Unstuck Country, Chapter 7 part 2
Jun. 3rd, 2012 08:28 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
estiroseHere's the last bit for tonight.
"Well, she was my waitress at the restaurant we worked at, where we were having a group date, and she dropped ice cream over Nago-san and I...." Wataru said hesitantly, as if he didn't want to speak ill of the dead. "One of my friends, who is human, fell for her but she ended up with me instead."
"I wonder if she knew somehow," Imari-san said thoughtfully. "You're Fangire; she had to have known somehow that you were all right."
"Nii-san didn't know I had Fangire blood when we met again," Wataru said. "Um, I didn't either, but...."
Taiga winced. Wataru tended to define himself as inbetween, which was okay except when he was trying to convince people of things. People wanted to hear from their own kind, not someone who clung to his human blood. But that was something to talk about later. "And of course, Mother raised you to think you were human," he said, in way of explanation to the four friends.
"Wait. Isn't your mother the former Fangire Queen?" Koji asked. "How could she have...."
"It's sufficient to say that she fell so in love with a human that she decided her own people weren't good enough for her," Taiga stated. "It's not Wataru's fault. He has a lot of catching up to do, that's all. He's learning how to redefine himself. I wanted to show him that Fangire have as much a culture as the Humans around them."
He suspected he and Wataru were going to be having a long, long talk when they finally had some privacy. There was nothing to be done about it.
"Well, in some ways we do imitate the Human culture around us," Kaori-san said, a frown creasing her face. "But we have our own magazines and our own stars."
"Our own dramas," Satoshi-san said. "I mean, you have to know where to look, but they're there. Though sometimes they overlap. Have you heard of the group NO-VA-GO? They're Fangire, but they've picked up some human fans as well."
Wataru shook his head. "I don't know much about bands," he admitted. "I know classical and a little rock, but not much. Mom and Kivat weren't into anything other than classical."
"You were pretty sheltered," Kaori-san observed. "Like Imari." She looked between them like she wanted to do something with them, like put them together. Or maybe that was just Taiga's imagination.
But if it wasn't, at least he'd have someone to tug the two together, if needed be. He wasn't sure he wanted to play matchmaker, just as he knew Wataru needed to find someone as fast as possible.
"I'm not that sheltered," Imari-san objected. "I have my favorite pop bands!"
Taiga chuckled. "Wataru was very sheltered. But in any case, he knows what he is now, and I know you're helping him understand more about us."
At least he hoped so. He didn't want Wataru to reject his blood. Not after everything. Wataru rejecting his blood would be disastrous. Taiga didn't want his little brother to go back to hunting Fangire, because that would mean he'd probably have to go after Wataru.
And there was no guarantee that Taiga would win. He doubted that Wataru would enjoy being King, either.
He leaned back and let the group talk.
* * *
Finally, he got the four of them out of there, after a delicious meal. He hated to leave them, but Wataru did have his magazine interview, and he did have to talk to him about what to say.
"You remember what Megumi-san said," Taiga reminded him once they got in the car. "They're looking for entertaining, a little bit edgy, mostly, but not controversial. And you saw how Mio's friends reacted. Our people might not be ready for this."
"I was hoping they'd welcome it," Wataru said, sounding tired. "Because they were Mio-san's friends."
"It takes time to change," Taiga said. He didn't really believe that the Fangire would change, but he intended to do his people some good, along with doing something for Wataru. "Starting off mild isn't a bad thing. We're not going to change over night."
He knew he was using "We" a lot, but he felt he had to remind Wataru that the Fangire were his people, too, as much as the Humans were. More so, because of his blood. There was a certain expectation that Wataru be Fangire because of who his mother was. It would be how the magazine people would likely treat Wataru as well.
Best to get Wataru in that kind of mood before he destroyed his own cause. It felt odd to Taiga to be the firm reasoner like Bishop was, but who knew? Bishop had taught him well, and he swore that Bishop had said something about a Bishop in his ancestry.
He looked out the window. As they drove down the street, he could see Ramon-san tugging his daughter down the way, perhaps towards the harbor, or someplace else. She looked resistant, but Ramon-san seemed oblivious to that.
