Masterpiece [Chapter 3]
Title: Masterpiece
Author: dephi
Pairing: RyoDa, there may be some other pairings later... :)
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: PG - 13 and could go higher (R perhaps?)
Disclaimer : Humm.. I own the plot for sure, and maybe Toshi? Hihihi... :)
Summary: It took place in Japan, where the rich and the poor had their own societies. There were parties everywhere for the rich. Nishikido Ryo was one of the rich people, an honorable person, the heir of a big corporation, yet he had his own family secret, an unthinkable one. Here came Ueda Tatsuya who stepped into his life, an innocent guy who did not know that his decision would bring him to a totally different world that he never imagined before.
Notes: Beta-ed by annatanhe as usual.. Thanks so much, beta-ing this so fast... xDD
“I-I had no idea that Nishikido was serious that time.” Shinomiya Kaori said, still looking at the floor. Her right hand, which was holding a glass of wine, was trembling so much that the wine seemed like it was going to spill over anytime.
“Huh? What did you mean by that?” Tatsuya asked curiously. He knew that something was definitely fishy at that moment when Ryo introduced him to Kaori but he just didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to trust Ryo so badly. That was why he decided to ignore all his feelings. But what Kaori had just said aroused his suspicions again.
“E-eh? N-Nishikido - san didn’t tell you anything? Ah, thank god then..” Kaori uttered. Suddenly she seemed to be relieved. She flashed a bright smile to Tatsuya but he could still see nervousness through her blinding smile.
Tatsuya was feeling more and more insecure. He really wanted to just trust Ryo and so he didn’t want to think too much into things, but it seemed like all of the proof showed that Ryo really is that kind of man. “Can you tell me what you meant by that?” he demanded.
Kaori’s face became pale after hearing Tatsuya’s question. She bit her lower lip, hesitating about something which Tatsuya didn’t know about. Tatsuya gazed at Kaori’s eyes and it made Kaori’s face even paler. “E-eh..? N-no, it’s nothing, really.” She laughed nervously. Unfortunately for her, Tatsuya’s intense gaze didn’t move away from her. She became even more nervous. “A-ah.. W-well, there’s this night when we met each other. S-so, Nishikido - san was with Akanishi - san and Yamashita - san, t-then our conversations were moving into something more personal, a-and there were this discussion about ugh.. love matters, and Nishikido - san was making a bet that he will bring that someone, and.. and.. I-I thought he was just joking or so, b-but..” Kaory explained hurriedly. Her voice was shaking and so was her body.
“Ah I see.. Thanks.” Tatsuya smiled bitterly.
Tatsuya was feeling unwell after that party so he ended up skipping classes the next morning. Instead he was sitting on his bed, playing with his pink and furry hello kitty slippers.
Why can’t I forget about what happened last night? He tricked me. I was so wrong for thinking that he might end up being a good guy. No, he wasn’t even a good guy when we first met. Then why did I still think that perhaps, deep down, he’s not a bad guy.
Tatsuya was absorbed in his own thoughts about the incident last night. He didn’t know what to do after encountering something like this. He was definitely feeling scared. He didn’t know whether Ryo would stop or not. He had some intuition and he was afraid of his “sixth sense” since it has never failed him. He was afraid that Ryo wouldn't just stop here and he knew that he wouldn't be able to refuse Ryo's request when the time came..
####
“Ryo - chan.. Come on. Go with me, will you?” Jin whined. He grabbed onto Ryo’s hand tightly.
“No, Jin. How many times must I tell you that I’m busy right now? It’s working hour. You are in my office now right? Look at that mountain full of papers!” Ryo said while pointing his right index finger to the pile of mess.
“Mou, Ryo - chan is bad! Ryo - chan doesn’t even want to help his poor cousin here.” Jin pouted. “Please Ryo - chan..” he whined.
“No, Jin. I’ve said no! No no no! And stop calling me Ryo - chan!” Ryo replied in an irritated tone. “Why don’t you go to Pi instead?”
