Amethyst, Tiger's Eye & Jade [NOT FOR PUBLIC!]

*

Stone Angel (Image (c) Wingless 2006)
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v345/freeflyingluciddreaming/youma/ncrying.jpg



Leaning against the door even more he stared into Inoue's eyes and sighed. They both knew he was a coward and this was futile to even bother continuing. Pushing himself off, he grabbed his clothes and dressed silently. He would have to change parts of his life and take better care of himself. Walking out of the room, he kept his head down in deep thought about things he would have to change.

Nobody would know and if they did Inoue would take care of it. People would just think he was getting old or something. He would never tell Ethan-- the boy had already lost both his parents; he wouldn't worry him that somewhere in the next few years he'd lose the rest of his family.

Sliding into the car he sat across from Inoue with his back to the driver. "You should have just told me to shut up and leave the hospital."


Inoue wasn't completely sure what the hell that meant, but he was just glad the man was moving. He stayed by Takiyama's side as they walked out of the hospital and made the man get in the car first before following and closing the door. The drive back was silent, and when they got in the house, Inoue moved to the man's office and picked up the phone, bringing it to Takiyama in a silent order for him to call Koji. Normally he wouldn't give a rat's ass about this sort of thing but there was actually a chance of curing this if he could get ahold of enough of that child's blood and marrow, and that would make his job down the road a fuck of a lot easier for him.

He watched as the number was dialed, and waited in silence as he heard the line ring. That little puke would pick up or his life would be rather miserable rather quickly.


"Nng," Koji mumbled sleepily, rolling over in his bed and off one of his bodyguards. The man remained sound asleep as Koji opened his ringing phone and opened one eye lazily. "Hai?" he mumbled sleepily into the mouthpiece.


"Gomenasai Koji I didn't mean to wake you. I was calling to see how you were doing and to see when you'd like to have a visit from us? If you're busy I can trouble you later... it sounded as if I woke you." He didn't want to really do this but Inoue had given him the phone. He was just going through the motions of things in the last hour or so; his mind really hadn't caught up to the idea of what was wrong with him yet.

Even though he knew he could be cured if he did this, for some reason his heart screamed not to tell Koji.


"Nnnh," Koji replied at first, shuffling forward a little and falling out of the bed headfirst. Takiyama heard a loud thump, a grumble, and the sound of the phone being dragged across the floor before Koji had it to his ear again and mumbled, "I don't mind. Normal people are up at this time anyhow. What were you saying?" He yawned loudly and scratched his stomach from where he lay on the floor, one foot under the bed and one pressed against the face of the bodyguard in his bed, still sound asleep.


Leaning back in the large leather chair, it creaked a little. "I was hoping to make plans to come see you to discuss business. I know it's only been a few weeks but the mansion is finally fixed and it seems everything has been righted." Also I wanted to say I have cancer and I need your help... please don't freak out. "Seriously if you'd rather go back to sleep I can call again. It's nothing big and it doesn't have to be decided right now."


"Whenever you want to come," Koji mumbled happily, his voice thick with sleep. "Things have really picked up here now that the word is out that I swung an alliance with you and we kept it this time. Loyalty went up around here by leaps and bounds compared to what it used to be; seems I got more out of kissing you than killing you." He yawned again and closed his eyes, settling down against the floor and relaxing. "I have buttloads of room here and though I don't have a bodyguard as cool and scary as Inoue I do have a few good men that can keep you safe. Will E--" He paused, suddenly fully awake as he remembered their parting and what had caused most of it. He was going to ask if Ethan would be coming but instead flawlessly changed it to, "Will each of you need your own room or do you and Inoue sleep together?"


Takiyama bust out laughing over the phone, the rumble deep in his chest. "I wouldn't share a room with Inoue unless I was forced to. Inoue prefers to be on his own and I have yet to even hear of him having a lover. My own room would be nice but I'd prefer to stay in yours if possible. You will need a room for Ethan; he'll have to come with I can't leave him here to get in trouble."

Sitting forward he grabbed his arm where the knife had been put in his arm. "Maybe this time we can avoid a bomb interrupting our visit. I also insist on having some good old fashioned Japanese food. I haven't had that since I was young; some good sushi rolls maybe." He still hadn't gotten anything out of Ethan about the incident. The two times he asked the boy broke down and cried so he stopped asking. "Well let's see I'm free in about a month or two. I have some business here to settle and it's going to take me at least a month. I guess business before pleasure right?"


Blinking, Koji nodded. "Sounds good," he said slowly, a slight frown forming on his face. "Is that all you called about?" It seemed like there was more; nobody called at five in the morning just to make shaky appointments to visit in maybe a month or two. "Is something wrong?"


