FANFIC: "Tiger Tamer" (Ch 2: The Unwanted) (The GazettE- Aoi & Uruha)
Title: Tiger Tamer: Ch 2: The Unwanted
Pairings: Aoi x Uruha (More to come?)
Writer: black_prophet (Midsummer_Slave)
Genre: AU, Sci-Fi with Angst & Smut
Rating: PG13 (For Now)
Warning: None so far.
A/N: Look! Chapter 2 of Tamer! Woot! ^.^ (It's after 1 am, I apologize for general loopiness and any typos you might find).
Summary: Kouyou has settled into his life, he has an apartment and a killer roommate, as well as another great friend who's always over. Akira is his best friend as well as his roommate, and just happens to be waiting for his past to catch up with him. Unfortunately, it's about to catch up with Kouyou as well.
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, claim to own The GazettE (though I do have several CDs & Concert DVDs and a LOT of pictures). They belong to themselves and each other. This fic and the world it is set in is completely the product of my imagination. I do all my own stunts writing. Please do not attempt these techniques at home. Please do not repost this whole or in part anywhere, do not steal the location or plot, do not write a sequel/side-fic etc. No Beta (sorry for mistakes, I try to spare you).
Previous Ch: "Summary & Bios" "Ch 1: Unlikely Beginnings"
***
He knew he was dreaming, knew he had to be dreaming. That was the only way any of what he was seeing made sense, and even then it was quite a stretch. He hadn’t seen the blue tiger he called Aoi in, eight years? Ten? And Kisa? Kisa and he had parted ways shortly after, she to the dormitories for Training and he out into the world.
A dream was the only rational explanation as to why Kouyou was currently watching them both. It didn’t make the scene any easier to watch, but he couldn’t seem to tear himself away from it either.
The blue tiger snarled in defiance, lunging for the thick pane of glass that lay between him and the slight female that was his Tamer. The girl yelped and tumbled backwards, her eyes wide as she watched the massive body crash against the too-thin barrier. The glass groaned, but held, shuddering as the tiger snarled again and smashed his muscular body against it. A paw that was easily the size of her head lashed against the surface, the great cat standing on his hind legs and baring his teeth as he screamed at her.
Though they had failed to bond the way they should have, some of his actions were perfectly clear to her. She could not hear his voice in her mind, nor speak in his, but his message was clear. He wanted nothing to do with her, and the failure made her eyes sting. Nothing she did was right, nothing stemmed the hatred that burned in his fierce eyes.
Turning away from the cat, Kisa subtly wiped at her tears. She could see the scientists through the observation window, frowning at her and the cat that sought to break the glass between them. She had heard from other Tamers that their beasts lunged for the windows or bars that separated the two, but often that was out of the beast’s need to be near their Tamer. Unlike those other pairs, Yuu wanted to be close so he could kill her, she could see that.
So could the men watching her. Swallowing her mewl of fear, she turned back to the glass. ‘Yuu, please. I’m your Tamer, please listen to me.’
Golden eyes blazed. I want nothing to do with you!
Kouyou shook off his dreams and sat up in bed, running a hand through his still-damp hair. Served him right for napping after his shower, he always had the strangest daydreams. At least at night he was safe, sleeping too deeply for the memories to disturb him. Still, why would he dream of that place?
The last time he’d visited the WTA and actually seen Aoi was nine or ten years ago, and that had been this next to last visit. When he’d gone for the last time, he had been ten years old, yet he remembered the day perfectly. The lion had seemed to know something was different, pacing in his cage and uttering low calls after Kouyou as he bolted toward his favorite enclosure.
An enclosure that was notably empty. Returning to wait where he was supposed to, Kouyou hadn’t blinked when his mother explained that he wouldn’t be going back. They’ve accepted Kisa into training, Kouyou. She’ll be moving in with the others, we won’t be going back.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kouyou muttered to himself, sliding out of bed and stalking across his room to consider his reflection in the mirror. “Why are you thinking of them now? They’re out of your life, Kou. Time to move on.”
Catching sight of his closet in the corner of the mirror, the honey-haired male smiled. The best place for him to ‘move on’ was at a club. Well, that settled it. ‘I’m going out tonight.’
With one last check in the mirror, Kouyou fidgeted with a strand of his bangs and then nodded in satisfaction. Perfect. That wouldn’t stop him from checking that everything stayed that way as he walked through the living room mirror, or as he passed the mirror in the hallway on his way out the front door. But it did mean he was safe to leave the bedroom.
