Second Chances 5/12
Title: Second Chances: Bodyguards
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairings: past Hakuei x OFC, Hakuei x MiA, Tsuzuku x Koichi, past OFC x Koichi and others
Genre: AU, supernatural, vampires. 1980s setting.
Warning: Mentions of past murder, abduction, dubious consent if there was any at all, manipulation.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me but the writing/story and the original characters are mine.
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 5/12
Summary: The desire for blood and sex brings Hakuei to Kabuki-cho one night. A chance encounter at a nightclub brings MiA into his life, giving him a second chance at love and happiness after the death of his beloved wife.
Author's Comment: This chapter had me drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate to cope with it. It was quite the difficult one to get through as I wanted to have the balance between what's going on in MiA's life now and the circumstances that led to Tsuzuku and Koichi becoming vampires. Still not entirely happy with it but I'd rather move on than continue nitpicking.
Hakuei’s departure date arrived all too soon. The memories they’d made last night would have to tide him over until his lover returned. MiA sighed softly as he laid his head on Hakuei’s shoulder. Koichi and Tsuzuku were due to arrive any minute. And in two hours Hakuei would leave him for an uncertain amount of time. He tried to distract himself from the dark thoughts by picking up the box of truffles Hakuei had bought for Koichi.
“Do you really think Koichi can go through this and three bags of chocolate chips in a few days?” Surely even a hardened chocoholic couldn’t devour a family sized bag plus several truffles per day.
“Don’t underestimate him,” Hakuei snorted. “Tsuzuku entered Koichi in a truffle eating contest last year. He demolished the competition then went out for cupcakes afterwards.”
MiA wrinkled his nose. “No wonder you bought enough chocolate to feed an army. Yuck, I’m getting a cavity just thinking about it.”
Hakuei laughed. “I bet.” He glanced towards the door then wrapped his arm around his lover. “I appreciate that you aren’t being petulant about this situation.”
“Like I said, I’m not happy I need to have bodyguards, but I won’t deny I could need their protection.”
Hakuei kissed his hair. “Try not to think of them as such. Think of them as what they are: two of my closest friends. You can finally meet other vampires besides me.” He smirked at the Star Wars poster above the TV. “You’ll enjoy this: Koichi likes Star Wars. You can marathon the trilogy and dazzle him with your ability to say each character’s line before they can.”
MiA glared at him. “I’m not that obsessive!” He didn’t have every character’s lines memorized.
“MiA, in the two years we’ve dated I’ve watched Star Wars more times than I care to recall. You think Luke’s lines before he can say them. You have Darth Vader slippers, Star Wars pajamas, and last week I had to stop you from buying Darth Vader sheets. So don’t attempt to deny your obsession.”
Fortunately, the intercom buzzed at that moment and prevented him from having to reply. MiA crossed to the door then pushed the response button. “Hello?”
“Hi, MiA and Hakuei! It’s Koichi. Tsuzuku, come say hello.”
“Hi,” a new voice said.
Hakuei smiled. “There they are. Now you have to give them permission to enter.”
MiA sighed then pressed the button again. “Hi. You can come inside.” He buzzed them in, looking at Hakuei. “Do I have to invite them into my apartment too?” Or did the invitation extend to the entire building?
“You will. Right now they can only access the building and the hallways. They can’t set foot into your home.”
MiA opened the door when he heard knocking. Koichi was just as cute as Hakuei had described. His long pink hair was neatly curled and he wore a black sweater with red hearts on it, faded purple jeans, and colorful sneakers with neon green leg warmers. A large bag of Godiva chocolates dangled from his right hand. Tsuzuku, dressed in a black leather jacket and dark gray jeans with boots, looked like his lover’s shadow. Tsuzuku had also been relegated to the role of boyfriend and was pulling a suitcase behind him. “Hi. You, uh, may come inside.” He stepped back watching as first Koichi then Tsuzuku entered. Now there were three vampires who could access his apartment.
“Thanks.” Koichi smiled then opened the bag. “I brought you some chocolate. I’m not sure what kind you like so I got a bar of dark chocolate and a box of truffles. They’re all different flavors.” He pulled out the box and what felt like a brick rather than a bar of chocolate.
MiA took them, wondering how much time he’d have to spent in the gym as penance for this week. “Thank you. And dark chocolate is fine. Hakuei and I bought some truffles and chocolate chips for you too.” He’d try not to drown his loneliness in sweets once his lover left. “Down the hall is my guest room. There’s no bed but there’s a futon that’s already rolled out for you.”
“A futon is fine. I always used one before I got my fangs.” Tsuzuku looked around the apartment before his gaze settled on MiA. “I know you aren’t exactly thrilled Ko and I are here. If you cooperate with us we can make this week enjoyable rather than awkward.”
A blushing MiA stomped hard on Hakuei’s foot. “Thanks for outing me,” he hissed. Great, now it was definitely going to be awkward. He huffed as he looked at Tsuzuku. “I want this arrangement to be as pleasant as possible.”
“So do we.” Koichi grinned and slung his arm around Tsuzuku’s shoulders. “Hakuei said you like to watch movies. What’s your favorite?”
“Star Wars,” Hakuei said dryly. He smirked when MiA glared at him. Clearly he shouldn’t have shared his love of the trilogy with his boyfriend.
Tsuzuku smirked. “I keep trying to get Ko to wear a Princess Leia bikini for me. No luck yet.”
MiA blushed while Koichi hit his lover. “Tsuzuku!” he griped. “I can’t believe you said that!”
“What? You’d look gorgeous in her outfit!”
“Shut up or I’ll eat all your chocolate.”
“Please,” Tsuzuku rolled his eyes. “You do that anyway.”
Koichi huffed. “I do not!”
Hakuei wrapped his arm around MiA and pulled him close to his side. “Aren’t they adorable? They bicker like an old married couple.” He kissed MiA’s hair. “Do you want to get takeout so we can have a meal together before I leave? My taxi will arrive in two hours.”
