[log] Oshitari, Saeki, Kamio

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Date: 06.06.07
Rating: G
Summary: AU storyline. Realizing that something was Very Wrong, and only having one logical (to his mind) explanation, nvSaeki asked for a meeting with his lovers' au counterparts to ask for some help. But nothing comes for free and a deal is struck...



Saeki stirred the coffee again for the umpteenth time, and glanced at the door. He'd asked both his lovers-- no, not lovers, not in this world. Both Oshitari and Kamio. He'd asked them to come to this cafe because it seemed a safe place. Public. At the same time, the non-smoking room was small, and no one tended to bother.

He stirred again, but they didn't show up. Saeki hoped they weren't going to stand him up, though he wouldn't blame them if they did.

Kamio flipped open his phone less than a second after it vibrated in the pocket of his jeans, smirking softly at the message from the eldest of the Kisarazu twins. In position, it read. Awaiting signal.

Good, he sent back, fingers flying over the numeric pad. Give us sixty.

Though honestly, he hoped it wouldn't take that long. All things considered, the redhead was hardly inclined to do this, and had it not been for knowing his blue-haired lover would attend this meeting whether Kamio wanted him to or not, he might have avoided this all together. It wasn't like he wanted to see this person, this "other" Saeki, again. The first time had been a hard enough kick to the gut.

And if that had unnerved him, then knowing he was going to see the man currently claiming to be his deceased boyfriend was twisting his nerves up tight. His foot bounced in time to the music currently playing on the car stereo, fingers tapping his knee absently while his eyes flickered uneasily between Yuushi and the car window.

The car pulled to a halt at the curb in front of a small café and Kamio stiffened as the driver opened the door.

Yuushi allowed Akira to get out first, having watched the redhead's knee bounce steadily the entire way from the corner of his eye. Normally, he would have reached out a hand to stroke that knee, trying to calm Kamio enough to not bounce it so much...but it was wiser if his lover burned off some of his energy in the car, as he saw it.

And he wasn't so naive that he didn't know Kamio was getting messages from the twins on his cell phone. That smirk told him everything. He wouldn't be surprised if the two were going to keep watch over the entire proceedings from a safe distance away.

Once out of the car, he intended to walk in first, but Akira was quicker--of course--and he sighed. He knew that he needed security, had even asked the twins himself to serve as such...but sometimes the measures they went to protect him exceeded what he might have wanted. Instead, he ended up following the redhead inside, staying behind him as his eyes sought out the mutant with the shock of silvery white hair. "There", he nodded, and put a reassuring hand on Kamio's shoulder. This wasn't going to be easy for Akira, but Yuushi thought this Saeki might have more answers for them.

Kamio's head turned just as Oshitari spoke, and he felt his throat clench. Damn…yeah. There was kind of an understatement, he decided, eyes quickly scanning the other.

He even sat like Kou. Stirred his coffee the same way. The only thing missing, really, was a long, tiger-striped tail flickering back and forth -- but Koujirou had always kept that carefully hidden inside his jeans when in public.

So. Fuck. It was going to be a long meeting.

Nodding in reply to his lover, Kamio took a deep breath and forced some of the unease down, then followed his lover to the table.

"You came," Saeki said as he saw them approach. He was relieved. He hadn't been sure they would. He indicated the table. "I didn't get coffee for you yet. I wasn't sure when you'd come, and I didn't want you to have to drink cold tea, Yuu-- I'm sorry. Oshitari-san. And I know you don't take either, Ki-- Kamio-san, but they have free refills on iced water." He gestured to a waiter, who nodded, disappeared, and then produced said items.

If Yuushi was surprised by Saeki's knowledge of what he and Kamio typically drank, he tried not to let on and sat elegantly in his seat, legs crossed under the table. Frankly, it was all these little details that were eerie, Saeki's 'resurrection' aside.
"Thank you", he murmured, aware of how tense and closed off Akira was beside him. "We're sorry to have kept you waiting. And for the purposes of making this easier for both of us, you may call me Yuushi instead of Oshitari." The constant correcting would only end up annoying him somewhat.

"Thanks, Yuu," Saeki said, watching Kamio fidget. He tried not to think about how he was the cause of it. "Yuushi. You wanted to talk. And ... I wanted to apologize for barging in on you. Especially you, Kamio-san," he said, turning. "I didn't mean to dredge up old memories."

Kamio's gaze had strayed from the table where he sat to the rest of the restaurant, eyes tracking people absently as they wandered in and out. It wasn't that he was trying to avoid the conversation -- not matter how much he wanted to, he also wanted answers. Still, he couldn't quite bring himself to focus on 'Saeki's' face.

But his still snapped back to the other, one lean eyebrow arched. It was a bit too late for that, Kamio thought, though he only shrugged in response. "What happened, happened." He wasn't about to say he was sorry just yet. Confused as hell, maybe…but that should have been expected.

What did you expect? Saeki asked himself. Complete forgiveness? He really hadn't expected anything, to be honest, but it hurt nonetheless. He tried to be objective about this. I'd be doing a lot worse if someone came by and told me they were Yuu or Kira.

It didn't help much, but it helped a little.

