Falling into Place, Chapter 2
Chapter 2 is now ready. I hope you enjoy it! ^^
Title: Falling into Place
Rating: T/PG-13 for the whole piece
Disclaimer: CLAMP is the god of the Legal Drug universe. Kakei and Sagai are their creations.
It was a little sad really. Saiga had just been getting to the part where he would ask him out for a proper date when he had fallen asleep. Still, the effort the man put into trying to prevent the inevitable was incredibly amusing, and since it was for his own good, Kakei did not even have to feel guilty.
He eased Saiga down onto the couch and settled the man into a position where his blood flow would not be inhibited while he rested.
He had not known what would happen. He had not even bothered to try a reading - not with Saiga. His foreknowledge of the man would forever be limited to those rare visions so powerful that they came on him without effort or warning, and to such small bits as he could pick up from others who were linked to the same events.
Getting the dosage just right was more of a stroke of luck than anything else. He had been forced to estimate Saiga’s body weight to do it. Saiga was a large man, tall with broad shoulders - traits Kakei had always found to be appealing. There was a time when he had worried that maybe his opinion was overly influenced by his knowledge, but now he was sure; he would have been attracted to Saiga no matter the situation.
Placing a hand on the now unconscious man’s forehead, he spoke out loud, knowing he would not be heard. “I knew it.” Creating all the various items for a proper boxed lunch takes effort. More effort than he ever put into the food he made for himself. It was actually a bit romantic and he found himself wondering if Saiga was the kind of man that would be offended by that sort of compliment. “You don’t have to push yourself for my sake. I’ll still be here.” Part of this was his own fault - he could have waited to call, he could have insisted on meeting later in the week - and for that, he felt guilty. But not too much. Certainly not enough to regret his decision.
There were still a few minutes before the store reopened and he found it was easy to pass the time by studying Saiga’s face. Most of his visions of the slumbering man were still a ways off, at a time when he was older, more mature - at a time when his sunglasses were no longer a fashion accessory, but a permanent fixture. It was hard, pulling himself away and returning to work.
When he went to change the sign back to ‘Open’, he was immediately greeted by Himura-san. Not counting their brief conversation a few days ago, the last time he had seen her, he had still been in high school - though he occasionally heard news of her through others. It had come as a welcome surprise to learn that she had recently moved her family back to Tokyo.
The sign remained as it had been and he lead her back to his office to finish their conversation. She sat in one of his chairs but was reluctant to speak - preferring to spend her energy on not eyeing the large stranger laid out on the couch.
Kakei waved her concerns away. “Him? Don’t worry. This is Saiga, my… a friend,” he corrected smoothly. “You can trust him.” He had planned to go on to say that the man was fast asleep and would not be waking for some time yet, but Himura forestalled the explanation.
“Friend?” She snickered, studying the man openly now, completely at ease. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s the one?” She barely paused to spare a glance at Kakei before going on, “Ah! I can tell just by looking at you! You seem so…relaxed. I’m happy for you.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited if I were you. We only met a few days ago.”
“And yet here he is, already sleeping in your office.” Her laugh seemed a bit childish for a woman her age.
Enough about him - back to the topic at hand. “You said you needed a favor. Something important.”
She sombered immediately. “I’ve been hearing…rumors.” She paused, unsure of just how to explain.
Kakei gave her time to organize her thoughts and said nothing.
After a few moments, she went on. “It’s probably nothing.” It did not sound as though she had managed to convince herself of that. “I let the smallest things bother me these days.” That was a little better. “But there was this elderly woman the other day…. She seemed so genuine. I feel ridiculous for even asking, but…” She trailed off before finishing in a rush, “I’d feel better if you would please do a reading.”
“I’ve already told you all I-”
“Not for me. For my daughter.”
“Hmmm…Tsukiko-chan, correct?”
“Oh that’s right! You haven’t had a chance to meet either of them yet, have you? If I had my other purse, I would show you pictures.”
“That’s alright. Just bring her by when you have a chance. I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you so much!” She expressed her gratitude with several bows before heading toward the exit.