MiA embraced his lover. He didn’t want him to leave… “Dinner would be good. What do you want to eat?”
“You decide.”
“Ramen?” MiA suggested. He looked over at his new bodyguards who had stopped bickering about bikinis and chocolate in favor of taking off their shoes. “Do you two like ramen?”
“Of course we do,” Koichi replied. “Are we having ramen for dinner?”
“Yeah. I’ll grab the menu.” MiA went into the kitchen and opened the drawer where he kept his takeout menus. Once each vampire had decided, MiA called in their order and gave the man his address. “There. It’ll be here in about half an hour.”
Hakuei pulled MiA close again. “Perfect. That gives us some time to go over your schedule.”
MiA sighed. Right. He was supposed to have his new bodyguards picking him up from work. Absently he wondered what his coworkers were going to think of them. Maybe he could say they were in a band.
Too soon for MiA’s liking, the intercom was buzzing for Hakuei’s taxi. If all went well he’d return to Tokyo within the week. If not… He squashed the thought as he handed Hakuei’s jacket to him. “Call me when you get to Kyoto, okay? Don’t get too bored on the train. And make sure you let me know how the meeting is going.”
“Yes, dear.” Hakuei grabbed MiA tugging him up against him for a back bending kiss. He straightened, pulling his lover up with him to kiss him again. “I love you.”
MiA smiled. “I love you too. I’ll miss you.”
“As will I.” Hakuei kissed MiA’s hair then turned to look at Tsuzuku and Koichi, the two seated on the couch. “Take care of MiA for me.”
“We will,” the couple promised.
Hakuei stole another kiss then opened the door and stepped outside. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon.” He kissed MiA once more, unable to resist before finally letting him slip free. MiA wanted to walk him outside but he knew it’d be even harder to let him leave. He waved until Hakuei disappeared into the elevator then slowly closed the door. Fuck, he missed him already. They’d been almost inseparable ever since he accepted Hakuei for who and what he was.
“Want some chocolate?” Koichi asked.
“Please,” MiA sighed. He slumped down next to Tsuzuku, who passed him the truffle box that Koichi had practically attacked after dinner. “Let’s watch a movie.” He was in dire need of a distraction.
“Sure.” Tsuzuku set the box between him and MiA, selecting a raspberry one. “Have you seen Ghostbusters before? Or Alien?”
Ghostbusters was funny. It might make him feel better. “I like Ghostbusters.”
Koichi grinned. “I’ll get our copy.” He kissed Tsuzuku’s cheek then went to the guest room.
MiA picked up another truffle. “Do you two always work as bodyguards?”
“Only for you.”
“Oh. What do you do otherwise?”
Tsuzuku stretched lazily. “A mix of hobbies. Hair, songwriting, photography. Ko and I are both into fashion though our tastes, as you can tell, are wildly different. I design shirts and jewelry and he models for me. He was apprenticed to a jeweler when he was alive so he takes jewelry commissions when he gets bored. Otherwise he’s interested in composing music and designing clothing and accessories.”
MiA grinned. “Do you model for him?”
Tsuzuku’s expression suggested he’d lost his mind. “Hell no. Minpha is his favorite model.”
“Minpha?”
“One of Koichi’s friends. They, ah, have history together. You’ll have to ask him about that as it’s not my business to tell you.”
MiA was curious now. Still, they’d only just met so asking questions about their past would be impolite. He did want to see their designs though. “I’d like to see what you two design after the movie.”
“You could model for me!” Koichi said as he returned with Ghostbusters in hand.
“He’ll look like he got pink poisoning,” Tsuzuku muttered.
“You liked the pink lingerie I wore for you yesterday!”
MiA found himself blushing once again.
* * *
Gradually, the two began to feel less like bodyguards and more like friends. They were easy to talk to and had similar interests. His coworkers were also getting used to seeing the pair waiting for him. MiA had explained that they were fashion designers and that was why Koichi’s general appearance was so colorful. His pink hair and Tsuzuku’s tattoos still received dirty looks from most of them, but they at least kept their judgment to themselves.
“MiA!” Tsuzuku knocked on the bathroom door, startling MiA into the present. He’d gotten lost in thought toweling himself off.
“What?”
“Hakuei’s on the phone.”
“Hang on!” He dressed quickly and threw open the door to take the phone from Tsuzuku. “Hi.” He smiled as Hakuei returned his greeting. “How’s Kyoto?”
“Lonely without you.”
“Oh just marry each other already,” Tsuzuku muttered. MiA’s glare had him smirking as he retreated to the living room.
“What did the council decide?” Hakuei had left four days ago so maybe he’d be able to stay in Japan.
Hakuei sighed. “I’d hoped to be able to give you different news…”
MiA’s smile faded. Fuck. It was happening. “You’re going to Siberia,” he said softly.
“I have to. I’m sorry, MiA.”
“Don’t apologize. This is your job… I know you have to do it. When do you leave?”
“The day after tomorrow. I have to return to the council chamber soon. I just wanted to call and let you know that I won’t be able to return to you until next week at the earliest.”
MiA tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. “I’ll be waiting for you. Can you call me later? Or tomorrow even. I want to talk to you again before you go to Siberia.” It was still strange to think of a vampire queen holding court in Siberia rather than Transylvania. He knew Hakuei would laugh at him again if he brought it up so he kept his thoughts to himself.
“If you’re worried about the toll international calls will have on your phone bill, don’t. I’ll pay for it.”
“Fuck the phone bill,” MiA retorted. “I just want to hear your voice.”
“And you will,” Hakuei promised. “I won’t be done until late tonight so I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
Soon enough they had to say goodbye. MiA trudged into the kitchen with a heavy sigh. Great. He’d be playing host for who knows how long while his lover was away. He liked Koichi and Tsuzuku, enjoyed the company, but didn’t want to spend weeks living with them. He placed the phone back on its cradle and blinked at the sight of Koichi rummaging desperately through the cupboards. “…What are you looking for?”
