Part One:

Tsume Takes Charge:

 

Tsume's world consisted of dark alleys hidden within towers of concrete and steel. His world was littered with society's derelicts - the unwanted ones or those who wished to stay hidden in the shadows like perennial thieves. His world smelled of stale beer and wine, of cheap cigars or cigarettes, wet pavements and damp clothes with mingled scents of boiled pasta or perhaps cabbage.

 

Young women, dressed in little more than scraps of clothing, leaned against graffiti-infested walls with faces painted in vivid colors that seemed to bleed into their skin. They crooned and called out to the two young men, offering the sinful decadence of their flesh as suitable rewards. If Tsume saw or heard any of them, he made no attempt to acknowledge it. His eyes remained on the narrow streets before him and if anything he seemed to drive even faster - very dangerous considering how close he had been to knocking a few pedestrians in the process.

 

Their journey took them even deeper into the ghetto. Painted women in short skirts and high heels had now given way to small groups of men dressed in leather jackets with silver or gold accessories dotting their clothing like a precious necessity. Mohawks of every color, shape and length were blazing trademarks on each young man's head and as the two men drove past, Kiba was sure that many of them either cringed away from Tsume's presence or gave an air of pure disgust and bitterness in their features.

 

Kiba was unaware of just how tight his arms were around the other's waist for the mingled smells and sights were a heady rush to his senses. He had never seen anything like this before...or had he? His thoughts were all in a mess - a combination of weariness and hunger was now beginning to make him lose consciousness again.

 

"Home sweet home," Tsume said in that low voice of his that had Kiba's lashes flying open as the motorcycle came to a sudden stop.

 

There were now before a ten-story apartment building that looked like it had just survived a bombing of some sort. Half of its windows were broken and looked like miserable eyes staring at nothing. Some were, however, still intact and had lights within them - others looked dark and lonely. Clotheslines connected one building to the other while long, steel pipes added its own splendor of confusion and chaos. A small white dog barking and running for its life, it seemed, went past Kiba. Three children soon followed afterwards, all yelling at the top of their lungs and with sticks in their hands. It was clear that they were having their fun with the poor creature and as Kiba watched in fascination, Tsume leaned over the bike to grab one of the boys by the scruff of his neck.

 

"Awww, Tsume!" the boy cried out. "We was just playin'..."

 

"And I warned you about that, didn't I?" came the cold reply. No, Kiba thought. It wasn't really cold. It was more of a stern scolding. The kind you gave to naughty children who had the tendency to misbehave a lot. Tsume still had his helmet on, but Kiba was sure that the taller man was smiling - a little.

 

"Will you let the little mutt go now?"

 

"If ya promise to take us riding on yer bike!" the boy teased with a cheeky grin. "Ya promised!"

 

"All right, all right. Now get lost, kid!" He released the boy, who only gave his older friend a wide grin before running off to catch up to his friends.

 

They watched him a moment longer before Tsume shook his head slowly and began to take off the black head protector. Kiba, who had managed to extricate himself from the bike, watched the silver-haired man carefully, noticing for the first time, the single gold earring that dangled from Tsume's left ear. Piercing gray eyes met his and held for a moment as if scrutinizing the shaggy-haired man in turn. Kiba shivered at the intense look and hugged his jacket tighter around him as if protecting himself from it. He was beginning to hate the emotions this man was rousing in him and really wished that Tsume would stop staring.

 

"So..."

 

"Hun..."

 

They both stopped and Tsume shrugged. "I was going to invite you up to eat something. You look like you're about to collapse on your damn feet. Follow me if you like."

 

He pushed the machine towards a set of steel bars that had several matching heavy-duty chains attached to it. Kiba watched as Tsume secured the bike with deft fingers. It was clear that he had done this many times before. As the silver-haired one hunkered down to check on his wheels, Kiba took the time to investigate Tsume a bit more. Strong shoulders were hidden beneath the plain black leather jacket. Matching skin-tight leather pants (of which Kiba was sure would feel smooth to the touch) showcased powerful thighs and legs. All in all, Tsume was in great shape and that was something Kiba could appreciate.

 

"You don't talk much, do you?" Tsume asked curtly as he rose to his feet to glare at Kiba coldly. "Who are you really? Where did you come from?"

