Tyrant Fanfic: Blood, love and tears. Chapter 24
I’m way overdue with this chapter but it couldn’t be helped. I should have the next one in a week or two so you won’t be waiting so long for it. ^-^
One of my budgerigars died last week. :( Her name was Miki, Polish version of Mickey Mouse-Myszka Miki. Now I have only one. I’m planning to buy another one so that Donald (that’s the name of the one I have ^-^) wouldn’t stay alone when nobody is at home.
And spring officially started! Yay! Too bad I had a very cloudy weather this week. Only today the sun started shinig. ^-^
Thank you for all the comments. I really apreciate them. Now to the chapter. Enjoy!
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Souichi, Tomoe
Note: It's an AU fic.
Summary: Morinaga is a vampire and wants to play around. One night in a club he finds an interesting human and is mesmerized by him. Will he only use his new prey or will he fall in love? And how will the other one react on an immortal lover? What will his feelings be?
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
After Souichi had retreated to his room Tomoe had tried to coax him to open the door, but Souichi hadn’t moved from his bed and wouldn’t let him in. He needed time to think, to process what he had just witnessed, what he had learned, and figure out what to do with the knowledge he had just gained. His own brother was turning against him and becoming gay. How would he be able to ignore his own feelings if he saw Tomoe in the arms of another man?
He wanted to forget that he had enjoyed Morinaga’s company, enjoyed making him come. He shouldn’t have felt at ease in the vampire’s presence, but those warm feelings were genuine. Souichi wasn’t sure what would have happened next if Morinaga’s brother hadn’t shown up all of a sudden. And now he was back home, in his own bed, and considering the current circumstances he couldn’t force himself to pretend that he wouldn’t miss the vampire. He missed him already.
‘This is all so messed up,’ was his last thought before sleep finally claimed him.
*** ***
The next day when Souichi woke up and came downstairs the house was empty. His brother had left him a note saying that the Hunters had asked that he call them when he woke up. Souichi crushed the note without a second thought. After breakfast, he went to the University. He needed to explain his absence. Luckily his brother had already notified the University and made sure he wouldn’t end up in too much trouble when he returned.
After leaving the laboratory where he had started some new experiments, Souichi made his way back home. He thought long and hard about Tomoe and Kurokawa and still hadn’t come to any conclusions. He wanted his brother to be happy but at the same time he was afraid that Kurokawa had forced his feelings on his brother and made him believe that he felt the same way about the Hunter as the Hunter felt about him. He didn’t trust the Hunters and wanted them gone from his and his brother’s lives as soon as possible.
‘Hiroto said that the Hunters moved a lot. Maybe they’ll leave soon?’ Souichi thought hopefully.
On the other hand that thought irritated him. If his brother had invested his feelings in the Hunter then Tomoe would end up hurting if Kurokawa was to leave him now. Sure, Souichi wanted them apart, but he wanted it to be Tomoe’s decision. He didn’t want the Hunters in Nagoya but he couldn’t wish for them to leave either.
‘I should find out what they want and how long they are going to stay. Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown away that number.’
Unsurprisingly, although highly annoying, when he entered the house he noticed both of the Hunters’ shoes sitting right next to his siblings’ shoes.
‘Why the fuck are they here?!’ Souichi wanted to talk with them but didn’t want Kurokawa anywhere near his brother. It looked like he would need to get used to the Hunters’ presence in his house. Or he could just throw them out. Souichi smiled wickedly and strode into his living room, set on having a talk with Kurokawa and Isogai.
*** ***
Not everything went as Souichi had planned. When he had tried to make the Hunters leave his brother had interfered. Souichi would have argued more but his brother had a point. It was as much his house as it was Souichi’s, so Souichi couldn’t just throw out whomever he pleased if Tomoe wanted them to stay. Grudgingly he had had to give up. Kurokawa had looked nervous and Isogai smug. Souichi had wanted to pound him for that smug expression but had refrained, remembering the previous evening. He had also wanted to pound on Kurokawa but had held himself back.
‘If the Hunter touches Tomoe in any way, shape, or form in my presence then I’ll throw them both out,’ Souichi had thought, but unfortunately nothing like that had occurred.
Souichi hadn’t been the only one whose plans had been ruined. The Hunters had soon found out that he wasn’t interested in answering their questions, and no matter what they had said Souichi hadn’t changed his mind. He hadn’t cooperated with them and since they couldn’t force him to answer their questions, the situation had come to a standstill. After an hour of trying to convince him, Kurokawa had given up. It took a bit more than half an hour after that to make Isogai throw his hands in the air and declare Souichi the most stubborn person he had ever met in his life.
Souichi had finally gained some peace and quiet from the annoying Hunters. For today, at least. He had a suspicion that they would start interrogating him tomorrow all over again. Even so he sighed in relief when they finally left.
What had annoyed him to no end, and kept annoying him even now when Kurokawa wasn’t here anymore, was the way Tomoe had been looking at the damned Hunter. He reluctantly, very reluctantly, had also noticed that the Hunter had been looking at his brother in exactly the same way. When the Hunters had stood by the front door ready to leave, Tomoe and Kurokawa had reminded Souichi of a pair of lovesick puppies that had to part and never see each other again. For some odd reason Souichi had become confused and unfocused while he had been watching the loving exchange between the two. Kurokawa had noticed Souichi’s distraction and had stolen a kiss from Tomoe and he and Isogai had left before Souichi could react.
‘They won’t give up that easily. And they haven’t answered my questions, either. They didn’t even give me the opportunity to ask them anything,’ Souichi thought while getting ready for bed. He needed to go to the University first thing in the morning. A lot of work awaited him there and he was eager to return to his normal life.