“Chocolate!” Koichi whirled to face him.
MiA stared. “All of it’s gone?” How had he gone through three bags of chocolate chips, a bar of chocolate, and a box of truffles so quickly?
“I used up the last of it to make hot chocolate.”
“Then we’re out.”
Koichi pouted again. “Damn. Tsuzuku!”
“What?” Tsuzuku called from the living room.
“Go get me chocolate.”
“Say please.”
Koichi’s pout turned to into a smirk. “Please get me chocolate.”
Sometimes MiA wished he could read minds like a vampire could. With these two he was grateful not to have that ability. “Hakuei has to go to Siberia,” he blurted.
“He told me,” Tsuzuku said as he joined them in the kitchen. “Don’t worry, MiA. I’ve never met Queen Valeria before, but I’ve heard enough about her. She won’t draw meetings out for days like the bags of dust in Kyoto do.”
Koichi arched an eyebrow. “Bags of dust?”
“You know they’re all ancient,” Tsuzuku complained. “They probably make the pyramids look young.”
MiA’s lips twitched into a smile. “You think Hakuei can come home to me soon then?”
“I do.”
“Shit, MiA, I’m sorry. You must be hungry. Do you want to go out for dinner? Or we could get takeout.”
“I’d rather just get takeout.” MiA opened his menu drawer. “Do you two want anything or are you just going to have chocolate?”
“I’ll eat,” Tsuzuku said.
“Me too.”
MiA was torn between Indian food or pizza. So long as he didn’t stuff himself on naan Indian food would be healthier. “Do you like Indian?”
Koichi grinned. “I love Indian food. I’ll definitely need chocolate afterwards! It’s a great palate cleanser after the spices.”
“When do you not need chocolate?” Tsuzuku muttered. He dodged a swipe from his lover then leaned over MiA’s shoulder to look at the menu. “Ko, want to share a curry special? We each get our own bowl plus naan and salad.” He pulled his lover to him by his belt so he could look. MiA handed the menu to them and stepped back.
“Sure.”
After dinner and more naan than he should’ve eaten, all three changed into comfortable clothes and moved to the couch to watch TV. MiA glanced at Tsuzuku, who was watching his lover happily look through his brand new box of chocolates. Maybe he should ask them now. Ask the questions that’d been on his mind since meeting them. How did you meet? How did you become vampires? How do you know Hakuei? Why are you so loyal to him? Hakuei hadn’t explained much: only saying that Koichi had been closest with Kana, that Hakuei had met Koichi and later Tsuzuku through her. “Um, you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to… but how did you two become vampires?”
Tsuzuku looked surprised while Koichi flinched like he’d been slapped. It didn’t take a genius to see that the question bothered him.
“You don’t have to tell me,” MiA said quickly.
Tsuzuku sighed and reached out to rub Koichi’s thigh. “I don’t mind sharing my story. I was bleeding out in an alley when Koichi found me. Yakuza fight; always figured that was how I’d go.”
MiA did a double take. “You were yakuza?” He’d never have guessed Tsuzuku had been a member! He’d seen him without a shirt and he didn’t have the customary full back piece.
“I was. Ironic isn’t it? Ex-yakuza turned vampire is guarding a police officer now.” Tsuzuku leaned back against the couch. “I didn’t have a choice about it. Both of my parents were in the business and raised me into it. I was kind of… wild when I was alive. Self destructive like my shit father was.” Tsuzuku sighed and shook his head. “That’s another story. Like I said, I got into a fight and I lost. The other guys put three bullets into me then left me to bleed to death. I would’ve died alone choking on my own blood if it wasn’t for him.” He turned his head to Koichi. “He was dressed all in white, and I thought he was an angel. I couldn’t understand why someone so pure and so beautiful would come to a scumbag like me.”
“You were not a scumbag,” Koichi said firmly.
“Yeah I was.” Tsuzuku squeezed his lover’s hand. “Ko talked to me… asked my name, if I wanted to live. I said yes. And you know the rest,” he said softly turning his head to kiss his lover’s cheek. “Thank you for giving me that chance.”
Koichi smiled and hugged him tightly. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I took it.” He ran his hand up and down Tsuzuku’s back before clutching him closer, insecurity darting across his expression. “I… I was turned when I was about your age, MiA. I worked in a jewelry shop as an apprentice jeweler.” He swallowed nervously and paused to take a chocolate. MiA was eager to know more, yet also understood how difficult it was for Koichi to talk about his past. “There was a regular customer at the shop: a seventeen-year-old girl named Katarina.”
“Katarina?” MiA echoed.
“She was half Japanese half Russian,” Koichi replied. “She always came in the evening after the sun had set. She seemed too young to be paying for such pieces, but my master never protested. I got used to seeing her, and eventually she had me making some of her jewelry. Things continued like this for about a year. One night, when I worked the shop by myself, she came by to collect the diamond earrings she’d commissioned.” Koichi tightened his grip on Tsuzuku. “She… she made me want her. We had sex in the back office then she had me take her home. She insisted I come inside. Then up to her bedroom…” he trailed off, shaking his head before continuing. “Afterwards Katarina bit my neck and drank from me. It was the strangest feeling,” Koichi whispered. “I… I was afraid, but I couldn’t lift a hand against her. I was totally under her control. She drank until I felt like I was going to faint. Or die. But I didn't. She said I belonged to her now and that I would stay with her forever. She kept me like that for days.”
MiA shuddered as he imagined such a horrific turning. No wonder Koichi hadn’t wanted to tell this story. “If this is too hard for you…”
“No.” Koichi shook his head. “I should talk about her. I need to talk about her. I’ve been free of her for nearly twenty years and still she haunts me.” He cuddled closer to Tsuzuku, the latter gently stroking pink hair. “Katarina turned me on the sixth night. This time, rather than drain me to the point of exhaustion, she drank until my heart stopped.”
