Unexplored Territory

“Sorry for intruding,” Christian apologized, for what had to be the fourth time in the past hour. The commissioner just waved him off, turning to pull their dinner out of the microwave. Yuki had offered to cook him an actual meal, but the commissioner had refused, stating that after the stressful morning they’d had, they deserved a break.

“It’s fine, Chris,” Paul said, stirring the chicken and rice and checking to make sure it was hot enough before dividing it onto three plates. “If that bastard is really after you, then you can’t very well go home. You could go to Yuki’s place, I suppose, but you’ll still need time to pack properly. In the meantime, staying at my place for a night or two won’t kill either of us.”

Christian sighed, giving up; the commissioner wasn’t about to change his mind. Still… “Why is Yuki here, too, sir?” he asked grumpily, glaring at his errant partner, who completely ignored him. The commissioner just gave him an eloquent look that said ‘You know why, so shut up!’ Christian obeyed the unspoken command, lowering his eyes in deference.

Yuki had helped him back in the office, when the murderer had let Christian know that he was coming for him. When Christian had questioned him about it, though, he had been adamant that he hadn’t actually done anything but hold him to keep him from hurting himself against the floor and furniture, confirming Christian’s suspicions that Yuki didn’t realize he was a Talent. Or else he was in denial. It had the same effect, either way.

In addition, if the killer knew who he was, then he knew that Yuki was his partner. That put the other man in danger simply by association. And so, it had been decided that they’d spend the night at the commissioner’s home, and then decide what to do in the morning. The commissioner didn’t have any family to worry about, and it was doubtful that the killer would come after him, simply because he wasn’t directly involved in this case.

So here they were, sitting at the commissioner’s dinner table, eating microwaved chicken and rice, each lost in their own thoughts. Christian had his doubts about being able to protect himself. The best he could hope for was that the killer would be satisfied with him, and would leave his partner alone. He wondered idly if both Yuki and Paul would forget about him if he was captured. They were the only two who had any idea what was going on, and if they forgot about him, then who would be left to try and rescue him?

The thoughts were rather depressing, but Christian didn’t let his hopeless frustration show. He wasn’t going to worry the other two men unnecessarily. He’d be safe for tonight, and then tomorrow, he’d figure out where he was going. There was no point in worrying before the morning.

After dinner, the commissioner showed them where the bathroom was, so they could both take a shower. They even had separate rooms. Yuki had asked his commissioner why he had such a large house when he was the only one living there, and the older man had shrugged and explained that it was a family house, owned by his parents and grandparents. He was an only child, but he just hadn’t seen the point in selling the house to buy a smaller one.

Christian found himself exhausted, again. He couldn’t wait until this case was over, so that he could go back to a somewhat normal schedule. The tension was draining all his energy, and knowing that he was facing another Talent that was as lethal as this one was frightened him. No, he was lying; this unknown man absolutely terrified him, like nothing he had felt before.

Christian had known fear before, had known what it was to worry that the person he was trying to rescue might be dead before he found them. He had known the sorrow of losing a partner, or a team member. Still, for the first time, Christian found that all of his natural curiosity had left him; he had no desire, whatsoever, to see what this man was capable of. He had seen, and felt, more than enough. Part of him hoped the man died in a car accident or something, so that he didn’t have to be afraid anymore.

Curled up in the bed in one of the guest bedrooms, Christian found that he was too tense and anxious to go to sleep. His eyes were closed, but his mind was too busy, keeping him from being able to rest. Growling under his breath, Christian burrowed down under the covers, pulling them over his head.

The temperature around him dropped several degrees, and Christian poked his head out and glared at Yuki as the other man entered the room and came to stand by his bed, watching him. The two men considered each other for several long moments, and then Yuki sighed, tossing something onto the bed by Christian. Blue eyes continued to glare at him as he left the room again, closing the door behind him with a quiet click.

Christian sat up, turning on the lamp beside his bed as the room’s temperature rose again. He picked up the object, realizing that it was Yuki’s journal. Confused as to why Yuki had given it to him, he flipped it open, skipping to the back pages, with the newest entries.

November 9, 20XX

Christian (or Chris, as he prefers to be called) has been avoiding me lately. He’s shivering, too, although his pride won’t let him show his discomfort when I’m nearby. I wonder if he’s getting sick. He better not be, because the last thing I want to be doing is mollycoddling a sick partner. Bet he’s a whiner, too, when he’s sick.

November 10, 20XX

Chris is still shivering. He looks truly miserable now. He’s started wearing long sleeves and pants, and he’s been working diligently on the case. Chris has gone back through all of the case files, looking for links and clues that will help to connect them with what he “felt”. I’m still not certain that I believe in Talent, but whatever it is that he felt the night we fled, it spooked him enough to leave the city and the case behind entirely. I’m worried for him, but I don’t think he’d welcome my concern.