Just like he'd been oblivious to Wataru's desire to stay between Human and Fangire. He couldn't confess he completely understood it, but he knew that forcing Wataru wasn't the way to go.
"What did you think of Mio's friends?" he asked Wataru. "Other than they were Fangire." Probably more than Wataru liked, but he was curious about Wataru's impressions of them. Especially Imari-san and Kaori-san.
"I don't know." Wataru was obviously having trouble with his encounter with Fangire his age. But then again, he'd had trouble with Mio's quilt, too. Anything that reminded him that the Fangire ate Humans seemed to bother him. "They were nice, and I can see why Mio-san was friends with them, but...."
"You'll get used to this." Taiga at least hoped so. It wasn't going to bode well if Wataru couldn't. His Human friends would grow old and die long before he would. It was part of who he was; there could be no other way.
Then again, he'd learned that Wataru didn't work that way. If Wataru wanted to have a human lifespan, he'd probably figure out a way to do that. He had power, and he wasn't afraid to use it.
It was funny, how quiet, gentle Wataru, who had seemed so weak when Taiga thought he was a Human, had enough of a force of will when it came down to it. Taiga wondered if he should have studied psychology, or at least personality types; it might have helped.
"Did you like any of them?" Taiga asked. If Wataru did, Taiga intended to set him up to meet them regularly. Especially the girls.
"Well, I liked them. They were nice. It's just... I wish they'd seen things my way."
"Wataru," Taiga said, finding a chuckle somewhere in there, "Do you know how many times I thought that about you? Besides, here's your chance to bring them around. It looks like you might want to work on Imari-san and Kaori-san." He hoped that Wataru wouldn't notice that he'd named the two girls. "Imari-san seemed the most pliable." Sheltered she was, yes. But stupid, no.
"Maybe." There was doubt in Wataru's voice, and Taiga could only hope against hope that the girl would be a good influence on him. Or at least be someone he wanted to spend time with.
Taiga had a nephew yet to be born, after all. And Imari-san seemed to be his best chance yet to have that happen.
"Well, she was my waitress at the restaurant we worked at, where we were having a group date, and she dropped ice cream over Nago-san and I...." Wataru said hesitantly, as if he didn't want to speak ill of the dead. "One of my friends, who is human, fell for her but she ended up with me instead."
"I wonder if she knew somehow," Imari-san said thoughtfully. "You're Fangire; she had to have known somehow that you were all right."
"Nii-san didn't know I had Fangire blood when we met again," Wataru said. "Um, I didn't either, but...."
Taiga winced. Wataru tended to define himself as inbetween, which was okay except when he was trying to convince people of things. People wanted to hear from their own kind, not someone who clung to his human blood. But that was something to talk about later. "And of course, Mother raised you to think you were human," he said, in way of explanation to the four friends.
"Wait. Isn't your mother the former Fangire Queen?" Koji asked. "How could she have...."
"It's sufficient to say that she fell so in love with a human that she decided her own people weren't good enough for her," Taiga stated. "It's not Wataru's fault. He has a lot of catching up to do, that's all. He's learning how to redefine himself. I wanted to show him that Fangire have as much a culture as the Humans around them."
He suspected he and Wataru were going to be having a long, long talk when they finally had some privacy. There was nothing to be done about it.
"Well, in some ways we do imitate the Human culture around us," Kaori-san said, a frown creasing her face. "But we have our own magazines and our own stars."
"Our own dramas," Satoshi-san said. "I mean, you have to know where to look, but they're there. Though sometimes they overlap. Have you heard of the group NO-VA-GO? They're Fangire, but they've picked up some human fans as well."
Wataru shook his head. "I don't know much about bands," he admitted. "I know classical and a little rock, but not much. Mom and Kivat weren't into anything other than classical."
"You were pretty sheltered," Kaori-san observed. "Like Imari." She looked between them like she wanted to do something with them, like put them together. Or maybe that was just Taiga's imagination.
