Chapter 01: Prelude

Prelude (序曲 Jokyoku) is the first chapter of the Moon Rabbit Arc and the first chapter in total.

The content of this chapter was written by two people. Text by Rose is written in black, while text by Skylark is highlighted in gray.

Chapter
WARNING: THIS CHAPTER CONTAINS MATURE CONTENT!

The content includes vulgar language, violence and mention of sexual content.


 * It would have been more convenient for his clinic to be on ground-floor level, since his usual patients were... impatient types. But the first floor was not so bad, was it? Izayoi sat on the window ledge, smoking his pipe idly. He wore a doctor's white coat with a navy yukata underneath, both of which were opened enough to expose his chest. Of course he never dressed so sloppily for his work, but he had just had an... extra visit from an ex-patient who wanted to thank him for his services.


 * It was not unusual for him. He actually expected this from most of his patients. Not a bad deal, really. Perhaps most people who were not masochists would be terrified at the thought of having sex with yakuza, but for some reason, these ruffians found it hard to treat Izayoi roughly. He had an air of grace and it amused him that even the hardiest of yakuza men actually asked if they could be rough on him. Did he look that delicate? After all this time? His glassy, blue eyes continued to look out the window, wondering if he would have any other visitors. There were no booking or calls so far...




 * Just like every day or another, maybe even more than once a day, the young yakuza's hound had received an anonymous request as order. The requests were usually easy; He would get a location and a target, a rough description of what he had to do... and then he would do it, no matter how long it would take him. Somehow someone would inform the 'client' about the matter being solved and he would get a reward. Of course he knew it was different for people in higher positions, but he was not sure about the exact point of his own, so he never questioned the way they treated him and the system they used on him to make him do their dirty work.


 * However, many of these missions were dangerous. He was aware of it, but thanks to a special training that sharpened his senses and ability to approach someone without being noticed too early, he never feared he could get harmed. There had been some times... but it was a rare scenario, commonly happening back in the days where he was still in training.


 * That it would happen today... Who could have guessed it? Kakkou did not, thus he had fallen for a well prepared trap. As he was dragging himself through the back alleys, he realized how careless he had been, even though he had managed to escape. Blood was dripping down from a wound on his head and blurred the glass of his goggles on one side, enough to impair his vision. Oh, how it pissed him off. Not the fact that he was in pain, but the fact that he had been dumb enough to let it happen and that he now had to somehow reach the address one of his acquaintances gave him, in case he really was dumb enough to get hurt. Someone could help him there, they had said...


 * Hopefully that was true, he wanted to be home and rant at someone for what happened before nightfall. Eventually he managed to find his way inside of the building, but the red stains on the glass in front of his eyes made if difficult for him to read which door he had to enter. Annoyed by this bad luck repeatedly happening to him today, he just went and broke every door he came across by forcefully kicking a hole inside. If nothing looked promising in one room, he just moved on to another. "Fuck, wrong door." He was certain he would find the right door this way, and if not, he was sure someone would eventually ask him what the hell he was doing and he could actually ask someone where he had to go.




 * The increasingly loud sound of doors being kicked in dragged Izayoi out of his daze. Good thing most of this building was empty or there would have been screams of shock and surprise, accompanied with the bang of doors being yanked from their hinges. He got up from his perch, setting his pipe on his desk as he went to the door, remembering to adjust his clothes to make them more presentable.


 * Normally, people would be cautious about opening the door. Especially when there was scent of blood in the air. Izayoi had a good nose for this scent ever since he became a private doctor for the local yakuza families. He was of neutral standing and that meant he could treat anyone who came into his clinic without fear of one party chasing him up for helping a rival. Still, it did get him into trouble at times. But Izayoi had a extraordinarily calm disposition. Whether threatened with a gun, knife, katana... or bodily harm of the sexual nature, he simply smiled serenely and dusted it off.


 * There had yet to be anything that could kill him, so why should he be afraid? In one swift motion, he yanked the door open, coming face to face with... whom he presumed to be his new patient.




 * Immediately upon hearing the clicking sound of a door being opened, he turned to the direction he guessed the noises were coming from. Finally it seemed like there was someone else in this goddamn building. Even if he had only been inside of this place for a few minutes, he alright had the typical, impatient 'about time' expression on his face. Fortunately his other senses were as sharp as his vision, so he did not need his eyes for general awareness of his surroundings. He could not see the person in front of him clearly, but he figured he was the person he was searching for, mostly because this building seemed somewhat empty in comparison to any other building he had been to, and the fact that someone was actually standing in front of him now led him to this conclusion.


 * A little disappointed about not being allowed to give that door a nice kick as well, he put down his foot and cleared his throat. "Excuse me, I am searching a doctor who's said to work here. I had a little..." He pondered for a moment. Sharing information about what he was actually doing was not such a good idea and if this stranger was no doctor, he would regret telling him what had caused his wounds. "I had an accident." Yes, that was all he needed to tell him for now. Just in case this person was not the one he was searching for, his hand was resting on his gun below his coat, ready to come in action if he had to use it. Trusting anyone blindly was fatal in such a gloomy district and he was not really excited about the thought of getting additional wounds to those he already had.