“What happened… after your newborn phase?” MiA asked.
Koichi hesitated a moment before speaking. “Katarina was with me the whole time. She cared for me. She said she loved me, that she had for a while and couldn’t bear the thought of another woman finding me. I was so dependent on her that I fell in love with her too. Katarina… she, she was magnetic. You couldn’t be with her and not love her.”
“She wasn’t magnetic,” Tsuzuku said shortly. “She was abusive and manipulative.”
“I didn’t realize that until after she was gone.” Koichi laid his head on his lover’s shoulder. “Once I’d recovered my senses, everything she’d done to me felt like it was a dream. Or a nightmare. I was horrified by what she’d done to me and what I’d become. But I needed her so badly I couldn’t hate her for it.” Koichi smiled bitterly. “Turns out I had to share her with two other men. Meto, her first doll and lover. Meto had been a dollmaker’s son. She stole him away the same way she did me. Yuuki was the second. He sang in a bar, and Katarina loved his voice and his looks. She decided to keep him. She called us her dolls and she… she treated us like ones. She would do our hair. Our makeup. Dress us in pretty clothes the way girls today play with Barbies. She would take turns playing with us too. She’d have me all to herself one day and the next she’d be with Meto or Yuuki. She did the same to them as she’d done to me: she made them love and depend on her. Then two years later she comes home with Rito. Minpha was the last of her dolls, turned four years after me. I spent ten years as her doll-”
“Her slave,” Tsuzuku interrupted.
Koichi continued, “Ten years before Kana heard of us.”
So that was how Hakuei knew them. And it explained why Koichi was closer to Kana. She’d saved him and the others from a life of slavery. “How did she rescue you?”
“Kana dressed herself like a Victorian doll and came to Katarina’s mansion. One look at her, how beautiful she was, and Katarina wanted to keep her too.” Koichi shuddered violently. “Kana lured Katarina into a trap and then she killed her to set us free. If Kana hadn’t come for us then all five of us would still be Katarina’s living dolls. She and Hakuei helped us adjust to our newfound freedom. Her more so. Her love for Hakuei is what makes us so loyal to him after Kana’s death.”
MiA understood now. “Thank you for telling me. Both of you.” Koichi’s chilling story made him grateful for Hakuei’s paranoia. If there were vampires out there who would try to trap him in a similar fate… He squashed the thought to smile at Koichi. “At least you have Tsuzuku now.”
Koichi hugged Tsuzuku again. “I do.” He kissed his lover’s cheek then got up. “I need to get some air. Tsu, stay with MiA.”
“Okay.” Tsuzuku watched his lover go via the balcony. He sighed and glanced at MiA. “You can tell how hard it was for him to tell that story. He doesn’t like talking about it, even with the others. The emotional scars still linger.”
“I understand,” MiA said quietly. “Um, do the others work as bodyguards too or is it only the two of you who do that?”
“Yuuki and Rito could’ve been here instead of us. Meto and Minpha are more difficult for a human to interact with. Meto had to deal with her brainwashing and manipulation the longest so he’s still very quiet. Minpha can’t speak at all. He can make sounds, but all of his communication is done via telepathy.”
“Becoming a vampire didn’t give him a voice? I thought vampirism healed things like that.”
Tsuzuku shook his head. “Minpha was born mute so that wasn’t an ‘injury’ that the change could heal. If, say, my larynx had been pierced then vampirism would restore my voice to me. The change did give Minpha a mental voice though. He communicates through telepathy-but I imagine you wouldn’t be comfortable having thoughts projected into your head.”
Just picturing it made him shudder. “Definitely not.” MiA glanced at the balcony, wondering how Koichi was doing now, before looking to Tsuzuku again. “Was it awkward for you? A complete stranger turned you and then you spend the next, ah, weeks together.” He knew he was blushing. He did not want to know any details about Tsuzuku’s newborn phase.
Tsuzuku smirked at him. “You’re so cute when you blush.”
“Tsuzuku!”
“What? It’s true.” He laughed then grinned at him. “Honestly, it was a little awkward. But I’d spend the last months completely dependent on him so it wasn’t that bad. Plus it didn’t take long for me to realize that Koichi needed me as badly as I needed him. I gave him a purpose and companionship that wasn't born from slavery.”
“Did you love him?”
Tsuzuku shook his head. “At that time, I was grateful for the chance he’d given me. But I didn’t love him. I stayed until I did though. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” He placed the lid back on Koichi’s truffles. “Katarina was a monster, but ironically she was the cause of lasting relationships. Meto and Minpha are a couple as are Yuuki and Rito.”
At least something good had come out of that time. “After her death?”
“Before. Five men is a lot for one woman to handle, so they improvised. All in secret of course-she would’ve punished them if she knew. They were allowed to love only her. You’ll probably meet them soon. Hakuei finally introduced us so it’s only a matter of time before you meet the others.”
MiA nodded. “I’d like that.” Continuing to discuss Koichi’s past without him felt wrong so he changed the subject. “Should we watch a movie or wait for him?”
“Let’s watch a movie. He could be a while.”
MiA let Tsuzuku pick this time.
Notes
1) The next fic I post will be about Tsuzuku's turning. I finished revising it at my writing club today so that will be posted sometime this week.
2) Word of warning: Chapter 6 is when this fic takes a turn for the dark side and it will remain dark until MiA's turning. Updates will probably be slower because I haven't written any sort of crime fic in quite a while, and I don't want to rush it.
3) Koichi's backstory has been building in my head for over a year now. I considered writing it for a challenge but I doubt I'll get to it. I also wanted to convey his conflict over Katarina. He still struggles with what he went through when he was her doll.
4) Meto, Minpha, Yuuki, and Rito will show up in future chapters.
Author: write_my_dreams
Pairings: past Hakuei x OFC, Hakuei x MiA, Tsuzuku x Koichi, past OFC x Koichi and others
Genre: AU, supernatural, vampires. 1980s setting.
