Archive of Our Own ^beta

Yugamu had never particularly liked assassinations.

They were too clinical, too impersonal.  Murder should be a passionate affair, not something to pass along to another to avoid any personal complications.

Yet, he was an Omokage.  There were expectations for him.  He’d never been able to work up the nerve to tell his family that he wanted to be anything else.

When his mother told him it was time for him and his siblings to start collecting their own clientele, Yugamu hadn’t fought it.  Maybe if he was the one picking his targets for a change, the killings wouldn’t feel so empty.

His idea of a back-alley clinic fronting for his own personal assassination business was received well, and his parents provided the funds for it.  Injured people were very commonly after some sort of vengeance, and those that couldn’t go to a regular hospital were more often than not willing to pay for it.  If they weren’t, Yugamu could still get quite a bit of satisfaction from simply stitching them back together, no questions asked.  If he was being honest with himself, he preferred those clients over the real ones.

Word spread about his skill in both sides of his business, and Yugamu got his first repeat customer.

Eito Aotsuki had the eyes of a man who’d killed plenty on his own before, maybe even more than Yugamu had.  Every request he made was with a sense of disappointment that he couldn’t be the one to sink the knife into his victim himself, and he made several requests.  He was an ambitious man though, a politician in the making.  He couldn’t risk a scandal, so he kept his kills to those that no rational person could trace back to him.  For anyone too close, he had Yugamu.

“I cannot stand his vile presence a moment longer,” he sneered.  In the beginning he had kept his mask up even in an empty clinic, but it had slipped a few too many times now for him to bother with it anymore.  It was strange to see a face Yugamu so often saw smiling pleasantly on television and billboards contorted into a look of pure distain.  “I’ve tolerated his disgusting attention far too long.  I don’t want to ever see him again.  I’ll pay the rush order fee if you can guarantee it’ll be done by Monday.”

Yugamu tapped his nails against the desk, smiling at him.  “If you have the same amount of notes on his habits as usual, that shouldn’t be a problem.”  Eito really did make things simple for him.  He always planned out the kills himself in excruciating detail before reluctantly concluding that he couldn’t find a way to do it himself.  It took away the entire need for staking out the target beforehand.

It also made the assassinations feel even more impersonal, but at least they were over quickly.

Eito huffed.  “What habits?  All he seems to do outside of being the most ineffective intern in the universe is sleep.  If his apartment was just a little less secure, I could sneak in there and smother him in his bed, and no one would think anything of it.”

“Is that how you’d like it done?”

“No.  If you’re going to do it, I’d like it to be a lot less comfortable.  A mugging gone wrong?  An accident?  I don’t care much for the specifics so long as it’s suitably unpleasant.  I want him to know what’s coming for him.”

“And I assume I can expect you back for the recording sometime after the funeral?”

A cold smile curled onto Eito’s face.  “I’m not sure I’ll be able to wait that long for this particular case.  I’ll risk another visit.  This one was just to let you know that my usual donation to your very important pillar of our local community will be a bit late, but twice as large to make up for it.”

“Hm.”  Yugamu smiled at him.  “That is quite kind of you.  I promise every cent of it will go to helping more people.”

Eito actually did make those donations completely separate from the other payments Yugamu received from the man.  Yugamu knew Eito only did it for the good press, but that was fine.  It made it so he didn’t have to fish for assassination work to keep the clinic up and running.  He’d even been able to refuse a few jobs he found particularly distasteful.

No way to refuse Eito though.

No matter how petty his grudges, Yugamu would fulfil his requests.

Eito slipped him an envelope that was far thinner than usual.  Yugamu raised an eyebrow, and Eito smiled.

“In light of that generosity, would it be possible to make my other payment then as well?  I’d hate to have an extra charge on my records, and I don’t have access to the full amount just yet.  Surely, as a loyal customer, an exception can be made just this once?”

That was new.  Eito didn’t try to haggle with him.  He was one of the few customers that didn’t.  Yugamu knew money wasn’t an issue for him usually, but with the new campaign, he supposed he might be a bit more put out than normal.  It was very against family policy to not accept payment up front, but Eito was right.  He was good for it.  Plus, he’d donated enough to the clinic for at least one kill on the house if he didn’t ever show up again.

He would show up again.  From the sound of it, he really wanted to watch this one’s last moments.  He always did.

Yugamu winked at him.  “For you?  Anything~”

His eye twitched.

Yugamu grinned at him.  “I’ll see you Monday then.  I hope you like what I come up with~”

Eito’s smile was tighter than before.  “I’m sure I will.”  He turned and stalked away.

Yugamu watched him go.  He really hated the flirting, huh?  He’d gotten worse and worse at hiding it, but he was still trying to hide it.  Even with how much malice he let slip out inside Yugamu’s business, he still hadn’t dropped all of his walls.  How much more wrath was he hiding?  How many more jobs would Yugamu need to do for him before he could see all of it?

After Eito was gone, Yugamu flipped through the information he’d provided for him.