She was half way through the door before she turned around. “Ah! I nearly forgot. I want you to take this.” She sifted quickly though her purse and retrieved a small wooden box. “As a thank you.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“It’s not much. That woman I mentioned? She gave this to me. There really doesn’t seem to be anything special about it, but I could tell it meant a great deal to her. I thought maybe it was some sort of good luck charm.” She spared a glance at the man on the couch. “Please, I want you to have it.”
It was not worth the trouble to argue with her. He accepted, and, after she left, deposited the item into his desk without checking its contents. His visions were never wrong.
--
It was not quite two-thirty when the man on the coach finally regained awareness. There’s nothing quite like wasting valuable seduction time by sleeping - and sleeping alone at that. He had tried to stay awake, to will his eyelids to stay open, but the drowsiness had come suddenly. He didn’t even remember finally nodding off. He did however remember Kakei and he could swear there had been a smirk on his face all the while - as if he was taking some kind of perverse pleasure in his desperate attempts to stay awake. You really cannot blame someone else if you have a bad reaction to medicine - plenty of cough medicines list drowsiness as a side effect - but did he really have to enjoy it so much?
Saiga noticed the way he was laying on the couch. He certainly hadn’t put himself in that position. So the guy at least was considerate enough not to let him wake up sore from sleeping in an awkward position. And to be honest, he did feel better for the nap. That’s not to say the man was completely innocent. It would be a huge disappointment if the guy turned out to be some kind of control freak, but Saiga had the feeling that this was all just part of some game the other man was playing with him. A game he didn’t quite understand the rules to yet.
He allowed himself a minute to fully wake up before leaving the office; there was still work to do before he could return home.
Kakei was working behind the pharmacy counter by the time Saiga strolled onto the main store floor. “My my, so you’re finally up. If you were really so tired, you should have stayed home and rested.”
“You’re right. I’m sure it had nothing to do with whatever that was you gave me.” It sounded convincing to his ears.
“Didn’t I mention? That particular brand of cough medicine contains prescription strength codeine. Or was that a double dose?” The druggist paused briefly in pretense of trying to remember. “Either way, you really shouldn’t take drugs without knowing what they are first.”
What was the deal with this guy? “Prescription strength? I haven’t seen a doctor.”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” A slender hand did a poor job of hiding the smile.
Oh, he was being toyed with all right - Kakei was obviously having a good time. So much the better for him. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was all an act. Clever, but still transparent enough that Saiga wasn’t worried. He would just have to work harder. “Well, like I was saying earlier, since I’m new to the area, it’d be nice to have someone to point out the hot spots. How about this: I buy you dinner and you show me around.”
The pharmacist took a moment to mull over his reply. “I suppose that sounds like a fair enough trade.”
“How’s tomorrow? The sign out front says you have the day off.”
“Not tomorrow. I already have plans.”
“I hope you’re not intending to waste your day off by spending it with some other guy.”
The man’s grin seemed wicked. “In fact, I am - though I’d hardly consider it wasting.”
Such a candid admission wasn’t expected. No matter, shake it off. It couldn’t be anything too serious, or he wouldn’t have agreed to go. “All right then, how about the next day in the evening?” He barely finished his sentence before the phone on the far wall began to ring.
“Monday night? That should wo-” He cut off as the ringing continued. “Excuse me.” Kakei retrieved the offending phone and though Saiga thought for a second that maybe it would be rude to listen in on the conversation, he did so anyway. If it was Day-Off-Work-Date-Guy, he might be able to get a leg up on the competition.
“Green Drugstore, how may I help you? …Of course. What can I do for you?...Yes, I’ll be there tomorrow. …All day. Longer if that’s what it takes. …What specifically do you need? ….I can keep an eye out for it but I’m not going for business… …You said it wasn’t urgent; I can wait too. …. Monday it is. I’ll be there.”
Kakei returned to the counter. Was it his imagination, or did the pharmacist look worried? No, it had to have been his imagination. “Not Monday, I take it.”
“It seems I have a meeting that night as well.”
“The same guy as tomorrow?” This time, his distaste for the idea was harder to keep out of his voice.
“No, a client. A local business woman.”
“If you put me off for too long, I’m likely to learn my way around without you.” The warning was playful, but seemed to work just the same.
“I’m free the next night. Be here at 6:00.”
All too easy.