Warning: Mentions of past murder, abduction, dubious consent if there was any at all, manipulation.
Disclaimer: The band members portrayed do not belong to me but the writing/story and the original characters are mine.
Rating: PG-13
Chapters: 5/12
Summary: The desire for blood and sex brings Hakuei to Kabuki-cho one night. A chance encounter at a nightclub brings MiA into his life, giving him a second chance at love and happiness after the death of his beloved wife.
Author's Comment: This chapter had me drinking copious amounts of hot chocolate to cope with it. It was quite the difficult one to get through as I wanted to have the balance between what's going on in MiA's life now and the circumstances that led to Tsuzuku and Koichi becoming vampires. Still not entirely happy with it but I'd rather move on than continue nitpicking.
Hakuei’s departure date arrived all too soon. The memories they’d made last night would have to tide him over until his lover returned. MiA sighed softly as he laid his head on Hakuei’s shoulder. Koichi and Tsuzuku were due to arrive any minute. And in two hours Hakuei would leave him for an uncertain amount of time. He tried to distract himself from the dark thoughts by picking up the box of truffles Hakuei had bought for Koichi.
“Do you really think Koichi can go through this and three bags of chocolate chips in a few days?” Surely even a hardened chocoholic couldn’t devour a family sized bag plus several truffles per day.
“Don’t underestimate him,” Hakuei snorted. “Tsuzuku entered Koichi in a truffle eating contest last year. He demolished the competition then went out for cupcakes afterwards.”
MiA wrinkled his nose. “No wonder you bought enough chocolate to feed an army. Yuck, I’m getting a cavity just thinking about it.”
Hakuei laughed. “I bet.” He glanced towards the door then wrapped his arm around his lover. “I appreciate that you aren’t being petulant about this situation.”
“Like I said, I’m not happy I need to have bodyguards, but I won’t deny I could need their protection.”
Hakuei kissed his hair. “Try not to think of them as such. Think of them as what they are: two of my closest friends. You can finally meet other vampires besides me.” He smirked at the Star Wars poster above the TV. “You’ll enjoy this: Koichi likes Star Wars. You can marathon the trilogy and dazzle him with your ability to say each character’s line before they can.”
MiA glared at him. “I’m not that obsessive!” He didn’t have every character’s lines memorized.
“MiA, in the two years we’ve dated I’ve watched Star Wars more times than I care to recall. You think Luke’s lines before he can say them. You have Darth Vader slippers, Star Wars pajamas, and last week I had to stop you from buying Darth Vader sheets. So don’t attempt to deny your obsession.”
Fortunately, the intercom buzzed at that moment and prevented him from having to reply. MiA crossed to the door then pushed the response button. “Hello?”
“Hi, MiA and Hakuei! It’s Koichi. Tsuzuku, come say hello.”
“Hi,” a new voice said.
Hakuei smiled. “There they are. Now you have to give them permission to enter.”
MiA sighed then pressed the button again. “Hi. You can come inside.” He buzzed them in, looking at Hakuei. “Do I have to invite them into my apartment too?” Or did the invitation extend to the entire building?
“You will. Right now they can only access the building and the hallways. They can’t set foot into your home.”
MiA opened the door when he heard knocking. Koichi was just as cute as Hakuei had described. His long pink hair was neatly curled and he wore a black sweater with red hearts on it, faded purple jeans, and colorful sneakers with neon green leg warmers. A large bag of Godiva chocolates dangled from his right hand. Tsuzuku, dressed in a black leather jacket and dark gray jeans with boots, looked like his lover’s shadow. Tsuzuku had also been relegated to the role of boyfriend and was pulling a suitcase behind him. “Hi. You, uh, may come inside.” He stepped back watching as first Koichi then Tsuzuku entered. Now there were three vampires who could access his apartment.
“Thanks.” Koichi smiled then opened the bag. “I brought you some chocolate. I’m not sure what kind you like so I got a bar of dark chocolate and a box of truffles. They’re all different flavors.” He pulled out the box and what felt like a brick rather than a bar of chocolate.
MiA took them, wondering how much time he’d have to spent in the gym as penance for this week. “Thank you. And dark chocolate is fine. Hakuei and I bought some truffles and chocolate chips for you too.” He’d try not to drown his loneliness in sweets once his lover left. “Down the hall is my guest room. There’s no bed but there’s a futon that’s already rolled out for you.”
“A futon is fine. I always used one before I got my fangs.” Tsuzuku looked around the apartment before his gaze settled on MiA. “I know you aren’t exactly thrilled Ko and I are here. If you cooperate with us we can make this week enjoyable rather than awkward.”
A blushing MiA stomped hard on Hakuei’s foot. “Thanks for outing me,” he hissed. Great, now it was definitely going to be awkward. He huffed as he looked at Tsuzuku. “I want this arrangement to be as pleasant as possible.”
“So do we.” Koichi grinned and slung his arm around Tsuzuku’s shoulders. “Hakuei said you like to watch movies. What’s your favorite?”
“Star Wars,” Hakuei said dryly. He smirked when MiA glared at him. Clearly he shouldn’t have shared his love of the trilogy with his boyfriend.
Tsuzuku smirked. “I keep trying to get Ko to wear a Princess Leia bikini for me. No luck yet.”
MiA blushed while Koichi hit his lover. “Tsuzuku!” he griped. “I can’t believe you said that!”
“What? You’d look gorgeous in her outfit!”
“Shut up or I’ll eat all your chocolate.”
“Please,” Tsuzuku rolled his eyes. “You do that anyway.”
Koichi huffed. “I do not!”
Hakuei wrapped his arm around MiA and pulled him close to his side. “Aren’t they adorable? They bicker like an old married couple.” He kissed MiA’s hair. “Do you want to get takeout so we can have a meal together before I leave? My taxi will arrive in two hours.”