“Eh, no, it has got to be Ryo - chan.” Jin pulled Ryo’s shirt. “That Kusano guy will hurt me for sure, Ryo - chan. He’s not afraid of Pi, well he’s kind to Pi, but not to me! But if I go with you, he won’t be able to harm me, Ryo - chan.” Jin explained desperately. He looked at Ryo with hopeful puppy eyes that seemed to shine brighter than the sun.
“Argh.. What business do you have with Kazuya anyway? It mustn’t be that important right? Let’s do it after I have finished all of my work.” Ryo glared at Jin.
“Noo Ryo - chan. It has to be done now! I need to have everything done this afternoon! I accidentally broke my mom’s favourite vase yesterday. She’ll arrive here in 4 hours. Ah! I need Kazu - chan’s help!” Jin insisted.
Ryo tried ignoring Jin’s silly request but under Jin’s persistence….
“Okay, I understand. You owe me for this, Jin. Remember that.” Ryo said.
####
“Kazu - chan, do you need my help?” a man asked.
“No, Hironori. It will be finished shortly anyway. You may sit there as usual.” Kazu-chan, or Kamenashi Kazuya answered.
Kamenashi Kazuya graduated from an art school. He took over his father’s ceramic industry a year ago. His art was really good and his skilled hand was a bonus for his job. He was good at making imitations. Ryo always ordered some when he needed it for his side-job.
Kusano Hironori was Kazuya’s cousin. He was so attached to Kazuya that he decided to help Kazuya in running his business. He was 2 years younger than Kazuya and was still taking his undergraduate program. Kusano was a bit childish for a guy his age and when he met Kazuya for the first time, he had decided that he would follow Kazuya’s steps as he had admired Kazuya since the first look.
Ryo knew Kazuya from his school days, Kazuya was Ryo's junior. Pi and Jin attended the same school too; they were in the same year as Ryo while Kazuya was 2 years younger. They started knowing each other ever since Kazuya helped Jin who was, as usual, getting into trouble because of his own silliness. The incident went like this: He was accidentally being locked in the toilet. Ryo and Pi were busy with their own club activities at that time so they couldn't come and rescue him. Jin was shouting for help when Kazuya happened to pass by.
Kazuya didn't know anything about Ryo's secret at first. But on one fateful night, he forgot to bring his thesis home and had to go back to school to take it from his locker. It was dark already so there shouldn't be anyone in school except for the guards. He was walking along his school's corridor when he heard some strange noises coming from the headmaster's room. His curiosity caused him to take a peek in the room. There, he saw Ryo and Jin doing something to the safety box with his own eyes. Being his usual self, Jin greeted Kazuya as soon as he spotted him. Ryo dropped his bag when he heard Jin calling him. He turned around slowly and when he met Kazuya's eyes, he knew he had a lot to explain.
Unexpectedly, Kazuya took all the explanations calmly. He even offered Ryo help to open the safety box. By the time Pi came to pick them, Kazuya had already locked the safety box after putting what was inside into Ryo's bag. Ryo wanted Kazuya to stay out of his business but unfortunately, Kazuya's offer was what he needed at that time and there was no turning back. Since then, Kazuya has been helping Ryo in providing what he needed.
"Why the hell are you here?" Kusano's irritated voice was heard from faraway.
Kazuya decided to find out who was the one making Kusano so annoyed and so he walked to his house's front door. "Mou.. Let me pass here, Kusano. I need to meet Kazu - chan now. It is a SUPER URGENT MATTER." Another voice was heard.
Kazuya continued walking until he found Jin and Kusano glaring each other while Ryo just stood there, watching the two of them amusedly. "What's with the commotion?" Kazuya asked.
"Ah, Kazu - chan," Jin said, looking at Kazuya eagerly. "I wanted to meet you~" he said cheerfully.
"Ah, Kazu - nii, you better stay away from this bakanishi. Helping him won't do you any good anyway." Kusano said sarcastically.
" Ryo - channnn, this little guy here is teasing me." Jin whined to Ryo.