 

He took a threatening step towards Kiba, eyes narrowed with irritation and frustration, as he saw absolutely no fear in the other's eyes. He growled and spun around again. This was definitely a first. No one in the past had been able to look him in the eye for that long without cringing or whimpering in fear. Hell, one only had to remember that this was the same guy who had almost sunk his teeth into a man's jugular on the highway. Tsume was not really sure of what to make of this Kiba.

 

"Huh...what the...?" He held out his hands quickly to steady Kiba who had staggered towards him. Cursing softly beneath his breath, he could feel the other man's flesh literally searing with heat through the cloth.

 

"Don't tell me you're sick now," he mumbled as he reluctantly shifted the semi-conscious Kiba against his body. He was made helplessly aware of how slender and light the dark-haired one was. Sighing inwardly, he made a move into the building when his skin prickled in awareness. Even without turning around, he already knew just who stood behind him.

 

"Good evening, boys," he greeted coolly, his frown deepening as Kiba's thick hair tickled his jaw and mouth. "What can I do for you tonight?"

 

Raucous laughter greeted this statement, but Tsume bore it with no attempt to turn around to face his 'friends'.

 

"Don't be late tonight, man," someone said. "You know the drill. We've got the stuff. We just need you to show up."

 

"Or maybe he's got himself a new piece of ass and won't be showing up!" Another added, sending the group howling at the deliberate tease. Tsume's jaw worked for a moment and he grit his teeth. He could feel Kiba stirring again and he wanted nothing more than to place Kiba aside somewhere and deal with the present nuisance.

 

Instead, he grated out in a voice that was cold enough to freeze water. "I'll be there. Don't worry about that."

 

"Hey, Tina, Tony! You two stay here and make sure he comes out again, got it?"

 

Two whines of protest filled the air and Tsume rolled his eyes as he settled for throwing Kiba over his shoulder. He took another step and was forced to come to a stop again as the leader hailed him. Finally, he spun around slowly to meet the amused but glazed blue eyes of Sykes - a six foot, multicolored Mohawk sporting man, with enough body piercing to scare away a native. They were definitely an eclectic group of misfits and Tsume was already beginning to regret ever joining their damn crew in the first place.

 

Sykes stepped closer, his fingers twirling around a small penknife as he spoke lazily. "Don't fuck up tonight, man. I've got thousands of dough riding on this deal, got it? We'll give you an hour and then we're out of here...with or without you."

 

He snapped his fingers and the rest of the gang began to walk away. Sykes followed soon after, but not before giving Tsume a playful wink and a softly blown kiss that had the taller man growling in irritation. Hardly waiting for the others to make the turn around the corner, Tsume strode into the building with his brows drawn together in a thunderous scowl. There would be two shipments of illegal drugs passing through the docks tonight and both he and Sykes had agreed to intercept the trade. They would have to have all four crates in their possession by the end of the night and to top it all; their 'client' awaited the contents of their conquest with the promise of a hefty reward once delivered.

 

Tsume was skeptical about that. But then again, he had always been wary of those in authority. He had never bought any of their fake grins and promises. To him they were nothing more than a collective mass of corruption and greed. It was enough to make him want to puke...or kill them all.

 

"Hey...hey..." He tapped Kiba's pale cheeks gently as he kicked open the door to his apartment. "We're here," he announced flatly as he eased Kiba into a single wooden chair. He watched with a raised brow as the other man's lashes...

 

(They were quite long and almost feminine)

 

...fluttered weakly. He was unaware of how tense he was as he waited for Kiba to slide off the chair. However, Kiba's lashes opened up slowly and it took a while for his glazed look to become clear again. He stared blankly at Tsume for a moment before turning his head around slowly to eye his new surroundings. The apartment consisted of a room with two doors that led to a bathroom and the other to a small kitchen. It was surprisingly spotless for a guy who looked so 'rough'. There was a low shelf in the living room that housed several hardbound books. Upon it was a wicked looking dagger that was encased in a rather intricately designed sheath. There was nothing else in the form of décor for the room, but Kiba assumed that Tsume wasn't one to waste his time with such trivial matters.

