's amber gaze focused on his partner. "Ta... Tatsumi-san... daijoubu ka?"
~ ~ ~
"Ha... hai!" Muraki called, moving to the sink and washing the blood off his hand. "I'll be there soon."
Tsuzuki couldn't know... if he did, he'd probably worry and then take it upon himself to exorcise Saki into his own body immediately.
He didn't want the shinigami suffering because of him...
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 12:39 pm
He took a deep breath, trying to calm himself. It would be an outright lie to say he wasn't intensely uncomfortable. Seiichiro had never been good with this sort of thing, not even in life. Still, an honest attempt was called for, and that was what he would make.
"No...I am not alright, Yutaka..." the secretary spoke the given name as if it were foreign. All the years of honorifics and propriety had made him unaccustomed to such familiarities. It was the first time he had ever called the blond by name.
"How many years has it been now? Since we first met? How many years can one person go on alone, keeping steady silence to what they feel? Whether you believe me or not, I need you." Tatsumi's blue eyes were piercing with intensity, though they still held a kindness to them, and a glow that he reserved only for his partner.
"I understand if this is something you do not wish for. If so, then the matter will be dismissed entirely, never to be spoken of again." he laid the offer out for the blond, an open escape if he chose to take it.
But my heart will break, never to mend again, if you do... he thought to himself.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Ok ok....well don't be too long, I want cuddles!" Tsuzuki replied cheerfully, before giving a very loud, prolonged yawn, rolling over again and pulling the covers up around his face, nuzzling himself into them like a puppy.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 1:43 pm
"Ta... Tatsumi..." Watari whispered, giving the elder shinigami a look that simply said he was far more confused than need be.
The kagetsukai liked him? Well, he had said he needed him so, wasn't liking a logical step?
"I... I thought you... well..." looking at the locked door, Watari then focused his amber gaze on the other man, trying his damnedest not to look like a stammering idiot. "I thought you liked Tsuzuki-chan. I mean... you did before and... well and then all that stuff with Muraki and you were really over protective and..." sighing, the blond brought a hand up to his face, pinching the bridge of his nose for a moment as he tried to collect his thoughts. "This is just weird coming from you..." Watari found himself whisper. "Especially.... now..."
Sighing, the scientist whirled around, his back to Tatsumi as he tried to compose himself.
After all, in a few hours, a day at most, he was planning on becoming the vessel for Shidou Saki... and now Tatsumi was breaking out with this 'I need you' spiel?
"It's not that I don't wish for it... it's just... just... I don't have time for this right now, Tatsumi... I just don't..."
Okay, so even to him that didn't sound convincing...
But how was he supposed to tell the kagetsukai the truth?
~ ~ ~
The blood wasn't stopping... so Muraki did the only thing he could do...
Grabbing a nearby dishtowel, he quickly tore a strip off and wrapped it around his hand. When the doctor entered the bedroom, he held it up for Tsuzuki to see.
"I guess your tea cup had a crack in it... it kind of shattered all over the table. I'm fine though, really." Kazutaka spoke with a small smile.
He didn't want to worry the shinigami any more than need be...
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:04 pm
The look on Tatsumi's face was one of immense hurt, but the secretary did his damndest to hide that pain as quickly as he could, his usual mask falling back into place, though at the moment it seemed rather ill fitted.
"Just so we are clear..." he began, almost shakily, "I care a great deal about Tsuzuki-san. A great deal indeed...but anyone with half a mind knows that such a thing would never end with any good results...not for I, not for Tsuzuki-san, not for anyone. Besides, he and Kurosaki-kun...now I believe that to be a proper couple, and I fully support the both of them, if only they would stop being so difficult about it." Briefly, the shadow master smiled to himself. "But...perhaps you are right. Perhaps this is 'weird'. However, I am fully capable of handling a rejection. You do not by any means have to spare my feelings on the matter. You don't have to...to lie to me about it. I apologize for whatever discomfort I have caused you, I admit, it was very unprofessional of me. Now, by all means, you are free to go about your day as you wish."
The shadows in the room seemed to draw closer to Tatsumi, almost as if preparing to wrap themselves around the kagetsukai, like a blanket. As much as he tried to mask it, the self-loathing, disappointment, and hurt were practically visible as an aura around the man. He had known rejection were a possibility, but he hadn't expected to be lied to out of pity...which was what it seemed the scientist was doing to him.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Tsuzuki's eyes were merely slits as he drifted in and out of dreamland, trying to stay awake long enough for the doctor to join him. He enjoyed a warm bed, but he much more enjoyed a warm lover in his arms to help him drift to sleep.
