WARNING: yaoi (male/male situations), semi-explicitly described. Don't read if it's not your cup of tea. Also people behaving out-of-character and Point-of-view writing by Yours Truly Rating: R, just to be safe Pairings: Seishirou/Subaru, Subaru/Kamui in this part
The Case of the Missing Shinken
Chapter I
by Beth
Looking back, I realize that a normal person wouldn't have taken the case. On the other hand, a normal person wouldn't be a harried private investigator with a psychopathic veterinarian cum mafia don for a sort-of-boyfriend and the spirit of their dead twin sister (killed by the same boyfriend) for a receptionist.
I was just starting on my second cigarette of the day, trying to relax and concentrate on the problems on hand. Those included the landlord complaining that Hokuto had stained the carpet with ectoplasm, the lady from across the hall insisting that I break up with "this awful man who leaves bloodstains all over the corridor", her younger sister wanting me to "pass her thanks to that wonderful man who saved my Poochie's life, and Poochie says thanks too", and the glazer's bill for the time the young lady I'd been commissioned to find had thrown her suitor through my door.
All in all, Seishirou's offer to buy me a proper office in an office building for an engagement present started to look very tempting indeed.
I'd decided to send the pair the bill for the door, and started to call out to Hokuto to look up the exact address for the Koya shrine, when he walked through the door.
The boy looked about sixteen years' old. He was short and delicately built, but without the coltish look that affected many of his peers; indeed he moved with the grace of a young panther.
In other words, not my type.
His black hair fell in waves over his eyes, which were pools of the most vibrant violet I'd ever seen. They shimmered with unspilt tears, making me want to reach out and-
Totally not my type.
"My name is Kamui Shirou, and you must help me," he said. His voice was low and pleasant, and his lips were perfect -- small and delicate, like flower petals-
Not. My. Type. At. All.
I took my time to ground out the cigarette while I beat my salivating subconscious into submission. I summoned my best 'kind interest' expression.
"What's the problem?" I asked.
"Something very important has been stolen. The police are helpless to find the thief. I must get it back... It- it's the only thing I have to remember Kotori by." His chin trembled pathetically. And very fetchingly, too...
"Kotori?" I asked.
"My girlfriend. She... had an accident and passed away a few months ago."
Damn, I groaned inwardly. All the good guys were straight, taken or homicidal.
"And what is that object?"
"It's a type of sword -- a Shinken."
"Alright." I got out my notebook. "How about we start from the beginning?"
Kamui drew a deep breath, which made his arms move most-
I decided there and then not to resist Seishirou the next time he made his advances. My hormones were usually calmed after one of our little sessions, and right now they were getting decidedly out of control.
I realized Kamui was speaking.
"Kotori -- Kotori Monou likes- liked antiques." The boy swallowed, biting back tears. "She got it after her mother, I think... She always hunted for bargains in small shops in backward places. Two months ago she called me to tell me she'd gotten a lead to a Shinken -- a certain famed ancient sword -- in a shop in a very bad district. I told her to wait for me or Fuuma -- that's her brother -- but she wouldn't listen... A beggar found her body, and the shopkeeper's-" the boy was quietly crying now "-and the police said he must have frightened off the murderer, because the sword wasn't taken."
"I see."
"Kotori wanted that sword so much... so I kept it to remember her. There was a break-in into the house tonight. The attacker killed two of the house servants... The police aren't doing anything!"
I nodded sympathetically. It was damn hard to control my actions when faced with this particular pair of glimmering violet eyes...
"What's your address?" I asked. "I'll have to take a look at the scene of the crime."
"411, Mokona Street."
"Are the police still there?"
"They were when I left. Will-" Kamui gulped "-will you help me?"
My higher brain might have been able to resist the hormonal onslaught, but this wounded look and trembling hands were too much for me to handle. I sighed, got up and reached out to him.
He flew up into my arms with gratitude, letting go of the tears and sobbing against my chest pathetically. His slight body was warm against mine as I moved my hands gently over his back, trying to soothe the shudders. "It's alright," I whispered.
Seishirou chose precisely that moment to slam the door open.
He raised an eyebrow, and I knew damn well what *that* meant.
"See you later," I mouthed to Kamui before pushing him out the door, right through Hokuto. As Seishirou closed off my only way of escape, I could see my ghostly sister hovering over my newest client, getting his credit card details and criticizing his clothes.
"Well?" Seishirou asked, apparently amused.
I decided to be stubborn for once. "Well what?"
"He's not your type, Subaru-kun."
"What do *you* know about my type?"
"Enough." He had a strange light in his good eye, and for once I understood him perfectly clear. I realized that the only thing more dangerous than a homicidal Seishirou was a jealous one. So I did the only thing I could to save Kamui from being throttled, myself from being dumped and my office from being trashed.
I allowed my eyes to sneak down from his face to his broad shoulders, then looked up at him through my eyelashes.
"That you do..." I whispered.
Gods, the things I do to keep this city peaceful and my office clean of blood.
Of course, that does not really explain why I did not move when he leaned closer, smiling at me with that predatory smirk of his. I thought to myself that one of those days, I had to come up with another excuse for doing this... and for liking it so much.
My mind was snapped back to the events at hand when Seishirou's lips touched mine. I tasted whiskey, and realized he'd been drinking -- which explained why he showed up here so early, and his strong reaction to my client.
What was that boy's name, anyway?
Who cared... not me, for sure. Not when I was being bent backwards over my own desk by my dark lover's -- ahem, nemesis' -- strong arms. Not when our tongues met, and his hands wandered down my spine. Not when he abandoned my lips to nibble at my neck, and his fingers snuck to-
Mmmmm.
A fuzzy thought indicated that 9 AM on a Friday morning with a case to solve wasn't the best of times to get intimate with the guy who killed my sister, ruined my life and insisted on buying me earrings even though he knew damn well my ears weren't pierced. He nibbled on them often enough. But then I remembered that I needed to get my hormones under control. This was certainly more pleasant than any other way I could think of...
During this internal monologue Seishirou managed to sit in my own chair and maneuver me onto his lap. He dragged me down for another kiss, and my mind promptly shut down.
Probably from lack of oxygen.
About an hour later, we lounged in the bathtub. I decided there were advantages to having one's office in an apartment building, and a large bathroom was one of them.
Noda Goro was playing gently in the background.
"A bubble bath, good music and gorgeous company," Seishirou said. "You wouldn't happen to have some champagne around?"
I snorted, propping myself more comfortably on his chest. "Seishirou-san, it's ten in the morning. And I should be behind my desk now, working."
"I think what we did behind your desk was much more entertaining."
"Point. But I do need to get to work."
"With that cute kid? Maybe I should come along."
I twisted to face him. "No. And I'd like to know what you're doing here at ten a.m., half drunk and all stressed out."
"Seducing you? You didn't resist much, either."
I shrugged, taking care to hide my smirk. "I was in the mood. And don't change the subject on me." Suddenly I realized that my lo-enemy-alright, lover's -- eyes were drifting closed. He was definitely sliding lower in the tub. "Oh shit. You haven't slept all night, have you?"
For once in his life, Seishirou looked guilty.
I left the bane of my life sleeping peacefully on the couch in the other room, then grabbed my notebook and headed towards Mokona Street. I hoped that my little tardiness wouldn't make Kamui change his mind about hiring me -- gods know I needed the money. Grandmother's plan to test my detective skills by working in Tokyo instead of with the old company in Kyoto was all fine on paper, but I really didn't fancy spending the rest of my days holed up in the run-down building, dancing around with Seishirou and being haunted by the ghost of my sister. I had better things to do with my life.
Really I did.
Part 2