Instead of helping Jin, Ryo glared at Jin and it scared him. "Stop saying anything concerning 'little', Jin"
Kazuya sighed and shook his head looking at the behavior of the three supposedly-to-be-grown-up-men. "So, what brought the two of you here then?" he asked.
"Well, Jin here has something to ask of you." Ryo replied.
"Ah right, I need your help, Kazu - chan. I.. hmm…" Jin looked at Ryo helplessly. "He broke his mother's favourite vase and his mother is returning home tonight." Ryo said in Jin's place.
"Alright, I'll get it done in 2 hours then I'll have it sent to your house." Kazuya replied.
"Eh Kazu - nii, are you serious?" Kusano said, looking unwilling.
"It's okay Hiro, we're quite free now, right?" Kazuya smiled.
"Well then, we'll take our leave now." Ryo said.
"Wait a second, Ryo, don't you need anything to be done? It's going to be harder than usual, right? I mean your next job."
“I’ll get Toshi to call you when I need it." Ryo replied.
"Ah, you have that boy, who is that again? Ueda? Well, he will be a great help for this job." Kazuya stated.
Ryo didn't reply to Kazuya, he smiled instead and bade his farewell together with Jin.
####
It has been a week since the incident and Ryo didn’t even contact Tatsuya at all. Tatsuya was relieved yet he still felt some loneliness in his heart. He decided to ignore it though as he tried to erase his thoughts so he wouldn’t remember anything about Ryo anymore. It wouldn’t do him any good anyway. He was lost in his own mind when he heard his dean ending his lecture with his usual speech.
Tatsuya was on his way to the library when he bumped into someone. He almost fell down but that someone held onto him. He opened his eyes slowly when he realized that he wasn’t on the floor to see who his savior was. His eyes widened when he saw the person in front of him. “R-ryo..”
“Hi princess, isn’t it coincidental, I remember our first encounter as something similar too.” Ryo smirked.
Tatsuya was rendered speechless as he was still shocked. He tried to get a grip of himself as he bowed to Ryo. “Thank you.” Tatsuya murmured. He started to walk away, when a hand grabbed onto his arm tightly.
“It has been quite some time since our last meeting right? Let’s have lunch together. It’s my treat.” Ryo said. He dragged Tatsuya away, ignoring all of Tatsuya’s whimpers and soft rejections…
####
“So, how are you?” Ryo asked. They were in a restaurant near Tatsuya’s University.
Tatsuya didn’t reply to Ryo’s question. He continued cutting his steak instead, trying his best to ignore Ryo. I’m not going to fall into his trick this time..
“No answer, huh? And why is that so, Tat - chan?” Ryo said teasingly. Tatsuya choked on his drink when he heard Ryo calling him with his nickname. He gave up on ignoring Ryo, and so he glared at Ryo.
“Ah, a reaction. You are such a princess as usual ne..” Ryo kept teasing Tatsuya.
Tatsuya couldn’t take the teasing anymore so he gave in. “What do you want from me, Ryo?”
“Your help. It’s obvious right.” Ryo smirked. “It’s no use lying to you so why not I tell you the truth?” He took a cigarette from the pack and lit the fire.
“Truth? You mean I can actually believe your words now?” Tatsuya asked.
“It is your choice to believe or not. So where should I begin now?” Ryo started telling Tatsuya the tale of his family. Tatsuya listened to it carefully, not wanting to miss out on any words at all. When Ryo finished his story, Tatsuya was so shocked that he dropped his fork. He blinked for several times then rubbed his eyes.
“It’s not a dream for your information.” Ryo said as he put his face in front of Tatsuya. Tatsuya became even more nervous when he saw Ryo’s face up close.
“So, would you like to help me then?” Ryo added.
“What help do you need from me?” Tatsuya was finally able to utter out some words.
“I need your position.” Ryo replied shortly. Tatsuya looked at him questioningly. “I mean your status, or whatever. Let me explain it briefly, get me the copy of virus research documents.” Ryo said while he took the second cigarette from the pack.