Then Kazu came in the room, and the shinigami grinned...until the doctor held up his hand, whereupon Tsuzuki sat bolt upright in the bed and practically tossed himself to his feet, rushing to the silver-haired man's side.
"Oh noooo....I am so so so so so sorry." he gushed, applying pressure to the wounds.
"Did you see how many cuts?" he asked, trying to peek under the strip of fabric.
Even though his energy was still low, he was going to have to use magic to heal the doctor of these wounds, weakening him even further since the sealing.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 3:21 pm
"Uso ja nai..." Watari whispered, hands gripping the edges of his labcoat as he stood, back still to the other man. "I had hoped you'd... well... I wanted you to notice me... but..."
Sighing and realizing he really couldn't keep this a secret forward, Watari turned to the kagetsukai, his amber eyes focused as he spoke. "Muraki Kazutaka is alive. Tsuzuki is... well they're together at Tsuzuki-chan's apartment and... there's a demon and an angel living in mine and everything going to hell around us!" his grip on his coat tightened, bunching the fabric into fists. "Muraki isn't evil, he's innocent... which coming from me, who hates his guts, sound ridiculous but he doesn't remember anything he's done to us or Bon or Tsuzuki and it appears he was under possession this entire time... To keep the demon at bay, Tsuzuki and I are preparing a spell to transfer the demon from one body to another... and I... offered myself as the vessel."
He shook his head, continuing forward quicker, "I know it's stupid but I didn't think anyone really needed me that bad and I knew that the office would go to hell if you were the one and Bon's too fragile and Tsuzuki's too powerful so I figured we put Saki inside of me until we can fully banish or seal him or something. And apparently the angel in my apartment was once cursed by Muraki too, or rather the demon Saki, and so he'll come in handy when trying to come up with a cure but until we can stop this demon... we have to get him out of Muraki. It'll tear his body apart eventually, and at least shinigami bodies are far more resilient."
So he had just spilled his guts about everything to the secretary... but what else could he do?
Tatsumi deserved the truth, not a lie...
~ ~ ~
"It's fine, really." Muraki replied, hesitant to pull the hand from the shinigami's grasp. "Just a couple of cuts, not deep, just not clotting as well as I'd like."
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:04 pm
Tatsumi Seiichiro didn't move for a very long time following what Watari said. He didn't speak, didn't blink, didn't even breathe, it seemed.
Instead, he merely sat there, staring down at the patterns in the wood grain on top of his desk.
Behind him, though, the shadows gathered, rising and boiling up into a black, tangling mass that would surely frighten anyone that laid eyes on them.
Inside, thoughts and emotions tore through the secretary. Part of him wanted to cast the very idea away, to think Watari was just playing some elaborate prank, that surely such things couldn't be possible...but Tatsumi knew better when he heard the tone of the scientist's voice and saw the look on his face.
"You mean to tell me...." a shadow lashed out, piercing through a potted plant, "That Tsuzuki has taken to bed...with Muraki....who is apparently possessed...and that you have offered yourself up as what will essentially be a sacrifice! All of this, and you didn't contact me once! Didn't consult me for help....nothing! How dare you...." Tatsumi yelled, actually yelled, something he had not done in so long he truly couldn't remember the last time. He couldn't help but feel anger, betrayal, and rage...both in regard to Watari's and Tsuzuki's actions. Try as he might, he couldn't reign himself in.
"You are more of a fool than Tsuzuki!" he lashed out with his words, though he regretted it even as he said it, he couldn't help himself. Never since his human life had he felt such anger coursing through him, such immense frustration that he completely lost his cool.
Then, as quickly as it had begun, it ended.
Tatsumi sat there, brows furrowed, and sighed.
"Don't do this, Yutaka...I can't lose you..."
After all...the whole reason he was so angry...was because in this situation, he stood to lose everything he cared about in one fell swoop.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"It's ok....let me fix this..." focusing his energy, he began channeling it into the cuts. It took longer than usual, but slowly the bleeding began to ebb off and the skin started drawing closed. Finally, the healing process was finished, but it had obviously taken a toll on the shingami. Even so, he placed a kiss to where the wounds had been and smiled.
"All better!"
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 6:20 pm
"You really need to rest now." Muraki spoke softly, putting his free hand against Tsuzuki's cheek. "Sit down before you collapse, Asato-kun... onegaishimasu?"