 * Well... there he was, facing a guy who seemed to have walked out of a sci-fi crime-thriller film. Did the humans finally come up with technology capable of creating a cyborg and the design plans somehow landed on the laps of yakuza? ...Probably not. The guy was bleeding. Robots did not bleed, he was pretty sure.


 * Izayoi looked at the strange man's coat, instinctively knowing that he was armed and it was best to confirm that this was indeed where he could find the doctor. "If you don't mind going to sit on that bed there, I'll get you sorted." he replied calmly, stepping away from the door to let the man in. "Other than the wound on your head, is there anything else? And please, remove your headgear, it would make this easier."


 * He went to retrieve what he needed to clean the wound, everything being pretty much at hand in his cozy clinic. Good thing he cleaned up the bed after his... private visit, and freshened up the room to prevent it smelling of bodily fluids before his surprise patient showed up. With everything he needed, he went over to his desk which was next to the bed, setting the essentials down before pulling over his chair and the tray of surgical tools. The wound probably needed stitches considering the amount of blood he could see.




 * He had not received a direct answer to confirm that the strange guy was the doctor he was searching for, but since he had not tried to rob or murder him yet, like the most people would do, and actually seemed like he wanted to treat his wounds, this was not necessary anymore. As requested, he walked over to the bed and sat down, furrowing his brows at the comment that followed next. "I'm not taking this off." he said, before planning to answer him properly. He carefully touched the glass in front of his eyes and turned away from the other guy. To be honest, he had hoped he could have just cleaned it later, without anyone ordering him to remove it from his face. It was something he disliked, showing his face in public. Yes, this single man was nothing he could really consider 'public', but he was so used to it that he would have preferred to just leave it like that.


 * "This isn't the only wound..." he admitted in a low voice, nervously shaking his head without looking at the other. The wound had made him dizzy and he could barely concentrate, but he was aware of the pain coming from several spots on his body, not only his head. He sighed. This was such an uncomfortable situation, sitting here with this stranger. Maybe he should have just walked home and let someone else take care of him. But then again, he would have probably fainted before reaching the district he was living in.




 * It did not really bother him. Secrecy was an important thing to him as well, so he was in no place to judge, was he? He just thought the guy would be more comfortable without the thing obstructing him. Izayoi decided to take care of this head wound first and be damn swift about it before this guy lost any more blood. It must have been one hell of a predicament his new patient had been involved in...


 * He took a piece of clean cotton, dampened with sterilizing alcohol to clean the wound up and carefully smoothed back the man's hair to examine it. "It'll sting." he warned, before dabbing around the area, watching the piece of cotton turn pink. "I'll have to give you stitches, do you want any anesthetic?" Many yakuza preferred not to have any if they could help it. Izayoi never understood why. It did not bring out their manliness when they hissed like kittens who stepped on a cactus. "If you're not taking those goggles off then at least remove your clothes so I can see the extent of your other wounds."


 * <font color="#848484">Izayoi turned away to get a clean piece of cotton and a chance for his patient to undress if he decided to. It would really help if he did and Izayoi would not want his reputation to go downhill because someone decided to bleed to death instead of stripping a little.

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 * A sharp pain ran through Kakkou's head right after he had been warned, but it felt rather numb in comparison to the rest. He blinked patiently, hesitating before speaking for an answer. "This is nothing... There is no need to waste your resources on me." he responded calmly, still not bothering to make eye contact with the person treating his wounds. His fingers idly rubbed over his gun, making it seem like Kakkou was unconsciously still not trusting the situation.


 * Taking off his clothes instead of his goggles did not sound impossible and like a way better idea than that as well. A quiet nod followed and he started taking off his coat, putting it aside on the bed right next to himself. His hands rested on it for a moment, and it became obvious that he felt vulnerable without it. Underneath he was not wearing much, a plain black shirt and an average pair of jeans. The weapon was attached to his belt, a second one on the other side of it. They were bigger than normal guns, both black with silver triggers and beautiful, white patterns carved into the metal. His gaze was resting on one of them as he slowly moved his fingers over its surface, until he continued to undress himself by taking off the shirt, which had several darkened stains, cuts and holes all over the night shaded fabric. The cause of those became clear as soon as his skin was visible, several deep, bleeding cuts and burns scattered all over his torso. It was worse than he had expected. The realization of that made him hiss at himself quietly, the previously dropped anger coming back to him.

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 * <font color="#848484">Really, at this point, he would never get to sedate anyone. Oh well, the customer is always right, right? Izayoi waited for the man to remove his coat, eyes wandering down to the gun. Beautiful weapons were always the most efficient, he always thought. Those guns looked lethal and beautiful, even at a glance. He took the chance that the man was distracted by his guns to stick a bandage over the wound on his head to stop the bleeding. He could not just work on that one injury and let the other wounds bleed out.

