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estiroseI'm trying to get this part done, but it will likely be another week or so before all four sections are posted. This part is pretty PG but there's discussion of rape/noncon in a previous chapter
The two of them came back to Taiga's place. His place was much better, security-wise, and he wanted Wataru to see how he lived anyway. It was a nice big apartment in a nicer part of Tokyo. He might not have a house like Wataru, but it was a good place to live.
Wataru was still clutching at the gift Mrs. Suzuki had given to him, a quilt of fur and cloth, but frowning at it as well, as if he didn't know what to do with it. It had been Mio's as a child, passed down from mother to child for generations, the cloth taken from humans that Mio's ancestors had fed upon. Taiga was sure that Mrs. Suzuki had given Wataru the most precious gift that she could think of, even as Wataru was looking at it as if he couldn't wait to get rid of it. Taiga made a mental note to put it away so that Wataru didn't have to look at it until he could handle the fact that his ancestors, too, had hunted humans.
Which was hopefully sooner rather than later, because Masao would need it.
He himself had come out of it with a bunch of names and phone numbers so that he could set Wataru up with a date or two - or at least that had been Mrs. Suzuki's intention - and the names of a few boys that Mio had known so that Wataru had people his own age to hang around with. Motomura Satoshi and Miyazawa Koji - "Tattered Flag" and "Ocean Cliffs", respectively - were the ones she'd noted, and she'd also mentioned that Miyazawa Sakura, Koji's older sister, was fairly nice as well.
"Leave that here, Wataru," he told his brother, who breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm going to go and start calling these people. I don't have any food in my cupboards, but I have some tea if you want it...."
It occured to ask Wataru to buy him something that wouldn't spoil that he could just leave there and forget about. That way he didn't have to look at it, but it would be there. Upon further reflection, he realized that it might not be a bad idea to work on getting over his revulsion to human food, because he had to pass for human. And if he and Mio had gotten married, he presumed that she'd have wanted a kitchen anyway.
But then again, as long as he didn't have to go into it, except maybe to get water, he wouldn't have cared, most likely. Because it would have been for Mio and they would have established rules. And maybe he should stock stuff in case Wataru started coming over more often.
It's funny what he had to start thinking of now that he was on his own.
"I'll make some tea for us, Nii-san," Wataru said, perhaps realizing that Taiga didn't know how to make anything on his own. Taiga nodded and Wataru disappeared into the kitchen. He himself picked up the phone and dialed the first number on the list - that of Mochizuki Imari.
"Hello?" The voice on the phone was quiet.
"My name is Nobori Taiga, and-"
"King!" she squealed. "Um...."
This was going to be awkward. "Suzuki Mio's mother gave me your number." That way, the girl would be able to confirm that he was the real thing. He wasn't sure on what to tell her, though, other than that. "I would like to meet you over a matter that concerns me."
"Um, sure." She sounded like she was in a daze, but she spoke very politely. "Where?"
He gave the name of the restaurant that was near Development and Pioneer. "I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow. I'm bringing my little brother along."
"Oh, okay." She sounded like she wasn't sure that she wanted to have lunch with him, but she thought better than to refuse him. "I'll be there."
"I'm inviting at least one other person, is that all right?" he didn't know if she and Murakami Kaori were friends. Or if she was friends with the boys.
"Yes," she said. "Whatever you want to do." He couldn't blame her for getting nervous. She could hardly know that he wanted to see how compatible she was with Wataru.
He thanked her and closed the line before dialing the second girl, Imari. To his surprise, her voicemail came up immediately. He wondered if Mochizuki Imari had called her to share the news, or if something else had happened. He disconnected, looking down at the list of phone numbers, and dialed again, this time to Miyazawa Koji.
A girl picked up. "Is Miyazawa Koji-san there?" Taiga asked. He had no idea who she was, but she wasn't who he wanted to talk to.
"Yes, who's calling?" she asked. Her words were polite, but her tone told him that she thought of herself as some kind of guardian.
"Nobori Taiga," he said.