Suddenly there was a knock on his bedroom door and Souichi opened it. It wasn’t a surprise for him to find Tomoe on the other side.
“I want to talk with you, can I come in?” his brother asked, looking at Souichi with his big, innocent eyes. He had already changed into his pajamas.
Souichi wasn’t really in the mood to talk, but from previous experience he knew that he couldn’t say no to his brother no matter what he asked for. That was how he had met Morinaga in the first place. His brother had wanted to go out dancing and Souichi couldn’t say no. ‘I hope I’ll toughen up regarding Kurokawa.’
“Sure.” Souichi stepped back, letting Tomoe come into his room.
His younger brother closed the door and leaned against it, looking worriedly at Souichi.
“What?” Souichi asked defensively. He didn’t like the look Tomoe was giving him; it made him feel nervous for some reason. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.” To cover his uneasiness Souichi went on, “I want to talk to you, too, but since those damned Hunters are sniffing around here all the time, I wanted to wait until they were out of earshot.” He looked at Tomoe and winced, noticing that his brother’s expression hadn’t changed. Tomoe was still watching him as if he was afraid that he would break down at any given moment. ‘What the fuck had they told him?’
“You don’t need to act as if they’re here to hurt you. They are not bad people,” Tomoe defended.
“How do you know?! You don’t know anything about them!” Souichi spat angrily.
“You don’t know anything either, Nii-san!” Tomoe shouted, his expression turning from worried to defiant in an instant.
“I know enough!” Souichi shouted back.
“No, you don’t! You treat them so badly! You shouldn’t! They are not the enemy, Nii-san!” Tomoe said passionately, taking a step towards his older brother.
“You’re saying that only because that stupid Kurokawa -“ Souichi wanted to rant so badly that his expression actually turned from annoyed to pouty when his brother interrupted him.
“Leave Kurokawa out of this! He has nothing to do with - “
“Nothing? Nothing?!” Souichi bellowed. “He has everything to do with the whole thing! He seduced you - “
“No! He did not! You’re just against us because he’s a man, right?!” Tomoe shouted, glaring at his older brother. His hands were balled into fists and his entire posture screamed of stubbornness.
“Of course!” Souichi admitted. This time he wasn’t shouting, he was just frowning with his arms crossed over his chest. He vaguely noted that he was probably looking as stubborn as Tomoe was.
“But why?” Tomoe asked more calmly this time. His expression had also changed from the stubborn glare to miserable uncertainty.
“What do you mean why? You’re asking me why? I’m the one who should be asking you that question.” Souichi tried to be strong, to not give in to his brother’s sad face but the heated tone in his voice gradually evaporated when confronted with his brother‘s big, innocent eyes.
“What?” Tomoe asked, confused. He blinked a few times.
Souichi took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He had shouted enough for one day.
“Why a guy?” Souichi asked as calmly as possible, but something in Tomoe’s eyes told him that his brother had heard how upset he really was.
“I don’t know,” Tomoe answered quietly, looking at Souichi then at the ground, but after a moment he looked up into Souichi’s eyes again. “I just feel things with him that I haven’t felt with any other person. He makes my heart beat faster and my stomach flutters whenever I’m near him…”
Souichi’s breath hitched. Tomoe was actually telling him things that he had felt himself, only in regards to a certain vampire. He had tried to ignore those stupid feelings so very much, to forget they existed, to not have his little brother remind him of them.
‘I wanted to know why,’ Souichi thought grimly. ‘Fuck, I’m stupid.’
“And when he kisses me I - “
“Enough! I don’t want to hear those things!” Souichi interrupted. He rubbed his temples in frustration.
“I love him, Nii-san,” Tomoe said quietly.
Souichi groaned, not pleased with his brother’s answer. He tried to decide what upset him more, that his brother was in love with a man or that he himself felt the same things that Tomoe had described, only towards Morinaga. Did that mean he was in love with the vampire? The fact that Tomoe’s love interest was a Hunter was also making Souichi’s hair turn gray. He was sure that when the whole mess got sorted out that he was going to end up completely gray.
“How do you know it’s love?” Souichi asked, his voice only barely louder than a whisper. This conversation was already too much and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to get even worse the longer the two of them kept talking.
“I just know. I feel it here.” Tomoe placed his hand on his heart.
Souichi swallowed.
“I miss him so much when he’s not with me. The world’s not right when he’s not around,” Tomoe explained with a very peculiar expression.
Souichi paled. Unknowingly Tomoe had repeated Souichi’s own feelings regarding himself and Morinaga.
‘There’s no way. Uh-uh. That’s impossible,’ Souichi thought, but a small voice inside his head kept reminding him about the blowjob that he had given the vampire. Morinaga had told him that he didn’t need to do anything. Souichi was sure that a simple kiss would have been enough; he trusted the vampire even if he didn’t really want to acknowledge that trust. Instead of giving Morinaga a kiss he had blown the vampire and Morinaga’s moans and words of encouragement and praise had made Souichi happy.
He didn’t dare ask his brother about anything sexual. Partly because he didn’t want to know of his brother’s love life, the one that Souichi desperately hoped his brother didn’t have, and partly because he was afraid that Tomoe might again repeat Souichi’s own thoughts and feelings, concluding it with “That’s love!”
That he couldn’t forget the vampire was also something that Souichi wanted to avoid thinking about.
‘He’ll find some other person to toy with. I’m not important to him.’ Souichi tried to reason with himself and ignored the pang of pain the thought gave him. To distract himself from his unhappy thoughts Souichi asked his brother something that he didn’t really want to know the answer to.
“Does he love you?”
“Yes.” Tomoe’s features softened and a small, dreamy smile blossomed on his lips. His eyes were shining and he looked as if he was the happiest person alive.