"Oya... I'm surprised you're still conscious." he commented, going about cleaning these wounds and patching them up temporarily, while deciding which ones needed stitches. His cold fingers must have felt odd for his patient, but he had learned that his unusually cool body temperature was good at distracting people from their injuries to an extent.
 * <font color="#848484">And boy did he have a lot of work to do...


 * <font color="#848484">"Oh... Do you have a name? Real or not, it doesn't matter to me. My name is Izayoi, private doctor." he said, using larger pieces of cotton to disinfect the burns and cuts before patching them up. He glanced over at his medical forceps in case he had to remove anything embedded in the wounds.

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 * No matter how often his wounds got in contact with medical supplies, he would not change his incredibly neutral expression. The pain was intense, but bearable, and being reminded by him that he should probably not be conscious anymore at this point made Kakkou finally take a glance at Izayoi. He had a pretty face... it seemed uncommon for a doctor to be that pretty, but maybe he was just biased because he had never seen an actually attractive doctor before. His hands felt surprisingly cold, like he had forgotten to wear gloves during a cold winter day. It did not seem to match the rest of him. It seemed off, like a flaw to ruin the perfect image.


 * He looked down on his wounds as Izayoi introduced himself. Did he expect him to tell him what he was doing to make a living as well? It was obvious that it was nothing legal, so he guessed not. "Kakkou... Just... Kakkou." He quickly adjusted the goggles that had slid down a little and raised his gaze again. "Some bastards trapped me and blew this place up... I don't know how I escaped, but if it helps... These burns are possibly consequences of the explosives and the rest... parts of the walls, I am not sure..." Turning to the side a little, he exposed a deep, bleeding wound at the back of his shoulder. "One of them managed to shoot a bullet into my shoulder before they tried to run away like some fearful chickens, though."

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 * <font color="#848484">It surprised him that he was actually told a name and how this happened - to some extent. So it was from an explosion... This was probably the worst thing he had seen all year. And hearing that there was a bullet wound caused him to sigh softly.


 * <font color="#848484">"I doubt you'll agree to go to a hospital, right?" None of them ever wanted to be transferred to a hospital. Why did he bother asking... But this young man was being brave about the whole thing, he supposed he could remove the bullet and expect no 'screaming like a girl' routine he had to put up with a surprising lot

"I hope you don't mind needles..." Izayoi mumbled inwardly and went to his desk, taking out a clothed bundle of acupuncture needles. He laid them out on the tray, next to the forceps and tweezers. They looked as thin as a butterfly's antennae, different lengths and delicate. After the bullets would be the shrapnel left in Kakkou's skin and the other wounds. This should make things smoother.
 * <font color="#848484">He finished patching up the other wounds before turning his attention to the bullet wound. It was good that the thing was still in there. At least it blocked majority of the blood.

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 * Going to the hospital - That thought made Kakkou cringe. It was not like he did not consider it, but there were many things that kept him from going. They would ask him questions at that place, would want to know who he is, what happened and would definitely tell him to take off his goggles. Afterwards they would probably realize something about him was fishy and inform the police about it, which would end in him being questioned and maybe even brought to the police office. He really was not found of that thought. "I would, but I can't. They wouldn't treat me without causing trouble there."


 * He shook his head as he was asked about the needles. "Needles don't hurt. They sting, if anything." Kakkou knew that these needles would be used to treat the wounds, but he included that thought into his answer. It was not the first time he had to endure such a thing. Maybe he would end up scarred from these wounds, but it did not matter. If he pretended the mission was successful, no one would question him. "Are these wounds bad or can I go home after you are done?"

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 * <font color="#848484">"I understand..." he nodded simply. As unorthodox for a doctor as it was, Izayoi could not complain much. His own suggestion about the hospital being more efficient was more or less sarcastic. Even he himself could not afford to use public services a lot of the time. Oh, not because of him being a doctor to criminal organizations... That was just the tip of a very, very large iceberg.

"You'll probably still feel a dull pain, but this should numb most of it..." he warned, reaching for his tweezers. Not his first time taking out a bullet, thankfully. "I'll take it out now, alright?" Did not want to go poke around without telling the guy...
 * <font color="#848484">Izayoi took up his needles, holding two between his lips, and carefully inserted them into Kakkou's back with precision. It should not feel of anything at all.

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 * It was true, he did not feel much of the needles that pierced his back, even though he knew they were inside of his body. There was a huge urge to squirm around and watch what Izayoi was doing, but that would not only disturb his work, but he would also risk getting hurt even more and even though it was tempting, he decided that it was better to swallow his curiosity down and be a well-behaved patient. At least he did not seem like he was planning to stab him with these needles. Was that even possible? No, he did not think so. They felt too thin to be able to seriously hurt anyone.


 * "I don't really mind if it hurts." he commented, without really knowing how much it could hurt. Never before had someone actually managed to shoot him with the bullet being stuck in his body, but nonetheless he knew that he really did not mind any pain, even if there happened to be any. "Alright." A short nod followed his approval and he clenched his fists while taking a deep breath, preparing himself for whatever might happen in the next minute.