"Is he in trouble?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm calling because he knew Suzuki Mio, and her mother gave me this number."
"Oh. Please wait." Her tone suddenly became very polite. "I knew her too, by the way."
"I'll have you share your memories of her later," he said. "In the meantime, I want to talk to him."
"Please wait," she repeated. "I'll get him."
After a moment of hearing the boy's name called, suddenly there was a male voice on the phone. "Sorry about nee-san," he said apologetically. It made sense - the girl was his older sister. It didn't explain why she was answering his phone, but he intended to ask Mio's friend later. "She's worried about me."
Taiga took a deep breath. "I wanted to have lunch tomorrow with you and some others. I wanted to talk to you about Mio. Her mother gave me your number." It was definitely easier the second time. Then again, he didn't have any interest in Wataru dating Miyazawa Koji, so there wasn't that in the way.
He hoped that the call to the second girl would go more smoothly.
"I'll come," Miyazawa Koji said, sounding sure. It was as if he was challenging his sister in some way by saying just that. Taiga briefly wondered if it seemed to Wataru that he acted the way Miyazawa Koji's sister had. Taiga heard a voice in the background. "Nee-San wants to come too."
"Unfortunately, I have room for only a few guests." He heard Miyazawa Koji explain that to his sister.
Was that lecturing in the background? Taiga wasn't sure he wanted to know or ask. He just let Miyazawa Koji say "Thank you," and hang up.
For some reason, he hoped that Koji would be able to come in the end, and his sister wouldn't stop him.
He dialed Murakami Kaori again, but her phone went again to voicemail, so he dialed the fourth person on the list, Motomura Satoshi.
The boy who answered it was breathless and Taiga almost missed his greeting. "I can come," he said reluctantly, once Taiga had explained things to him. "But there were others who knew Mio-san better than I did."
"If Mrs. Suzuki says you knew her well, I'm sure you did," Taiga said, trying to encourage the young Fangire. There was something in Motomura Satoshi's words that screamed lack of self confidence, and Taiga felt he owed it to Mio to help the other out.
The two of them came back to Taiga's place. His place was much better, security-wise, and he wanted Wataru to see how he lived anyway. It was a nice big apartment in a nicer part of Tokyo. He might not have a house like Wataru, but it was a good place to live.
Wataru was still clutching at the gift Mrs. Suzuki had given to him, a quilt of fur and cloth, but frowning at it as well, as if he didn't know what to do with it. It had been Mio's as a child, passed down from mother to child for generations, the cloth taken from humans that Mio's ancestors had fed upon. Taiga was sure that Mrs. Suzuki had given Wataru the most precious gift that she could think of, even as Wataru was looking at it as if he couldn't wait to get rid of it. Taiga made a mental note to put it away so that Wataru didn't have to look at it until he could handle the fact that his ancestors, too, had hunted humans.
Which was hopefully sooner rather than later, because Masao would need it.
He himself had come out of it with a bunch of names and phone numbers so that he could set Wataru up with a date or two - or at least that had been Mrs. Suzuki's intention - and the names of a few boys that Mio had known so that Wataru had people his own age to hang around with. Motomura Satoshi and Miyazawa Koji - "Tattered Flag" and "Ocean Cliffs", respectively - were the ones she'd noted, and she'd also mentioned that Miyazawa Sakura, Koji's older sister, was fairly nice as well.
"Leave that here, Wataru," he told his brother, who breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm going to go and start calling these people. I don't have any food in my cupboards, but I have some tea if you want it...."
It occured to ask Wataru to buy him something that wouldn't spoil that he could just leave there and forget about. That way he didn't have to look at it, but it would be there. Upon further reflection, he realized that it might not be a bad idea to work on getting over his revulsion to human food, because he had to pass for human. And if he and Mio had gotten married, he presumed that she'd have wanted a kitchen anyway.
But then again, as long as he didn't have to go into it, except maybe to get water, he wouldn't have cared, most likely. Because it would have been for Mio and they would have established rules. And maybe he should stock stuff in case Wataru started coming over more often.
