Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ Complicated ❯ Part 1 ( Chapter 1 )

This is my second attempt on a Muraki/Tatsumi fic. The first time I tried them out was in my previous fic, Precious Illusions. I liked the pairing and I hope people do too. They actually look nice together. I have an illustration of this fic and if you wish to see it, mail me and I will send it to you.

Happy Reading!

COMPLICATED 1

How long he had been there, he did not know. He did remember, however, that he had to go and check a few deaths and repair damages that had occurred in the past two months. He then vaguely remembered walking in to an empty bar, save for one man who was watching a soccer match on television with the bartender and barmaid, and slamming down a thick wad of folded yen bills, saying that he wanted sake, and that they should not stop bringing him the drink, no matter what happens. Kyoto, after all, was well known for its good quality sake.

Now he sat there, beside the blue colored window of the bar, drinking his third jar of sake. He was pondering on his thoughts, about how he could be so selfish and heartless. He had seen Tsuzuki embracing the flames of Touda, wanting death so desperately. When he was assigned a partner a few months back, Tatsumi made a solemn oath that he would watch over his amethyst eyed colleague, for his partner looked incapable. He smirked as he remembered his oath, taking a long swig from his cup and refilling it again. It was ironic that it was him who backed out in the end, wanting Tsuzuki to do whatever he desired, which in a way, was all right. But he deeply cared for the man and to leave him like that because he himself was hesitating and unsure of what to do was downright pathetic not to mention selfish. What was worst was that when Hisoka was in Tsuzuki's arms in the middle of all the fire, he had felt bitter jealousy bubbling up inside him.

He poured the last few contents of the jar in to his cup and drank the whole thing down. The barmaid came with a new jar, taking the empty one away and resuming to watch the soccer game. Tsuzuki was still in the brink of consciousness and unconsciousness. Touda's flames could kill any Shinigami, but that does not mean that his fumes were not as deadly. It could knock out a Shinigami for a long time. Hisoka was on his feet already, walking around, watching over Tsuzuki. Tsuzuki was asleep most of the time and so he was not able to speak to him save for watching him open his eyes for a few minutes and closing them again to fall back asleep. It had been painful to watch him like that, so he vowed never to go and see him until he was fully awake.

Another thing was that the House of Candles still had Muraki's candle tall and burning brightly, meaning he was still alive and not weakened at all. It drove Tatsumi up the wall, for he knew as long as that mad sadist was alive, there will never be peace. He had been thinking about him and what could he possibly want from Tsuzuki, and when he found no answers, he'd go and drink himself stupid until he saw cats dancing in tutus. This was one of those moments. He got no answer whatsoever, but he wondered as well what Muraki was planning to do to Tsuzuki, since the equipment under Shion University were surgical equipment. It's not like Tsuzuki needed an operation or anything stupid like that? What had he planned? What was he thinking then?

He had changed, ever since the events that took place two months ago. He had lost weight and was less muscular than before. He hardly got any sleep, after dreaming about Tsuzuki yelling when he lost mind after witnessing Suzaku burn Ikaruga. It drove him mad and he was hardly eating now, always taking alcohol to forget and waking up with his guts coming out of his mouth the next morning. He had vowed never to angst about everything that happened and drink alcohol, for it produced nothing good, but the vow remained broken and was never taken serious.

His vision was now spinning and he was beginning to see colors. He pulled his glasses off and pinched the bridge of his nose. The fourth jar was half empty, and he knew he was nearing the state of fainting. He stood up and pulled his coat over him tightly and without another word, left the bar. He walked down the street of the crisp night, his steps no longer straight. He was now faltering and was having a hard time seeing what was going on in front of him. He had collided painfully in to something and he assumed that it was an ivory lamppost and merely grunted at his own carelessness. Something gripped him by his shoulders, steadying him. Funny, he thought. Since when did lampposts have arms and hands? He blinked hard and stared at the object with hands in front of him.

"Lost in your drunk stupor?"

"Get off me!" He hissed, shoving the person who was holding him, anything but roughly. "Oh joy! I knew you were alive, but I did not want to see you!" He snapped, his temper really blinding him now. Must be the sake, he thought.

"I meant no harm." The man clad in white said.