“How do you know?” Souichi asked but belatedly realized that he probably didn’t want to know the answer to that question, either. For many different reasons. He really didn’t need more pain and confusion in his life, nor did he need to know how Kurokawa had wooed his brother.
“The same way I know that you love me,” Tomoe answered with a bright smile. “Yes, I know the type of love you have for me and that he has for me are different, but there are some similarities and you can tell.”
What do you mean?” Souichi was now curious, his previous fear forgotten for the moment.
“Well, he takes care of me, he treats me as if I’m something precious, he tried to make me feel better when I was worried about you…” Tomoe trailed off, his eyes becoming unfocused as if he was remembering something. “He makes me feel special, as if… I’m the only one for him, the sole focus of his world.”
Souichi listened with a hint of jealousy. He didn’t feel that way with Morinaga. He wasn’t the only person the vampire had bedded. Sure, he made Souichi feel comfortable and even defended him from his enraged brother, but that didn’t count.
‘He might just have a good heart,' Souichi thought, remembering what Hiroto had told him. He frowned. ‘If Morinaga really has a good heart, then what was all that bullshit? Why did he treat me like something inferior, totally disregarding my feelings and wants?’
“I was deceived by a person I loved and thought loved me in return, but he was only playing a cruel game meant to shatter me. He almost succeeded.” The memory of the words Morinaga had once spoken to him came unbidden into Souichi’s mind.
‘Was it because of that? I wonder how he would have acted before his heart had been broken,’ Souichi wondered. He was also very curious who might have broken the vampire’s heart in the first place. ‘It’s too late for me to think that way. I’ll probably never see Morinaga again. I should just forget about him.’
“Nii-san? Can I ask you something?” Tomoe asked, bringing Souichi back from his thoughts.
“What is it?”
“Why are you not telling Kurokawa and Isogai-san about the demon that kidnapped you?” Tomoe asked bluntly.
Souichi blinked, startled. He had suspected that Tomoe was here to ask him about where he had been and what had happened to him, but his brother had managed to surprise him with his question anyway.
“Not all of them are bad,” Souichi said, averting his gaze from Tomoe’s expectant eyes.
Tomoe remained silent for a while, clearly thinking although Souichi wasn’t sure what his brother was thinking about.
“Are you a victim of Stockholm syndrome, Nii-san?” the younger man asked.
“What?” Souichi yelled, shocked at what Tomoe’s brain had extrapolated from Souichi’s previous answer.
“Stockholm syndrome, when you - “ Tomoe tried to explain.
Souichi interrupted him. “I know what that is! I’m just surprised you’d think of something like that,” Souichi mumbled angrily.
“Well, Kurokawa-san suspects that your reluctance to talk with them has something to do with it,” Tomoe explained helpfully.
Souichi shook his head. “No. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” Tomoe asked.
Souichi wondered how to answer. He didn’t really have an answer that would satisfy his brother. He himself wasn’t all that sure why he didn’t want to share any information about where he’d been and what had happened to him.
“Are you ashamed? Embarrassed?” his brother asked.
“What? Why?” Souichi asked, confused.
“Well, the way you were dressed when you returned…” Tomoe didn’t finish but the implication was still there.
Souichi’s cheeks pinked noticeably and he glared at his brother.
“I’m not judging you!” Tomoe said quickly, not wanting to make his brother feel bad.
“You think I was raped?” Souichi asked, annoyed. Only after the question left his mouth had he realized what he had just said.
Tomoe bit his lip but nodded, then dropped his gaze.
Souichi watched him for a moment, his mind blank. Had he been raped? He remembered his first time with Morinaga, when the vampire hadn’t had any mercy on him and had taken him despite Souichi’s protests, but he also remembered that Morinaga had made sure it was pleasurable for him. Shouldn’t the person that was raping you not give a fuck about what you felt? Shouldn’t it be pleasurable only for the rapist, making the victim feel only pain and humiliation? Sure, Souichi had felt humiliated that he had been reduced to a quivering mass of want at the time, but he couldn’t remember an occasion where Morinaga had caused him pain intentionally and with malice.
“No. I wasn’t raped,” Souichi said, making his voice sound steady, not showing the confusion he felt inside. The whole thing was so messed up that he wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
Hearing Souichi’s answer, Tomoe’s head shot up and he looked at his older brother with wide eyes, then he smiled clearly relieved. “I’m glad.”
Souichi hadn’t reciprocated his smile, just looked to the side, not wanting to meet Tomoe’s eyes.
“But… then why were you dressed like a prostitute?” Tomoe asked making Souichi whip his head around and stare at his brother with shocked eyes.
“Argg…. It was for Morinaga.” He finally relented and told his brother. Souichi felt very reluctant to mention the vampire, as if he wanted to have him only for himself and not share even the memory of him with anybody, even his family.
“Who - ?”
“The vampire that kidnapped me,” Souichi elaborated.
“Vampire?” Tomoe’s eyes opened unbelievably wide. He looked frightened.
‘Just how much about anything had those two Hunters told him anyway?’ Souichi marveled for a few moments, not sure if he was happy that his brother was still in the dark.
“Yes, vampire. I wanted to go home and he wanted to see me in those clothes,” Souichi shrugged nonchalantly as if dressing in those dreadful clothes had been no big deal, remembering at the same time how much convincing it had taken on Hiroto’s part to get him to wear them.
“So you struck a deal with him and he let you go? Just like that?” Tomoe asked doubtfully.
“You don’t believe me?” Souichi glared. There was just no way he was telling his brother everything.
“Not really,” Tomoe answered.
Souichi winced, then sighed. “I don’t care. I don’t have any syndrome. I still think that Morinaga’s a perverted bastard, but if I talked with the Hunters I might get someone else in trouble and I don’t want to do that,” Souichi explained.