Takumi Sumino.  Age 25.  Employed as an intern at the same governmental office that Eito was currently a city council member in – and would be mayor in by this time next year if all went to plan – for the Parks & Recreation Committee, of which Eito was the current chairman.  Takumi Sumino’s father was also a city council member, likely how he got the job, and was vocally in support of Eito’s opponent in his mayoral race.

No.  Eito could not handle this one himself, no matter how much he wanted to.

Takumi Sumino was also in his sixth year at the local community college after changing his major three times and failing a few early morning classes.  Eito helpfully speculated in his notes that this was because of Takumi’s ‘lack of any motivation or passion,’ his ‘addiction to wasting even more of his pathetic life sleeping’ and ‘his inability to think about anything more complicated than a coffee order.’

Eito’s notes were one of the few things Yugamu actually enjoyed about these jobs.

Takumi Sumino worked in the mayor’s office in the morning and took the last few classes he needed to finish his degree in the evening.  Occasionally, he would go out with friends to the movies on the weekends, but for the most part any time spent outside of work and school was spent at his apartment he shared with a single roommate who was away all day every day working one of his four jobs.

‘Won’t be an issue,’ Eito noted along with a copy of Gaku Maruko’s work schedules for the next two weeks and a composite chart of all of them placed together.

He also had maps of Takumi Sumino’s route to each of his usual locations: the walking path he took between the parking lot and his classes at the campus, the driving route he took from his apartment to his school, and the biking trail he used to get from his apartment to work.  Points along the routes were marked as potential ambush spots.

The school seemed to be Eito’s preferred location.  On Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays Takumi Sumino had two late classes on opposite ends of the campus.  In the dark, there were several places where it would be simple to stab a man in the back before disappearing into the trees.  Eito had even put a gold star on his favorite spot.

It was near the utilities building.  Takumi Sumino passed between it and a forested slope at approximately 6:45pm on those days.  It was already Thursday.  If Eito wanted this done by Monday, Yugamu would need to get him on Friday.

The location was good.  Yugamu could hide in the trees and slip back into them once he was done.  Eito marked the spot as very low-traffic, but if there happened to be someone else around, Yugamu had many tricks to separate them.  Worst came to worst, the disguise and the lack of any connection to the victim should protect him.  Yugamu would rather have the freedom to wait to prevent anyone else from getting involved, but it was a rush order.  He’d need to work with what he got.

It wasn’t lost on him that Eito’s opponent in his race had advocated against extra funds for campus safety and security in his previous role.  Yugamu was certain Eito wanted this Takumi Sumino dead regardless, but he was never one to waste an opportunity.

Yugamu saw no reason not to help out a loyal customer.

He spent the remainder of his Thursday shift going over the rest of Eito’s notes in between clinic customers.  Once he was done, he burned them to ash and disposed of them.

There were more little complaints than usual.  This target had been building for a while.  He had really wanted to do this one himself.  He’d concocted a few scenarios, trying to give himself an alibi, but wasn’t satisfied with any of them.  His normally perfect handwriting had edges of irritation. 

Poor guy.  It was hard being a politician and a serial killer at the same time.  Much easier to be an assassin and a medic.  The skillsets lined up a bit better.  Though, there was some overlap in Eito’s two professions.

Yugamu had wanted to get to the campus early to scout out the location for himself, but a gang shooting left him deep in surgery most of the night before, and then he’d needed to rest for at least an hour or two.  He’d made it to the campus with mere hours to spare.  There was only really time to scope out Eito’s preferred location, but as usual there were no issues with it.  No cameras, no sightlines, no foot traffic.

Really, it was a wonder no one had been mugged here before.

The forest’s foliage was thick, and the hill up to the campus steep, so perhaps no one believed broke college kids were worth the trouble.  Yugamu supposed it didn’t matter.  The flaw in their security would be closed soon.

His target came into view right on time.

He was barely aware of his surroundings, yawning and rubbing his eyes as he walked alone down his usual path.

Like most of Eito’s targets, there was nothing about the man that would make an outsider suspect he was the victim of an assassination.  He looked like any other college kid.  Sweatpants, sweatshirt, both rather wrinkly.  The hair stood out, bright red with a black tuft in the front, but other than that…nothing.

Just a normal, innocent guy who had the unfortunate fate of crossing paths with Eito Aotsuki and being a bit too friendly.

Yugamu tried not to think too much about it.  He didn’t enjoy these kills, but with the funds from them he’d saved more lives than he’d taken now.  He just needed to do what he always did: detach himself and just think of it as an unpleasant menial task.

He twirled his knife in his hand and flicked on the small camera at his collar.  He waited until Takumi Sumino was hidden completely by the utilities building before slipping out of the shadows, grabbing him from behind, and pressing a blade into his throat.

“Don’t scream,” Yugamu whispered into his ear, altering his voice from his usual.

His target sucked in a sharp breath and froze.  He stammered nonsense, unable to form a full thought, let alone a full sentence.