"Since when?" He asked bitterly. "That's all you've been doing ever since you entered our lives! You meant no harm eh? What a joke! Excuse me while I write my will because I'm dying of laughter." He said sarcastically and stumbled in his own step, falling forward.

"You are very drunk, Tatsumi." He said, catching Tatsumi was now leaning against him.

"Who are you to judge, Muraki?" Tatsumi grumbled, his fists tightening around Muraki's sleeves of his white coat, in an attempt to stay on his own to feet. His mind reeled with everything that happened and he remembered his pathetic state and selfish thoughts that he laughed. He began to laugh at the irony of it all. "I'm going crazy." He said, in between his laughs. Muraki merely watched with a pitied expression on his face. "I'm going crazy." Tatsumi said finally and gripped Muraki's forearms, his head dipped down, his long brown bangs covering his eyes. His laughter was gone and he was now crying, crying like a broken and lost child. "And it's all your fault!" He said, his gripping getting tighter. "All your stupid fault, you ass! All you fault!"

Muraki held Tatsumi who sobbed in front of him. "Come on." He said, leading him down the street. He actually felt sorry for him, and he knew that he was the cause of the secretary's inner turmoil.

"What makes you think that I will go with you?" Tatsumi asked, following him anyway. He still had tears flooding his blue eyes. "I'm not going with you!"

"I'm not leaving a hopeless drunk like you in the streets." Muraki said. "I do have some decency you know? Even after what I did two months ago." Tatsumi pulled himself away from the doctor.

"Decency?" He yelled. "What decency? What person in his right mind would something crazy like what happened two months ago and claim that he has decency?" Tatsumi leaned against the red-bricked wall of one of the buildings lining the street. "You're seriously messed up in the head then!" He turned around and faced the wall, touching his forehead on the rough bricks. "I hate you." He said, clenching his fists.

Muraki came up from behind him and carried his numb body in his arms, continuing his walk down the street. Tatsumi remained unmoving, staring at the starry sky. He couldn't believe he was in Muraki's arms, letting him take care of his own self. It was pathetic and he was ashamed of it all. More of his tears came trickling down his cheeks, his eyes now empty. He heard a door open and close, as he was carried up a flight of stairs. Another door opened and this time he was greeted with darkness. He was laid on a soft bed, Muraki's hands now undressing him, and discarding all of his clothes and putting a clean gray yukata on his lithe body, placing his glasses on the side table.

"I don't like you." Tatsumi mumbled, staring at the ceiling of the dark room, as Muraki pulled a white silk comforter over him. "I really don't like you."

"There's nothing I can do about it then." Muraki wittily replied, sitting on the edge of the bed. "You don't understand me. Even a crazy person has his reasons."

"I still don't like you." Tatsumi said, but Muraki's last two sentences clinging on to his mind as he closed his eyes and surrendered to fatigue.

*

Tatsumi woke up the next morning - actually it was twelve in the afternoon - seeing everything around him in gray and violet. He winced in the semi-bright bedroom and brought a hand up to his face. You don't understand me. Even a crazy person has his reasons. He immediately sat up and regretted doing that. His mind spun in a million directions and he felt his stomach do somersaults. He looked around the room in a frantic gesture, trying to find the bathroom. He pushed the covers away from him and shakily got to his feet, nearly tripping over the plush carpet. The door to the room swung open and Muraki stepped in, dress in white slacks and a crème shirt.

"You know better than to sit up so suddenly when you drank several pints of alcohol last night." He said, catching Tatsumi as he fell forward.

"Shut up!" Tatsumi hissed, doubling back. He shoved Muraki weakly away and pushed the door to the bathroom open behind Muraki, rushing in and kneeling in front of the toilet seat, throwing up his guts. He held the sides of the toilet seat in a death grip as he heaved and continued to throw up everything in his stomach, until he only spat out stomach acid. Perspiration coated his tanned body and face, as his breathing slowed down.

"Let this be a lesson to you, Tatsumi." Muraki kneeled beside him and brought a damp cool towel to Tatsumi's face.

"Don't touch me." Tatsumi said, pushing Muraki's hands away and throwing up again. He groaned, his throat now burning. Once again, he bent over the toilet seat and vomited. He was getting dizzy now and his limbs were trembling.