With a final glance to the bedroom mirror, the honey-haired male put on his ‘hunting eyes’ and let one corner of his mouth curl into a smirk. His stride was slow and inviting as he stalked into the living room, all trace of ‘Kouyou’ gone. Now he was ‘Uruha’, the one who lived for the energy of the clubs and well-deserving of a name that meant ‘beauty’.
From the couch, his friend Kai whistled. “You’re dressed hot, we must be going out tonight.”
Akira, draped in typical fashion over one of the armchairs, grunted and rolled his eyes behind his magazine. Not bothering to look up at his best friend or the brunet that had spoken, he muttered a slightly-annoyed reply. “We always go out.”
“Well obviously we’re clubbing tonight.” Kai murmured, giving his friend a sweeping look. “Looking for attention, Uru?”
“Maybe.” The honey-haired male shrugged as he walked to the kitchen, retrieving a drink from the fridge. “Maybe I just want to forget for a little while… So are you two coming or not?”
“Hell yeah.” Akira smirked, tossing the magazine aside as he stood. “They haven’t yanked the leash yet, might as well live it up while I can.”
Kai gave him a questioning look, but Kouyou merely nodded. He knew what the other male meant, even though their brunet friend did not. Then again, Kouyou and Akira had known each other for a long time, since childhood actually. Though to be fair, Kouyou hadn’t really known there was a child behind the image of an annoyed, captive lion.
But fate had a strange way of handling things, and had proved that to them both. At the age of eighteen when a boy with hair that was a mix of four different colors stopped Kouyou on the street, he had been only faintly reminded of a lion because of the similarity in their manes. When that same boy told him they needed to talk somewhere with fewer witnesses, he had been concerned.
When Akira said the name ‘Aoi’, Kouyou led him straight to his apartment without hesitation. It had been years since he’d thought about the blue-gray tiger he’d met and been entranced by in his youth… There were some things better left forgotten, his life had taught him that.
When it turned out that Akira was there to explain Aoi was to be ‘tamed’ by his own twin sister, Kouyou desperately wanted to throw the lion Shapeshifter back out of his house. Not that the plan was wise or even possible, since Akira outweighed and definitely could outfight him, all without shifting shape. Akira had continued to explain the two had been at war since their first meeting, and at those words Kouyou wanted to cling to him and laugh as he cried. He did none of those things, merely curled in on himself and stared at the hunter who in turn stared at him.
‘Why are you telling me any of this?’ He asked in a soft voice.
‘You used to bring us all cookies, even though you were no one’s Tamer.’ Akira had replied in a gruff voice and with a shrug that feigned indifference. ‘You earned our loyalty, Kou, and our friendship. You were practically one of us.’
‘I’m just the twin of a Tamer, I’m nothing to you.’ Kouyou argued. ‘No matter how much I wish otherwise to be true… I’m just the copy that no one wanted.’
‘We wanted you, Kou.’ Akira argued. ‘We still do. And that should matter. Not want they want, but what we want. Don’t you care about your friends anymore, Kou? Or are we just nameless beasts that you’ve forgotten about?’
“Kou?” Akira rumbled, his voice low but affectionate as he touched the human’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”
Kouyou swayed, then offered the lion a smile. “I keep taking trips down memory lane today, and you know there’s only one cure for that ‘Kira.”
“Alcohol and dancing.” The Shifter nodded. “Get yourself together, Kai. It’s going to be a long night.”
Closing his eyes as the music of the club beat around him, Uruha stretched slightly, confidant in each twist and curl of his body. His arms drifted upward like the arms of so many others, black painted nails reaching for something intangible and unattainable. Pale skin sheathed in black silk arm-warmers, the stretch of his arms made the hem of his black tank top ride up, baring tantalizing glimpses of his abdomen. His scarf and sleeveless duster were long-since abandoned, left at the table with his friends while he writhed amongst the other citizens of the dance floor.
Curling his finger and hands around wisps of smoke and phantom thoughts, Uruha let his thoughts drift into the music. It was habit by now, the act of submersing himself in the low beat until his hips were twisting and spine sinuously stretching with each low thud. He felt his heart match the rhythm, hitching and speeding as the music pulled more emotions out of him, made his hips twist faster and his pulse thud stronger.
Obeying the music his shoulders shifted in a sinuous move that started with the twist of his fingertips around smoke and slowly spread down his body to linger in his hips. The first few twists were mindlessly completed at the direction of the music, the next ones filled with muted sensual requests.