But if it wasn't, at least he'd have someone to tug the two together, if needed be. He wasn't sure he wanted to play matchmaker, just as he knew Wataru needed to find someone as fast as possible.
"I'm not that sheltered," Imari-san objected. "I have my favorite pop bands!"
Taiga chuckled. "Wataru was very sheltered. But in any case, he knows what he is now, and I know you're helping him understand more about us."
At least he hoped so. He didn't want Wataru to reject his blood. Not after everything. Wataru rejecting his blood would be disastrous. Taiga didn't want his little brother to go back to hunting Fangire, because that would mean he'd probably have to go after Wataru.
And there was no guarantee that Taiga would win. He doubted that Wataru would enjoy being King, either.
He leaned back and let the group talk.
* * *
Finally, he got the four of them out of there, after a delicious meal. He hated to leave them, but Wataru did have his magazine interview, and he did have to talk to him about what to say.
"You remember what Megumi-san said," Taiga reminded him once they got in the car. "They're looking for entertaining, a little bit edgy, mostly, but not controversial. And you saw how Mio's friends reacted. Our people might not be ready for this."
"I was hoping they'd welcome it," Wataru said, sounding tired. "Because they were Mio-san's friends."
"It takes time to change," Taiga said. He didn't really believe that the Fangire would change, but he intended to do his people some good, along with doing something for Wataru. "Starting off mild isn't a bad thing. We're not going to change over night."
He knew he was using "We" a lot, but he felt he had to remind Wataru that the Fangire were his people, too, as much as the Humans were. More so, because of his blood. There was a certain expectation that Wataru be Fangire because of who his mother was. It would be how the magazine people would likely treat Wataru as well.
Best to get Wataru in that kind of mood before he destroyed his own cause. It felt odd to Taiga to be the firm reasoner like Bishop was, but who knew? Bishop had taught him well, and he swore that Bishop had said something about a Bishop in his ancestry.
He looked out the window. As they drove down the street, he could see Ramon-san tugging his daughter down the way, perhaps towards the harbor, or someplace else. She looked resistant, but Ramon-san seemed oblivious to that.
Just like he'd been oblivious to Wataru's desire to stay between Human and Fangire. He couldn't confess he completely understood it, but he knew that forcing Wataru wasn't the way to go.
"What did you think of Mio's friends?" he asked Wataru. "Other than they were Fangire." Probably more than Wataru liked, but he was curious about Wataru's impressions of them. Especially Imari-san and Kaori-san.
"I don't know." Wataru was obviously having trouble with his encounter with Fangire his age. But then again, he'd had trouble with Mio's quilt, too. Anything that reminded him that the Fangire ate Humans seemed to bother him. "They were nice, and I can see why Mio-san was friends with them, but...."
"You'll get used to this." Taiga at least hoped so. It wasn't going to bode well if Wataru couldn't. His Human friends would grow old and die long before he would. It was part of who he was; there could be no other way.
Then again, he'd learned that Wataru didn't work that way. If Wataru wanted to have a human lifespan, he'd probably figure out a way to do that. He had power, and he wasn't afraid to use it.
It was funny, how quiet, gentle Wataru, who had seemed so weak when Taiga thought he was a Human, had enough of a force of will when it came down to it. Taiga wondered if he should have studied psychology, or at least personality types; it might have helped.
"Did you like any of them?" Taiga asked. If Wataru did, Taiga intended to set him up to meet them regularly. Especially the girls.
"Well, I liked them. They were nice. It's just... I wish they'd seen things my way."
"Wataru," Taiga said, finding a chuckle somewhere in there, "Do you know how many times I thought that about you? Besides, here's your chance to bring them around. It looks like you might want to work on Imari-san and Kaori-san." He hoped that Wataru wouldn't notice that he'd named the two girls. "Imari-san seemed the most pliable." Sheltered she was, yes. But stupid, no.
"Maybe." There was doubt in Wataru's voice, and Taiga could only hope against hope that the girl would be a good influence on him. Or at least be someone he wanted to spend time with.
Taiga had a nephew yet to be born, after all. And Imari-san seemed to be his best chance yet to have that happen.