“Phone, wallet, keys in the backpack.  Quickly, if you don’t want me to slit your cute little throat.”  He brushed his thumb back and forth across the smooth skin of his neck.

“P-Please…  I don’t…”

Yugamu tutted impatiently and pressed the blade in closer.

“Okay.  Okay.”  He moved carefully, slipping his backpack off of one shoulder and hanging it on the other so he could open the front pocket.  He grabbed his phone out of the pocket of his sweatpants and his keys out of the pocket of his sweatshirt and put them in his bag.  Like Yugamu expected, he didn’t have a wallet.

“Did you not hear me?” he growled.  “Wallet in the backpack.”

“I don’t…  I don’t have one…”

“You don’t have one?  You think I’m gonna fall for that?  Put it in the bag.”

“I don’t!  You…you don’t need money on campus.  It’s all charged to my ID.  I…I’m not lying to you.  Please don’t…”

He really did look cute like this, trembling all over, eyes wide with fear.  It wasn’t like Yugamu didn’t enjoy seeing what people looked like before death.  In one’s final moments, they revealed so much of who they were deep down.  Without knowing who they were outside of that though?  There was a hollowness to it. 

Yugamu wanted to know the person he was killing inside and out.  He wanted to be able to give them their perfect end, one tailor-made for them.

It was impossible.  Yugamu had only moments with him.

He scanned the area around him, looking for any other students who’d decided to take this path, but they were still alone.  He was about to launch into his next line about knowing he had more on him, when his eye caught on a blinking red light.

Yugamu stopped, eye narrowing.

It was partially obstructed by foliage, but now that he’d seen the light, the rest of the mechanism was easier to spot.  A small, gray box taped to the utility building.  Blue tape.

Yugamu stiffened, eye darting around for a familiar set of modified glowing red eyes.  The second he caught sight of them, the high pitched whine began.

He wasn’t sure why he grabbed his target by the hoodie and pulled him along when Yugamu leapt away from the building.  Some prideful instinct that only he was allowed to kill his target?  A slip into medic-mode from being caught so off-guard?  It didn’t matter.  He did it regardless of his reasoning, and because of that neither of them were killed in the initial blast.

Takumi Sumino screamed as the bomb went off, flailing his limbs wildly as the blast sent both him and Yugamu careening into the dirt.  A flying piece of stone hit Yugamu in the head, and other pieces of shrapnel stabbed into his arm, side, and back.  His ears rung.  His vision clouded.  He fought to recover his bearings.  He needed to get back to his feet.  Needed-

“Bad luck, little brother,” a familiar voice cooed playfully.  “You know what happens now.”

Yugamu panted, blinking rapidly.  He gripped his knife as tightly as he could, holding it at the ready between him and Seigou.

Seigou.  Why was his brother here?  Why were Yugamu’s ears still ringing so much?  He needed to be able to think now more than ever.

His brother took a large stride closer, barely seeming to care about the smoke and fire nor the rising commotion around them.  His voice lowered, directed only at Yugamu.  “I believe it’s tradition for the other assassin to die before the target in these situations, but I’m curious if it’d be improper for you both to go at once.  What do you think?”

Yugamu swallowed.  Thoughts finally reached him in a bullet-pointed list.

Takumi Sumino was also Seigou’s target.  When two assassins were given the same target, it was an unspoken rule that they had to fight to the death.  Seigou had every intention of following that rule, family or not.  Yugamu was injured.  Seigou was not.  Seigou had a small bomb in his hand, poised to throw. 

Seigou was going to kill him.

Other thoughts didn’t matter so much.  The why of it all.  The how.  If he had more time, maybe he’d consider it, but he knew he was in his final minute of life.  Maybe in whatever came after he’d get a full rundown.  That might be nice.  Though, a life where he never had to think too deeply about anything ever again sounded appealing right now too.  Just a quiet, peaceful life.  One he’d never known.

Seigou’s arm drew back, and a brick hit him in the shoulder.

The bomb banked right, hitting the other corner of the utilities building with a loud bang.  It must’ve ruptured something inside, so a much larger, much more fiery explosion followed.  Yugamu felt the burst of heat from it, then a hand was around his wrist, and he was being tugged forcefully away, and then he was rolling down a hill banging into trees and being sliced up by the undergrowth. 

There was another body tumbling down with him.  It landed beside Yugamu at the base of the hill, groaning.

“Ow…  Ugh…”  It sat up, rubbing the back of its head, then startled as if just remembering what had just happened.  “God…  Oh, god...  What the hell just happened?  What’s going on?”  He crawled over, peering down at Yugamu.  “Hey!  Hey, are you okay?”

Takumi Sumino.

What…was he doing?

His target looked at him with wide, panicked eyes.  “Ah…  That’s…a…a lot of blood…”  He brushed his fingers hesitantly over the spot where the stone had hit Yugamu in the head.

As soon as he did, Yugamu could suddenly feel the large trail of blood running through his hair, down his cheek, and onto his shoulder.  That was normal.  Head wounds tended to bleed a lot, but clearly this man didn’t know that.  Why would he?  Death wasn’t a centerpiece of his life.