"No I just wanted to make sure things were alright on your end and to make sure my people in Japan were doing as told. Just a bit paranoid I guess. Chalk it up to years of worrying about things at weird times. Since we'll be visiting in a month or two I was thinking about just celebrating Ethan's birthday there. I know he's asked me for a party but a bunch of screaming children is not my idea of fun. I was thinking about bringing one of his friends and just doing something fun for kids there. The only thing is I don't know what kids like or do in Japan anymore. Perhaps you could find out for me?"

Takiyama lied through his teeth; well it was a half-truth. He did want to find out for Ethan but that wasn't why he called. He just couldn't upset the tranquility he heard in Koji's voice. Why ruin everything with the news that he needed the teen for some major transplant.


"Oh ok," Koji said warmly. "Sounds good; I'll make preparations. Ethan will have the best birthday ever." He smiled into the phone and rolled onto his side, resting his head in the crook of his arm. "I'll spoil him rotten."


Inoue remained silent, sitting still as the dead and watching Takiyama as the man hummed and hawed and did everything but talk about what he'd called for. Even the child had suspected that there was something else not being said and the man still wouldn't come out and say it. He looked away when he knew for a fact that the man wouldn't say a word of it to Koji.


"Not too rotten if you do I'll never be able to keep him from getting a swollen head. Not like I can lately anyway; unless Inoue's there he's got a mouth on him. I already had to attend a meeting with his teacher about swearing at other students. You know he actually punched a kid in the face? Gave him a swollen lip too; another he pinned to a tree with an arrow. He's becoming a handful and he's still young." He laughed remembering the teacher's face when she placed the arrow on the desk. "They won't let him take his bow to school anymore. He was so mad but what could I really do about it."


Koji laughed. "He sounds like a little rebel." Sitting up, he scratched his balls and got onto his feet, moving to the bathroom and starting to piss, his eyes closing once more as he spoke into the phone with a soothed, relaxed voice, "Hey Taki-- I don't mean to be rude or anything but I really have to get back to sleep soon. Was there anything else you wanted to talk about or could I possibly call you back in a few hours or something?" He sighed with pleasure as the last of the urine disappeared into the toilet and he shivered with relief, leaning against the wall and smiling stupidly at nothing. "When we first started talking you were all gung-ho about something but now you're just making chit chat. You sure nothing is wrong?"


"Sure; call me back whenever, I'll be home for the rest of today and tomorrow. I forget about the large difference in time; go bag to sleep. Everything's perfectly fine I'll talk to you soon. Sweet dreams Koji." He hung up the phone before anything else could be asked of him. Leaning back more in the chair he slammed his fist into the arm of it.

Turning to look out the large bay windows, he spotted the angel statue in the yard. Standing, he made his way out the office, moving past Inoue not even bothering to look at the man. Going out into the backyard he made his way towards the garden and the statue. When he reached the marble statue he slid down into the grass, his hand against the words on the sculpture.

"I guess I am a fool." He said into the wind.


Shrugging, Koji looked at his phone quizzically and closed it, tossing it on the sink and moving back into his room. He crawled on top of his favourite bodyguard once more and pecked the guy on the cheek with a laugh-- the guy was alert and calm when awake but when he was asleep it was like being with a dead log and it amused the hell out of Koji. He drifted back to sleep almost immediately, resting his head atop the man's chest and listening to his heartbeat.

He watched as Takiyama moved through the backyard, and towards that stone angel. Fire engine red eyebrows rose slowly; he'd just passed that thing off as a garden statue but it obviously meant something important to the man with the way he retreated to it when pained, and the way he was caressing it now. He pursed his lips and made mental note of the statue; he would have to find out what it was and what it meant soon, if it was one of the retreat places Takiyama went to when his tail was between his legs. If ever there was an emergency the assassin had to know where his charge would be and that looked like a major player on the list.

It mildly annoyed him that Takiyama hadn't mentioned the statue in his list of places to be found, and that made the statue even higher priority-- if he didn't even want to talk about it with his bodyguard then it was something pretty damn important.Placing his back against the large square marble pillar that held the angel, he frowned. Looking up, her sad face became visible even though he knew it was pointed towards the baby she cradled. Her large outspread wings made it look like she was about to take the child to heaven.

He'd once found Ethan out here climbing on it, it had been the first time he ever spanked the boy.

Of course he never told Ethan why it had been important to him, but he made sure that the child never climbed on it again. Closing his eyes, he tried to relax his mind and body; tried to leave all his stress and worries here in the garden so he could re-enter the mansion with a clear head.



*