It was quite some time when Tatsuya finally understood what Ryo’s statement had meant. “Y-you mean my research? T-the one which my professor, friends, and I have been working on for our final thesis?” Tatsuya asked, trying to confirm what he had heard earlier.
Ryo didn’t answer Tatsuya’s question, he puffed out some smoke instead. After a while, he looked at Tatsuya and gave his usual smirk.
“I’ll be waiting in my house then.” Ryo stood up and left a note in front of Tatsuya. He stepped outside the restaurant, leaving Tatsuya alone. I will win this bet, Pi. Just wait and see…
####
Tatsuya walked nervously to the analytical laboratory. He increased the pace of his steps when he realized that there were too many people greeting him. He didn’t know why but he ended up doing this. His intuition was right, he couldn’t reject Ryo’s request after all. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him; all he knew was the fact that Ryo needed his help. He knew it was wrong and that it was a bad thing to do, but he continued anyway.
Finally, he reached the front door of the lab. He took a deep breath before opening the door knob slowly. It was empty as he expected. He walked to the files of documents and opened it one by one, trying to find what Ryo was wanted. He finally found it after looking through the fifth file. Tatsuya returned all of the files into the original position and stepped outside the lab.
Tatsuya arrived at Ryo’s house an hour later. Toshi was the one who greeted him, escorting him into an unknown room. There were many books inside the room and a table in the corner of the room. He concluded that the room was Ryo’s working room. Suddenly he heard the door opening and some voices from behind so he turned around. He saw Ryo coming into the room followed by Jin, Pi, and another two guys whom he had never seen before. One of them looked familiar to him though, but Tatsuya can’t seem to remember where he had seen the pretty guy’s face.
“So?” Ryo asked him directly. Tatsuya opened his bag and took a file from inside. He then handed the file to Ryo. His hand was shaking so hard when he did that. Ryo handed the file to the pretty guy and he started reading the file thoroughly. “It’s exactly what you need, Ryo.” That guy said.
“Ah, good job then, Tat - chan.” Ryo patted Tatsuya’s head. “So now, shall I do an introduction? You’ve met Jin and Pi, I suppose, and these guys here are Kamenashi Kazuya,” Ryo said while looking at the pretty guy’s direction, “and Kusano Hironori.”
Tatsuya was stunned. He didn’t know how to react to this kind of situation and so he remained silent instead.
“Ah, I lost the bet. Okay, I admit my loss this time.” Pi said.
Huh? Bet?
“Yes Tatsuya, you’ve heard it right. Bet. I bet that you will bring this to me today while Pi said that it would be tomorrow.” Ryo said as if he had read Tatsuya’s mind. “And you must be wondering why I brought these people here, huh? You can say something like they are my partners-in-crime. And now you’re part of us, I think?” Ryo added.
“Good boy.” Ryo stroked Tatsuya’s smooth hair. “Now what shall I grant to you as a reward?” Ryo smirked. “Ah, I know.” And he kissed Tatsuya. Tatsuya didn’t even have the time to react at all before Ryo had smirked for the last time while going to join his friends’ conversation. Tatsuya gulped, trying to re-think all of these incidents he had gone through. He had gone too far and he realized that. There was no way of turning back anymore. Perhaps I should just help him. Someday, I’m sure someday, I’ll be able to change him, maybe..
Tatsuya shook his head then he gathered all the courage he had and moved his feet to join the group’s conversation.
Someday, I hope..
E/N : Finally, I managed to finish this chapter... It took me a week for finishing this.. ToT
As usual, anna - chan beta this, and wow, so fast.. Sorry for more errors this time, I wrote this during my free times... xDDD
Thanks to funkysparks for pointing out what I missed in previous chapter. I've put it here, tight..? ;)
So, do you guys realized that I've hinted Ryo's supposedly-job-in-this-chapter at the first chapter? xDD
Lastly, thank you for reading this and as usual, comments are my cookies... ♥
Author: dephi
Pairing: RyoDa, there may be some other pairings later... :)
Genre: Angst, Romance
Rating: PG - 13 and could go higher (R perhaps?)