“Who?”
“Why do you ask?” Souichi asked suspiciously. Then a thought hit him. “Don’t you dare repeat any of what I’m telling you to the Hunters!” he pressed.
“But - “ It was clear that Tomoe wanted to argue with him.
“Just don’t!” he said sharply. He didn’t want to argue.
“But - “ Tomoe tried again.
“Tomoe, please! Drop it!”
Tomoe sighed. “All right. I just thought that if I told them then they would leave you alone and wouldn’t pester you with all those questions. And you haven’t told me all that much anyway,” Tomoe accused.
Souichi considered his brother’s words. It was not such a bad idea. It would get not only Tomoe off his back but also the Hunters, and he wouldn’t need to deal with them any longer that he had to. He couldn’t imagine telling them his adventures. His memories were too personal. Telling Tomoe might end up being too great of a challenge, but that he could try.
“All right,” he decided.
“Huh?” Tomoe blinked.
“You can tell them,” Souichi clarified patiently.
Tomoe looked as if he didn’t believe his brother’s reassurance. He bit his lower lip and looked at his older brother suspiciously.
“If they’ll leave me alone, then sure.” Souichi shrugged. He sat down on his bed and continued. “But I really would prefer you not going near them any more than necessary. I don’t trust them and I’m glad that after you repeat my story, they’ll leave,” Souichi concluded pleased. He was a bit irritated with having to share his story but knew that there was no other way if he wanted the Hunters to get lost.
“Why do you say that?” Tomoe cocked his head to the side then moved to sit beside his brother on the bed.
“What? That they’ll leave? They will, won’t they?” Souichi asked looking at Tomoe who had sat himself next to him.
“Well, their squad left some time ago.” Tomoe propped himself on his hands stretched backwards.
Souichi frowned. “Their squad?”
“Yes. There were a lot more of them from what Kurokawa-san told me, but because it seemed like the demons had taken a liking to this town, the Hunters decided to create an outpost here,” Tomoe explained.
Souichi jaw dropped. ‘They won’t come back.’ The thought came uninvited into Souichi’s brain. If what Hiroto had told him was the truth then the creatures from the Demon World wouldn’t come back here if the Hunters stayed. ‘I won’t have the chance to see Morinaga again,’ Souichi thought and that upset him. Not only couldn’t he get rid of the Hunters for his brother’s sake, but they would also stay and make it impossible for Hiroto to return here. And Morinaga wouldn’t be able to come and visit, either.
“Nii-san, what’s wrong?” Tomoe asked, concerned. He saw how miserable his brother’s expression became and wanted to comfort him in some way but wasn’t sure how. First he needed to know what was wrong and then he would try to do something to help.
“Nothing.” Souichi stated. “Everything’s fine. Now listen to the story and don’t interrupt me. I’m telling this only once, do you understand?”
Tomoe nodded. His brother sounded stressed and unhappy but since he didn’t want him to change his mind about telling him what had happened, Tomoe came to the conclusion that he shouldn’t say anything about his brother’s odd reaction.
“Okay then.”
Souichi told Tomoe how he had met Morinaga at the club and how the other man kept returning to talk to him. About the monster that wanted to make a meal out of him, and about how Morinaga rescued him. He skipped the part in Morinaga’s bedroom and told him about his stay in the tower. He also told Tomoe about the encounter with Morinaga’s brother and how that whole thing ended up. He left out the blow job and any other times when he and Morinaga had ended up more or less in a sexual situation. He finished with the tale of how he had met the Hunters in the alley.
The whole time his brother listened with rapture and when Souichi finally stopped talking he exclaimed, “Wow.”
“Wow?” Souichi asked, disbelieving.
“That vampire likes you! I think he’s actually in love with you,” Tomoe said excitedly. He was grinning broadly and his eyes were shining.
What?!” Souichi shouted. “No way!”
“If he did all that, if that vampire really defended you like that, then either he’s a great guy or he’s in love with you.” After a moment of thought Tomoe added, “Or both.”
“Where do you get these ideas from?” Souichi shook his head.
“I’m quite sure that vampire will try to see you again.” Tomoe ignored Souichi’s question.
Souichi’s breath hitched. The thought of seeing Morinaga again wasn’t as wrong and unwanted as he wished it to be. But there were still so many things regarding Morinaga that Souichi was unsure what to think or feel about them.
“Yeah, sure, maybe? But I don’t want to see him!”
Tomoe looked at him oddly then shrugged. “Whatever you say, Souichi-nii.”
Souichi was sure that his brother didn’t believe him but he didn’t really feel like arguing. It was late and he was tired. He just wanted to sleep and not think about Morinaga, the Hunters, or anything else.
“Look. Even if I wanted to see him, he’s not going to come.” Souichi was sure, or so he wanted everybody to believe, including himself.
“Why not?” Tomoe asked.
“Because the Hunters are still here and as long as they stay here no vampire would come to this town,” Souichi said, his heart heavy, but he desperately tried to remain unaffected. He didn’t want to hurt.
Tomoe groaned, flung himself back and hit his brother’s bed, covering his eyes with his hands.
Note: I know, I know. Everyone wants to see Morinaga and Souichi's reunion and there's still no Morinaga in the chapter. XD You'll need to wait some more before that happens.
This chapter has an unofficial title - “Deus ex Tomoe” - elyrian , my wonderful beta, thought it's fitting. Nice, right? XD
I was trying to make Tomoe act in character, but I’m not sure if I managed. >.< If you want to know what'll happen in the next chapter then I'll tell you one thing. You’ll see a lot of Isogai in it. ^-^
Now leave me some comments, please. ^-^ I'm very curious what you think.