"You need a long bath. It will relax you for a while." Muraki said, standing up and filling the bathtub with warm water. He placed some bath oils, distinctly smelling of roses, and helped Tatsumi to his feet, pulling the yukata off him and making him sit in the warm water. Tatsumi sat in the tub, staring at the water, his legs drawn to his chest.

"I've always wondered." He said, stopping Muraki in his task of folding the yukata. "Why you act the way you do?"

Muraki stared at Tatsumi for a while, who had his head dipped and looking at the water, not moving. He sat at the side of the tub and sighed. "I lived for revenge Tatsumi." He stared at his hands. "For all my life, I planned and plotted revenge, studying, analyzing, experimenting." Tatsumi looked up to find Muraki's hands clenched. "I needed Tsuzuki's body, for it was perfect. It was the only way to -" He stopped and shook his head. "It doesn't matter. Everything is gone now." He looked at Tatsumi and smiled. He actually smiled, wrinkles forming under his eyes. "I lead the normal life now, free from bitter thoughts and revenge. I might as well, since my life is short." Tatsumi stared at him with his lips slightly parted. "There's a towel on the rack. Your clothes will be in the bedroom." He stood up and left the bathroom, gently closing the door behind him.

Tatsumi lifted his hands up from the water. "Muraki changed." He said to himself and kept staring at his hands. He was actually very gentle now, acting like a real doctor. It surprised him, and it made him feel awkward. What revenge? Was it something about his past? He brought his hands to his face and stood up from the bathtub, draining the water. He turned the shower on and stood under the freezing spray. "It is unnatural." He said to himself.

He dried himself and went to the bedroom he had been sleeping in, only to find everything in order and the curtains parted, giving him a view of a beautiful pond and endless greenery. He found his clothes cleaned and ironed on the bed, and with careful movements, dressed himself. He padded out of the room and down the stairs, hearing light sniffles. He stiffened in alert and headed for the living room. He found Muraki sitting on a swivel chair, a small child sitting in front of him in a soft red velvet chair, his mother standing behind him, as Muraki examined his arm.

"It should get better in a few weeks, Aki-chan." He said, rubbing some ointment from a container in a silver tray beside him on the child's arm. He then began to bandage it and handed the boy a lollipop. "Be brave, okay Aki-chan?"

"Yes, doctor!" The young boy said, nodding and smiling, his tears now gone.

Muraki scribbled something on paper. "Here's your medicine. It is a painkiller. You should take it twice a day, one after breakfast and one before bed." He handed the paper to the boy's mother. "Take care." He said as the two made their way out of the living room, a butler escorting them out. Muraki stood up and stared at the watch. It had been his last patient for the day, and it was already lunchtime. His eyes fell on Tatsumi standing by the doorway, a surprised expression on his face. "He burned his arm during cooking lessons in school." Muraki said, and folding his white doctor's coat on the seat. "Are you leaving?"

"I have to." Tatsumi said, looking away. Is there something else he could say?

"I see then." Muraki said, nodding. "Are you sure you don't want to stay for lunch?" The shadows in the house began to shift, gathering by Tatsumi's feet.

"No, thank you." Tatsumi said, the shadows now rising till his neck. "Good day." He said, nodding at Muraki's direction and disappeared, transporting himself to Meifu. He rushed to the office and was bombarded by questions whether he was okay because apparently Watari and Hisoka had gone out to look for him. "I'm fine." He said, sitting behind his desk and dismissing all concern.

He resumed doing his paper work, calculating and filing the numerous and piling bills before him. By mid afternoon, he felt tired. The side effects of alcohol still haven't left him and he was still weak. He suddenly remembered Muraki and how unbelievably kind he was to him. What struck him was when he had wiped his face with a towel and his words before he had gone to sleep in his drunken stupor. Revenge? Because of what?

He stood up and headed for the library, slamming both his hands in front of Gushoshin's table, eyes narrowed. "Tatsumi!" The bird-like creature gasped, his brother twitching in fear beside him.

"I want all the information you have on Muraki! Down to the last paper! Understand?" He said, his voice growling.

"Yes sir!" The twins said.

Tatsumi headed back to his office. One hour later, a file was sent to him, with Muraki's name on the front. He opened it and began to scan through it.

TBC

Okay, don't be turned off just yet! I promise to make it nice! Tsuzuki plays a MAJOR role here, you'll see!