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 * <font color="#848484">Kakkou not being able to watch Izayoi work was a good thing. Not only was it less distracting, but also meant that his patient would see anything 'unusual'. Izayoi took a soft breath, the long, slender tweezers positioned in front of the bullet hole. His pupils dilated, expanding until half of the diameter of their iris were swallowed up by black, the icy blue glowing softly like will-o-wisps. Every muscle in his body tensed and he could feel every slight movement.


 * <font color="#848484">Izayoi unblinkingly slipped the tweezers into the gaping flesh-wound, making the tiniest movements possible until he felt something hard touch the front part of the tweezers. He only let out a breath when he was confident that he had a good grip on the bullet. With one fluid motion, he pulled it out, wincing at the slightest vibrations of Kakkou's muscles and tendons enclosed around the bullet tense. It made him shudder.


 * <font color="#848484">A metallic thud rang out as he dropped the bullet on the tray, grabbing a bandage to press against the open wound, preventing any blood from seeping out. At least it did not seem to have hit an artery. "Could you hold this against your shoulder? I need to get the needle to sew it up with."

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 * Acute, stabbing pain ran through Kakkou's body all of a sudden. It was agonizing and definitely unfamiliar. There was some routine in getting something inside of his body, but something being pulled out of it felt exhausting. Regardless, his expression remained calm, and only his quickened pulse and irregular breathing were signs of him suffering from what Izyaoi had been doing. The wound seemed to be bleeding more heavily with the bullet as blockade gone, but the other had acted relatively quick to stop the red liquid from coming out.


 * Kakkou nodded quietly, then moved his hand onto the bandage, pressing it against the wound so Izayoi could get the mentioned needle. "This wound sucks..." he chuckled in a low voice. It seemed like he was trying to play it down, but he had no intention of doing so and was honestly amused about being hurt that way. "Too bad I already managed to have my payback... It happened too quick for my likings, but I can't let a bullet penetrate the head of a person twice." A sigh left his lips, as he tried to relax a little. "But why do I bother talking to a stranger about this..."


 * Usually he would not talk. At all. It was probably just the rare case of vulnerability that made him nervous enough to feel the need of talking to someone. Maybe it helped getting over the pain. He could not tell. What he hoped was that he would never have to see this person again after receiving the treatment. Since there was a high chance of that happening, he shrugged it off. Who knew, maybe a 'nice' conversation from time to time did not feel so bad.

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 * <font color="#848484">Oh, what was this? Was that a chuckle he just heard? This young man was definitely not a machine if he could laugh like this. Izayoi mused to himself as he prepared the surgical thread, poking through a sterilized needle whilst his patient spoke idly. He could not help but want to treat his patient like a 'boy'. Izayoi was much... much older than this guy for sure, and sensing the other nervousness just made him want to tease. No wonder nobody liked to seem vulnerable. It brought out the worst in others.

He reached over to the tray again, fishing out a packet of sterilized towels from the second layer. "Do you want to clean your face and those goggles while I do this? I can't see your face from here, so..."
 * <font color="#848484">"Fufu... Feel free to talk, it'll distract you from feeling the pain somewhat. And besides... anything that's said or done here never leaves this clinic. Or I wouldn't be here." he shrugged. "Doctor-patient confidentiality and all that... You can take your hand away now, I'll start sewing this shut for you."


 * <font color="#848484">Izayoi had to pretty much sit right behind Kakkou to get to the worst of the injuries and there was not any reflective surfaces which could accidentally reveal his mysterious patient's face to him anywhere. There was a mirror, but it was on the other side of the room, hidden behind the folding screen where a spare bed was also behind.

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 * For some reason, Kakkou was taken aback from what the other had said. There was no doubt that a doctor was bound to keep anything said to him during a consultation a secret from the outside world - So why did it sound so... weird? 'Or I wouldn't be here' - What did he mean by that? "...Right. I forgot." He narrowed his eyes behind the dark-toned glass, before taking off his hand and putting it at the side of his goggles. There was a thin layer of blood on his fingertips, but he chose to ignore it.


 * Kakkou remained silent for a few heartbeats. True, he really needed to clean both... And apparently Izayoi was right about not being able to see his face from his spot. It was not like he had anything to hide, yet it was important to him that no one would see his face while he was in service for the yakuza. Eventually he raised his other hand as well and put it on the other side of his goggles. "If you try to peek, I'll send a bullet straight through your head." he informed him bluntly, then opened the locking clasps, which led to his goggles slipping down into the grip of his hands. He then put them down onto his lap, so he could use one of his hands to rub out some blood that had dripped into one of his eyes. Fortunately nothing seemed damaged, neither his eyes nor the headgear, hence he was sure he could just put it back on as soon as everything was clean again.

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[ Don't make me laugh...please. ] He would always reply that way and politely ask them to inquire no further. Izayoi was not worried about having a hit on his head because he snitched... Oh, no. He would have disappeared before anyone could even think about getting rid of him. But that was the problem. Why would he want to disappear after he just settled down with a new job? What a hassle. No, thank you.
 * <font color="#848484">There had been many who sought to bribe or threaten the good doctor for information, rumors, anything on other yakuza members. Really, just because they had ravished his body once or twice, they thought they would get the privileges of a lover?