“We need to get to a hospital,” he said frantically.  “We need to run.  Do you think that guy’s going to follow us?”

Certainly.  This didn’t end until one of them was dead.  That was how it worked.  Yugamu had never run into this situation before, but his siblings had.  They had always been the ones to emerge on the other side.

Yugamu should be dead.  Why wasn’t he?

“…What are you doing?”

“Huh?”

“Why did you grab me?”

“Be…Because I didn’t want that crazy dude to blow you up!?” he said like the question was stupid.

Yugamu tilted his head at him.  “Why not?”

“Why not!?”

Yugamu was about to remind him about the whole threatening-him-with-a-knife thing, but before he could, a sing-song voice called out.

“It’s unsportsmanlike to run, Yu~” Seigou called lightly from the top of the hill.  “You know I’ve got plans for later.  Let’s not drag this out longer than we need to.”

Takumi jolted to attention, muttering curses under his breath.  After a moment, he ducked under Yugamu’s arm and took hold of him, pulling him back to his feet.  “Come on,” he whispered urgently.  “We need to hide.”

Yugamu allowed Takumi to pull him along, watching his panicked expression as he moved.  His eyes were a very dark blue with a red ring around the irises.  He had soft, round cheeks.  His whole being seemed soft, really.  Yugamu wondered if he’d ever seen violence before in his life.  He doubted it, if this was his reaction.

There was a collection of college housing at the bottom of the hill, small houses broken into two units for a duo of students to use either the top or ground floor.  Takumi pulled Yugamu to the second row so they were hidden from the hill and started frantically knocking on a door.  He opened his mouth to shout, then stopped, jerking his head back to look over his shoulder.

When no one answered, he pulled Yugamu to the next house and tried again, but that one was similarly empty.

“Darn.  It’s a long weekend.  Everyone’s gone home…”  Takumi’s eyes flicked back and forth, trying to think of something.

Yugamu watched him.  Was being welcomed inside by a Good Samaritan really the only idea that occurred to him?  How adorable.

“If I may?” Yugamu offered, leaning away from Takumi so he was standing under his own power again.

Takumi’s wide, worried eyes turned to him, and he raised his arms, ready to catch Yugamu if he suddenly toppled over.

Yugamu couldn’t help but flash him a smile at that.  No one had looked at Yugamu like he was something fragile in…well ever, probably.  What a silly thought.  What a kind thought.

He pulled out his lockpicks from his pocket and had the door open in a matter of seconds.  He pushed his way inside, flourishing his other arm in welcome as he held open the door for Takumi.

Takumi didn’t move.  “We…we can’t just…”

So cute.  “I believe breaking and entering is acceptable when running for one’s life.”

He was still gnawing at his lip, but he did follow Yugamu inside.  He mumbled something about apologizing and cleaning everything up later.  That alerted Yugamu to the trail of blood that would lead his brother right to them.  It was only small drops, so it would take some time, but not a lot of time.  Yugamu would need to work quickly.

The bathroom was close to the door and easy to spot, so Yugamu headed straight for it.  He pulled the dark hood off his head and shook out his hair then went to work wiping his head wound clean and quickly stitching the cut closed.  He heard Takumi suck in a sharp breath behind him when he pulled out the needle and thread, but other than that he just stood there, quietly watching him work.

Yugamu looked himself over, making sure none of the shrapnel still lodged in his body was dripping then moved to Takumi, looking him over for injuries for the first time.  To his surprise, he was mostly only scuffed up from the fall down the hill rather than from the explosion.  Yugamu moved closer, and ran a hand over Takumi’s chest and arms, making sure he wasn’t missing anything.

Takumi stiffened.  “W-W-What are you doing!?”

Yugamu looked up at him, tilting his head.  “You are…a very lucky man.”  He trailed his fingers across Takumi’s neck, making him tense further.  There was a thin cut there where Yugamu had nicked him accidentally in his surprised state.  A thin line of blood ran down from it into his shirt.  “Is this really the worst injury you got?”

The look in Takumi’s eyes shifted from discomfort to confusion.  And guilt.  “You…you pulled me out of the way.  You shielded me.”

Had he?  Yugamu supposed it could’ve looked like that from the outside.  Since he’d been the one to pull Takumi away, he’d ended up further from the blast than Yugamu was.  And since Yugamu had happened to be between Takumi and the bomb, the shrapnel had hit him exclusively.  Well, Yugamu supposed that explained the man’s actions a bit better.

“I’m not unhappy it turned out this way, but that wasn’t my intention,” he clarified.  “I was trying to save myself, and I did a rather poor job of it.  There’s no need for you to feel indebted.  In fact, you should probably run the other way.  He won’t come after you until he’s dealt with me.”

Takumi looked aghast.  “I’m not leaving you!  You’re hurt!”

“As are you.  From that knife I had against your throat, if you recall?”