One of my budgerigars died last week. :( Her name was Miki, Polish version of Mickey Mouse-Myszka Miki. Now I have only one. I’m planning to buy another one so that Donald (that’s the name of the one I have ^-^) wouldn’t stay alone when nobody is at home.
And spring officially started! Yay! Too bad I had a very cloudy weather this week. Only today the sun started shinig. ^-^
Thank you for all the comments. I really apreciate them. Now to the chapter. Enjoy!
Title: Blood, love and tears
Author: yaoilovefan
Beta: elyrian
Warnings: language
Rating: PG-13
Characters: Souichi, Tomoe
Note: It's an AU fic.
Summary: Morinaga is a vampire and wants to play around. One night in a club he finds an interesting human and is mesmerized by him. Will he only use his new prey or will he fall in love? And how will the other one react on an immortal lover? What will his feelings be?
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
After Souichi had retreated to his room Tomoe had tried to coax him to open the door, but Souichi hadn’t moved from his bed and wouldn’t let him in. He needed time to think, to process what he had just witnessed, what he had learned, and figure out what to do with the knowledge he had just gained. His own brother was turning against him and becoming gay. How would he be able to ignore his own feelings if he saw Tomoe in the arms of another man?
He wanted to forget that he had enjoyed Morinaga’s company, enjoyed making him come. He shouldn’t have felt at ease in the vampire’s presence, but those warm feelings were genuine. Souichi wasn’t sure what would have happened next if Morinaga’s brother hadn’t shown up all of a sudden. And now he was back home, in his own bed, and considering the current circumstances he couldn’t force himself to pretend that he wouldn’t miss the vampire. He missed him already.
‘This is all so messed up,’ was his last thought before sleep finally claimed him.
*** ***
The next day when Souichi woke up and came downstairs the house was empty. His brother had left him a note saying that the Hunters had asked that he call them when he woke up. Souichi crushed the note without a second thought. After breakfast, he went to the University. He needed to explain his absence. Luckily his brother had already notified the University and made sure he wouldn’t end up in too much trouble when he returned.
After leaving the laboratory where he had started some new experiments, Souichi made his way back home. He thought long and hard about Tomoe and Kurokawa and still hadn’t come to any conclusions. He wanted his brother to be happy but at the same time he was afraid that Kurokawa had forced his feelings on his brother and made him believe that he felt the same way about the Hunter as the Hunter felt about him. He didn’t trust the Hunters and wanted them gone from his and his brother’s lives as soon as possible.
‘Hiroto said that the Hunters moved a lot. Maybe they’ll leave soon?’ Souichi thought hopefully.
On the other hand that thought irritated him. If his brother had invested his feelings in the Hunter then Tomoe would end up hurting if Kurokawa was to leave him now. Sure, Souichi wanted them apart, but he wanted it to be Tomoe’s decision. He didn’t want the Hunters in Nagoya but he couldn’t wish for them to leave either.
‘I should find out what they want and how long they are going to stay. Maybe I shouldn’t have thrown away that number.’
Unsurprisingly, although highly annoying, when he entered the house he noticed both of the Hunters’ shoes sitting right next to his siblings’ shoes.
‘Why the fuck are they here?!’ Souichi wanted to talk with them but didn’t want Kurokawa anywhere near his brother. It looked like he would need to get used to the Hunters’ presence in his house. Or he could just throw them out. Souichi smiled wickedly and strode into his living room, set on having a talk with Kurokawa and Isogai.
*** ***
Not everything went as Souichi had planned. When he had tried to make the Hunters leave his brother had interfered. Souichi would have argued more but his brother had a point. It was as much his house as it was Souichi’s, so Souichi couldn’t just throw out whomever he pleased if Tomoe wanted them to stay. Grudgingly he had had to give up. Kurokawa had looked nervous and Isogai smug. Souichi had wanted to pound him for that smug expression but had refrained, remembering the previous evening. He had also wanted to pound on Kurokawa but had held himself back.
‘If the Hunter touches Tomoe in any way, shape, or form in my presence then I’ll throw them both out,’ Souichi had thought, but unfortunately nothing like that had occurred.
Souichi hadn’t been the only one whose plans had been ruined. The Hunters had soon found out that he wasn’t interested in answering their questions, and no matter what they had said Souichi hadn’t changed his mind. He hadn’t cooperated with them and since they couldn’t force him to answer their questions, the situation had come to a standstill. After an hour of trying to convince him, Kurokawa had given up. It took a bit more than half an hour after that to make Isogai throw his hands in the air and declare Souichi the most stubborn person he had ever met in his life.
Souichi had finally gained some peace and quiet from the annoying Hunters. For today, at least. He had a suspicion that they would start interrogating him tomorrow all over again. Even so he sighed in relief when they finally left.
What had annoyed him to no end, and kept annoying him even now when Kurokawa wasn’t here anymore, was the way Tomoe had been looking at the damned Hunter. He reluctantly, very reluctantly, had also noticed that the Hunter had been looking at his brother in exactly the same way. When the Hunters had stood by the front door ready to leave, Tomoe and Kurokawa had reminded Souichi of a pair of lovesick puppies that had to part and never see each other again. For some odd reason Souichi had become confused and unfocused while he had been watching the loving exchange between the two. Kurokawa had noticed Souichi’s distraction and had stolen a kiss from Tomoe and he and Isogai had left before Souichi could react.
‘They won’t give up that easily. And they haven’t answered my questions, either. They didn’t even give me the opportunity to ask them anything,’ Souichi thought while getting ready for bed. He needed to go to the University first thing in the morning. A lot of work awaited him there and he was eager to return to his normal life.
Suddenly there was a knock on his bedroom door and Souichi opened it. It wasn’t a surprise for him to find Tomoe on the other side.