Disclaimer : Humm.. I own the plot for sure, and maybe Toshi? Hihihi... :)
Summary: It took place in Japan, where the rich and the poor had their own societies. There were parties everywhere for the rich. Nishikido Ryo was one of the rich people, an honorable person, the heir of a big corporation, yet he had his own family secret, an unthinkable one. Here came Ueda Tatsuya who stepped into his life, an innocent guy who did not know that his decision would bring him to a totally different world that he never imagined before.
Notes: Beta-ed by annatanhe as usual.. Thanks so much, beta-ing this so fast... xDD
“I-I had no idea that Nishikido was serious that time.” Shinomiya Kaori said, still looking at the floor. Her right hand, which was holding a glass of wine, was trembling so much that the wine seemed like it was going to spill over anytime.
“Huh? What did you mean by that?” Tatsuya asked curiously. He knew that something was definitely fishy at that moment when Ryo introduced him to Kaori but he just didn’t want to think about it. He wanted to trust Ryo so badly. That was why he decided to ignore all his feelings. But what Kaori had just said aroused his suspicions again.
“E-eh? N-Nishikido - san didn’t tell you anything? Ah, thank god then..” Kaori uttered. Suddenly she seemed to be relieved. She flashed a bright smile to Tatsuya but he could still see nervousness through her blinding smile.
Tatsuya was feeling more and more insecure. He really wanted to just trust Ryo and so he didn’t want to think too much into things, but it seemed like all of the proof showed that Ryo really is that kind of man. “Can you tell me what you meant by that?” he demanded.
Kaori’s face became pale after hearing Tatsuya’s question. She bit her lower lip, hesitating about something which Tatsuya didn’t know about. Tatsuya gazed at Kaori’s eyes and it made Kaori’s face even paler. “E-eh..? N-no, it’s nothing, really.” She laughed nervously. Unfortunately for her, Tatsuya’s intense gaze didn’t move away from her. She became even more nervous. “A-ah.. W-well, there’s this night when we met each other. S-so, Nishikido - san was with Akanishi - san and Yamashita - san, t-then our conversations were moving into something more personal, a-and there were this discussion about ugh.. love matters, and Nishikido - san was making a bet that he will bring that someone, and.. and.. I-I thought he was just joking or so, b-but..” Kaory explained hurriedly. Her voice was shaking and so was her body.
“Ah I see.. Thanks.” Tatsuya smiled bitterly.
Tatsuya was feeling unwell after that party so he ended up skipping classes the next morning. Instead he was sitting on his bed, playing with his pink and furry hello kitty slippers.
Why can’t I forget about what happened last night? He tricked me. I was so wrong for thinking that he might end up being a good guy. No, he wasn’t even a good guy when we first met. Then why did I still think that perhaps, deep down, he’s not a bad guy.
Tatsuya was absorbed in his own thoughts about the incident last night. He didn’t know what to do after encountering something like this. He was definitely feeling scared. He didn’t know whether Ryo would stop or not. He had some intuition and he was afraid of his “sixth sense” since it has never failed him. He was afraid that Ryo wouldn't just stop here and he knew that he wouldn't be able to refuse Ryo's request when the time came..
####
“Ryo - chan.. Come on. Go with me, will you?” Jin whined. He grabbed onto Ryo’s hand tightly.
“No, Jin. How many times must I tell you that I’m busy right now? It’s working hour. You are in my office now right? Look at that mountain full of papers!” Ryo said while pointing his right index finger to the pile of mess.
“Mou, Ryo - chan is bad! Ryo - chan doesn’t even want to help his poor cousin here.” Jin pouted. “Please Ryo - chan..” he whined.
“No, Jin. I’ve said no! No no no! And stop calling me Ryo - chan!” Ryo replied in an irritated tone. “Why don’t you go to Pi instead?”
