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Title: Jellyfish Love [Chapter Twenty]
Author: Matrim Email: matrim _ no _ aijin @ yahoo . com Warnings: :D Violence, sappiness Comments: Watch me totally redeem myself. And it was either one or the other, don't yell at me XD I am sorry for typos. This is dedicated to Rae. ++ ~Past~ "Die, I want you to be one of my men." Shinya looked far too young to be in charge of a crime organization but his voice was adamant. He sat at his father's desk--Shinya's desk, now--Die reminded himself--with his back straight and his shoulders back. His posture told Die that he was absolutely confident in this new role. But Shinya had just graduated from high school and Die knew that Shinya needed someone older than him. Someone like Toll-ani, even if Toll-ani really didn't like to participate in the business these days. "Shinya, thanks but I really think you'd be better off asking someone..." Die didn't want to say better than him. Shinya might accuse him of being falsely humble. "...older than me. I don't have any experience in being someone's right arm. I'm kind of young." "Die, you're one of the people that I consider close enough to be an older brother." Shinya gave a sort of sigh and he looked up at Die, who still hadn't sat down, with intense brown eyes. "Father told me that I was supposed to choose those that I trusted the most." Die's eyes went to the picture frame that lay on Shinya's desk. When Die had come in earlier, Shinya had been staring at it. In the photo, a pink haired man stared challengingly at the camera with his arm around a long haired version of Shinya who gave a small self-conscious grin. Shinya caught Die's stare and he placed the picture back into it's rightful position. Die could no longer see the photo. "It's better if you're--" Shinya grinned at Die with a bit of irony. "--young." ++ "Die, this is Kaoru. He'll be working with you." Shinya gestured to a shade-of-pink haired man with a black ponytail at the base of his neck. "He really admired and looked up to Father and he always treated me well. I hope you two will get along." Kaoru turned and Die remembered that his brain immediately stopped registering that Shinya was in the room. It wasn't love at first sight. Die didn't believe in that. Kaoru was the dreamer, he would learn later on. But Die was practical and he'd say honestly that he fell in lust with Kaoru. It wasn't anything earth-shattering. His dick didn't stand up at attention (that would come later) but Die did forget to breathe. Kaoru reached out for Die's hand, shook it in an American way but strangely enough, he bowed. "Nice to meet you. I hope we'll do great together." "Yeah. Yeah, me too." Die said and grinned when Kaoru did. Kaoru had a great smile. ++ One night, as they tracked down any traitors that might be still left within the organization, they paused to 'talk' to one of their shadier informants. When nothing had been forthcoming, they left the man tied up in his living room and went outside in the garden for a talk. Kaoru leaned against the trunk of a tree and smoked a cigarette. Die pretended to load and reload his gun as he crouched near Kaoru's feet. Then he looked up at Kaoru. The pink hair was still visible in the dark. "So...did you have a crush on him?" Kaoru paused with his cigarette halfway toward his mouth and glanced down. Die found himself himself holding his breath at that look and let it out carefully. "On who?" "hide." "I admired him." "You didn't answer my question." Kaoru seemed to think for a moment. He scratched the back of his neck and instead of changing the subject, he replied, "Everyone did. Why else would we work for him?" When Die snorted, Kaoru smirked. "You can't tell me that you didn't." "I didn't." Die stood, placed his gun in his holster and watched Kaoru smoke. He took the cigarette from Kaoru, fingers coming dangerously close to Kaoru's lips and smirked too when he noticed the hooded gaze Kaoru gave him. Die brought the cigarette up to his lips and inhaled slowly. Then he exhaled and directed the stream of smoke away from Kaoru's face. "Is that all it takes to get you to work? A pretty face?" "No." Kaoru's eyes dropped when Die trapped him against the tree. When Die moved in closer to whisper, Kaoru barely breathed. "A cause to believe in then?" "You overestimate me." Kaoru raised his eyes and stared into Die's for a few seconds, but long enough to show Die that he wasn't the only one trying to control himself. Kaoru leaned forward and Die found himself holding his breath again. The shorter man's hands traveled down Die's chest, past his waist and snagged on Die's belt. Instead of putting his hand into Die's pants like he should've, he removed the gun and pushed himself off of the tree. He swept past Die and back into the house. Die followed after him and stopped at the door that led into the garden. Their victim shouts a few words of apprehension and finally confession. Kaoru positioned himself in front of the man so Die could see his face. A shot is fired and the man is silent. Kaoru looked up after he was done and doesn't quite saunter over back to Die. "So...are you going to ask me out or do I have to kill someone else to get your attention?" ++ ~present~ Toll-ani always said that Die's full potential was being stifled. Toll-ani said that there was only one time Die ever let loose his true skills as a warrior. It was when everything was falling apart around him and it seemed as if Die was sure to lose. If Toll-ani could see him now, there'd be no man prouder and more satisfied with him on the planet. When the two descend on Die, they do not get the weak prey they were expecting. Instead, Die hurls