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scriveynerTitle: gifts & curses [8]
Fandom: Samurai Flamenco
AU: Nightbreed
Characters/Pairing: Gotou/Masayoshi, Keiko, Masanori
Rating: T
Length: 1167
Summary: "Are you still at your hotel?"
Masayoshi was pulling on a regular hooded tee shirt when his phone went off on the low dresser. He picked it up quickly, before it had time for its second ring – and only registered that he didn't recognize the number as he was answering it. “Hello?”
“Hazama-kun!” It was Akino's voice on the line. “Are you still at your hotel?”
“Yeah,” Masayoshi said, worried at the tone of her voice. “What's going on, why didn't you use your cell?”
“I'm fine,” she said. “This is the store's line, they took my cell phone – I've got a magical lock on it that if they try to force they won't get any numbers off it, but-” she took a deep breath. “Stay in.”
“'They'? Who's they?”
“There are werewolf hunters in town,” she said. “Stay in. It's too close to the moon, they'll smell it all over you-”
“Werewolf hunters?” He'd never heard of such a thing. Masayoshi glanced up, at the window in his room that overlooked the city, heart in his throat. “Akino-chan, the kids are in the city.”
“What?”
“They ran off – trying to find their real parents. Gotou just called me, they jumped a train this morning.” He covered his mouth with a hand for a moment, then nodded his head decisively at his own reflection. “I'm gonna go out and find them.”
“It's too dangerous, tonight.” Akino said. “I'll see if I can whip up a tracking spell – it's too dangerous for you to come to my place right now, I'm sure they're watching it. I'll come to you.”
“Why didn't they...?” Masayoshi couldn't complete the sentence.
“Witchbreed are useful,” Akino said, reading the rest of his question flawlessly. “The only ones who kill us out of hand are those who bear grudges.”
“It's still dangerous for you too,” Masayoshi said.
“I can take care of myself,” Akino sounded almost too-confident.
When they disconnected the call, Masayoshi looked at the dimmed cell phone screen, and then back out at the window. Werewolf hunters. Gotou had never mentioned such a thing to him, he probably didn't know.
Masayoshi hovered his finger over the call button – but stopped. Gotou would tell him the same thing, to stay put, to stay in – but the kids were out there, unaware of the danger.
He pressed the call button anyway.
#
Gotou's voice was gruff when he picked up the line – Masayoshi couldn't tell where he was. “Masayoshi? What's wrong?”
“I just got off the line with Akino-chan,” he said. “There are werewolf hunters in town.”
There was a long moment of silence, as Gotou processed this information. “Werewolf hunters are real?” he said, finally, and Masayoshi felt a little better.
“Apparently so.”
“Shit. Are you heading out to find them?”
“Yeah.” Masayoshi held his ball cap in one hand. “I'll be all right, I just wanted to let you know-” in case something happens to me “-just in case.”
He heard the intake of breath, and Gotou sighed it out. “Just be careful, that's all I can ask.”
#
Masayoshi inhaled as he stepped out the hotel's lobby into the cool evening air. There were some secrets he still had from Gotou – like the fact that his ability to scent had gradually expanded over time. He could usually use his nose longer than Gotou – up to a couple of days before and after the moon. It started out gradual as everything always did, and faded out the same way – but it was only one night after the last full moon, and he could still scent and track if he put his mind to it.
The problem was, of course, that the city was a morass of smells. He had grown into his own as a wolf in the countryside – he wasn't as adept at navigating like this in the city, not like Gotou was. However he could pick the thread of a scent out of the air and follow it, and he found the scent that he was most familiar with, the scent of the moon.
Another werewolf.
Masayoshi took off down the sidewalk at a light trot, hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders slumped and head down. With the ball cap and glasses and the evening darkness he wouldn't be easily spotted by the press – and even if he was, he was confident in his ability to lose them in the city at least.
What he didn't notice, concentrated on the scent he had picked up, was the flash of gold eyes in the crowd behind him, as he was followed.
#
It was one of the last trains of the night – Gotou managed to get on it with barely moments to spare, the doors nearly catching the overnight bag slung over his shoulder. There was nobody in the car to stare at him oddly, so Gotou stomped his feet and swore in exhilaration – he'd had to run straight from the koban and vaulted the turnstile. Masayoshi would have a fit at him but he'd at least purchased a ticket, so it wasn't like he was jumping the train.
They'd shut down the koban for the overnights while he was gone. There wasn't much that happened in the small town, and they really didn't even need it open that late. Ueno would be fine on day shift for a few days, let him deal with the gossiping old women who would be fit to be tied that Gotou-san wasn't there to hear their complaints.
Their new recruits would be in while he was gone, so Ueno got to handle that too. He felt a little bad for him, but – the concern for children under his care overrode his sympathy for Ueno. There were werewolf hunters abroad.
He'd heard of them – stories around the campfire from Kaze, about men who hunted the creatures who took their loved ones away – but he'd never run across them and had no reason to believe it was anything other than a tale told to younger cubs to scare them into behaving. Werewolf hunters who would track you until the moon rose, then take your pelt for their trophy....
And now his entire family was out in a city where they could be in very real danger.
Gotou sat down on one of the train's seats, dropping his bag into the seat next to him instead of stowing it, and stared out the window at his own reflection as the night scrolled past the window.