He glanced away frowning.  “That’s…  I mean…I don’t think you should die just because you were trying to steal from me.  Plus, you seem…different than you were then.  If that guy’s been after you, maybe you were just desperate?  I don’t know.  But, I know it’d be wrong to abandon you.  I won’t…I won’t let him hurt you.  I’ll protect you, so…you don’t have to worry.”

Yugamu stared at him.  He blinked slowly.

Takumi shuffled on his feet, a light pink dusting his cheeks a moment after the words had finished.  He’d averted his eyes, but he stayed in place: embarrassed by his words but not taking them back.

He should take them back.  He still didn’t understand the situation he’d found himself in.  Yugamu was opening his mouth to further clarify when grass crunched softly in the distance.

Everything else vanished.  He grabbed Takumi by the hand and placed a finger to his lips.

Takumi startled, searching the area around him, but Yugamu doubted he’d heard the noise.  There was no way this normal man had the attuned senses of an assassin.  Clearly not, since he didn’t fight it when Yugamu pulled him out of the back door of the house and further away from the hill.

A few streets away, he picked the lock to another empty house and slipped inside, heading up to the second floor this time.  Seigou shouldn’t be able to track them from the route they took even with Takumi’s heavier footsteps, so they’d have some time to collect their bearings.

As soon as the thought occurred, exhaustion hit him in a wave.  He leaned against a wall, rested a hand on his head and gently let himself slide down until he was sitting on the floor.

The pain was fine; that had never slowed him down, but the pounding in his head wasn’t a nice kind of pain.  It was the kind that dulled his senses instead of heightening them.  At least the adrenaline had lasted long enough to get them to a safe place.  Yugamu could afford to rest a moment before dealing with the shrapnel.  He closed his eyes, opening them again when Takumi started shaking his shoulder.

“Hey!  Hey!  Don’t…don’t go to sleep.  You hurt your head.  You shouldn’t…”

Yugamu blinked at him for a moment then a small smile returned to his face.  “That’s a myth.”

“Huh?”

“Even if this is a concussion, sleeping will help it heal not kill me or put me in a coma or anything.  No need to fret.”

“I’m not…”  He frowned.  “What about…your wounds?  You need treatment.  You need a hospital.”

Yugamu shook his head.  “Seigou’s never cared much for collateral.  I’d rather avoid anywhere populated for now.”

For now?  This wouldn’t end unless Yugamu killed his brother or his brother killed him.  A death like that wasn’t one Yugamu wanted for himself, but the alternative was…  He wasn’t sure he was capable of it.  He had no love for his family.  Perhaps if he did, the thought of killing one of them wouldn’t sit so wrong in his gut.  As it was now though, he couldn’t get himself to choose either option for his future.  Yugamu closed his eyes again.

“Sei…gou…” Takumi repeated.  “Has he…been after you for a long time?”

Yugamu opened his uncovered eye.  “Not long at all, though he has been in my life since the very start of it.”

Takumi’s eyebrows scrunched.  “He’s…”  He trailed off, thinking back on the entire exchange.  For the first time, the thing Seigou had said right after the first bomb went off seemed to register.  “Wait…  He called you…  He’s your brother!?”

“Mhm.”  Yugamu nodded.  “Bombs have always been his signature weapon.  It’s been a while since I was on the receiving end.  He’s gotten better at the bombs themselves, but he could still use more practice hiding them.  I think he likes his victims noticing them right before he sets them off, but it does run the risk of letting them escape like we did.”

Takumi barely seemed to hear most of what he said.  “Why is your brother trying to kill you!?”

“Code,” Yugamu said simply.  “When two assassins happen to have the same target, they must fight to the death for the privilege.  It’s just how it is.”

“A-Assassin!?”  His eyes flicked back and forth.  “Why…?  Why would anyone…?”

“Any petty reasoning can be enough if the buyer is rich and well connected in the underworld.  At least in my case.  I’m not sure who else you’ve got after you.”

Takumi blinked.  “Your…case…?”

Yugamu smiled at him.

Several minutes too late, it clicked for him.  His lips parted; his eyes widened.  Absurdly, he looked almost betrayed.

“You…you were…”

“It’s important to stage the scene to make sure as few people look into the death as possible, especially when the victim doesn’t seem like they’d have many enemies, if any at all.  I’m sure my brother intended to make it look like a gas explosion that unfortunately caught a student walking between classes.  I use knives, so I tend to go for muggings gone wrong or acts of passion.”

Takumi took a step back away from him.  That was a long time coming.  Still, part of Yugamu didn’t like the newfound hesitation in Takumi’s face.

“…Why?” he asked again, softer this time.

“It’s not personal,” Yugamu said, ridiculously.  “You seem like a good person.  You’ve been so kind to a wicked assassin like me even after I hurt you, after all.  If you’re worried about ‘deserving this,’ don’t.”

Yugamu closed his eye once more, sinking further into the floor.