"...Fufufu..." he laughs in a soft whisper, shaking his head "Naturally... If I peek after promising not to, a bullet in the head is the least I deserve." he held his hands out in a defensive gesture before focus sing back on the bullet wound. He was not that curious of a person. Respecting the privacy of others was an important asset of his. "Bear with me, just a few stitches..." he hummed, pressing his cool fingertips against the skin to keep it tough, carefully sticking the needle into the flesh to start sealing it.
 * <font color="#848484">Kakkou's warning caused him to pause and raise a thin eyebrow.

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 * "Mhmm... It's my way of showing mercy." Kakkou mumbled absent-mindedly, while trying to clean off the blood. "If I had any reason to do something more cruel to you, I would certainly make it slow and painful instead, but I guess I owe you one for getting that bullet out of my shoulder." His voice remained completely neutral while he spoke, as if he did not really care about what he was saying in the first place.


 * It was too regular... this whole 'killing others' thing. Like other people would get some breakfast and go to work every single day, something like that. Naturally, he could just refuse to do this dirty work, but people relied on his talents and he really did not have anything better to do most of the time. Humans did not mind stepping on bugs or hitting flies with a fly swatter, so why was killing other humans such a big deal anyways? Because they had feelings, families and a purpose in life? He snorted. Double standards, if anything.


 * The fingertips of Izayoi snapped him out of his thoughts and he accidentally allowed himself to shudder. God damn, had this guy bathed in ice water before he had come to visit him? Certainly. He knew the temperature of his own hands and it appeared ten times hotter compared to that. The stinging feeling of the needle became minor matter to him. All he could think about was that feeling as if someone tried to rub ice cubes over his skin. How he hated the cold. Hopefully he would be done soon.

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Okay, better not think about that while busy with work, shall we?
 * <font color="#848484">"I'm sorry about my hands. I have poor circulation..." he apologized quietly as he tugged the threat out before inserting the needle back in. Izayoi was used to his patients shuddering or even jumping at his hands. Even wearing gloves did not help. Instead of his fingers becoming the temperature of whoever he was in contact with, they just stayed cold, as if a thin layer of frost kept freezing over his skin. The only time he physically heated up was-


 * <font color="#848484">"You don't owe me a thing... but I appreciate you not shooting me or subjecting me to anything else that's torturous." he laughed softly. Someone with his face and demeanor being this casual about killing tended to unnerve people. Izayoi looked like he belonged in a Japanese ink painting than working for shady gangsters and speaking about the dark side of human society with a serene tone as calm as water in winter. Even his speaking pattern sometimes drifted into a very old accent once in a while, using slang terms that no one really gets anymore. Once he was done sewing up the bullet hole, he tied the surgical thread, cutting it and then sticked another clean bandage over it. "Tell me when you're done with your goggles. When you've put them back on, I'll get to that gash on your head."

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[ It will heal quickly enough... ] he thought, not minding a potential infection.
 * Kakkou hardly reacted to any of Izayoi's words and rather concentrated on getting the goggles, as well as his face clean. As he moved the towel over his face, he came to notice that there were some more scratches right above his left cheek, he could feel it stinging as the fabric ran through some light cut, that thereupon started to feel more present than before. He had not noticed either, the scratches nor the cut, until now, most likely because the pain was not as strong as the pain that came from the rest.


 * "Your hands are okay. Maybe a bit cold, but overall they don't feel too bad." There was no intention of telling Izayoi about it. It would mean he had to keep the goggles off, if he requested to take a look at it. "I'm done now." It hurt more than he thought, putting his goggles back on. He had back luck with the placement, the frame would directly rest on the cut. However, he somehow wanted this pain to last. A clicking sound told him that the goggles were locked properly, he only needed to adjust them a little before turning his head back to Izayoi, enough to tell him that he was ready for whatever he planned to do next.

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 * <font color="#848484">Oblivious to an injury on Kakkou's cheek, Izayoi continued to extract tiny pieces of shrapnel before bandaging up the various cuts and burns, looking up when the other said that he was done. Their gaze seemed to meet, despite Iza not able to clearly see the eyes hidden beneath the goggles. He blinked in acknowledgement, before his slender lips curved up at the corners into a gentle smile, his eyes gently shutting naturally as he did so.


 * <font color="#848484">"Let me bandage up your torso. Give me a moment..." he reached for the metal tray again, digging around the bottom layer for the roll of fresh gauze and bandage. Starting from Kakkou's waist-line, he started wrapping a layer of gauze, winding it for the other's body, making sure to not pull too tight and at the same time, covering each minor wound he had tended to.


 * <font color="#848484">"How old are you, by the way? ...I guess you don't have to tell me if you don't want to. You're probably the youngest hitman I've seen..." he hummed again, tying up the gauze, and then took up the bandage to cover it up with. Despite that bulky goggles, Iza could tell Kakkou was quite a handsome guy. It was a breath of fresh air to know that not all yakuza-associates were big, brutish guys. There was something deathly charming about a young assassin for hire that seemed to be the subject of many films. The real deal was of course, never as glamorous. Too bad those goggles would not come off. Iza was actually getting curious now and that was rare. Well, better than pretending to be interested.