Title: Falling into Place
Rating: T/PG-13 for the whole piece
Disclaimer: CLAMP is the god of the Legal Drug universe. Kakei and Sagai are their creations.
It was a little sad really. Saiga had just been getting to the part where he would ask him out for a proper date when he had fallen asleep. Still, the effort the man put into trying to prevent the inevitable was incredibly amusing, and since it was for his own good, Kakei did not even have to feel guilty.
He eased Saiga down onto the couch and settled the man into a position where his blood flow would not be inhibited while he rested.
He had not known what would happen. He had not even bothered to try a reading - not with Saiga. His foreknowledge of the man would forever be limited to those rare visions so powerful that they came on him without effort or warning, and to such small bits as he could pick up from others who were linked to the same events.
Getting the dosage just right was more of a stroke of luck than anything else. He had been forced to estimate Saiga’s body weight to do it. Saiga was a large man, tall with broad shoulders - traits Kakei had always found to be appealing. There was a time when he had worried that maybe his opinion was overly influenced by his knowledge, but now he was sure; he would have been attracted to Saiga no matter the situation.
Placing a hand on the now unconscious man’s forehead, he spoke out loud, knowing he would not be heard. “I knew it.” Creating all the various items for a proper boxed lunch takes effort. More effort than he ever put into the food he made for himself. It was actually a bit romantic and he found himself wondering if Saiga was the kind of man that would be offended by that sort of compliment. “You don’t have to push yourself for my sake. I’ll still be here.” Part of this was his own fault - he could have waited to call, he could have insisted on meeting later in the week - and for that, he felt guilty. But not too much. Certainly not enough to regret his decision.
There were still a few minutes before the store reopened and he found it was easy to pass the time by studying Saiga’s face. Most of his visions of the slumbering man were still a ways off, at a time when he was older, more mature - at a time when his sunglasses were no longer a fashion accessory, but a permanent fixture. It was hard, pulling himself away and returning to work.
When he went to change the sign back to ‘Open’, he was immediately greeted by Himura-san. Not counting their brief conversation a few days ago, the last time he had seen her, he had still been in high school - though he occasionally heard news of her through others. It had come as a welcome surprise to learn that she had recently moved her family back to Tokyo.
The sign remained as it had been and he lead her back to his office to finish their conversation. She sat in one of his chairs but was reluctant to speak - preferring to spend her energy on not eyeing the large stranger laid out on the couch.
Kakei waved her concerns away. “Him? Don’t worry. This is Saiga, my… a friend,” he corrected smoothly. “You can trust him.” He had planned to go on to say that the man was fast asleep and would not be waking for some time yet, but Himura forestalled the explanation.
“Friend?” She snickered, studying the man openly now, completely at ease. “It’s him, isn’t it? He’s the one?” She barely paused to spare a glance at Kakei before going on, “Ah! I can tell just by looking at you! You seem so…relaxed. I’m happy for you.”
“I wouldn’t get too excited if I were you. We only met a few days ago.”
“And yet here he is, already sleeping in your office.” Her laugh seemed a bit childish for a woman her age.
Enough about him - back to the topic at hand. “You said you needed a favor. Something important.”
She sombered immediately. “I’ve been hearing…rumors.” She paused, unsure of just how to explain.
Kakei gave her time to organize her thoughts and said nothing.
After a few moments, she went on. “It’s probably nothing.” It did not sound as though she had managed to convince herself of that. “I let the smallest things bother me these days.” That was a little better. “But there was this elderly woman the other day…. She seemed so genuine. I feel ridiculous for even asking, but…” She trailed off before finishing in a rush, “I’d feel better if you would please do a reading.”
“I’ve already told you all I-”
“Not for me. For my daughter.”
“Hmmm…Tsukiko-chan, correct?”
“Oh that’s right! You haven’t had a chance to meet either of them yet, have you? If I had my other purse, I would show you pictures.”
“That’s alright. Just bring her by when you have a chance. I’ll do what I can.”
“Thank you so much!” She expressed her gratitude with several bows before heading toward the exit.
She was half way through the door before she turned around. “Ah! I nearly forgot. I want you to take this.” She sifted quickly though her purse and retrieved a small wooden box. “As a thank you.”
“No, I couldn’t.”