“You should go,” he advised again.  “Like I said, he’ll come after me first.  You’ll be safe until I’m dead, and I at least plan on giving him a good runaround.”  He smiled softly, sleepily.  “So, live as best you can.  Treasure your normal life while you can hold onto it.  Maybe…maybe I’ll even get the chance to see you again someday.  I think…I’d like that.”

He let his head slump against his own shoulder and sleep take him.  When he woke, he would figure out everything else.  For now, he just needed to rest.

Yugamu woke a while later to a pleasant smell in the air.

The house had gone completely dark.  Clouds outside obscured the moon and stars.  Only the glow of a small, covered flame a few rooms away let Yugamu see faint outlines of the world around him.  The throbbing in his head had faded.  He felt like he could think again.

He sat up, and a blanket slid off of him.

Yugamu blinked down at it for a moment before the only possible source occurred to him.  Takumi had…given him this before he’d gone.  Another kindness.  Why?  He’d known Yugamu’s previous intentions for him at that point.  Why would he take the time to make sure his would-be-killer was comfortable?

As if in answer, Takumi walked back into the room.

He was carrying a steaming bowl of soup in his hands.

“O-Oh.  You’re awake.”

Yugamu blinked at him.

He swallowed, glancing away.  “I um…I didn’t really know what to make someone who was hurt, so I…I figured soup’s good when you’re sick, so…”

“Why are you still here?”

He winced.  “I couldn’t…  I couldn’t just go…”

“You could have.  Quite easily.  I tried to kill you.”

“I…I know that, but…you saved me too.  Even if you didn’t mean to or if it was just so he couldn’t get me first, I still…”  He trailed off.  He swallowed.  “I just…want to make sure you’re alright.”

Yugamu’s heart thumped in his chest.  “Takumi…”

He startled.  “How…?  Oh.  Yeah I…I guess it makes sense you’d know my name.”  He hesitantly took a few steps closer and set the bowl of soup down on the ground next to Yugamu, kneeling in front of him.  “Can I…know yours?”

Yugamu had the very strong urge to reach out and brush a clump of loose hair out of Takumi’s face, just to touch him again, to make sure he was real.  How could someone like this be real?

“…Yugamu,” he said instead.  He didn’t give a last name, the fake one or the real.  Either or felt wrong in this moment.

“Yugamu,” Takumi repeated, like he had with Seigou’s name earlier.  Yugamu preferred hearing his own coming from those lips.  “It’s, um…”  He didn’t finish.

“Nice to meet me?” Yugamu teased.

Takumi scratched his face.  “Yeah, that’d be…weird to say, wouldn’t it?”

“Extremely, but you’ve been plenty strange already, so it wouldn’t have surprised me.”

He frowned.  “Is it really that weird…?  I can’t just go home and pretend this didn’t happen.  Just wait to see which one of you wins this duel.”

“You’d prefer it was me?” Yugamu asked.  He must’ve sounded a bit too excited about the idea because Takumi stiffened and leaned away from him.

“I don’t…  I don’t want to die at all!  Can’t I…do something?  Pay you more than whoever…”  He winced.  His eyes swam with despair at the idea that anyone, let alone two separate people could want him dead.

Honestly, Yugamu couldn’t really imagine it either.  This kind, innocent man who couldn’t even abandon his would-be-killer when he was in need of help.  Who other than Eito would want to remove him from the world?

And actually, now that Yugamu’s mind was working again, the chance of both Yugamu and Seigou choosing the exact same location at the exact same time to take out the exact same target was close to zero.  He hadn’t been the one to choose the location though or the time.  Eito had.  His notes gave Yugamu the location and the hour, his rush order gave him the date.

Huh.

Why double book the same target?  The answer was obvious.  Eito knew the rule about a duel to the death.  Yugamu wasn’t sure how a non-assassin could’ve found out, but Eito was always a resourceful sort.  If it was possible for an outsider to discover, he would have.  And why had he wanted a duel to the death?  That answer was also obvious.  Yugamu knew too much about him.

He’d started using Yugamu’s services long before his political career had really taken off.  Yugamu promised discretion, but a promise was only so binding.  Eito had the power and the funding now to become more anonymous with his requests, so of course he would trade his overly familiar assassin out for one he could keep at arm’s length.

That last bit of flirting had probably been a further nail in his coffin.  Really, he of all people should know what happened to those who annoyed Eito Aotsuki.

Yugamu chuckled to himself, remembering the last thing Takumi had said.  Oh, that little scoundrel.  Yugamu couldn’t help but still feel a bit fond of him.  “I wasn’t paid,” he said, still laughing a bit to himself.  “My dear client intended to pay me on Monday, long after my body should have gone cold.  He couldn’t even pay me to die?  How cruel of him~  After all that time we spent together~”

Takumi blinked at him, clearly lost. 

Yugamu smiled.  “I’m not going to kill you.”  Not unless you want me to.  If you want me to, I’ll give you a death tailor-made for you, that makes you feel like the most important person in the universe.

“You’re…not…?”