"Yuushi," Saeki said, after giving Kamio another look. "I would like to ask for your help. Both of you, actually, but I don't want to force either of you into anything you don't want to do."

He got a slight frown in return. ...Help? Yuushi had heard lines like that before. Usually right before someone tried to kidnap him or pressure him into using his influence on his father for favors.

He folded his arms over his chest and leaned back into his chair, considering. "Then we'll tell you our decision after you've laid it all out for us."

Again, it was fair enough, and beggars didn't get to be choosers or dictate their terms. "Alright," Saeki said, stirring his coffee merely because it was something to do with his hands. He wanted to keep from wringing them, after all. "I'm not sure how I got here, but I want to go back," Saeki said. "I don't belong here, not in this world. I-- He had his chance, and he didn't make it. Survival of the fittest. But I'm still alive over in my world, wherever that is. And I want to know how to get back."

"As for plans, I'm not sure I have any. You were always better at that. I'm pretty sure I was in charge of making the plan for the mission that fucked up, wasn't I?" he said, trying to make light of the situation. A look at Kamio told him the joke was rapidly falling flat, and so he tried to get back on track. "I met Ohtori recently, and he's still the same bleeding heart he is in my world too." Wasn't quite the same seeing Ohtori without a Shishido around, but they didn't need to hear everyone's life stories. "He's volunteered help, but I have no idea what to do, who to talk to. I have a feeling Ryuhana was behind this, because I was there when it happened, but I don't know why it's just me and not the whole school."

Yuushi, with help from the very detailed report Shishido had furnished him with just the other night, was able to keep up with what Saeki was laying down for them.

Coupled with the odd things happening to certain people at Tomihana ever since this Saeki showed up, it was all adding up in Yuushi's head. The pieces certainly fit all too well into the notion that Saeki was indeed a dimension jumper.

Fantastic. And he had too many questions about other worlds that would likely upset Akira, so he kept quiet on that part. "...Some of the Tomihana students are acting strangely too", he finally shared, glancing at his lover. "A handful of them. Changes in their behaviors, all out amnesia...you aren't the only one displaced from your world, are you?"

"I'm not?" Saeki looked up, a flash of hope in his eyes. "I'm not the only one, then." That meant ... "They'll want to send them back. At least, if Tomihana proves to be as do-good as Ryuhana. I need to get there and do that too, then."

Maybe he didn't need to bother Yuushi after all. "I'm sorry to have asked you here for nothing, though I hope the tea's good."

"Hold on", Yuushi sat forward quickly, dropping his voice. "That isn't confirmed. But it's a possibility. My intel's given me a list of behaviors that have only seemed to spring up in the last few days. Around the time you seemed to have appeared. But. You can't just go running into Tomihana. The pieces might fit, but no one else has come forward with the same claim as yours." He sat back again.

"Still...I could provide you with that list. And acquire you passage into Tomihana to investigate." He glanced again at Akira, judging whether his lover wanted anything...even if it was just closure. "But...our help doesn't come free. I'm sure you understand."

"You have a list?" Saeki said, pausing, ignoring everything else Yuushi had said before. "How-- who?" If he knew who'd been sent here--perhaps someone who'd been closer to the incident, or who actually saw it happen. "Name your price."

Kamio glanced warily over Yuushi, eyebrows furrowed in a mix of confusion and disbelief. That 'Saeki' wanted help didn't surprise him; if this were some kind of a set-up, some way to close to either him or Yuushi using his dead lover's face, then getting close to them was the next logical step. And getting help from either or both of them would let him get close.

But…some of this was getting way too far fetched, he thought. If the Brotherhood had sent this guy after him (or them), then wouldn't they have given him a better cover story? For fuck's sake…Kamio was more likely to believe he'd been cloned than this pile of tripe.

He paused, hesitated a moment, and sighed. "Let's say," he started, keeping his voice steady. "That we actually believe you're telling the truth. You aren't some doppelganger from the 'Hood sent to slit our throats when we least expected." He leveled a glare at Saeki at this, his tone and look perfectly clear that he was expecting it. "You're here from some other dimension with nothing. Even if we named a price, how could you pay it?"

"I'd try," Saeki said quietly. "I have to get back. Yuu and Kira are waiting."

Recognizing the fact that there was going to be another long talk when they got home, Yuushi, for now, ignored Kamio's scornful remarks. This wasn't inviting Saeki into their home. There wasn't even a reason at all to meet with him after this. To send him off on a 'mission' to Tomihana would put him directly into the hands of the people who could probably unearth the truth, whatever it was, and deal with it accordingly.

And that should at least alleviate some of the tensions in his home over Saeki-san. Not withstanding whatever Tomihana found out, he would find out through Shishido.

But, he had an idea first. "This is a price you can deal with now, before I consider handing over the list. You must have some idea of where the Brotherhood is. Who they are. So, I'm proposing an exchange of information. If you can get me all the information you can on its occupants and whatever plans they're concocting, you'll have the list, an escort into Tomihana and whatever else I can help acquire for you."

Well, they could have asked for worse. Whatever Brotherhood this world had, it wasn't the Brotherhood Saeki had worked with. It was difficult to tell himself this, though.