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 * Whenever Izayoi came in contact with his wounds, something inside of Kakkou would twitch. Normally no one took the time to treat his wounds and if so, then definitely not with such delicate care. Nothing too uncommon, considering most people he had to deal with were either from the yakuza or strangers he would not allow to be touched by. Something inside of him wished he would not be that careful. It made him go tingly all over and that made him sick.

"I'm twenty... But I have been in duty for about eight years, after being in training for five... At least that is what I've been told. Before that... I hardly remember. I have been working as hitman all my life, you could say. At least the part that I can remember." Again. Why was he telling him that much? Was it because he seemed congenial or was it because he told him that no information would leak out through him? "I assume you are way older than me, considering medical education takes a good amount of time. Although you certainly don't look that old."
 * The question regarding his age came rather unexpected and made Kakkou wonder why the other was curious about that. Needless to say, he did not look like most yakuza, usually older men in suits, here and there a cigarette in one's mouth... that was indeed the truth. But did his youth really stand out that much?

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 * <font color="#848484">They say you need to start young to be the best of your future profession, but this was one of those professions where the saying was not exactly appropriate. Izayoi smiled to himself softly, forcing back any sympathy he felt. Pity and sympathy did nothing. They were just innate reactions to make yourself feel human towards someone who has been living a life you could not understand. It was the same as looking down on another. Izayoi, having started his previous profession at around the same age as when Kakkou apparently started his training, did not appreciate unnecessary pity.


 * <font color="#848484">"You're very right... I am way older." he chuckled, making his way up Kakkou's torso with the bandage, and tied it neatly, tucking the knot under a fold. "I'm nearly twice your age, can you believe that?"


 * <font color="#848484">He had no idea why he was talking about his own age to this young hitman. It was not the truth, but then again, it was more believable than the truth anyways. "Right, turn towards me and I'll take care of your last wound." he gestured for his patient to do so whilst he turns to prepare another needle and length of surgical thread.

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 * Twice his age? Was this person serious? Two options rolled around in the young hitman's mind - Either he was lying or he was telling the truth and had the most useful kind of lotion, to keep his skin young looking and without wrinkles, known to mankind. Every other man his age who had stumbled into Kakkou's life looked way older than that, usually ugly and worn out. Then again, those were mostly yakuza and other businessmen who did not give a crap about their looks anymore. Izayoi, on the other hand, was handsome and his skin seemed perfect in every cell. If he had guessed, he would have not rated him older than an age somewhere in his early thirties - and even that already seemed too old, even if logical in consideration of his doctor job. "Hardly." He was not going to question his response, even if tempted to. If the first option was the case, he surely had a reason not to tell the truth, other than vanity like most women when they lied about their age.


 * Just as requested, Kakkou turned towards Izayoi, so they could be done with this tiring treatment already. He had places to be, people to meet... Not really. But he tried to tell himself that was the case as he grew more impatient with every passing minute. Even the faint ticking of a clock sounded mocking to him. And the longer he listened to it, the more he concentrated on the eventual end - Until a sudden realization hit him. "Ah-" His gaze fell down at the bandages and quickly back up, to directly look at Izayoi. "I don't have anything to pay you with me."

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 * <font color="#848484">That stoic reply about his age made him hold in a snort. It were always the stoic ones who made him want to tell them more unbelievable things about himself just to see them give a calm reply when they were probably doubting everything on the inside. Izayoi remembered a boss of a certain yakuza family saying how he spoke like the Cheshire cat. No one ever could be sure of what he was saying whenever he smiled that way. He had been so flattered that he laughed for a good ten minutes.


 * Just as he was about to put Kakkou out of his misery of being a patient: the mention of money. "Oh- ..." It came out like an after thought. "Hm... Well, I don't want you to have to pay me another visit just to pay. It would be troublesome for you." Oh dear, his mind was being impish again. "...How about a kiss?" He said with a smile and allowed a good pause to let it sink in, or let a gun be pressed against his forehead before saying "I'm joking."

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 * There was silence. No reaction at all. He just stared at him, although staring at someone was not as effective if the person stared at could not actually see his eyes. In his head, there were many possible answers, reactions to what Izayoi played down as a 'joke'. Nevertheless, only one thing was repeatedly trying to push itself out of his vocal chords. "Are you some special kind of pedophile or are you just into violating people as a cheap repayment?" Blunt. That was all he could be about this. Even if this was meant as a joke, it was not very funny to him. Probably because Kakkou had as much sense of humor as a dead monkey.


 * "You are terrible at jokes." Yeah, he really was not in the mood to at least pretend that this could have been funny to him. Why did this guy have to fool around anyway? Probably did not know what to ask for as payment if he had no money. How annoying. "I'm really not interested in kissing a stranger, even if it could make me avoid coming here again, so try thinking again."