“No.  I may kill the man who asked me to kill you though.”  That might be the first murder in years he was actually looking forward to.  He brought a finger up to his mouth, fantasizing about it.  “I wonder if a part of him is expecting me?  Surely he doesn’t think so low of my skills that he hadn’t even considered that I’d survive?  Maybe he’s hoping I bring you along, so he can kill us both with his own hands.  Oh, I can’t wait to see what he looks like when he doesn’t have time to overthink everything and is reduced to base instincts.  I wonder how far his face can twist when he can’t get a mask up at all.”  Yugamu giggled to himself.

Takumi was nibbling at his lip.  He’d leaned further away.  He looked like he was thinking very hard about something.

Taking advantage of the lull in conversation, Yugamu peeled the blanket off of him and picked up the bowl of soup.  It wasn’t anything special, probably just something Takumi had found in a can somewhere in this stranger’s house, but the fact that it’d been made for Yugamu by someone else made it the most delicious thing he’d ever tasted.

Takumi alternated between watching Yugamu happily eating his soup and thinking to himself.  He didn’t speak again until Yugamu went for the first aid kit that Takumi had laid at his side at some point during his nap.  Using the scissors, he started cutting away the tattered pieces of fabric around his impaled skin.

“What are you doing?”

“Hm?  Removing the shrapnel.”

“Yourself!?”

“Yes?  I stitched up my head nicely, didn’t I?  I’ve delt with much worse than this in the past.  Though, it’s sweet that you’re still so worried about me.”

That pulled another blush out of him.  He looked absolutely adorable like that.  Yugamu had trouble turning away to focus on his task.

Takumi stayed nearby as Yugamu sanitized a pair of tweezers and began the laborious task of picking out each individual piece of shrapnel, disinfecting the wound, and stitching it closed again.  From the grimace on his face, he did not enjoy the sight of Yugamu’s skin cut up and bloody, but he didn’t seem capable of looking away either.

“That really…doesn’t hurt?”

Yugamu chuckled.  “No, it hurts quite a bit.  Each piece that I remove comes with its own unique sensation.  I think that big one there was my favorite so far.”

Takumi stared at him, and Yugamu flashed him a bright smile. 

“You can find pleasure in anything if you learn how to think about it the right way.”  A thought occurred, and his smile turned wistful.  “If you’d been hit too, I could remove each piece from you so carefully, and you could feel this lovely feeling too.  If I’m not going to tear you apart, I’d love the chance to stitch you back together.”  He sighed.  “I suppose I shouldn’t be disappointed that I kept you from harm, but…  Oh, it would’ve been so interesting to see the faces you’d make.  Would you try to hide your pain to spare my feelings?  Would something I’d consider barely worth noting make you fall apart completely because it was so foreign to you?  Would you enjoy it like I do and find that too embarrassing to admit?”  Yugamu giggled to himself, imagining Takumi’s flustered face again.

He did look a bit uncomfortable now but not quite in the way Yugamu wanted to see.  “You’re…really not planning on killing me anymore?”

“Hm?  Why would I?  I have nothing against you.  In fact, after our lovely evening together, I’m rather fond of you.”

“Ah…”  There was the blush again.  He shifted back and forth.  After a moment though, he frowned to himself.  “But you’d do it if you were paid?  Just kill whoever the person asked you to?  It doesn’t matter who or why?  That’s…”

“Evil?” Yugamu finished for him, still smiling.

Takumi winced.  “You don’t…seem like a bad person.  Why are you involved in something like this?”

He didn’t seem like a bad person?  What a silly thing to say.  What a Takumi thing to say.  “Born into it,” Yugamu answered simply, going back to his work.  “Haven’t quite worked up the nerve to tell my parents I prefer the front-side of my business to the back.”

“The…front-side?” Takumi asked, his expression softer than before.

“I run a back-alley clinic.  It’s just supposed to be a façade to seek out new clients, but I quite enjoy the work.”

“You’re a doctor?”

Yugamu chuckled.  “Not quite.”  He winked.  “Don’t tell the medical board, but I’m far from certified.  Everything I know is self-taught, though I haven’t gotten any complaints so far.”  He paused.  “Because they’re satisfied, not because they’re dead.  I checked.”

“You should do that instead,” said Takumi like it was the simplest thing in the world.  Earnest eyes latched onto Yugamu, wanting to save him.  It was kind and naïve and impossible.

Yugamu was not the person Takumi wanted him to be.

He reached out, dragging two fingers across the cut on Takumi’s neck.  His former target’s eyes widened, but Yugamu kept his focus on the cut.  “The idea is appealing…” he mused, licking his lips.  “Freed from my family obligations, I could kill only those I truly wanted to.  I could make their deaths wholly unique instead of the same tired, safe murders.  Something perfect and beautiful for only those I treasure the most.”

He looked up to meet Takumi’s eyes, and the horror Yugamu was expecting to find there was already sinking in.  He smiled sadly, knowingly.  It would be wrong to pretend to be someone else to try to keep Takumi looking at him like he had before, but Yugamu couldn’t help the pang of mourning he felt at the loss.