Just think of Yuu and Kira.

For them, he would.

"Tell me what you need," Saeki said.

"Every little bit you can ferret out. No matter how small or insignificant." Yuushi could feel the look coming from Akira without looking. He wondered if his boyfriend was covertly punching in messages to Ryou over the phone underneath the table...a glance told him that's where Kamio's hands were now.

Kamio ground his teeth, willing himself silent. He had told Yuushi everything he knew, true, but that information…was two years old. And fuck. If they were going to be dealing with the Brotherhood, in anyway, shape or form, then anything they knew about them was going to be useful.

So they needed a mole in the Brotherhood. "I see," Saeki said. Wasn't as if he had a choice, was it? Saeki didn't have a problem with that, at any rate. He wasn't exactly snitching on his own side. Names, abilities, everything, hmm? "Alright," Saeki said. "Anyone in particular you'd like?"

"Anyone in particular you can get. Preferably anyone in charge or active in their 'missions'." And any information he got could be bartered along to X-Prime...Yuushi didn't completely agree with either side's ways of gaining full mutant rights and acceptance. And keeping the two in balance while he attempted to use what he had in the public forum in tandem with his Father was difficult without more information about the Brotherhood. "I personally would like to be informed if there are any further plans to kidnap me or my father again." Since he could only suspect that the mutant that had attacked him recently could have been from the Brotherhood as well. He seemed far too organized, if a little sloppy in his work.

"…again?" Kamio's head jerked to give his lover a wide-eyed stared.

"Again?" Saeki chuckled. Some things never changed. "Well, at least some things remain constant. Yeah, I'll let you know." Foiling kidnapping plots against his lover ... well, against Yuushi. That wasn't so bad. He'd do that without being told, anyway.

"I'll be in touch, then." He paused a moment. "Are your numbers still the same?" What were they again? He thought a moment, and then said two telephone numbers.

...He even had his private cell phone number? Again Yuushi had to wonder if this parallel universe idea wasn't as far-fetched as Kamio wanted to believe. Very slowly, he nodded, and made a mental note to have his number changed the moment he delivered Saeki into Tomihana.

He was going to have to give Shishido and maybe Fuji a heads up on this one. "Then we have a deal?" He held out his hand to shake, and could swear he heard Akira's teeth grinding beside him.

"Almost. One more thing. How long will it take before you give me the list?" Saeki asked. "I don't want to hang out in there for six months before I hear, if you know what I mean."

Saeki was shrewd. He liked that. Lips curving into a lopsided smirk, Yuushi dropped his hand to the table and let his fingers drum a moment as he thought. "How much information can you get me in two weeks?"

"You get whatever I get in one." Saeki shook his head. "I'm the one with a deadline I need to make, here."

"One and a half", Yuushi countered, actually starting to enjoy this small battle of wills. "And I keep an eye on the ones on the list and pull you out immediately if there's any change there."

Negotiating from a position of power was always better. Unfortunately for Saeki, that wasn't his position right now. He considered declining the offer and just asking someone else for it--there had to be tons of do-gooders who still remained true to form in Tomihana. The kitten they picked up, for one, that Eiji kid.

But Saeki didn't like the idea of people kidnapping Yuushi. "Fine."

First the security codes, now their phone numbers? Kamio cast a wary glance at 'Saeki,' then his lover. He liked this less and less every moment, really, he decided, clenching his teeth. Though the fact that his lover had information from inside Tomihana was just as unsettling for the redhead.

For that matter. So was the mention of another kidnapping.

"I guess we have a deal then," he said flatly, his restlessness getting the better of him. Yuushi was better was talking, negotiations and the like, and Kamio tended to let his lover do as he pleased on that end. Maybe that was a mistake on his part, however...a mole in the Brotherhood would be useful. Even if could see that. For no matter how short a time.

Yuushi raised his hand towards Saeki again, an automatic gesture to close the deal between them.

With a glance towards Kamio, Saeki shook it.

Eyes flicking down briefly to look at their joined hands, Yuushi hesitated for a handful of seconds, and let go.

He wasn't sure he liked how this stranger's touch attracted and repelled him at the same time. Or how warm and strong his handshake was. "Then I believe we're done here", he murmured, looking away uncertainly for a moment. "Contact us when you're in. I'll see to my end of the bargain in the meantime." With a short nod to the other mutant, he left the table, his tea for the most part untouched.

Kamio stood up, leaving the glass of water as well, and followed his lover out the door. As he moved, he flipped open the cell phone and messaged the Kisarazu twins that the meeting was over and they could stand down. He'd make sure Yuushi got back to the manor in one piece.

Which meant the moment the car door was closed, he whirled on his lover. "What the fuck do you mean 'almost kidnapped again'?"

"Akira...my ears..." Yuushi complained as he winced from the noise. The driver knew better than to get involved, and kept himself busy with the driving. "It's nothing, really..."

"Until then," Saeki said, nodding, telling himself that it was not okay to cling to Oshitari's hand. He watched them leave, and tried not to stare. Mostly he succeeded. When they left, he sat back, stirring his coffee again. In the end, he hadn't drunk a single drop.