 

He opened up his mouth to compliment Tsume, but was taken aback as he watched the taller man snort lightly before making his way into the kitchen. Kiba lowered his lashes and shifted restlessly on the chair, his stomach growling as the sudden smell of processed meat assailed his senses. He licked his lips and sincerely hoped he wasn't drooling. He was already indebted to Tsume and Kiba wasn't sure he wanted to create even more of an impression him - the negative one to be exact.

 

In mere minutes, Tsume all but slammed a bowl of meat and potatoes before him.

 

"Eat," he commanded. "And what you choose to do afterwards is up to you."

 

Kiba, who had already picked up his chopsticks to begin eating, eyed Tsume warily but said nothing.

 

"I've got things to do tonight and I won't be here to take care of you or anything," Tsume explained impatiently. Why was it becoming increasingly hard to stare into Kiba's eyes? It seemed as if Kiba was judging, scrutinizing and testing him at every turn. It made Tsume very uncomfortable. He spun away and continued gruffly.

 

"There's a futon in the closet over there if you want to sleep and if you don't want to stay, just make sure you lock the door behind you. I don't generally allow strangers into my place."

 

"So why did you bring me here?" Kiba asked quietly as he picked up a succulent chunk of meat to savor hungrily.

 

Tsume's hands tightened into fists. Why indeed? How could he tell Kiba that there had been something primitive in the way he had acted on the streets - something so wild and tempting that had sent his blood boiling with excitement. How could he tell Kiba that they were alike...in some weird, cosmic out-of-this-world way - that they must have some kind of a connection to one another.

 

No. Tsume decided that he'd rather kill himself than tell Kiba such things. He stole a quick glance at his guest and frowned again. He couldn't quite place his finger on it, but he was sure that Kiba wasn't all he seemed. The dark-haired man could act weak and helpless for now, but Tsume was sure that when let loose, Kiba could be a worthy and deadly opponent.

 

"Kiba..." he muttered to himself as if testing the weight of the name on his tongue.

 

Kiba lifted his head from his meal and eyed Tsume's back with curiosity. "Did you call me?"

 

"No..."

 

"Ah, okay. I just thought..."

 

"Look, forget it, okay?" Tsume snapped coldly. He glanced at his watch and cursed softly beneath his breath. Sykes and the others were probably waiting for him by now. Making sure he had his keys in his pockets, he reached for his dagger and tucked it securely within his jacket. All of this wasn't lost on Kiba, who had watched each movement beneath lowered lashes.

 

"Remember what I said," Tsume said quickly as he began to make his way out of the apartment. "You can stay or you can leave. Makes no damn difference to me, got it?"

 

Although, I do want you to stay...

 

Tsume shook his head rapidly at the stray thought, muttering an expletive at this sudden weakness before stomping out of the apartment. The door was slammed shut rather loudly and Kiba had to hold onto to his plate for fear it would slide to the floor as the entire room trembled from Tsume's exit.

 

Once all was settled again, he finished his food quietly with a thoughtful frown on his handsome visage. It was clear that Tsume was going to be with those men he had heard earlier. Kiba had feigned his unconscious state, even though he had been more than aware of the vague words that had been exchanged.

 

He bit his lower lip and stared out of the window to the darkened city outside. It was clear that Tsume and his friends were about to do something rather dangerous and Kiba had never been one to shy away from such things before. He told himself that he was only going to take a peek at what sort of activities Tsume engaged in. He wouldn't interfere and he wouldn't stick his nose where he wasn't wanted. But for now...

 

"I've got to find out, Tsume," he finished softly.

 

He rose to his feet and walked towards the window. With a soft grunt and a hard push, he managed to open it, allowing the strong smells of the streets and a cold draft to assail his senses. He stepped out onto the ledge and closed his eyes. He sniffed gently. Tsume's scent was rather faint amongst the others but with enough concentration, Kiba was sure he could pinpoint his new 'friend's' location.

 

There!

 

He opened up his eyes quickly in obvious excitement. They were now a brilliant green and his entire being seemed to thrum with suppressed energy. He couldn't drive to where Tsume was, but he could reach him in another way. He closed his eyes and concentrated again and taking a very deep breath, Kiba leapt from his rather dangerous perch and into the darkness that awaited him below.

 

 

 

 

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