“It’s not much. That woman I mentioned? She gave this to me. There really doesn’t seem to be anything special about it, but I could tell it meant a great deal to her. I thought maybe it was some sort of good luck charm.” She spared a glance at the man on the couch. “Please, I want you to have it.”
It was not worth the trouble to argue with her. He accepted, and, after she left, deposited the item into his desk without checking its contents. His visions were never wrong.
--
It was not quite two-thirty when the man on the coach finally regained awareness. There’s nothing quite like wasting valuable seduction time by sleeping - and sleeping alone at that. He had tried to stay awake, to will his eyelids to stay open, but the drowsiness had come suddenly. He didn’t even remember finally nodding off. He did however remember Kakei and he could swear there had been a smirk on his face all the while - as if he was taking some kind of perverse pleasure in his desperate attempts to stay awake. You really cannot blame someone else if you have a bad reaction to medicine - plenty of cough medicines list drowsiness as a side effect - but did he really have to enjoy it so much?
Saiga noticed the way he was laying on the couch. He certainly hadn’t put himself in that position. So the guy at least was considerate enough not to let him wake up sore from sleeping in an awkward position. And to be honest, he did feel better for the nap. That’s not to say the man was completely innocent. It would be a huge disappointment if the guy turned out to be some kind of control freak, but Saiga had the feeling that this was all just part of some game the other man was playing with him. A game he didn’t quite understand the rules to yet.
He allowed himself a minute to fully wake up before leaving the office; there was still work to do before he could return home.
Kakei was working behind the pharmacy counter by the time Saiga strolled onto the main store floor. “My my, so you’re finally up. If you were really so tired, you should have stayed home and rested.”
“You’re right. I’m sure it had nothing to do with whatever that was you gave me.” It sounded convincing to his ears.
“Didn’t I mention? That particular brand of cough medicine contains prescription strength codeine. Or was that a double dose?” The druggist paused briefly in pretense of trying to remember. “Either way, you really shouldn’t take drugs without knowing what they are first.”
What was the deal with this guy? “Prescription strength? I haven’t seen a doctor.”
“I won’t tell if you don’t.” A slender hand did a poor job of hiding the smile.
Oh, he was being toyed with all right - Kakei was obviously having a good time. So much the better for him. He breathed a sigh of relief; it was all an act. Clever, but still transparent enough that Saiga wasn’t worried. He would just have to work harder. “Well, like I was saying earlier, since I’m new to the area, it’d be nice to have someone to point out the hot spots. How about this: I buy you dinner and you show me around.”
The pharmacist took a moment to mull over his reply. “I suppose that sounds like a fair enough trade.”
“How’s tomorrow? The sign out front says you have the day off.”
“Not tomorrow. I already have plans.”
“I hope you’re not intending to waste your day off by spending it with some other guy.”
The man’s grin seemed wicked. “In fact, I am - though I’d hardly consider it wasting.”
Such a candid admission wasn’t expected. No matter, shake it off. It couldn’t be anything too serious, or he wouldn’t have agreed to go. “All right then, how about the next day in the evening?” He barely finished his sentence before the phone on the far wall began to ring.
“Monday night? That should wo-” He cut off as the ringing continued. “Excuse me.” Kakei retrieved the offending phone and though Saiga thought for a second that maybe it would be rude to listen in on the conversation, he did so anyway. If it was Day-Off-Work-Date-Guy, he might be able to get a leg up on the competition.
“Green Drugstore, how may I help you? …Of course. What can I do for you?...Yes, I’ll be there tomorrow. …All day. Longer if that’s what it takes. …What specifically do you need? ….I can keep an eye out for it but I’m not going for business… …You said it wasn’t urgent; I can wait too. …. Monday it is. I’ll be there.”
Kakei returned to the counter. Was it his imagination, or did the pharmacist look worried? No, it had to have been his imagination. “Not Monday, I take it.”
“It seems I have a meeting that night as well.”
“The same guy as tomorrow?” This time, his distaste for the idea was harder to keep out of his voice.
“No, a client. A local business woman.”
“If you put me off for too long, I’m likely to learn my way around without you.” The warning was playful, but seemed to work just the same.
“I’m free the next night. Be here at 6:00.”
All too easy.