Even as he gave himself over to the music, Kouyou was aware of the whisper of nagging doubts. ‘Maybe there’s a reason you keep thinking about him? Maybe there’s a reason you saw Kisa in your dream this time, as well as seeing through her eyes? What if something happened?’
He hated the instant tension that knotted his stomach as the thoughts began to pile up, snowballing on him. Had something gone wrong between Kisa and Aoi? Had he finally gotten to her? Had their bond actually formed and now they were… were…
“God just say it.” He snarled softly, tearing himself away from the thrall of the music and stalking back toward their table to order another drink. “Just say it, Kou. Maybe they did bond, and he took her to bed as they say so many Shifter-Tamer pairs do.”
Grimly he fought back tears, railing at the idiocy of his emotions. Biting back a curse he threw himself into the seat of the booth, crossing his arms over his stomach and curling his shoulders. It was hard to say if he was trying to shield a part of himself or simply fend off the world, but the gesture gave him comfort.
“Kou?” Akira rumbled, suddenly at his side with a protective hand curling around the base of his neck. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He denied weakly.
“You suck at telling lies, at least to me, Little Tamer.” The gruff male scolded with soft affection. “Tell me.”
“I dreamed of Aoi, and of Kisa.” Kouyou admitted, jumping as his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, eyeing the name.
“Your mother?” Akira asked, watching the display over his shoulder. “Are you going to answer it?”
“I can’t imagine she has anything important to say.” Kouyou muttered, frowning as the phone stopped ringing, and then the icon for a new voicemail appeared. “She never leaves a message.”
“Go listen to it, Kou.” Akira urged, nudging him toward the hallway that led outside. “I’ll hold our table and get you another drink.”
‘Kouyou? Kouyou, it’s Mother… Sweetheart, where are you? I need to find you… Please, Kou. It’s your sister… Kisa… Kisa died in a training incident, sweetheart… And the Shifter escaped. They say that he might be hunting you, that you might be next. Sweetheart, please. This animal has gone mad, come home, I need to get you somewhere safe until they catch him. Please Kouyou.’
***
Look! More Tamer! Yay, right? So the muses are a little bit "all over the place" and I'm just going to go with it because I'm feeling the same way. Until this class is over, I'm going to be a little on the spazztic side as far as updates go. Hope you guys enjoyed this! Thoughts? Bang bang, my Sixth Guns. ^.~
Pairings: Aoi x Uruha (More to come?)
Writer: black_prophet (Midsummer_Slave)
Genre: AU, Sci-Fi with Angst & Smut
Rating: PG13 (For Now)
Warning: None so far.
A/N: Look! Chapter 2 of Tamer! Woot! ^.^ (It's after 1 am, I apologize for general loopiness and any typos you might find).
Summary: Kouyou has settled into his life, he has an apartment and a killer roommate, as well as another great friend who's always over. Akira is his best friend as well as his roommate, and just happens to be waiting for his past to catch up with him. Unfortunately, it's about to catch up with Kouyou as well.
Disclaimer: I do not now, nor will I ever, claim to own The GazettE (though I do have several CDs & Concert DVDs and a LOT of pictures). They belong to themselves and each other. This fic and the world it is set in is completely the product of my imagination. I do all my own stunts writing. Please do not attempt these techniques at home. Please do not repost this whole or in part anywhere, do not steal the location or plot, do not write a sequel/side-fic etc. No Beta (sorry for mistakes, I try to spare you).
Previous Ch: "Summary & Bios" "Ch 1: Unlikely Beginnings"
***
He knew he was dreaming, knew he had to be dreaming. That was the only way any of what he was seeing made sense, and even then it was quite a stretch. He hadn’t seen the blue tiger he called Aoi in, eight years? Ten? And Kisa? Kisa and he had parted ways shortly after, she to the dormitories for Training and he out into the world.
A dream was the only rational explanation as to why Kouyou was currently watching them both. It didn’t make the scene any easier to watch, but he couldn’t seem to tear himself away from it either.
The blue tiger snarled in defiance, lunging for the thick pane of glass that lay between him and the slight female that was his Tamer. The girl yelped and tumbled backwards, her eyes wide as she watched the massive body crash against the too-thin barrier. The glass groaned, but held, shuddering as the tiger snarled again and smashed his muscular body against it. A paw that was easily the size of her head lashed against the surface, the great cat standing on his hind legs and baring his teeth as he screamed at her.
Though they had failed to bond the way they should have, some of his actions were perfectly clear to her. She could not hear his voice in her mind, nor speak in his, but his message was clear. He wanted nothing to do with her, and the failure made her eyes sting. Nothing she did was right, nothing stemmed the hatred that burned in his fierce eyes.