“I want to talk with you, can I come in?” his brother asked, looking at Souichi with his big, innocent eyes. He had already changed into his pajamas.
Souichi wasn’t really in the mood to talk, but from previous experience he knew that he couldn’t say no to his brother no matter what he asked for. That was how he had met Morinaga in the first place. His brother had wanted to go out dancing and Souichi couldn’t say no. ‘I hope I’ll toughen up regarding Kurokawa.’
“Sure.” Souichi stepped back, letting Tomoe come into his room.
His younger brother closed the door and leaned against it, looking worriedly at Souichi.
“What?” Souichi asked defensively. He didn’t like the look Tomoe was giving him; it made him feel nervous for some reason. “I’m fine. Stop worrying.” To cover his uneasiness Souichi went on, “I want to talk to you, too, but since those damned Hunters are sniffing around here all the time, I wanted to wait until they were out of earshot.” He looked at Tomoe and winced, noticing that his brother’s expression hadn’t changed. Tomoe was still watching him as if he was afraid that he would break down at any given moment. ‘What the fuck had they told him?’
“You don’t need to act as if they’re here to hurt you. They are not bad people,” Tomoe defended.
“How do you know?! You don’t know anything about them!” Souichi spat angrily.
“You don’t know anything either, Nii-san!” Tomoe shouted, his expression turning from worried to defiant in an instant.
“I know enough!” Souichi shouted back.
“No, you don’t! You treat them so badly! You shouldn’t! They are not the enemy, Nii-san!” Tomoe said passionately, taking a step towards his older brother.
“You’re saying that only because that stupid Kurokawa -“ Souichi wanted to rant so badly that his expression actually turned from annoyed to pouty when his brother interrupted him.
“Leave Kurokawa out of this! He has nothing to do with - “
“Nothing? Nothing?!” Souichi bellowed. “He has everything to do with the whole thing! He seduced you - “
“No! He did not! You’re just against us because he’s a man, right?!” Tomoe shouted, glaring at his older brother. His hands were balled into fists and his entire posture screamed of stubbornness.
“Of course!” Souichi admitted. This time he wasn’t shouting, he was just frowning with his arms crossed over his chest. He vaguely noted that he was probably looking as stubborn as Tomoe was.
“But why?” Tomoe asked more calmly this time. His expression had also changed from the stubborn glare to miserable uncertainty.
“What do you mean why? You’re asking me why? I’m the one who should be asking you that question.” Souichi tried to be strong, to not give in to his brother’s sad face but the heated tone in his voice gradually evaporated when confronted with his brother‘s big, innocent eyes.
“What?” Tomoe asked, confused. He blinked a few times.
Souichi took a few deep breaths to calm himself. He had shouted enough for one day.
“Why a guy?” Souichi asked as calmly as possible, but something in Tomoe’s eyes told him that his brother had heard how upset he really was.
“I don’t know,” Tomoe answered quietly, looking at Souichi then at the ground, but after a moment he looked up into Souichi’s eyes again. “I just feel things with him that I haven’t felt with any other person. He makes my heart beat faster and my stomach flutters whenever I’m near him…”
Souichi’s breath hitched. Tomoe was actually telling him things that he had felt himself, only in regards to a certain vampire. He had tried to ignore those stupid feelings so very much, to forget they existed, to not have his little brother remind him of them.
‘I wanted to know why,’ Souichi thought grimly. ‘Fuck, I’m stupid.’
“And when he kisses me I - “
“Enough! I don’t want to hear those things!” Souichi interrupted. He rubbed his temples in frustration.
“I love him, Nii-san,” Tomoe said quietly.
Souichi groaned, not pleased with his brother’s answer. He tried to decide what upset him more, that his brother was in love with a man or that he himself felt the same things that Tomoe had described, only towards Morinaga. Did that mean he was in love with the vampire? The fact that Tomoe’s love interest was a Hunter was also making Souichi’s hair turn gray. He was sure that when the whole mess got sorted out that he was going to end up completely gray.
“How do you know it’s love?” Souichi asked, his voice only barely louder than a whisper. This conversation was already too much and he had a sneaking suspicion that it was going to get even worse the longer the two of them kept talking.
“I just know. I feel it here.” Tomoe placed his hand on his heart.
Souichi swallowed.
“I miss him so much when he’s not with me. The world’s not right when he’s not around,” Tomoe explained with a very peculiar expression.
Souichi paled. Unknowingly Tomoe had repeated Souichi’s own feelings regarding himself and Morinaga.
‘There’s no way. Uh-uh. That’s impossible,’ Souichi thought, but a small voice inside his head kept reminding him about the blowjob that he had given the vampire. Morinaga had told him that he didn’t need to do anything. Souichi was sure that a simple kiss would have been enough; he trusted the vampire even if he didn’t really want to acknowledge that trust. Instead of giving Morinaga a kiss he had blown the vampire and Morinaga’s moans and words of encouragement and praise had made Souichi happy.
He didn’t dare ask his brother about anything sexual. Partly because he didn’t want to know of his brother’s love life, the one that Souichi desperately hoped his brother didn’t have, and partly because he was afraid that Tomoe might again repeat Souichi’s own thoughts and feelings, concluding it with “That’s love!”
That he couldn’t forget the vampire was also something that Souichi wanted to avoid thinking about.
‘He’ll find some other person to toy with. I’m not important to him.’ Souichi tried to reason with himself and ignored the pang of pain the thought gave him. To distract himself from his unhappy thoughts Souichi asked his brother something that he didn’t really want to know the answer to.
“Does he love you?”
“Yes.” Tomoe’s features softened and a small, dreamy smile blossomed on his lips. His eyes were shining and he looked as if he was the happiest person alive.