“Eh, no, it has got to be Ryo - chan.” Jin pulled Ryo’s shirt. “That Kusano guy will hurt me for sure, Ryo - chan. He’s not afraid of Pi, well he’s kind to Pi, but not to me! But if I go with you, he won’t be able to harm me, Ryo - chan.” Jin explained desperately. He looked at Ryo with hopeful puppy eyes that seemed to shine brighter than the sun.
“Argh.. What business do you have with Kazuya anyway? It mustn’t be that important right? Let’s do it after I have finished all of my work.” Ryo glared at Jin.
“Noo Ryo - chan. It has to be done now! I need to have everything done this afternoon! I accidentally broke my mom’s favourite vase yesterday. She’ll arrive here in 4 hours. Ah! I need Kazu - chan’s help!” Jin insisted.
Ryo tried ignoring Jin’s silly request but under Jin’s persistence….
“Okay, I understand. You owe me for this, Jin. Remember that.” Ryo said.
####
“Kazu - chan, do you need my help?” a man asked.
“No, Hironori. It will be finished shortly anyway. You may sit there as usual.” Kazu-chan, or Kamenashi Kazuya answered.
Kamenashi Kazuya graduated from an art school. He took over his father’s ceramic industry a year ago. His art was really good and his skilled hand was a bonus for his job. He was good at making imitations. Ryo always ordered some when he needed it for his side-job.
Kusano Hironori was Kazuya’s cousin. He was so attached to Kazuya that he decided to help Kazuya in running his business. He was 2 years younger than Kazuya and was still taking his undergraduate program. Kusano was a bit childish for a guy his age and when he met Kazuya for the first time, he had decided that he would follow Kazuya’s steps as he had admired Kazuya since the first look.
Ryo knew Kazuya from his school days, Kazuya was Ryo's junior. Pi and Jin attended the same school too; they were in the same year as Ryo while Kazuya was 2 years younger. They started knowing each other ever since Kazuya helped Jin who was, as usual, getting into trouble because of his own silliness. The incident went like this: He was accidentally being locked in the toilet. Ryo and Pi were busy with their own club activities at that time so they couldn't come and rescue him. Jin was shouting for help when Kazuya happened to pass by.
Kazuya didn't know anything about Ryo's secret at first. But on one fateful night, he forgot to bring his thesis home and had to go back to school to take it from his locker. It was dark already so there shouldn't be anyone in school except for the guards. He was walking along his school's corridor when he heard some strange noises coming from the headmaster's room. His curiosity caused him to take a peek in the room. There, he saw Ryo and Jin doing something to the safety box with his own eyes. Being his usual self, Jin greeted Kazuya as soon as he spotted him. Ryo dropped his bag when he heard Jin calling him. He turned around slowly and when he met Kazuya's eyes, he knew he had a lot to explain.
Unexpectedly, Kazuya took all the explanations calmly. He even offered Ryo help to open the safety box. By the time Pi came to pick them, Kazuya had already locked the safety box after putting what was inside into Ryo's bag. Ryo wanted Kazuya to stay out of his business but unfortunately, Kazuya's offer was what he needed at that time and there was no turning back. Since then, Kazuya has been helping Ryo in providing what he needed.
"Why the hell are you here?" Kusano's irritated voice was heard from faraway.
Kazuya decided to find out who was the one making Kusano so annoyed and so he walked to his house's front door. "Mou.. Let me pass here, Kusano. I need to meet Kazu - chan now. It is a SUPER URGENT MATTER." Another voice was heard.
Kazuya continued walking until he found Jin and Kusano glaring each other while Ryo just stood there, watching the two of them amusedly. "What's with the commotion?" Kazuya asked.
"Ah, Kazu - chan," Jin said, looking at Kazuya eagerly. "I wanted to meet you~" he said cheerfully.
"Ah, Kazu - nii, you better stay away from this bakanishi. Helping him won't do you any good anyway." Kusano said sarcastically.
" Ryo - channnn, this little guy here is teasing me." Jin whined to Ryo.