Turning away from the cat, Kisa subtly wiped at her tears. She could see the scientists through the observation window, frowning at her and the cat that sought to break the glass between them. She had heard from other Tamers that their beasts lunged for the windows or bars that separated the two, but often that was out of the beast’s need to be near their Tamer. Unlike those other pairs, Yuu wanted to be close so he could kill her, she could see that.
So could the men watching her. Swallowing her mewl of fear, she turned back to the glass. ‘Yuu, please. I’m your Tamer, please listen to me.’
Golden eyes blazed. I want nothing to do with you!
Kouyou shook off his dreams and sat up in bed, running a hand through his still-damp hair. Served him right for napping after his shower, he always had the strangest daydreams. At least at night he was safe, sleeping too deeply for the memories to disturb him. Still, why would he dream of that place?
The last time he’d visited the WTA and actually seen Aoi was nine or ten years ago, and that had been this next to last visit. When he’d gone for the last time, he had been ten years old, yet he remembered the day perfectly. The lion had seemed to know something was different, pacing in his cage and uttering low calls after Kouyou as he bolted toward his favorite enclosure.
An enclosure that was notably empty. Returning to wait where he was supposed to, Kouyou hadn’t blinked when his mother explained that he wouldn’t be going back. They’ve accepted Kisa into training, Kouyou. She’ll be moving in with the others, we won’t be going back.
“What the hell is wrong with you?” Kouyou muttered to himself, sliding out of bed and stalking across his room to consider his reflection in the mirror. “Why are you thinking of them now? They’re out of your life, Kou. Time to move on.”
Catching sight of his closet in the corner of the mirror, the honey-haired male smiled. The best place for him to ‘move on’ was at a club. Well, that settled it. ‘I’m going out tonight.’
With one last check in the mirror, Kouyou fidgeted with a strand of his bangs and then nodded in satisfaction. Perfect. That wouldn’t stop him from checking that everything stayed that way as he walked through the living room mirror, or as he passed the mirror in the hallway on his way out the front door. But it did mean he was safe to leave the bedroom.
With a final glance to the bedroom mirror, the honey-haired male put on his ‘hunting eyes’ and let one corner of his mouth curl into a smirk. His stride was slow and inviting as he stalked into the living room, all trace of ‘Kouyou’ gone. Now he was ‘Uruha’, the one who lived for the energy of the clubs and well-deserving of a name that meant ‘beauty’.
From the couch, his friend Kai whistled. “You’re dressed hot, we must be going out tonight.”
Akira, draped in typical fashion over one of the armchairs, grunted and rolled his eyes behind his magazine. Not bothering to look up at his best friend or the brunet that had spoken, he muttered a slightly-annoyed reply. “We always go out.”
“Well obviously we’re clubbing tonight.” Kai murmured, giving his friend a sweeping look. “Looking for attention, Uru?”
“Maybe.” The honey-haired male shrugged as he walked to the kitchen, retrieving a drink from the fridge. “Maybe I just want to forget for a little while… So are you two coming or not?”
“Hell yeah.” Akira smirked, tossing the magazine aside as he stood. “They haven’t yanked the leash yet, might as well live it up while I can.”
Kai gave him a questioning look, but Kouyou merely nodded. He knew what the other male meant, even though their brunet friend did not. Then again, Kouyou and Akira had known each other for a long time, since childhood actually. Though to be fair, Kouyou hadn’t really known there was a child behind the image of an annoyed, captive lion.
But fate had a strange way of handling things, and had proved that to them both. At the age of eighteen when a boy with hair that was a mix of four different colors stopped Kouyou on the street, he had been only faintly reminded of a lion because of the similarity in their manes. When that same boy told him they needed to talk somewhere with fewer witnesses, he had been concerned.
When Akira said the name ‘Aoi’, Kouyou led him straight to his apartment without hesitation. It had been years since he’d thought about the blue-gray tiger he’d met and been entranced by in his youth… There were some things better left forgotten, his life had taught him that.
When it turned out that Akira was there to explain Aoi was to be ‘tamed’ by his own twin sister, Kouyou desperately wanted to throw the lion Shapeshifter back out of his house. Not that the plan was wise or even possible, since Akira outweighed and definitely could outfight him, all without shifting shape. Akira had continued to explain the two had been at war since their first meeting, and at those words Kouyou wanted to cling to him and laugh as he cried. He did none of those things, merely curled in on himself and stared at the hunter who in turn stared at him.