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 * <font color="#848484"> [ Oh, he really is a child- ] Izayoi forced his lips from twitching up at the corners, squeezing away a bubble of laughter jittering in his throat like it was threatening to explode. He was getting called a 'pedophile' - Oh dear skies, this was too funny- Why? It just was. Izayoi's humor was as unpredictable as his intentions. Kakkou could easily be a- ....what was it called again- ...Oh, right. Tsundere. He could imagine it so well, it was painfully hilarious in his head.


 * "I lack practice in the field of humor, I'm sorry." he coughed slightly, regaining a serene, default smile. "You're right... I can't think of a payment and I'd never expect you to want to kiss a stranger anyways. I'll have you know, I never 'violate' people, thank you." he shrugged, humming as if in thought, while he was 'thinking'. Izayoi starts stitching up the wound on Kakkou's head. "Payment... huh... I guess it's fine if you don't pay."

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 * Lack of practice in the field of humor sounded like an understatement, he plainly sucked. Nothing would be able to change Kakkou's mind about that. To think this guy had been living twice his lifetime... Maybe he should have visited a 'humor for dummies' lecture at some point. While he himself had just entered elementary school or something. Even thinking about such an age difference and the related question for a kiss as payment made him roll his eyes behind the glass of his goggles.


 * "Not happening." he grunted, while Izayoi was busy fixing his wound. "I hate the thought of being in debt to someone and simply saying that I don't have to pay does not make it right. You treated my wounds, so I owe you a payment. Who tells me you won't come crawling back to me someday when you are broke and mention 'that one time where I gave you medical care without expecting anything in return'?" Dear god, why could he not just ask him to cut off a finger and leave it here. Even that would be a better payment than nothing.

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 * <font color="#848484">Kakkou's way of thinking about repayments and owing debts reminded Izayoi of samurai. Righteous and prideful, they were... and it was sad that not many people nowadays still upheld that sort of value. He chuckled slightly at the stubbornness he could feel in the young man and the unlikely thought of him becoming broke. "Well, if you insist..." he started thinking again as he continued stitching, letting a thoughtful silence come over the room.


 * "Let me keep that bullet I took out of your shoulder." he suggested after a while, typing the surgical thread before cutting it. "That's enough payment for me, I guess..." Being paid 'in kind' was not that odd for him than most people thought. Izayoi reached for the bandages to wrap over the head wound swiftly, making sure to not tug at Kakkou's hair whilst he was going about it.

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 * The bullet? Well... That was a somewhat surprising reply. The only people he knew who usually wanted to keep those were working for the police or they were other yakuza members who needed the bullets to find out about whoever shot it. In this case, something like that surely would not happen, since Kakkou had made that one bite the dust earlier already.


 * "No clue what you want with that, but I guess you can have it." He shrugged slightly, although he was curious about his reason. What would a doctor need a bullet for? Oh well, at least he did not need to put a bullet into his head as a payment. He liked that guy, kind of, and it would be a shame if he had to kill him only because he did not want to be in debt. "Is there anything I need to do after this? Cleaning the wounds or something...? I am not used to this, so I don't know what to do in the healing progress."

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 * <font color="#848484">Satisfied with the reply, Izayoi winded the bandage around Kakkou's head once more before tying it. "Hm... You need to keep the bandages on for three weeks at least and have them changed twice a week during the healing process. Baths or showers are not the best idea. If you want to clean yourself then you can only use a wet towel. You're very welcome to come back for me to change your bandages, unless you can handle it all yourself?"


 * Well, he could not really keep types like this young assassin on bed-rest. These types never liked to stay still for long. Though, if a patient did want to come and go with more ease, Izayoi would not mind letting them use the spare rooms making up his living quarters upstairs. It had happened a few times before and worked well. Did Kakkou even have a place to stay or someone to help take care of his injuries?


 * "Just a suggestion... but, I have a spare room you can use upstairs. You can come and go, really... though, really, I'd rather you stay put and rest." he sighed, starting to tidy up. This was like telling a cat to not chase mice when the pest is dancing the can-can in front of it.

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 * The answer to his question was not really what Kakkou had hoped for. Bed rest - A horrible thing. How would his boss react if he had to call and tell him that he would not be able to help out for a while? Also, being alone in this untenanted building, only with this guy as company, did sound rather less exciting. Still, it was the best choice, right? If he actively kept on chasing people around for the yakuza, his wounds would not heal as fast. Not to forget that he really had absolutely no clue how to change bandages all by himself. Especially not twice a week. Oh, and he could not even wash himself, how great. That surely would get itchy if he sweated beneath the thick coat during every mission that required running around.


 * He had to think for a moment, consider all the possibilities... "I am not sure about that decision..." A sigh left his mouth along with his words. He was not trying to deny his offer, yet he hesitated for various reasons. They did not know each other at all. It was good that way, so Kakkou did not have to bother with anything regarding Izayoi. Staying in the mentioned spare room would probably mean they would get to know each other, though. "If you don't mind... I would like to make a quick call to help myself decide." He looked at him, blinking curiously as he waited for an answer, while he put one of his hands down on a pocket of his coat, where his cellphone would be in.