“You want…”  Takumi’s eyes swam.  “Why?”

Yugamu blinked.  “Why?” he echoed, confused.  Wasn’t Takumi supposed to be running away?  Why was he still…?

“Why would you want to kill someone if you…treasured them?  Why would you want to kill anyone at all?”

“You don’t need to try to understand, Takumi,” Yugamu assured.  “The idea is worlds away from your lived experience, I know.  All I was trying to say was that someone like you doesn’t need to worry about someone like me.”

The last piece of shrapnel slid free, and Yugamu quietly finished cleaning up the wounds.  He rose to his feet and moved around a corner – more for Takumi’s comfort than his own – before slipping out of his tattered work clothes and back into his hakama and haori.  He would need his movements freer for what came next.

Takumi was still kneeling in the same spot Yugamu had left him, eyes on the floor, frowning to himself.  Yugamu sat down in front of him, pulling out one last disinfecting wipe, and gently started cleaning his neck wound.  Takumi startled like he hadn’t been paying attention enough to notice Yugamu reentering the room, but he didn’t pull away once he realized what was happening.  He just watched Yugamu work.

When he was done, Yugamu brushed his thumb just below the cut, smiling wistfully.  “Not even bad enough to need stitches.  Such a tragedy.”

Takumi glanced away, and Yugamu pulled back.

“Anything else need tending?” Yugamu asked.  “I don’t see anything, but I’m sure you’ve got some scrapes and bruises under those clothes.  If you’d like, I could…”

“No!  No, I’m fine.”

Yugamu chuckled.  “In that case, it really is time for you to go home.  I’m all patched up, so there’s nothing to worry about anymore.”

The momentary panic faded from Takumi’s eyes, replaced with a quieter kind of dread.  “What…happens now?”

“Now, I arrange a meeting with my brother and explain what happened.  Since I wasn’t paid, it can be argued that there need not be a duel at all.”  Yugamu paused, frowning.  “Though, he almost certainly was paid, so after…”

Takumi froze, terror filling him.  “I…I…”

Yugamu’s expression darkened.  He imagined Takumi walking down the street, constantly on alert for the end he knew was coming.  His eyes would catch on a blinking red light and he’d know, but he wouldn’t have the reflexes to escape a second time.  He would meet a violent, painful, impersonal end.  All for a man Yugamu fully intended to kill before he could gain any satisfaction from it.

No.  Takumi deserved better than a death like that.

Yugamu cupped Takumi’s face with a hand, staring into his eyes with all the seriousness in the world.  “I will not allow it.”

Takumi blinked rapidly at him.

“If my brother cannot be talked out of this job, I will kill him myself.  I will not let him touch you.  I will not allow you to be killed by someone who doesn’t love you.”

A shaky gasp escaped Takumi’s lips.  “Yu…gamu…?”

He smiled.  “I’ll kill the man who ordered your death too.  No one else will come after you.  You can resume your normal life without fear.  You will never have to even think of my world ever again.”

Yes, he would give Takumi this.  He, more than anyone, deserved that peace.

Yugamu gave Takumi another fond look before reluctantly pulling his hand back and moving to stand.  He smiled down at him one final time, taking him in, then turned and took a step away.  He’d already forced his mind to move on to next steps when a hand reached out and grabbed his, holding him in place.

Yugamu stopped.  He turned back.  Takumi was staring at the ground, red faced as he held fast to Yugamu’s hand.

“Takumi…?”

He swallowed.  “I don’t…I don’t want to never see you again…”  He winced.  “I mean…  You should come see me again to tell me I’m safe, shouldn’t you?  If you didn’t, I’d…always wonder if one of them killed you.  I want…to know you’re safe too.”

Yugamu watched him, but he didn’t look up to meet Yugamu’s eye.  Selfishly, Yugamu suggested, “I could leave a note?  I’d ensure you’d know it was me.  Then you’d know we were both safe and I need not impose on your life again.”

Takumi’s grip on his hand tightened, and Yugamu’s chest swelled.  “I…want to see you again.  Don’t leave a note.”  He winced again, once more feeling the need to soften his desires.  “You said I didn’t need to understand, but I…I want to.  I’d like to try to at least.  If we can’t talk again, I won’t be able to.”

The words echoed in Yugamu’s ears, beautiful and precious.  Takumi wanted to see him again.  Never in a million years would Yugamu refuse.  “Okay,” he said softly.

Takumi’s sigh of relief made Yugamu’s heart flutter.  He squeezed Takumi’s hand in a further promise, and Takumi squeezed it back before slowly releasing it.  Yugamu smiled at him once more, soft and fond but no longer final.  That fact made it easier to move away this time.  He felt lighter.  He felt hopeful.

Two men were all that stood between him and another night with Takumi.

No matter what, Yugamu would not miss his meeting.  He was already imagining how cute Takumi would look jolting in surprise when he came into his room one night to find Yugamu sitting cross-legged on his bed.

For the first time in a long time, Yugamu was looking forward to his future.