“How do you know?” Souichi asked but belatedly realized that he probably didn’t want to know the answer to that question, either. For many different reasons. He really didn’t need more pain and confusion in his life, nor did he need to know how Kurokawa had wooed his brother.
“The same way I know that you love me,” Tomoe answered with a bright smile. “Yes, I know the type of love you have for me and that he has for me are different, but there are some similarities and you can tell.”
What do you mean?” Souichi was now curious, his previous fear forgotten for the moment.
“Well, he takes care of me, he treats me as if I’m something precious, he tried to make me feel better when I was worried about you…” Tomoe trailed off, his eyes becoming unfocused as if he was remembering something. “He makes me feel special, as if… I’m the only one for him, the sole focus of his world.”
Souichi listened with a hint of jealousy. He didn’t feel that way with Morinaga. He wasn’t the only person the vampire had bedded. Sure, he made Souichi feel comfortable and even defended him from his enraged brother, but that didn’t count.
‘He might just have a good heart,' Souichi thought, remembering what Hiroto had told him. He frowned. ‘If Morinaga really has a good heart, then what was all that bullshit? Why did he treat me like something inferior, totally disregarding my feelings and wants?’
“I was deceived by a person I loved and thought loved me in return, but he was only playing a cruel game meant to shatter me. He almost succeeded.” The memory of the words Morinaga had once spoken to him came unbidden into Souichi’s mind.
‘Was it because of that? I wonder how he would have acted before his heart had been broken,’ Souichi wondered. He was also very curious who might have broken the vampire’s heart in the first place. ‘It’s too late for me to think that way. I’ll probably never see Morinaga again. I should just forget about him.’
“Nii-san? Can I ask you something?” Tomoe asked, bringing Souichi back from his thoughts.
“What is it?”
“Why are you not telling Kurokawa and Isogai-san about the demon that kidnapped you?” Tomoe asked bluntly.
Souichi blinked, startled. He had suspected that Tomoe was here to ask him about where he had been and what had happened to him, but his brother had managed to surprise him with his question anyway.
“Not all of them are bad,” Souichi said, averting his gaze from Tomoe’s expectant eyes.
Tomoe remained silent for a while, clearly thinking although Souichi wasn’t sure what his brother was thinking about.
“Are you a victim of Stockholm syndrome, Nii-san?” the younger man asked.
“What?” Souichi yelled, shocked at what Tomoe’s brain had extrapolated from Souichi’s previous answer.
“Stockholm syndrome, when you - “ Tomoe tried to explain.
Souichi interrupted him. “I know what that is! I’m just surprised you’d think of something like that,” Souichi mumbled angrily.
“Well, Kurokawa-san suspects that your reluctance to talk with them has something to do with it,” Tomoe explained helpfully.
Souichi shook his head. “No. It’s not that.”
“Then what is it?” Tomoe asked.
Souichi wondered how to answer. He didn’t really have an answer that would satisfy his brother. He himself wasn’t all that sure why he didn’t want to share any information about where he’d been and what had happened to him.
“Are you ashamed? Embarrassed?” his brother asked.
“What? Why?” Souichi asked, confused.
“Well, the way you were dressed when you returned…” Tomoe didn’t finish but the implication was still there.
Souichi’s cheeks pinked noticeably and he glared at his brother.
“I’m not judging you!” Tomoe said quickly, not wanting to make his brother feel bad.
“You think I was raped?” Souichi asked, annoyed. Only after the question left his mouth had he realized what he had just said.
Tomoe bit his lip but nodded, then dropped his gaze.
Souichi watched him for a moment, his mind blank. Had he been raped? He remembered his first time with Morinaga, when the vampire hadn’t had any mercy on him and had taken him despite Souichi’s protests, but he also remembered that Morinaga had made sure it was pleasurable for him. Shouldn’t the person that was raping you not give a fuck about what you felt? Shouldn’t it be pleasurable only for the rapist, making the victim feel only pain and humiliation? Sure, Souichi had felt humiliated that he had been reduced to a quivering mass of want at the time, but he couldn’t remember an occasion where Morinaga had caused him pain intentionally and with malice.
“No. I wasn’t raped,” Souichi said, making his voice sound steady, not showing the confusion he felt inside. The whole thing was so messed up that he wasn’t sure about anything anymore.
Hearing Souichi’s answer, Tomoe’s head shot up and he looked at his older brother with wide eyes, then he smiled clearly relieved. “I’m glad.”
Souichi hadn’t reciprocated his smile, just looked to the side, not wanting to meet Tomoe’s eyes.
“But… then why were you dressed like a prostitute?” Tomoe asked making Souichi whip his head around and stare at his brother with shocked eyes.
“Argg…. It was for Morinaga.” He finally relented and told his brother. Souichi felt very reluctant to mention the vampire, as if he wanted to have him only for himself and not share even the memory of him with anybody, even his family.
“Who - ?”
“The vampire that kidnapped me,” Souichi elaborated.
“Vampire?” Tomoe’s eyes opened unbelievably wide. He looked frightened.
‘Just how much about anything had those two Hunters told him anyway?’ Souichi marveled for a few moments, not sure if he was happy that his brother was still in the dark.
“Yes, vampire. I wanted to go home and he wanted to see me in those clothes,” Souichi shrugged nonchalantly as if dressing in those dreadful clothes had been no big deal, remembering at the same time how much convincing it had taken on Hiroto’s part to get him to wear them.
“So you struck a deal with him and he let you go? Just like that?” Tomoe asked doubtfully.
“You don’t believe me?” Souichi glared. There was just no way he was telling his brother everything.
“Not really,” Tomoe answered.
Souichi winced, then sighed. “I don’t care. I don’t have any syndrome. I still think that Morinaga’s a perverted bastard, but if I talked with the Hunters I might get someone else in trouble and I don’t want to do that,” Souichi explained.