It's funny what he had to start thinking of now that he was on his own.
"I'll make some tea for us, Nii-san," Wataru said, perhaps realizing that Taiga didn't know how to make anything on his own. Taiga nodded and Wataru disappeared into the kitchen. He himself picked up the phone and dialed the first number on the list - that of Mochizuki Imari.
"Hello?" The voice on the phone was quiet.
"My name is Nobori Taiga, and-"
"King!" she squealed. "Um...."
This was going to be awkward. "Suzuki Mio's mother gave me your number." That way, the girl would be able to confirm that he was the real thing. He wasn't sure on what to tell her, though, other than that. "I would like to meet you over a matter that concerns me."
"Um, sure." She sounded like she was in a daze, but she spoke very politely. "Where?"
He gave the name of the restaurant that was near Development and Pioneer. "I'll meet you for lunch tomorrow. I'm bringing my little brother along."
"Oh, okay." She sounded like she wasn't sure that she wanted to have lunch with him, but she thought better than to refuse him. "I'll be there."
"I'm inviting at least one other person, is that all right?" he didn't know if she and Murakami Kaori were friends. Or if she was friends with the boys.
"Yes," she said. "Whatever you want to do." He couldn't blame her for getting nervous. She could hardly know that he wanted to see how compatible she was with Wataru.
He thanked her and closed the line before dialing the second girl, Imari. To his surprise, her voicemail came up immediately. He wondered if Mochizuki Imari had called her to share the news, or if something else had happened. He disconnected, looking down at the list of phone numbers, and dialed again, this time to Miyazawa Koji.
A girl picked up. "Is Miyazawa Koji-san there?" Taiga asked. He had no idea who she was, but she wasn't who he wanted to talk to.
"Yes, who's calling?" she asked. Her words were polite, but her tone told him that she thought of herself as some kind of guardian.
"Nobori Taiga," he said.
"Is he in trouble?" she asked after a moment of silence.
"I'm calling because he knew Suzuki Mio, and her mother gave me this number."
"Oh. Please wait." Her tone suddenly became very polite. "I knew her too, by the way."
"I'll have you share your memories of her later," he said. "In the meantime, I want to talk to him."
"Please wait," she repeated. "I'll get him."
After a moment of hearing the boy's name called, suddenly there was a male voice on the phone. "Sorry about nee-san," he said apologetically. It made sense - the girl was his older sister. It didn't explain why she was answering his phone, but he intended to ask Mio's friend later. "She's worried about me."
Taiga took a deep breath. "I wanted to have lunch tomorrow with you and some others. I wanted to talk to you about Mio. Her mother gave me your number." It was definitely easier the second time. Then again, he didn't have any interest in Wataru dating Miyazawa Koji, so there wasn't that in the way.
He hoped that the call to the second girl would go more smoothly.
"I'll come," Miyazawa Koji said, sounding sure. It was as if he was challenging his sister in some way by saying just that. Taiga briefly wondered if it seemed to Wataru that he acted the way Miyazawa Koji's sister had. Taiga heard a voice in the background. "Nee-San wants to come too."
"Unfortunately, I have room for only a few guests." He heard Miyazawa Koji explain that to his sister.
Was that lecturing in the background? Taiga wasn't sure he wanted to know or ask. He just let Miyazawa Koji say "Thank you," and hang up.
For some reason, he hoped that Koji would be able to come in the end, and his sister wouldn't stop him.
He dialed Murakami Kaori again, but her phone went again to voicemail, so he dialed the fourth person on the list, Motomura Satoshi.
The boy who answered it was breathless and Taiga almost missed his greeting. "I can come," he said reluctantly, once Taiga had explained things to him. "But there were others who knew Mio-san better than I did."
"If Mrs. Suzuki says you knew her well, I'm sure you did," Taiga said, trying to encourage the young Fangire. There was something in Motomura Satoshi's words that screamed lack of self confidence, and Taiga felt he owed it to Mio to help the other out.