Carefully, Kazutaka lead the amethyst-eyed shinigami back to the bed.
~ ~ ~
Unlike Tsuzuki... Watari wasn't afraid of the kagetsukai. He had proven that during their battle with Muraki.
Tatsumi may have a tremendous power over shadows... but Watari knew he would never use that power on an ally.
"How am I a fool?" the blond demanded, hands moving to rest on his hips as he glared at the secretary from behind his glasses. "If we'd come to you with it, you would've tried to kill Muraki then and there! Don't even think of denying it either!"
Sighing, Watari began to pace. "It isn't like I didn't try to come up with something else, but Tsuzuki used the last of his power sealing Saki away, and I need to come up with a proper spell to transfer Saki's soul out of Muraki, before he eats the man from the inside out! His eye is just the beginning of the deterioration, and I'm not going to stand by and watch as someone who really is innocent, is devoured by a demon!"
Angry at Tatsumi's reaction, Yutaka grabbed the door handle and was preparing to leave. "You're not losing me. Besides... until this very moment, none of you even needed me to begin with, and you know it." he said, opening the door angrily.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:05 pm
"Hai....hai...you are...right." Tsuzuki managed to mumble as he made it to the bed, immediately laying over on the pillows and closing his eyes.
"Too tired...hold me?" he asked the doctor as he began to drift off again.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Fast as a flash, the shadows whipped out and wrapped themselves around Watari, pulling the scientist back into the office and into Tatsumi's arms as he stood, simultaneously closing the door again before anyone could see.
"Don't you say that....don't you ever say that." the secretary spoke softly, his arms tight around the blond.
"We do need you, all of us...most of all me. You must be blind even through those glasses if you can't see that. If it's you, I'll listen to anything, I'll do anything I can to help. I can't just let you go on a suicide mission though...even if it is to save an innocent. Because...like it or not...I love you, Watari Yutaka."
Then and there, for better or for worse, Tatsumi made up his mind and kissed the blond, his hands trembling as they made their way into those golden curls again.
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:14 pm
Watari let out an 'eep' of sorts as he was flung back into the room by the shadows.
He hadn't expected to be thrust into the secretary's waiting arms, nor to be embraced so... lovingly...
For a moment, the scientist's resolve slipped, and he let his body relax in those warm strong arms.
"Tatsumi..." Yutaka whispered, looking up at the kagetsukai, just before his lips met those of the man before him.
It was a sweet kiss... but there were emotions behind it that nearly overwhelmed the blond shinigami. After a few moments, he pulled back and stared up into those blue eyes.
"It's not a suicide mission..." he spoke softly, trying to ignore the fact that Tatsumi had just declared his love!
That was something Watari would need time to process...
"I'm not going to die. I'm already dead." he gave Tatsumi a slight smirk. "But really... I'll be fine. I might be a little crazier than I am now for a while but... I'll be fine. I can help. It's the ONLY way I can help. I... I don't have power like you and Tsuzuki-chan... This is all I can do."
~ ~ ~
Laughing softly, Muraki nodded. "Hai... let me change first." he spoke, carefully taking off and folding his clothes, before putting on the black pajamas.
After about five minutes, he crawled into bed beside the shinigami and gently took the other man into his arms. "Just get some rest, Asato-kun... you've done enough today..."
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Posted: Mon Sep 06, 2010 8:40 pm
"You know as well as I do that we can be completely destroyed. A second, ultimate death. We've both seen what Muraki has been capable of...and, now that we know that the man is innocent and it is a demon responsible, that makes the situation even more dangerous. I...I'm just...well...frankly, Yutaka...I am afraid."
It took a lot for the secretary to make such an admission. A hell of a lot, really. Everyone knew the secretary wasn't exactly the sharing type, and he had done enough sharing in the last few moments to last him a typical decade.
"I know you...and I know that once you're set on something, that you are going to do it, come hell or high water. But are you absolutely certain there is no other way? Whatever your decision, I will back you on it...but I want you to be sure. I regret never telling you before now, though...everything..."
Breathing in deeply, he smiled, holding the blond closer still.
"Even though I am afraid...I do believe in you..."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~`
"Nnnn..." Tsuzuki softly moaned as the weight of the bed shifted and a pair of strong, warm arms pulled him close.
"Aishiteru....Kazu..." he mumbled before succumbing to sleep completely.
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