Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction / Weiss Kreuz Fan Fiction ❯ Monozuki ❯ Kyo and Lavender ( Chapter 3 )

Monozuki - An Idle Curiosity

A Weiss Kreuz/Yami no Matsuei crossover.

By Kelly

Monozuki 3 - Kyo and Lavender

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Kyo, by nature, was a very curious creature, though not many knew of this little fact. People tendedto be deceived by his disarming smile, his gentle, understanding eyes and the way he knew when it was better to talk, and better still to listen. But that's not to say he was a dishonest creature, for misleading people so. Oh, no, never. Because Kyo is just. . well, (was) human.

Technicalities could bog you down and drown you in paperwork, as he had discovered to his ultimate displeasure, even in the afterlife, so for convenience sake, Kyo preferred to dispense with it, from time to time, such as that annoying riddle - are you or are you not human when you're dead and a Shinigami?

The simple matter to be established in the here and now was that Kyo is not a dishonest person. He was just human. He was curious. He needed to know, dammit.

The fact that Hisoka had come into the Shokan this morning with a bouquet of white roses and a grinning Tsuzuki with strangely somber eyes was more than enough to pique his interest, never mind the findings of their latest case; assassins.

Assassins!

How. . .awesome!

Interesting!

Straight out of the movies!

Assassins!

He'd never met one before.

If Kyo had stopped to think about it, he would have realized that his mental processes could be construed as a little bit out of the norm, a little bit weird, a little bit. . . .strange. That could be the reason why he never bothered to. Sure, there was that time when that rookie. . .what was his name. . .Sawagasu, yes, had sneered and asked him whether he had a few screws loose. What happened next was a bit fuzzy. He recalled bright lights, something flying out of a window, and Takashi shouting out of said window, "And never come back, you jerk!"

Takashi could be so overprotective at times, the dear man.

But if he really had to explain it, all he could say was that he had his days. And today was one of them.

A skip, a hop, a sidle and humming the theme song to Pink Panther under his breath, he came upon a cheery little flower shop, plate glass all nice and shiny (must not mar with handprint!) and flowers, lots and lots of flowers everywhere!

Kyo stood just before the open glass door complete with a stenciled kitty in pink, shaded by a red-striped awning, rocking back and forth on the balls of his feet. To enter or not to enter? He gnawed on a thumb absentmindedly, despite Takashi having tried to break him of the habit forthe past ten years. A delicate sniff, yes, there were lilies inside. Kyo liked lilies.

"Irrashaimase!"

Ooh, an invitation. How could he be so rude as to refuse? Mind made up, Kyo wiped his abused thumb, which he just realized the existence of, on his jeans. Hands clasped harmlessly behind his back, an innocent smile pasted winsomely on his face, Kyo entered the shop with an excitement one might reserve for entering Nirvana.

The Koneko no Sumi Ie was amazingly normal.

Oh.

How. . .boring.

The interior wasn't that large but comfortable enough to house a large cooler for the more fragile flowers, neat and orderly plastic stands with blooms of riotous colors, a table for arrangements with a shelf behind it stocked with ribbons and baskets. A man with longish, vibrantly red hair worked at the table, arranging an obscenely huge woven monstrosity stuffed with pink gerberas and heather. Kyo'snose wrinkled; how utterly tacky. Someone out there didn't have good taste in flowers. Pity.

His observation continued, taking in a long counter and register and what he assumed to be the door and stairs leading to a back room and living area respectively. The floor was swept clean as well, no dead or fallen leaves to litter it and absolutely no suspicious specks of blood anywhere.

"Can I help you?"

Kyo cocked his head to the side, light blue eyes narrowing in study. The boy before him wore a green apron with the shop's name in pink, hair a dirty dark blond with guileless eyes shades darker than his own. Tsukiyono Omi was what the background check had revealed. Or rather, Takatori Mamoru, but, what did he care about names? So that would make Mr. Silent over there Fujimiya Aya. Or Fujimiya Ran. Really, what's with all these different identities? He wondered if they ever got confused as to who they were when they woke up in the morning.

His smile was quick and meant to charm. He could it see it working judging by the faint stain of red spreading oh so cutely across the young face.

Kyo wondered whether the boy looked this adorable as well when his poison-tipped darts (curare, according to Watari) thudded into his victim's flesh, the toxin paralyzing the body before death sheared the soul away and rigor mortis turned the body into a stiff artwork of mortality. And did Mr. Silent stay stoic when his katana sliced pretty ribbons from flesh and blood and entrails became the latest vogue?

His smile was meant to charm.

"Lilies," Kyo said brightly. "I could smell them!"

"A-aa. . .we have a fine selection of day and stargazers." The boy, Omi, led him to the cooler, gesturing and speaking, stuttering a little.

How curious. Kyo tuned the words out, concentrating on the boy's facial expressions, his hands which trembled minutely and that slight flush to pale skin. Here was a cold-blooded assassin standing before him, someone who was responsible for taking the life of a mortal, no matter what their crimes were, and the boy could still get flustered when paid attention to by someone like him?

