Yami No Matsuei Fan Fiction ❯ This Side of Materialistic Heaven ❯ TATSUMI SEIICHIROU - Reaching for the Forgotten Stars ( Chapter 3 )

TITLE: This Side of Materialistic Heaven

CHAPTER: 02

GENRE: Yaoi (Angst)

DISCLAIMERS: The series I'm referring to does not belong to me… ^_^ only the weird story does.

NOTES: Blah or Blah is for emphasis. /Blah/ is for conversations over the phone or flashbacks (if any). /Blah/ is for the conscience or whatever inner voice there is talking. Blah is for thoughts or random Japanese words. Some of these words are footnoted at the end of every page (I'm beginning to understand the need for footnotes in fiction. XD).

This Side of Materialistic Heaven

* * *

PART 02: TATSUMI SEIICHIROU - Reaching for the Forgotten Stars

"You made him that way."

"I guess..."

I eyed my current partner doubtfully before turning back to the lonely figure kneeling in complete desperation in front of a worn-out traditional epitaph amidst the steady pouring of the autumn rain. "He seems to love you... even with your peccadilloes..."

"I guess..." Came an almost distant reply. "But it cannot be helped."

"Indeed." I conceded. "I can sympathize with you on that aspect... but you seemed to have gone too far." I murmured thoughtfully, my eyes softening involuntarily at the pitiful state the person they were watching was at. The young man was completely drenched, aggravating the already soulless state his features were, and deep inside me, I knew it was something I did not want to see every single day.

I didn't have to accompany my partner in these types of ventures, but I couldn't seem to stay away... like something was pulling me towards the man whose name I had the misfortune to hear a thousand times before.

"Seiichirou-san..."

Snapped out of my reverie, I gazed confusedly at the younger Shinigami. "What is it?" I asked almost falteringly, mentally wincing at the sight of liquid tears streaming unheeded down pallid cheeks, golden hair quite matted to the narrow forehead, wetted by stray droplets of cold rain that had somehow gotten in the penumbra of the umbrella I was trying to hold on to, against the strong gusts of damp wind, protecting our heads.

He turned to me with a small smile on his face. "I am going to quit tomorrow..."

EH? Now I was taken aback. "Quitting?" I asked incredulously, feeling as if I was punched hard on the gut. It was the first time someone dumped me... it was always I who did the dumping in the past... and why now when I was so sure that we'd be partners for the whole of our stay being the Gods of Death? I don't understand this at all... "Why?"

"This is my wish."

"Your wish?" Flabbergasted as I was, I wanted to congratulate myself for letting out even just a minuscule squeak of protest. I don't like this... If he leaves me... I'll be... alone.

He nodded almost hesitantly, brushing away his tears. "I became a Shinigami to see my younger step-brother, Seiichirou-san. I wanted to protect him until he turns of legal age. And now that he is... I don't need to look out for him anymore. It becomes more painful as days pass slowly by..."

"..." Ah... so it came to this. Although the mere suggestion for me was too vile for words... I can never deny that I was not sympathetic of him. He was special to me, and whatever he was; I wanted to give him what he wanted most. After all, with the exception of Tsuzuki, this man was the best partner I ever had... and the longest too. We had been covering each other's backs for ten long years. And I felt that I owe him at least a single wish granted. "I see..."

"I'm sorry for disappointing you, Seiichirou-san. I know I'm being too selfish this way... but I cannot let pain consume me in the afterlife too. After all the suffering I had in my mortal life... being used and abused by my father... by my own mother... and trying to eliminate anyone who would cause me and my step-brother pain... and then finally deciding that before I die and leave everything behind, let my brother know cruelty... and what other people could do to him... Seiichirou-san... I cannot take it anymore... not then... not now. I am weak, Seiichirou-san... I am weak..."

My eyes were watering, and soon, tears stemming from something painful inside my soul blossomed, until the warm gush of salty trickles dripped furiously down... pouring out my own pain... joining the pain of my closest relation... and the only one good enough for me to call friend... in suffering.

I felt the handle of the umbrella slipping from my fingers, felt the icy tentacles of autumn reach out to us both... comforting... and reminding us of the ever-present pain... of regret as emotions remained un-washable by the pattering rivers of nature's tears. The gap was soon closed... and his frail arms closed in around my body, the shivering lump that was the man I had been with for ten long years clinging to me as if to alleviate the downpour's backlash... There was nothing I could do...

There was nothing I could do but to relent... to let go... and let him find his own peace... without the needy being that he was holding on to just as tightly. "I understand... there now... don't cry anymore... Be strong... for your own sake... and always remember..."