Instead of helping Jin, Ryo glared at Jin and it scared him. "Stop saying anything concerning 'little', Jin"
Kazuya sighed and shook his head looking at the behavior of the three supposedly-to-be-grown-up-men. "So, what brought the two of you here then?" he asked.
"Well, Jin here has something to ask of you." Ryo replied.
"Ah right, I need your help, Kazu - chan. I.. hmm…" Jin looked at Ryo helplessly. "He broke his mother's favourite vase and his mother is returning home tonight." Ryo said in Jin's place.
"Alright, I'll get it done in 2 hours then I'll have it sent to your house." Kazuya replied.
"Eh Kazu - nii, are you serious?" Kusano said, looking unwilling.
"It's okay Hiro, we're quite free now, right?" Kazuya smiled.
"Well then, we'll take our leave now." Ryo said.
"Wait a second, Ryo, don't you need anything to be done? It's going to be harder than usual, right? I mean your next job."
“I’ll get Toshi to call you when I need it." Ryo replied.
"Ah, you have that boy, who is that again? Ueda? Well, he will be a great help for this job." Kazuya stated.
Ryo didn't reply to Kazuya, he smiled instead and bade his farewell together with Jin.
####
It has been a week since the incident and Ryo didn’t even contact Tatsuya at all. Tatsuya was relieved yet he still felt some loneliness in his heart. He decided to ignore it though as he tried to erase his thoughts so he wouldn’t remember anything about Ryo anymore. It wouldn’t do him any good anyway. He was lost in his own mind when he heard his dean ending his lecture with his usual speech.
Tatsuya was on his way to the library when he bumped into someone. He almost fell down but that someone held onto him. He opened his eyes slowly when he realized that he wasn’t on the floor to see who his savior was. His eyes widened when he saw the person in front of him. “R-ryo..”
“Hi princess, isn’t it coincidental, I remember our first encounter as something similar too.” Ryo smirked.
Tatsuya was rendered speechless as he was still shocked. He tried to get a grip of himself as he bowed to Ryo. “Thank you.” Tatsuya murmured. He started to walk away, when a hand grabbed onto his arm tightly.
“It has been quite some time since our last meeting right? Let’s have lunch together. It’s my treat.” Ryo said. He dragged Tatsuya away, ignoring all of Tatsuya’s whimpers and soft rejections…
####
“So, how are you?” Ryo asked. They were in a restaurant near Tatsuya’s University.
Tatsuya didn’t reply to Ryo’s question. He continued cutting his steak instead, trying his best to ignore Ryo. I’m not going to fall into his trick this time..
“No answer, huh? And why is that so, Tat - chan?” Ryo said teasingly. Tatsuya choked on his drink when he heard Ryo calling him with his nickname. He gave up on ignoring Ryo, and so he glared at Ryo.
“Ah, a reaction. You are such a princess as usual ne..” Ryo kept teasing Tatsuya.
Tatsuya couldn’t take the teasing anymore so he gave in. “What do you want from me, Ryo?”
“Your help. It’s obvious right.” Ryo smirked. “It’s no use lying to you so why not I tell you the truth?” He took a cigarette from the pack and lit the fire.
“Truth? You mean I can actually believe your words now?” Tatsuya asked.
“It is your choice to believe or not. So where should I begin now?” Ryo started telling Tatsuya the tale of his family. Tatsuya listened to it carefully, not wanting to miss out on any words at all. When Ryo finished his story, Tatsuya was so shocked that he dropped his fork. He blinked for several times then rubbed his eyes.
“It’s not a dream for your information.” Ryo said as he put his face in front of Tatsuya. Tatsuya became even more nervous when he saw Ryo’s face up close.
“So, would you like to help me then?” Ryo added.
“What help do you need from me?” Tatsuya was finally able to utter out some words.
“I need your position.” Ryo replied shortly. Tatsuya looked at him questioningly. “I mean your status, or whatever. Let me explain it briefly, get me the copy of virus research documents.” Ryo said while he took the second cigarette from the pack.