The scowl that suddenly appeared halted the boy mid-spiel. Ignoring the palpable anxiety this Tsukiyono Omi radiated, Kyo started to rock back and forth again. He hated it when his thoughts took a bend and a dive down into the murkier depths. He wished that he hadn't ditched Takashi at the bookstore earlier. He wanted the sensei and he wanted him now.

But, ah, he was committed already wasn't he? He was here, at the Koneko. Might as well make the best of it then.

"S-sir?"

"I think I'll skip on the lilies today," Kyo announced to the shop at large and spun around, intent on making full use of his momentary freedom. No doubt Takashi wouldn't be pleased with his little jaunt but Kyo wasn't that worried. A little kiss here, a nibble there, and Takashi could forgive him of murder.

Kyo ignored the flash of broken memory, of a girl with hair as dark as his and grey eyes as warm as fire. How was he supposed to remember what he had forgotten anyway?

He prowled the shop perimeter by perimeter, stopping to caress a pot of orange blossoms, sniffing the sweet scent of lavender. A tendril of magic leaked out from him even as he inhaled in satisfaction, that thread of power tasting the air and weaving a fragile web of lace around the boy waiting behind and to the right. Kyo sensed. . .desire? A small flame but there nevertheless, yet shot through with distrust, that niggling doubt growing larger and larger every minute.

Tch, he should have expected that. Anyone with adequate spiritual power and dedicated in the martial arts or who had killed enough would be sensitive to the presence of a Shinigami, a god of death. Cute and adorable Tsukiyono Omi who could kill with poison-tipped darts was starting to come to his senses. Starting to override that first, instinctive spike of arousal Kyo had deliberately provoked.

How fittingly appropriate having lavender then, at that moment.

He inhaled the scent one last time and ignoring the boy, stepped a straight path to the one florist in the place whom he had notyet had the pleasure to study.

Fujimiya Aya's scissors thunked point first into the table top, red plastic handles quivering from the force. Bits of heather floated down to the previously clean floor and Kyo smiled. So pretty. Like snow.

"What do you want?"

Kyo opened his mouth, ready to say something (what it was, he wasn't sure, but since when was he a master of his mind anyway?), when another voice cut in. An entirely unexpected voice. One very familiar to him.

And it was not Takashi.

"Yes, Kyo-san. I was wondering that as well. What are you doing here?"

Kyo turned, very, very slowly because if you move too fast, the predator will strike, and fixed a wide, deceivingly honest smile on his face.

"Tatsumi-san! What a nice surprise!"

A dark eyebrow shot up. "Oh? Is that so." It was a statement, not a question. And Kyo was starting to entertain the option of running away. Fast.

But really rather impossible to do so when the man had the gall to stand right in the middle of his escape route.

Kyo was peripherally aware of the intense scrutiny they were under from the two florists-by-day, assassins-by-night. But he had bigger concerns. Mainly, an irate Tatsumi.

"And where is Takashi-san?" Uh-oh, there goes the steady, finger tapping the inner elbow move. Bad sign that. Tatsumi was approaching Level Two and a Level Two Tatsumi was scary.

Without being aware of it, Kyo started to hum the Pink Panther'stune again. "Takashi? Ah. . .(da dum, da dum). . .he was at the bookstore, last I saw him. . .(da dum da dum da dum)"

"And why are you not there with him?"

Kyo paused. "Because I wanted flowers?" he offered brightly.

Tatsumi closed his eyes briefly and Kyo knew the man was fighting the urge to rub his forehead. He had that look. Ah, the florist-assassins were becoming suspicious. He could taste it. One Shinigami was bad enough, but two? And in such close proximity after he hadtripped their alarm bells?

"Kyo-san," Tatsumi pinned him with a frown. "Let's go. Now."

"But!" His pout could have melted stone but alas, Tatsumi was long immune to them. "I wanted flowers!"

"We'll get flowers some other time, Kyo-san," Tatsumi replied patiently. "You have been here long enough. I'm sure Takashi is getting worried about you."

When Kyo hesitated too long, Tatsumi's face hardened, cold fire burning behind his glasses and Kyo could have sworn the shadows came alive then.

Tatsumi's tone was positively glacial and demanded instant obedience. "Kyo. Now."

He couldn't help that little, unhappy whine even as he obeyed but he was rewarded for his compliance by a softening of those eyes, Tatsumi gracing him with a small, genuine smile even as the taller man patted his hair fondly. Kyo sighed blissfully, eyes lazily drifting shut. Damn the man for exposing his weakness, Kyo thought happily, almost purring in contentment and he dimly registered Tatsumi apologizing and excusing them.

It was as they walked down a side street, Kyo cheerfully skipping ahead, only to bounce back to Tatsumi's side, when Kyo finally asked the man in between skips,

"Do I look pretty when I kill, Tatsumi-san?"

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Lavender: Signifying distrust.