MiA embraced his lover. He didn’t want him to leave… “Dinner would be good. What do you want to eat?”
“You decide.”
“Ramen?” MiA suggested. He looked over at his new bodyguards who had stopped bickering about bikinis and chocolate in favor of taking off their shoes. “Do you two like ramen?”
“Of course we do,” Koichi replied. “Are we having ramen for dinner?”
“Yeah. I’ll grab the menu.” MiA went into the kitchen and opened the drawer where he kept his takeout menus. Once each vampire had decided, MiA called in their order and gave the man his address. “There. It’ll be here in about half an hour.”
Hakuei pulled MiA close again. “Perfect. That gives us some time to go over your schedule.”
MiA sighed. Right. He was supposed to have his new bodyguards picking him up from work. Absently he wondered what his coworkers were going to think of them. Maybe he could say they were in a band.
Too soon for MiA’s liking, the intercom was buzzing for Hakuei’s taxi. If all went well he’d return to Tokyo within the week. If not… He squashed the thought as he handed Hakuei’s jacket to him. “Call me when you get to Kyoto, okay? Don’t get too bored on the train. And make sure you let me know how the meeting is going.”
“Yes, dear.” Hakuei grabbed MiA tugging him up against him for a back bending kiss. He straightened, pulling his lover up with him to kiss him again. “I love you.”
MiA smiled. “I love you too. I’ll miss you.”
“As will I.” Hakuei kissed MiA’s hair then turned to look at Tsuzuku and Koichi, the two seated on the couch. “Take care of MiA for me.”
“We will,” the couple promised.
Hakuei stole another kiss then opened the door and stepped outside. “Hopefully I’ll see you soon.” He kissed MiA once more, unable to resist before finally letting him slip free. MiA wanted to walk him outside but he knew it’d be even harder to let him leave. He waved until Hakuei disappeared into the elevator then slowly closed the door. Fuck, he missed him already. They’d been almost inseparable ever since he accepted Hakuei for who and what he was.
“Want some chocolate?” Koichi asked.
“Please,” MiA sighed. He slumped down next to Tsuzuku, who passed him the truffle box that Koichi had practically attacked after dinner. “Let’s watch a movie.” He was in dire need of a distraction.
“Sure.” Tsuzuku set the box between him and MiA, selecting a raspberry one. “Have you seen Ghostbusters before? Or Alien?”
Ghostbusters was funny. It might make him feel better. “I like Ghostbusters.”
Koichi grinned. “I’ll get our copy.” He kissed Tsuzuku’s cheek then went to the guest room.
MiA picked up another truffle. “Do you two always work as bodyguards?”
“Only for you.”
“Oh. What do you do otherwise?”
Tsuzuku stretched lazily. “A mix of hobbies. Hair, songwriting, photography. Ko and I are both into fashion though our tastes, as you can tell, are wildly different. I design shirts and jewelry and he models for me. He was apprenticed to a jeweler when he was alive so he takes jewelry commissions when he gets bored. Otherwise he’s interested in composing music and designing clothing and accessories.”
MiA grinned. “Do you model for him?”
Tsuzuku’s expression suggested he’d lost his mind. “Hell no. Minpha is his favorite model.”
“Minpha?”
“One of Koichi’s friends. They, ah, have history together. You’ll have to ask him about that as it’s not my business to tell you.”
MiA was curious now. Still, they’d only just met so asking questions about their past would be impolite. He did want to see their designs though. “I’d like to see what you two design after the movie.”
“You could model for me!” Koichi said as he returned with Ghostbusters in hand.
“He’ll look like he got pink poisoning,” Tsuzuku muttered.
“You liked the pink lingerie I wore for you yesterday!”
MiA found himself blushing once again.
* * *
Gradually, the two began to feel less like bodyguards and more like friends. They were easy to talk to and had similar interests. His coworkers were also getting used to seeing the pair waiting for him. MiA had explained that they were fashion designers and that was why Koichi’s general appearance was so colorful. His pink hair and Tsuzuku’s tattoos still received dirty looks from most of them, but they at least kept their judgment to themselves.
“MiA!” Tsuzuku knocked on the bathroom door, startling MiA into the present. He’d gotten lost in thought toweling himself off.
“What?”
“Hakuei’s on the phone.”
“Hang on!” He dressed quickly and threw open the door to take the phone from Tsuzuku. “Hi.” He smiled as Hakuei returned his greeting. “How’s Kyoto?”
“Lonely without you.”
“Oh just marry each other already,” Tsuzuku muttered. MiA’s glare had him smirking as he retreated to the living room.
“What did the council decide?” Hakuei had left four days ago so maybe he’d be able to stay in Japan.
Hakuei sighed. “I’d hoped to be able to give you different news…”
MiA’s smile faded. Fuck. It was happening. “You’re going to Siberia,” he said softly.
“I have to. I’m sorry, MiA.”
“Don’t apologize. This is your job… I know you have to do it. When do you leave?”
“The day after tomorrow. I have to return to the council chamber soon. I just wanted to call and let you know that I won’t be able to return to you until next week at the earliest.”
MiA tried to keep the disappointment from his voice. “I’ll be waiting for you. Can you call me later? Or tomorrow even. I want to talk to you again before you go to Siberia.” It was still strange to think of a vampire queen holding court in Siberia rather than Transylvania. He knew Hakuei would laugh at him again if he brought it up so he kept his thoughts to himself.
“If you’re worried about the toll international calls will have on your phone bill, don’t. I’ll pay for it.”
“Fuck the phone bill,” MiA retorted. “I just want to hear your voice.”
“And you will,” Hakuei promised. “I won’t be done until late tonight so I’ll call you tomorrow morning.”
Soon enough they had to say goodbye. MiA trudged into the kitchen with a heavy sigh. Great. He’d be playing host for who knows how long while his lover was away. He liked Koichi and Tsuzuku, enjoyed the company, but didn’t want to spend weeks living with them. He placed the phone back on its cradle and blinked at the sight of Koichi rummaging desperately through the cupboards. “…What are you looking for?”