"Seiichirou-san..."

"You're not weak... Saki-san."

@>~~~~~~~~<@

It was because of an unspoken promise that autumn day that I was saddled with the responsibility over looking after Saki's brother. I saw him through college, watched him excel in the best university money can buy... reveled in the fact that the young man became the best doctor in his line of expertise.

And somewhere along the lines, I felt as if he owned my heart.

Of course I might be mistaking it for something else, but one thing was for sure...

I had never felt this way before... even in my mortal life.

It was just my luck that I couldn't act on it.

All I could do was to watch him take his diploma from the university director... and wish him the best mortal life had to give.

@>~~~~~~~~<@

"Oi, Tatsumi-san!"

I frowned, visibly irked. What now? I thought crossly as I was interrupted from working on my precious financial statements for the umpteenth time... I glared as I raised my tired eyes and met golden irises. Great, it's him. It was none other than my division's scientist extraordinaire... the biggest money-spender.

"Oh, it's you... Watari-san."

He huffed, crossing his arms on his chest in what I thought of as annoyance. "Well, nice to see you too." He said quite snarkily. Then, like a bolt of lightning, his expression changed to that of pure cheerfulness... as if vying for a position in a cheerleading squad.

I shivered.

Watari was the only one who can do that creepy personality change... and frankly... he scared me sometimes.

As if reading my mind, he turned up the brightness of his smile a notch.

Okay. He scares me all the time.

"NE, TATSUMI-SAN!" He crowed, making me cringe. Inwardly, I groaned. Don't tell me you're asking for a salary raise again! If you are, I swear I'm going to feed you to the shadows...

"I HEARD YOU GOT PROMOTED!"

Okay, so he isn't asking for a raise... but still... does he have to screech out perkily like that? I sighed, cursing Tsuzuki for being blessed with an unstoppable mouth. Once he overheard the news, 'accidentally' as he put it, he blabbed everything to anyone within reach... every two minutes between eating his precious candy and taking short naps during work.

"I gather Tsuzuki-san told you that." I said, trying to control my temper.

Watari nodded enthusiastically, his mop of silky hair bobbing up and down as he moved... in time with the laughter that trickled out of his jovial mouth. I couldn't help shivering involuntarily. Man, this guy's creepy sometimes.... The stunted owl (Well, it is kind of small for an owl...) perched on his clothed shoulder hooted as if on cue. I shivered yet again.

It's certified... he's definitely creepy ALL the time...

"Sooo...." Came my tormentor's wheedling tone of voice. "When and where is the celebration?" He grinned, taking off his glasses and cleaning them off on one of the lapels of his white lab coat, revealing sparkling golden irises staring expectantly at me.

I leveled him with the most evil glare I could manage. "There is no celebration, Watari-san." I enunciated... slowly, just to make sure my point got across - all to no avail.

All I got was a pair of confused eyes... and an arching mouth resembling that of the famed Rainbow Bridge. "But why?" Watari asked, his eyes watering slightly I was not quite sure if they were true of just faked. After all, he faked tears most of the time to get the former budget director of this division to give him what he wanted a number of times before... "You got promoted... no one gets promoted much around here... and by Enma-daiou too!"

If I was not mistaken, there was much awe in the way the scientist said those words... and believe it or not, my heart clenched upon hearing them. It was the same way Saki had spoken to me before... after cracking their past missions... and the way Saki's little brother spoke when faced with something awesome during in his freshman year in college.

Saki's little brother.

Pain shot through the remaining parts of my exhausted heart.

I was a man who kept promises... and even with the promotion for doing my job well... I couldn't quite get the strength to celebrate.

I had lost him.

I lost him. It wasn't technically my fault, I think. When time came to give him a little visit, he just wasn't there anymore... but all the same, I couldn't help thinking that it was. I willingly took responsibility for it... and then the promotion came directly after the incident... I don't feel worthy of such honor... If I ever saw Saki again... I'm sure I would be crying tears of blood by the time he forgives me - If he would forgive me.

Watari's face appeared directly in front of me, golden eyes peering into mine. I was surprised yet again. We were face to face... glasses to glasses... eye to eye...

"TATSUMI-SAN!"

And the darned scientist decided it was the best time to scream out loud to the point of breaking one's eardrums.

"WAH!" It was all I could do not to scamper away from the room. I just screamed back, backing away and promptly falling from my chair (It was a graceful landing, by the way), scooting away from the self-proclaimed genius beaming at me, proud even, for making me, THE untouchable Tatsumi Seiichirou cry out in complete terror.