himself at the younger one, knocking the breath out of him. He pins him to the floor and plunges Kaoru's knife into Maneki's hand, staking it to the ground. He prepares a second knife to do the same to the other hand but the hair on the back of his neck stands on end, alerting him to danger. "BROTHER!!" Slamming the knife blad flat against the ground, Die braces himself for balance as he sweeps his leg out and trips Matatabi. He falls but as expected, Matatabi hops back onto his feet. He circles Die cautiously, katana held out before him. Die watches him and calmly picks up the fallen sword of Maneki's and ignores the cries of his victim. He can afford to ignore him for now. Kaoru's knives are serated. Pulling them out would hurt Maneki more but Maneki was a soldier, he must've been trained to ignore pain in some way. But it doesn't matter if Maneki gets loose because Die will kill him just as surely as Die will kill Matatabi. It is his duty to Kaoru. Matatabi gives him a smile; a sort of tilt of the corner of his lip upward. That's all it takes to prompt Die to move forward and to move forward quickly. Sparks fly as blades meet but they don't break apart like an anime swordfight. Instead, Matatabi and Die are leaning forward with their weight into the blades. Matatabi is glaring holes into his skin but Die is focusing on their hands, focusing on leaning forward. Focusing on hurling Matatabi back and cutting his fool head off. Sweat beads on his forehead. Die grits his teeth and feels his foot sliding backward. He is breathing hard because Matatabi is slightly stronger than he expected but it doesn't matter. He will win. Die takes a deep breath and shoves forward, causing Matatabi to stumble back. The taller man holds his katana before him in defense, but for naught. Die is swift, doing everything in his power to drive Matatabi back and waits for a mistake or an opening. Die feints to his left and as Matatabi comes to block it, Die changes the position of his katana to slash downwards. But Matatabi leans back, changing a life ending blow to a kimono cutting strip show. "MATATABI!!!!!!!!!!" Die's opponent barely acknowledges the scream and Die does the same. "I...ONLY I CAN KILL HIM!!!!" Just as Die is ready to attack once more, he is shoved out of the way. Maneki, his hand wrapped in torn silk but still bleeding, throws himself at Matatabi. In his right hand, he holds Kaoru's knife and plunges it deep into Matatabi's heart. Die pauses in his crouch and stares at the scene before him. Matatabi is in shock, his mouth open and mouthing what seems to be Maneki's name. Maneki holds his older brother in his arms--holds him upright--and sobs into his chest. "My brother....my love...." Die stands. He has no pity. He walks up behind Maneki, watches Matatabi's eyes dim in death and quickly beheads Maneki. It rolls. He watches dispassionately. He's not sure if he has any wounds on him. He probably does, but the adrenaline's not letting him feel it. There is no pleasure in this victory. Not much. Die turns and makes his way back to Kaoru's body. With every step he takes, he can feel the tears building in him. Now he feels that he's allowed to mourn because he's taken vengeance. Now he can let Kaoru go in peace. He almost doesn't want to. Die kneels next to the body and gathers it to his chest. "I'm sorry, baby. God, I'm sorry..." There's a groan. Die freezes. Did he not kill someone as thoroughly as he thought? "I told you....not to...call me....baby." Comes a muffled voice from the vicinity of his chest. Die stares down and releases Kaoru. Relief and joy and love and every single emotion except sadness floods into him, causing him to be stupid and leak tears. Kaoru's blinking at him in confusion, eyes dazed and pained. "KAO--KAORU!" Die squeezes him tight against his chest, thereby crushing the other man's face and possibly smothering him. There's another groan. "Oh, God, don't ever ever ever scare me like that again--" And Die's smoothing his hands over Kaoru's hair, checking him for injuries and kissing everywhere he can despite blood and sweat and-- "Die...Die...DIE! Knock it off!!" Kaoru bats ineffectively at Die's hands, trying to get away from Die's kisses but it's not working because Kaoru's alive alive ALIVE!!! He stops when Die will not be put off and lets him get out his worries and tears. "I thought you were dead!" "Thanks for insulting me. Like I'm BoA or something. This isn't MY blood. That stupid idiot cut off my hair and while we were fighting, I hit my head against something and I fell. People should check their bodies more often." Kaoru stops in the middle of his complaining to stare up at Die. He goes silent for a second. "Die. Did you just do something stupid?" Die nods. "What did you do?" Die stands up and drags Kaoru with him. He shows him the carnage. "I killed them." "Was this a planned attack?" "No." "It never is with you, is it?" Kaoru sighs, his hand sliding over Die's back but his hand pauses and he looks up at his boyfriend. "Die, you're bleeding." Die blinks at him. He can't really feel any pain, not with this much emotion in him. "Idiot." Kaoru manages a laugh. "Probably caught you off guard before you went on your rampage. I'll call Kaya to clean us up. You're in no shape to drive." Die is usually the one with all the words but now, now he's just silent. He lets his head rest on Kaoru's shoulder and listens to the rain fall around them. "I'll call Zero, too, for the bodies. I think I might want to keep that head." Kaoru's teasing. It's a vain way to try and calm Die down but Die is calm. He thinks he could fall asleep right here on Kaoru's shoulder. ++ To Chapter Twenty-One Jelly Home Fics Home |