“Chocolate!” Koichi whirled to face him.
MiA stared. “All of it’s gone?” How had he gone through three bags of chocolate chips, a bar of chocolate, and a box of truffles so quickly?
“I used up the last of it to make hot chocolate.”
“Then we’re out.”
Koichi pouted again. “Damn. Tsuzuku!”
“What?” Tsuzuku called from the living room.
“Go get me chocolate.”
“Say please.”
Koichi’s pout turned to into a smirk. “Please get me chocolate.”
Sometimes MiA wished he could read minds like a vampire could. With these two he was grateful not to have that ability. “Hakuei has to go to Siberia,” he blurted.
“He told me,” Tsuzuku said as he joined them in the kitchen. “Don’t worry, MiA. I’ve never met Queen Valeria before, but I’ve heard enough about her. She won’t draw meetings out for days like the bags of dust in Kyoto do.”
Koichi arched an eyebrow. “Bags of dust?”
“You know they’re all ancient,” Tsuzuku complained. “They probably make the pyramids look young.”
MiA’s lips twitched into a smile. “You think Hakuei can come home to me soon then?”
“I do.”
“Shit, MiA, I’m sorry. You must be hungry. Do you want to go out for dinner? Or we could get takeout.”
“I’d rather just get takeout.” MiA opened his menu drawer. “Do you two want anything or are you just going to have chocolate?”
“I’ll eat,” Tsuzuku said.
“Me too.”
MiA was torn between Indian food or pizza. So long as he didn’t stuff himself on naan Indian food would be healthier. “Do you like Indian?”
Koichi grinned. “I love Indian food. I’ll definitely need chocolate afterwards! It’s a great palate cleanser after the spices.”
“When do you not need chocolate?” Tsuzuku muttered. He dodged a swipe from his lover then leaned over MiA’s shoulder to look at the menu. “Ko, want to share a curry special? We each get our own bowl plus naan and salad.” He pulled his lover to him by his belt so he could look. MiA handed the menu to them and stepped back.
“Sure.”
After dinner and more naan than he should’ve eaten, all three changed into comfortable clothes and moved to the couch to watch TV. MiA glanced at Tsuzuku, who was watching his lover happily look through his brand new box of chocolates. Maybe he should ask them now. Ask the questions that’d been on his mind since meeting them. How did you meet? How did you become vampires? How do you know Hakuei? Why are you so loyal to him? Hakuei hadn’t explained much: only saying that Koichi had been closest with Kana, that Hakuei had met Koichi and later Tsuzuku through her. “Um, you don’t have to answer this if you don’t want to… but how did you two become vampires?”
Tsuzuku looked surprised while Koichi flinched like he’d been slapped. It didn’t take a genius to see that the question bothered him.
“You don’t have to tell me,” MiA said quickly.
Tsuzuku sighed and reached out to rub Koichi’s thigh. “I don’t mind sharing my story. I was bleeding out in an alley when Koichi found me. Yakuza fight; always figured that was how I’d go.”
MiA did a double take. “You were yakuza?” He’d never have guessed Tsuzuku had been a member! He’d seen him without a shirt and he didn’t have the customary full back piece.
“I was. Ironic isn’t it? Ex-yakuza turned vampire is guarding a police officer now.” Tsuzuku leaned back against the couch. “I didn’t have a choice about it. Both of my parents were in the business and raised me into it. I was kind of… wild when I was alive. Self destructive like my shit father was.” Tsuzuku sighed and shook his head. “That’s another story. Like I said, I got into a fight and I lost. The other guys put three bullets into me then left me to bleed to death. I would’ve died alone choking on my own blood if it wasn’t for him.” He turned his head to Koichi. “He was dressed all in white, and I thought he was an angel. I couldn’t understand why someone so pure and so beautiful would come to a scumbag like me.”
“You were not a scumbag,” Koichi said firmly.
“Yeah I was.” Tsuzuku squeezed his lover’s hand. “Ko talked to me… asked my name, if I wanted to live. I said yes. And you know the rest,” he said softly turning his head to kiss his lover’s cheek. “Thank you for giving me that chance.”
Koichi smiled and hugged him tightly. “You’re welcome. I’m glad I took it.” He ran his hand up and down Tsuzuku’s back before clutching him closer, insecurity darting across his expression. “I… I was turned when I was about your age, MiA. I worked in a jewelry shop as an apprentice jeweler.” He swallowed nervously and paused to take a chocolate. MiA was eager to know more, yet also understood how difficult it was for Koichi to talk about his past. “There was a regular customer at the shop: a seventeen-year-old girl named Katarina.”
“Katarina?” MiA echoed.
“She was half Japanese half Russian,” Koichi replied. “She always came in the evening after the sun had set. She seemed too young to be paying for such pieces, but my master never protested. I got used to seeing her, and eventually she had me making some of her jewelry. Things continued like this for about a year. One night, when I worked the shop by myself, she came by to collect the diamond earrings she’d commissioned.” Koichi tightened his grip on Tsuzuku. “She… she made me want her. We had sex in the back office then she had me take her home. She insisted I come inside. Then up to her bedroom…” he trailed off, shaking his head before continuing. “Afterwards Katarina bit my neck and drank from me. It was the strangest feeling,” Koichi whispered. “I… I was afraid, but I couldn’t lift a hand against her. I was totally under her control. She drank until I felt like I was going to faint. Or die. But I didn't. She said I belonged to her now and that I would stay with her forever. She kept me like that for days.”
MiA shuddered as he imagined such a horrific turning. No wonder Koichi hadn’t wanted to tell this story. “If this is too hard for you…”
“No.” Koichi shook his head. “I should talk about her. I need to talk about her. I’ve been free of her for nearly twenty years and still she haunts me.” He cuddled closer to Tsuzuku, the latter gently stroking pink hair. “Katarina turned me on the sixth night. This time, rather than drain me to the point of exhaustion, she drank until my heart stopped.”