It was quite some time when Tatsuya finally understood what Ryo’s statement had meant. “Y-you mean my research? T-the one which my professor, friends, and I have been working on for our final thesis?” Tatsuya asked, trying to confirm what he had heard earlier.
Ryo didn’t answer Tatsuya’s question, he puffed out some smoke instead. After a while, he looked at Tatsuya and gave his usual smirk.
“I’ll be waiting in my house then.” Ryo stood up and left a note in front of Tatsuya. He stepped outside the restaurant, leaving Tatsuya alone. I will win this bet, Pi. Just wait and see…
####
Tatsuya walked nervously to the analytical laboratory. He increased the pace of his steps when he realized that there were too many people greeting him. He didn’t know why but he ended up doing this. His intuition was right, he couldn’t reject Ryo’s request after all. He didn’t know what the hell was wrong with him; all he knew was the fact that Ryo needed his help. He knew it was wrong and that it was a bad thing to do, but he continued anyway.
Finally, he reached the front door of the lab. He took a deep breath before opening the door knob slowly. It was empty as he expected. He walked to the files of documents and opened it one by one, trying to find what Ryo was wanted. He finally found it after looking through the fifth file. Tatsuya returned all of the files into the original position and stepped outside the lab.
Tatsuya arrived at Ryo’s house an hour later. Toshi was the one who greeted him, escorting him into an unknown room. There were many books inside the room and a table in the corner of the room. He concluded that the room was Ryo’s working room. Suddenly he heard the door opening and some voices from behind so he turned around. He saw Ryo coming into the room followed by Jin, Pi, and another two guys whom he had never seen before. One of them looked familiar to him though, but Tatsuya can’t seem to remember where he had seen the pretty guy’s face.
“So?” Ryo asked him directly. Tatsuya opened his bag and took a file from inside. He then handed the file to Ryo. His hand was shaking so hard when he did that. Ryo handed the file to the pretty guy and he started reading the file thoroughly. “It’s exactly what you need, Ryo.” That guy said.
“Ah, good job then, Tat - chan.” Ryo patted Tatsuya’s head. “So now, shall I do an introduction? You’ve met Jin and Pi, I suppose, and these guys here are Kamenashi Kazuya,” Ryo said while looking at the pretty guy’s direction, “and Kusano Hironori.”
Tatsuya was stunned. He didn’t know how to react to this kind of situation and so he remained silent instead.
“Ah, I lost the bet. Okay, I admit my loss this time.” Pi said.
Huh? Bet?
“Yes Tatsuya, you’ve heard it right. Bet. I bet that you will bring this to me today while Pi said that it would be tomorrow.” Ryo said as if he had read Tatsuya’s mind. “And you must be wondering why I brought these people here, huh? You can say something like they are my partners-in-crime. And now you’re part of us, I think?” Ryo added.
“Good boy.” Ryo stroked Tatsuya’s smooth hair. “Now what shall I grant to you as a reward?” Ryo smirked. “Ah, I know.” And he kissed Tatsuya. Tatsuya didn’t even have the time to react at all before Ryo had smirked for the last time while going to join his friends’ conversation. Tatsuya gulped, trying to re-think all of these incidents he had gone through. He had gone too far and he realized that. There was no way of turning back anymore. Perhaps I should just help him. Someday, I’m sure someday, I’ll be able to change him, maybe..
Tatsuya shook his head then he gathered all the courage he had and moved his feet to join the group’s conversation.
Someday, I hope..
E/N : Finally, I managed to finish this chapter... It took me a week for finishing this.. ToT
As usual, anna - chan beta this, and wow, so fast.. Sorry for more errors this time, I wrote this during my free times... xDDD
Thanks to funkysparks for pointing out what I missed in previous chapter. I've put it here, tight..? ;)
So, do you guys realized that I've hinted Ryo's supposedly-job-in-this-chapter at the first chapter? xDD
Lastly, thank you for reading this and as usual, comments are my cookies... ♥