Fandom: Samurai Flamenco
AU: Nightbreed
Characters/Pairing: Gotou/Masayoshi, Keiko, Masanori
Rating: T
Length: 1167
Summary: "Are you still at your hotel?"
Masayoshi was pulling on a regular hooded tee shirt when his phone went off on the low dresser. He picked it up quickly, before it had time for its second ring – and only registered that he didn't recognize the number as he was answering it. “Hello?”
“Hazama-kun!” It was Akino's voice on the line. “Are you still at your hotel?”
“Yeah,” Masayoshi said, worried at the tone of her voice. “What's going on, why didn't you use your cell?”
“I'm fine,” she said. “This is the store's line, they took my cell phone – I've got a magical lock on it that if they try to force they won't get any numbers off it, but-” she took a deep breath. “Stay in.”
“'They'? Who's they?”
“There are werewolf hunters in town,” she said. “Stay in. It's too close to the moon, they'll smell it all over you-”
“Werewolf hunters?” He'd never heard of such a thing. Masayoshi glanced up, at the window in his room that overlooked the city, heart in his throat. “Akino-chan, the kids are in the city.”
“What?”
“They ran off – trying to find their real parents. Gotou just called me, they jumped a train this morning.” He covered his mouth with a hand for a moment, then nodded his head decisively at his own reflection. “I'm gonna go out and find them.”
“It's too dangerous, tonight.” Akino said. “I'll see if I can whip up a tracking spell – it's too dangerous for you to come to my place right now, I'm sure they're watching it. I'll come to you.”
“Why didn't they...?” Masayoshi couldn't complete the sentence.
“Witchbreed are useful,” Akino said, reading the rest of his question flawlessly. “The only ones who kill us out of hand are those who bear grudges.”
“It's still dangerous for you too,” Masayoshi said.
“I can take care of myself,” Akino sounded almost too-confident.
When they disconnected the call, Masayoshi looked at the dimmed cell phone screen, and then back out at the window. Werewolf hunters. Gotou had never mentioned such a thing to him, he probably didn't know.
Masayoshi hovered his finger over the call button – but stopped. Gotou would tell him the same thing, to stay put, to stay in – but the kids were out there, unaware of the danger.
He pressed the call button anyway.
Gotou's voice was gruff when he picked up the line – Masayoshi couldn't tell where he was. “Masayoshi? What's wrong?”
“I just got off the line with Akino-chan,” he said. “There are werewolf hunters in town.”
There was a long moment of silence, as Gotou processed this information. “Werewolf hunters are real?” he said, finally, and Masayoshi felt a little better.
“Apparently so.”
“Shit. Are you heading out to find them?”
“Yeah.” Masayoshi held his ball cap in one hand. “I'll be all right, I just wanted to let you know-” in case something happens to me “-just in case.”
He heard the intake of breath, and Gotou sighed it out. “Just be careful, that's all I can ask.”
Masayoshi inhaled as he stepped out the hotel's lobby into the cool evening air. There were some secrets he still had from Gotou – like the fact that his ability to scent had gradually expanded over time. He could usually use his nose longer than Gotou – up to a couple of days before and after the moon. It started out gradual as everything always did, and faded out the same way – but it was only one night after the last full moon, and he could still scent and track if he put his mind to it.
The problem was, of course, that the city was a morass of smells. He had grown into his own as a wolf in the countryside – he wasn't as adept at navigating like this in the city, not like Gotou was. However he could pick the thread of a scent out of the air and follow it, and he found the scent that he was most familiar with, the scent of the moon.
Another werewolf.
Masayoshi took off down the sidewalk at a light trot, hands shoved in his pockets, shoulders slumped and head down. With the ball cap and glasses and the evening darkness he wouldn't be easily spotted by the press – and even if he was, he was confident in his ability to lose them in the city at least.
What he didn't notice, concentrated on the scent he had picked up, was the flash of gold eyes in the crowd behind him, as he was followed.
It was one of the last trains of the night – Gotou managed to get on it with barely moments to spare, the doors nearly catching the overnight bag slung over his shoulder. There was nobody in the car to stare at him oddly, so Gotou stomped his feet and swore in exhilaration – he'd had to run straight from the koban and vaulted the turnstile. Masayoshi would have a fit at him but he'd at least purchased a ticket, so it wasn't like he was jumping the train.
They'd shut down the koban for the overnights while he was gone. There wasn't much that happened in the small town, and they really didn't even need it open that late. Ueno would be fine on day shift for a few days, let him deal with the gossiping old women who would be fit to be tied that Gotou-san wasn't there to hear their complaints.
Their new recruits would be in while he was gone, so Ueno got to handle that too. He felt a little bad for him, but – the concern for children under his care overrode his sympathy for Ueno. There were werewolf hunters abroad.
He'd heard of them – stories around the campfire from Kaze, about men who hunted the creatures who took their loved ones away – but he'd never run across them and had no reason to believe it was anything other than a tale told to younger cubs to scare them into behaving. Werewolf hunters who would track you until the moon rose, then take your pelt for their trophy....
And now his entire family was out in a city where they could be in very real danger.
Gotou sat down on one of the train's seats, dropping his bag into the seat next to him instead of stowing it, and stared out the window at his own reflection as the night scrolled past the window.
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