“What happened… after your newborn phase?” MiA asked.
Koichi hesitated a moment before speaking. “Katarina was with me the whole time. She cared for me. She said she loved me, that she had for a while and couldn’t bear the thought of another woman finding me. I was so dependent on her that I fell in love with her too. Katarina… she, she was magnetic. You couldn’t be with her and not love her.”
“She wasn’t magnetic,” Tsuzuku said shortly. “She was abusive and manipulative.”
“I didn’t realize that until after she was gone.” Koichi laid his head on his lover’s shoulder. “Once I’d recovered my senses, everything she’d done to me felt like it was a dream. Or a nightmare. I was horrified by what she’d done to me and what I’d become. But I needed her so badly I couldn’t hate her for it.” Koichi smiled bitterly. “Turns out I had to share her with two other men. Meto, her first doll and lover. Meto had been a dollmaker’s son. She stole him away the same way she did me. Yuuki was the second. He sang in a bar, and Katarina loved his voice and his looks. She decided to keep him. She called us her dolls and she… she treated us like ones. She would do our hair. Our makeup. Dress us in pretty clothes the way girls today play with Barbies. She would take turns playing with us too. She’d have me all to herself one day and the next she’d be with Meto or Yuuki. She did the same to them as she’d done to me: she made them love and depend on her. Then two years later she comes home with Rito. Minpha was the last of her dolls, turned four years after me. I spent ten years as her doll-”
“Her slave,” Tsuzuku interrupted.
Koichi continued, “Ten years before Kana heard of us.”
So that was how Hakuei knew them. And it explained why Koichi was closer to Kana. She’d saved him and the others from a life of slavery. “How did she rescue you?”
“Kana dressed herself like a Victorian doll and came to Katarina’s mansion. One look at her, how beautiful she was, and Katarina wanted to keep her too.” Koichi shuddered violently. “Kana lured Katarina into a trap and then she killed her to set us free. If Kana hadn’t come for us then all five of us would still be Katarina’s living dolls. She and Hakuei helped us adjust to our newfound freedom. Her more so. Her love for Hakuei is what makes us so loyal to him after Kana’s death.”
MiA understood now. “Thank you for telling me. Both of you.” Koichi’s chilling story made him grateful for Hakuei’s paranoia. If there were vampires out there who would try to trap him in a similar fate… He squashed the thought to smile at Koichi. “At least you have Tsuzuku now.”
Koichi hugged Tsuzuku again. “I do.” He kissed his lover’s cheek then got up. “I need to get some air. Tsu, stay with MiA.”
“Okay.” Tsuzuku watched his lover go via the balcony. He sighed and glanced at MiA. “You can tell how hard it was for him to tell that story. He doesn’t like talking about it, even with the others. The emotional scars still linger.”
“I understand,” MiA said quietly. “Um, do the others work as bodyguards too or is it only the two of you who do that?”
“Yuuki and Rito could’ve been here instead of us. Meto and Minpha are more difficult for a human to interact with. Meto had to deal with her brainwashing and manipulation the longest so he’s still very quiet. Minpha can’t speak at all. He can make sounds, but all of his communication is done via telepathy.”
“Becoming a vampire didn’t give him a voice? I thought vampirism healed things like that.”
Tsuzuku shook his head. “Minpha was born mute so that wasn’t an ‘injury’ that the change could heal. If, say, my larynx had been pierced then vampirism would restore my voice to me. The change did give Minpha a mental voice though. He communicates through telepathy-but I imagine you wouldn’t be comfortable having thoughts projected into your head.”
Just picturing it made him shudder. “Definitely not.” MiA glanced at the balcony, wondering how Koichi was doing now, before looking to Tsuzuku again. “Was it awkward for you? A complete stranger turned you and then you spend the next, ah, weeks together.” He knew he was blushing. He did not want to know any details about Tsuzuku’s newborn phase.
Tsuzuku smirked at him. “You’re so cute when you blush.”
“Tsuzuku!”
“What? It’s true.” He laughed then grinned at him. “Honestly, it was a little awkward. But I’d spend the last months completely dependent on him so it wasn’t that bad. Plus it didn’t take long for me to realize that Koichi needed me as badly as I needed him. I gave him a purpose and companionship that wasn't born from slavery.”
“Did you love him?”
Tsuzuku shook his head. “At that time, I was grateful for the chance he’d given me. But I didn’t love him. I stayed until I did though. We’ve been inseparable ever since.” He placed the lid back on Koichi’s truffles. “Katarina was a monster, but ironically she was the cause of lasting relationships. Meto and Minpha are a couple as are Yuuki and Rito.”
At least something good had come out of that time. “After her death?”
“Before. Five men is a lot for one woman to handle, so they improvised. All in secret of course-she would’ve punished them if she knew. They were allowed to love only her. You’ll probably meet them soon. Hakuei finally introduced us so it’s only a matter of time before you meet the others.”
MiA nodded. “I’d like that.” Continuing to discuss Koichi’s past without him felt wrong so he changed the subject. “Should we watch a movie or wait for him?”
“Let’s watch a movie. He could be a while.”
MiA let Tsuzuku pick this time.
Notes
1) The next fic I post will be about Tsuzuku's turning. I finished revising it at my writing club today so that will be posted sometime this week.
2) Word of warning: Chapter 6 is when this fic takes a turn for the dark side and it will remain dark until MiA's turning. Updates will probably be slower because I haven't written any sort of crime fic in quite a while, and I don't want to rush it.
3) Koichi's backstory has been building in my head for over a year now. I considered writing it for a challenge but I doubt I'll get to it. I also wanted to convey his conflict over Katarina. He still struggles with what he went through when he was her doll.
4) Meto, Minpha, Yuuki, and Rito will show up in future chapters.