November 12, 20XX

Hmm…maybe Chris isn’t such a bad guy after all. He’s found valuable clues in this case – though I wish he’d think to actually share them with me before he tells the commissioner. The killer showed up tonight, visible only to Chris. Apparently, he’s chosen him as his next victim. Figures. Oh, and I just now realized, for the first time, how gorgeous the man really is. When he kissed me three days ago, I could have killed him, but now, I’m not so sure. I just hope we find this bastard soon, so that we can dissolve our partnership. I don’t want to fall for another partner. Not after Michael.

Christian read the entries, his disbelief growing proportionately. Why the hell had Yuki even given this to him? Seriously, it’s not like he didn’t realize that he might be embarrassed if Christian ever brought any of it up. Still, he had to admit to himself, reading Yuki’s changing opinion of him made him feel better. And to think, Yuki had noticed that he was cold and miserable, even though he had tried so hard to not show his condition to the other man.

Still, he read the warning loud and clear. Yuki thought he was good-looking, and was worried about him, but he was afraid, too. Apparently, losing Michael had really shaken the other man up. Christian wondered vaguely if Yuki’s Talent had appeared before then, or only afterwards, when he had apparently decided to distance himself from everybody, and to forgo having any more partners.

Christian sighed; he’d take the warning seriously, and not tease Yuki. Well, maybe he would, a little bit, but it wouldn’t be anything that would make his partner think he was serious. Slipping out of bed, Christian decided to return the journal to Yuki before trying to get some sleep. He slipped down the hallway on silent feet, until he reached Yuki’s door.

Opening the door, he noticed that the room was dark. The light from the hallway and from the window gave him just enough light to see by, and he slipped into the room, heading for the bed. He reached the bedside table and set the book on it, his senses telling him that Yuki was asleep.

A near-silent rustle, and Christian whirled around, his heart in his throat. Eyes glittered back at him from the shadows, nearly as high as he was. Christian swallowed, his legs threatening to collapse. The killer had finally grown impatient.

With a predatory smile, the man stepped further into the room, so that the moon shone on his face. Short, neatly trimmed hair, a handsome face that nonetheless managed to be almost nondescriptive, with cruelly slanted eyes staring at him in amusement and lust. Bloodlust, Christian thought, his body automatically shifting to shield his partner, asleep in the bed behind him.

A sudden, terrifying thought crossed his mind, and Christian reached back, his hand moving up Yuki’s body, trying to find a pulse. His partner was too still, so that it was unnatural. The killer just chuckled, and then spoke, his voice a deep bass that didn’t suit his appearance at all.

“Don’t worry. Your partner is just sleeping,” he reassured the other man, his voice cheerful, belying his words. “I don’t kill the extraneous ones. It’s much better that they simply forget you existed, so that they can get on with their lives, safe and sound, right? Oh, and don’t bother trying to wake him up. I’m erasing you from his memory right now. He won’t remember you when he wakes in the morning, and he’ll stay asleep until I’m done.”

Christian glared at him, even as he shook. He could feel the pressure of the other man’s Talent flowing around him and Yuki. It hadn’t broken past his shields, but only because the other man was no doubt concentrating on erasing Yuki’s memory of the past several days, instead.

His hand finally found Yuki’s throat, and the pulse was strong and steady under his hand, reassuring him. A tendril of ice made his fingers tingle, and Christian caught his breath, hoping that his face hadn’t given him away. Yuki was a Talent; his cold could shield Christian against the killing madness that had consumed the man standing across from him, waiting patiently. So there might be hope.

Lowering his eyes, Christian sent a tendril of his own Talent down into Yuki, seeking. Touching them, he allowed his power to flow, just a trickle, to coax Yuki’s Talent outwards. A low growl, and the killer leapt, catching him around the throat and sending him crashing towards the ground. Christian’s head smacked the edge of the bedside table with a loud ‘crack’ on the way down, and blackness filled his vision.

Christian barely clung to consciousness as the hands wrapped around his throat tightened, choking off his air. Reaching out, he tried to pry the other man’s hands off of him. Failing that, he scratched at his face, too weak to actually try and punch him. His attacker just buried his head in Christian’s chest, keeping him from reaching his face, and slowly, Christian faded, his head lolling as his lungs lost the fight for air.

A deep chuckle above him, and the gloating words, “You’re mine,” were the last things Christian heard as his hands dropped, his body having given up on him. His last thought before losing consciousness entirely was, Don’t fail me, Yuki. Because you’re the only hope I’ve got left.