‘Why are you telling me any of this?’ He asked in a soft voice.
‘You used to bring us all cookies, even though you were no one’s Tamer.’ Akira had replied in a gruff voice and with a shrug that feigned indifference. ‘You earned our loyalty, Kou, and our friendship. You were practically one of us.’
‘I’m just the twin of a Tamer, I’m nothing to you.’ Kouyou argued. ‘No matter how much I wish otherwise to be true… I’m just the copy that no one wanted.’
‘We wanted you, Kou.’ Akira argued. ‘We still do. And that should matter. Not want they want, but what we want. Don’t you care about your friends anymore, Kou? Or are we just nameless beasts that you’ve forgotten about?’
“Kou?” Akira rumbled, his voice low but affectionate as he touched the human’s shoulder. “Are you alright?”
Kouyou swayed, then offered the lion a smile. “I keep taking trips down memory lane today, and you know there’s only one cure for that ‘Kira.”
“Alcohol and dancing.” The Shifter nodded. “Get yourself together, Kai. It’s going to be a long night.”
Closing his eyes as the music of the club beat around him, Uruha stretched slightly, confidant in each twist and curl of his body. His arms drifted upward like the arms of so many others, black painted nails reaching for something intangible and unattainable. Pale skin sheathed in black silk arm-warmers, the stretch of his arms made the hem of his black tank top ride up, baring tantalizing glimpses of his abdomen. His scarf and sleeveless duster were long-since abandoned, left at the table with his friends while he writhed amongst the other citizens of the dance floor.
Curling his finger and hands around wisps of smoke and phantom thoughts, Uruha let his thoughts drift into the music. It was habit by now, the act of submersing himself in the low beat until his hips were twisting and spine sinuously stretching with each low thud. He felt his heart match the rhythm, hitching and speeding as the music pulled more emotions out of him, made his hips twist faster and his pulse thud stronger.
Obeying the music his shoulders shifted in a sinuous move that started with the twist of his fingertips around smoke and slowly spread down his body to linger in his hips. The first few twists were mindlessly completed at the direction of the music, the next ones filled with muted sensual requests.
Even as he gave himself over to the music, Kouyou was aware of the whisper of nagging doubts. ‘Maybe there’s a reason you keep thinking about him? Maybe there’s a reason you saw Kisa in your dream this time, as well as seeing through her eyes? What if something happened?’
He hated the instant tension that knotted his stomach as the thoughts began to pile up, snowballing on him. Had something gone wrong between Kisa and Aoi? Had he finally gotten to her? Had their bond actually formed and now they were… were…
“God just say it.” He snarled softly, tearing himself away from the thrall of the music and stalking back toward their table to order another drink. “Just say it, Kou. Maybe they did bond, and he took her to bed as they say so many Shifter-Tamer pairs do.”
Grimly he fought back tears, railing at the idiocy of his emotions. Biting back a curse he threw himself into the seat of the booth, crossing his arms over his stomach and curling his shoulders. It was hard to say if he was trying to shield a part of himself or simply fend off the world, but the gesture gave him comfort.
“Kou?” Akira rumbled, suddenly at his side with a protective hand curling around the base of his neck. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.” He denied weakly.
“You suck at telling lies, at least to me, Little Tamer.” The gruff male scolded with soft affection. “Tell me.”
“I dreamed of Aoi, and of Kisa.” Kouyou admitted, jumping as his cellphone rang. He pulled it out of his pocket, eyeing the name.
“Your mother?” Akira asked, watching the display over his shoulder. “Are you going to answer it?”
“I can’t imagine she has anything important to say.” Kouyou muttered, frowning as the phone stopped ringing, and then the icon for a new voicemail appeared. “She never leaves a message.”
“Go listen to it, Kou.” Akira urged, nudging him toward the hallway that led outside. “I’ll hold our table and get you another drink.”
‘Kouyou? Kouyou, it’s Mother… Sweetheart, where are you? I need to find you… Please, Kou. It’s your sister… Kisa… Kisa died in a training incident, sweetheart… And the Shifter escaped. They say that he might be hunting you, that you might be next. Sweetheart, please. This animal has gone mad, come home, I need to get you somewhere safe until they catch him. Please Kouyou.’
***
Look! More Tamer! Yay, right? So the muses are a little bit "all over the place" and I'm just going to go with it because I'm feeling the same way. Until this class is over, I'm going to be a little on the spazztic side as far as updates go. Hope you guys enjoyed this! Thoughts? Bang bang, my Sixth Guns. ^.~