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 * <font color="#848484">"Oh, sure go ahead" Izayoi nodded, continuing to clear up and dump the used instruments into their special disposal baskets, tucking unused gauze and bandage rolls away. He would have left the room, but he had to get everything cleaned up. Cleanliness was an important thing in the world of medicine after all. He had to disinfect his hands, too. Once he had the acupuncture needles put back into the drawer in his desk, he took his crimson pipe, a box of matches an a small, black pouch and walked to the window.


 * Not wanting to let the smoke bother Kakkou, he opened a small gap in the window. Izayoi pinched what could be mistaken for tobacco at first out of the pouch, stuffing it into his pipe with practiced movements, placing the other end between his lips so he could light it. The match was discarded temporarily on the windowsill once its job was done. It would be clear to anyone that the substance being smoked was not tobacco, as waft of chrysanthemum scent drifted from the delicate trails of smoke.

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 * Kakkou waited for a moment, watching Izayoi's actions as he cleaned everything up and eventually walked to the window. The young assasin then proceeded to take out his cellphone and dial a number he apparently called pretty often, since his fingers pretty much rushed over the buttons without him really paying attention to what number he would have to press. His hand wandered up to his ear and he waited for a second, until he could hear the sound of someone picking up the phone on the other side of the line.


 * "Ah, Roko. It's me, Kakkou. Listen, I have- ..." One could hear incoherent, angry noises coming from the phone, whereas Kakkou only narrowed his eyelids, listening to the ranting, female voice that had interrupted him in the middle of his sentence. "No... Yes... Huh? I thought I told you I was working today." He rolled his eyes, his chest heaving from a silent sigh. "I can't make it today, you gotta eat alone... No, take the money from the counter- It's not my fault you forgot your keys, stop yelling at me..."


 * His gaze wandered over to Izayoi. Hopefully he did not get the wrong impression from what he was hearing. This call sounded anything than professional, even he had to admit it. "No... I am with a doctor. Something went wrong on the mission and-" Again, that yelling voice. Geez, this woman had a really bad temper sometimes. Could she not just let him speak? "He has already treated my wounds, but I have to stay here for a while. Could you inform the boss?" Another sigh left his lungs, this time in full sound. "How he's like...?" Kakkou eyed his company for a silent moment, then squinted and put both of his hands around the cellphone. "He's a creeper. A pedophile. I am not sure if I can trust him. Seems fishy to me." Of course he knew that Izayoi could hear him, even though he was trying to whisper. Just a few heartbeats afterwards, he ended the call with a short goodbye and put his phone back into his pocket. "I'm staying." Oh, his expression seemed anything but excited. Like an angry cat that someone forgot to feed and which was now glaring at the person with the can opener.

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 * <font color="#848484">Well that was surprising. Izayoi's hearing was not that good, but the little rambling voice he could hear from the phone sounded female. For some reason he felt relieved as Kakkou failed to continue sentence after broken sentence over subjects that sounded very mundane. Like an older sibling who angered a younger one and was being subjected to a good old scolding. The bitter side of him, which he normally was happily unaware of like some old forgotten trinket, rattled naggingly about how some child-assassin seemed to have some form of 'life'. Or at least sounded like he has some form of mundanity.


 * But that silly little thought was interrupted by the words 'creeper', 'pedophile' and 'fishy' were discretely thrown his way. He turned away, the puff of smoke he breathed out forming irregular shapes as he laughed silently, his shoulders shaking. "Oh?" He looked back to Kakkou, shameless of the mirth still in his blue eyes "Well, I welcome you to my humble abode. And rest assured, this fishy, pedophile of a creeper won't be sleeping on the same floor as you." he quipped, walking over to the door. "I can show you where you're staying. My personal room is upstairs, but I don't sleep there or anything..."


 * Sleep. Oh, what a common word, yet so foreign, as Izayoi thought about it.

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 * "Yeah, yeah, whatever you say. I'm only staying to do someone a favor, so let's make it quick." Why did this guy have to be amused about almost everything he said all the time? It pissed him off, but he did not let it show. If it had not been for Roko, who had bullied him into staying just now, he would have just gone home now and thrown Izayoi out of his mind again. Enough unnecessary information about humans he did not choose to stay with clogged his brain cells already.


 * With much lack of motivation he slid down from the bed. Every movement hurt a little here and there, mostly in his shoulder, but the pain had gotten better thanks to that 'doctor'. Carefully he tried to put his shirt back on, wriggling helplessly as his hurting shoulder made it hard for him to even get his arms inside. "Ugh, fuck this-" It was probably better to leave the shirt off anyways, so he just put his coat on his shoulders to keep himself warm. "Just show me where I'm staying already, I am getting impatient." Hopefully wherever he would be staying was somewhat comfortable, if he had to stay there for longer than a week. He already hated the thought of it.

Important Events

 * First encounter, as well as first appearances of Kakkou and Izayoi.
 * Cameo and official first mention of Roko.