"You weren't listening to me! You didn't answer my question!" The blonde flipped back his long tresses almost haughtily, glaring at me with all his might.

"W-what question?" I wanted to sock myself for letting my voice quiver like that, waiting for the right moment to go melt in a puddle on the floor from absolute embarrassment whenever he decided to blackmail me about it.

I was fortunate enough that he did not notice my momentary lapse of pure weakness.

"I asked why you didn't want to have a celebration." He raised a questioning brow as I stood up and dusted my suit back to its glorious impeccability. "You zoned out on me back there. If I did not know any better, I would say that the spirit of the one who died this morning possessed you, or something.

My ears perked up. I stared at him. "Watari-san... what did you just say?"

He cocked his head to one side, eyes full of curiosity. "What, about the part where I was groveling about you not answering my question?"

"No, the other one."

"Oh, about the spirit... what about it? Do you know anything about it?" He asked, then, immediately smacked his head in complete self-disgust, his owl screeching away from him even before he did the act. That bird sure knew him well. "WAH! I forgot! You didn't know coz you're in the ceremony, duh!" He smacked his head several times more before shaking his head and turning back to me. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright... just tell me all about the one who died this morning..." I pressed, motioning for him to sit down as I leaned on a peach-colored wall. "What happened?"

"Someone got his car crashed... his name was immediately erased from the book of the living, but the flame of his candle still burned... We don't really know how that happened, but it's there... and now, we're trying to find him... I heard Konoe-kachou was preparing the list of people to consider taking the case and - Tatsumi?"

I must have paled too much, since he was trying to fan me awake with one of the manila envelopes on my desk. I was completely jarred... right to the marrow of my black bones. Could it be? "Uh... I'm sorry, I'm fine... please go on, Watari-san..."

"Oh... Okay." He said, completely unconvinced, but continued anyway. "Konoe-kachou was preparing the list of people he would consider to take the case if no one volunteers... Heck, as of now, no one applied... even me. For my part, I'm just too creeped out by it... I'd gladly pass it up for another case any day." He finished with a flourish.

I wanted to bolt and rush towards the office of my boss, but my feet were stuck to the carpeted floor.

"A name, Watari-san." I whispered almost inaudibly.

"Huh?"

"A name... what is the man's name?"

Watari stilled, his eyes had the faraway look of someone in deep thought. Suddenly, the twin golden orbs were alive again.

"Ah, I remember!" He crowed happy at such small accomplishment.

"What is it?"

"It's Saki-chan's otouto... Muraki Kazutaka.

@>~~~~~~~~<@

"Are you sure you're fine handling this case by yourself? Remember, you only need learn where he is and what happened to him. Technically he isn't dead yet."

I bowed low, butterflies announcing their need to get out of my tummy as I did. "I understand, Kanoe-kachou. I won't fail you."

"Good, you can go now, spend all you want. It's a special case."

"Arigatou gozaimasu."

@>~~~~~~~~<@

"There's something really weird about this report."

I turned to the younger Gushoushin. "What report?" I asked with acute interest. Muraki Kazutaka's body had been cremated and laid to rest in one of the Christian cemeteries in Kyoto... so why is it that his candle still burns?"

"Maybe it was not his body that was cremated, maybe a dummy or something." I rationalized, hoping that I was right. Although my reasons for hoping so were more twisted. I wanted him alive. I wanted to see the man I had been attached to for many years alive... well... and still beautiful as before. I felt something pierce my chest. Maybe it was guilt... that I was not doing my job correctly. Maybe... maybe...

"And another thing... Saki-kun's body... it's confirmed to be lost as well. It was supposed to be preserved in their basement laboratory, but it's gone now... just this morning!"

Shocked, I stood up abruptly from my chair. "What did you say?" I asked incredulously. How did that happen? What happened to Saki-kun?"

"Tatsumi!" The door to the library banged open so suddenly that the three of us almost jumped out of our skins. It was Watari... and he was uncharacteristically... green.

"Watari-san! Don't do that!" The older Gushoushin cried out, beak slightly chattering as he did.

Watari ignored him. "Tatsumi... it's Saki-kun!"

"What happened to Saki?" I asked, dread creeping into my stomach. "His soul vanished. They couldn't find him! I thought that maybe something wrong happened to his earthly body, but I know for a fact that it has been buried in his family's crypt..."

This was too much. The world was swaying... I can't understand any of this. For the first time in my life, I was at a loss.

For the first time in my life... I did not know what to do.

TSUZUKU

A/N: Got through the second chapter! ^_^ Reviews people! ^_^