“Who?”
“Why do you ask?” Souichi asked suspiciously. Then a thought hit him. “Don’t you dare repeat any of what I’m telling you to the Hunters!” he pressed.
“But - “ It was clear that Tomoe wanted to argue with him.
“Just don’t!” he said sharply. He didn’t want to argue.
“But - “ Tomoe tried again.
“Tomoe, please! Drop it!”
Tomoe sighed. “All right. I just thought that if I told them then they would leave you alone and wouldn’t pester you with all those questions. And you haven’t told me all that much anyway,” Tomoe accused.
Souichi considered his brother’s words. It was not such a bad idea. It would get not only Tomoe off his back but also the Hunters, and he wouldn’t need to deal with them any longer that he had to. He couldn’t imagine telling them his adventures. His memories were too personal. Telling Tomoe might end up being too great of a challenge, but that he could try.
“All right,” he decided.
“Huh?” Tomoe blinked.
“You can tell them,” Souichi clarified patiently.
Tomoe looked as if he didn’t believe his brother’s reassurance. He bit his lower lip and looked at his older brother suspiciously.
“If they’ll leave me alone, then sure.” Souichi shrugged. He sat down on his bed and continued. “But I really would prefer you not going near them any more than necessary. I don’t trust them and I’m glad that after you repeat my story, they’ll leave,” Souichi concluded pleased. He was a bit irritated with having to share his story but knew that there was no other way if he wanted the Hunters to get lost.
“Why do you say that?” Tomoe cocked his head to the side then moved to sit beside his brother on the bed.
“What? That they’ll leave? They will, won’t they?” Souichi asked looking at Tomoe who had sat himself next to him.
“Well, their squad left some time ago.” Tomoe propped himself on his hands stretched backwards.
Souichi frowned. “Their squad?”
“Yes. There were a lot more of them from what Kurokawa-san told me, but because it seemed like the demons had taken a liking to this town, the Hunters decided to create an outpost here,” Tomoe explained.
Souichi jaw dropped. ‘They won’t come back.’ The thought came uninvited into Souichi’s brain. If what Hiroto had told him was the truth then the creatures from the Demon World wouldn’t come back here if the Hunters stayed. ‘I won’t have the chance to see Morinaga again,’ Souichi thought and that upset him. Not only couldn’t he get rid of the Hunters for his brother’s sake, but they would also stay and make it impossible for Hiroto to return here. And Morinaga wouldn’t be able to come and visit, either.
“Nii-san, what’s wrong?” Tomoe asked, concerned. He saw how miserable his brother’s expression became and wanted to comfort him in some way but wasn’t sure how. First he needed to know what was wrong and then he would try to do something to help.
“Nothing.” Souichi stated. “Everything’s fine. Now listen to the story and don’t interrupt me. I’m telling this only once, do you understand?”
Tomoe nodded. His brother sounded stressed and unhappy but since he didn’t want him to change his mind about telling him what had happened, Tomoe came to the conclusion that he shouldn’t say anything about his brother’s odd reaction.
“Okay then.”
Souichi told Tomoe how he had met Morinaga at the club and how the other man kept returning to talk to him. About the monster that wanted to make a meal out of him, and about how Morinaga rescued him. He skipped the part in Morinaga’s bedroom and told him about his stay in the tower. He also told Tomoe about the encounter with Morinaga’s brother and how that whole thing ended up. He left out the blow job and any other times when he and Morinaga had ended up more or less in a sexual situation. He finished with the tale of how he had met the Hunters in the alley.
The whole time his brother listened with rapture and when Souichi finally stopped talking he exclaimed, “Wow.”
“Wow?” Souichi asked, disbelieving.
“That vampire likes you! I think he’s actually in love with you,” Tomoe said excitedly. He was grinning broadly and his eyes were shining.
What?!” Souichi shouted. “No way!”
“If he did all that, if that vampire really defended you like that, then either he’s a great guy or he’s in love with you.” After a moment of thought Tomoe added, “Or both.”
“Where do you get these ideas from?” Souichi shook his head.
“I’m quite sure that vampire will try to see you again.” Tomoe ignored Souichi’s question.
Souichi’s breath hitched. The thought of seeing Morinaga again wasn’t as wrong and unwanted as he wished it to be. But there were still so many things regarding Morinaga that Souichi was unsure what to think or feel about them.
“Yeah, sure, maybe? But I don’t want to see him!”
Tomoe looked at him oddly then shrugged. “Whatever you say, Souichi-nii.”
Souichi was sure that his brother didn’t believe him but he didn’t really feel like arguing. It was late and he was tired. He just wanted to sleep and not think about Morinaga, the Hunters, or anything else.
“Look. Even if I wanted to see him, he’s not going to come.” Souichi was sure, or so he wanted everybody to believe, including himself.
“Why not?” Tomoe asked.
“Because the Hunters are still here and as long as they stay here no vampire would come to this town,” Souichi said, his heart heavy, but he desperately tried to remain unaffected. He didn’t want to hurt.
Tomoe groaned, flung himself back and hit his brother’s bed, covering his eyes with his hands.
Note: I know, I know. Everyone wants to see Morinaga and Souichi's reunion and there's still no Morinaga in the chapter. XD You'll need to wait some more before that happens.
This chapter has an unofficial title - “Deus ex Tomoe” - elyrian , my wonderful beta, thought it's fitting. Nice, right? XD
I was trying to make Tomoe act in character, but I’m not sure if I managed. >.< If you want to know what'll happen in the next chapter then I'll tell you one thing. You’ll see a lot of Isogai in it. ^-^
Now leave me some comments, please. ^-^ I'm very curious what you think.