呉島 貴虎 | kureshima takatora (
heavenlydecree) wrote2014-09-19 10:58 pm
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[If there was one thing Takatora was sure he should have learned by now, it would be how to keep his life in perfect running order. He had been the head of Yggdrasill's Research and Development branch from the moment he'd left high school and even before that, his father had kept him on a tight and strict schedule, never a second unaccounted for or left out of place. Unfortunately, with all of Takatora's scheduling and trying to squeeze an extra hour into every day, he still felt as though he never had time for anything, let alone everything. Even his weekends left little time for himself, though Takatora was also painfully aware of his obsession with triple-checking everything under his command and bringing such weight onto himself. He couldn't allow for errors.
His morning routine started a bit later on the weekends, if only because Takatora knew he had to catch up on sleep at some point to make up for running himself ragged. Getting sick was something he couldn't risk. The usual morning routine went by quickly: dragging himself out of bed (he'd never become a morning person, as much as he wanted to), showering, getting dressed, checking for any news or alerts while he had been sleeping. Thankfully, nothing important had happened during the night. Takatora always lived with the fear of something awful happening while he was asleep that he would be unprepared for, but every morning brought the same temporary relief. For now.
Takatora headed out of his room after an hour or so, still checking his phone as he made his way down the hall and towards the stairs. Ryouma already wanted to talk to him about something, which was mildly surprising as Ryouma rarely (never) got out of bed so early, which meant he'd been up all night again. Stepping past one of the maids, Takatora spoke a return greeting to her as he continued on, paying more attention to typing out messages than his surroundings.]
His morning routine started a bit later on the weekends, if only because Takatora knew he had to catch up on sleep at some point to make up for running himself ragged. Getting sick was something he couldn't risk. The usual morning routine went by quickly: dragging himself out of bed (he'd never become a morning person, as much as he wanted to), showering, getting dressed, checking for any news or alerts while he had been sleeping. Thankfully, nothing important had happened during the night. Takatora always lived with the fear of something awful happening while he was asleep that he would be unprepared for, but every morning brought the same temporary relief. For now.
Takatora headed out of his room after an hour or so, still checking his phone as he made his way down the hall and towards the stairs. Ryouma already wanted to talk to him about something, which was mildly surprising as Ryouma rarely (never) got out of bed so early, which meant he'd been up all night again. Stepping past one of the maids, Takatora spoke a return greeting to her as he continued on, paying more attention to typing out messages than his surroundings.]
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The fact that Mitsuzane could lie so easily to him, that Takatora had fallen for it so easily in the past... There were traits Mitsuzane had picked up on from both their father and from Takatora himself to act like this. To see that the brother Takatora continued to think of as the smiling child who never wanted to leave his side had started acting like this.... It was difficult.
It was a card Takatora had held close to him for a long time, knowing about the Beat Riders, their teams, and his brother's role as an Armored Warrior. He had never seen fit to use it. He had saved it and continued to even now, not wanting to waste it in such simple times. Normally, Takatora would have simply accepted the other's brushing him off, but today there was another item of concern.]
How are you feeling?
[Takatora turned and moved towards his brother, stepping in close without touching him. It always hurt too much when Mitsuzane flinched away from him, so physical contact was another action Takatora had tried to control.]
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Fine. Perhaps a little bit tired, but I was up late studying. I wanted to make sure I had everything memorized so I could go over it today, and I lost track of the time.
[If he was touched, the game was over, at least for now. Every muscle had to be controlled. Every breath had to appear normal.]
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Hm...
[Usually, he wouldn't fight Mitsuzane on something like this. Was it just a chance to assert some brotherly authority? Takatora wasn't sure why this was the day he was trying to coax the other back.]
It's the weekend. You should go sleep in a little longer.
[Really, this felt like the first time Takatora had ever suggested 'be a little irresponsible' but health always had to come first, or everything else would fail around it.]
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[There were no options. He tried to keep his expression neutral, but with the way his body was aching he didn't have much time before he couldn't keep it up. He took a deep breath, preparing to debate his brother - he needed to go study, or he would get an unsatisfactory grade on the test - but something in the air caught in his throat and he felt a cough coming on.]
[He took a step back and covered his mouth with his sleeve as he coughed, a dry sound with a little bending over from the pain.]
No, it's fine. I should... go study...
[Damn it. This story was falling apart at the seams. If he had to skip today... he had to be there, they needed him! They couldn't do it without him!]
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Mitsuzane, don't push yourself. If your friend wants to come over later, perhaps they can do so when you're feeling better.
[It was easy to look calm and in control of the situation until Takatora's phone started ringing, at which point he set his jaw and gained a very displeased look. Ryouma, as usual. He really could never get a break from work, but for now, the phone call was being pushed aside in favor of his younger brother's health.]
Let's get you back into bed.
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[That was it, then. No escaping it today. His shoulders slumped slightly under his brother's touch, and he nodded. Bed. But maybe he could still escape later. He'd have to text someone to let them know. Hopefully Kouta wouldn't screw something up while he was gone.]
[He turned a bit, heading back towards his room with Takatora. Once again he had the feeling of being in his older brother's shadow, quite literally right now. His posture dipped a bit as he tried not to push his joints too much. He felt like a toy he'd seen in a store window - a tin robot, whose every joint moved stiffly and awkwardly. Why anyone would want something like that was unknown to him.]
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Takatora removed his hand from Mitsuzane's shoulder as soon as they started walking, trailing behind the other. His phone had stopped ringing, but there was no beep of indication Ryouma had left him a message (he never did.) When they reached the door to Mitsuzane's room, Takatora kept back, wondering if heading inside was another mark on a long list of things he would upset his brother by doing.]
I understand you want to go out today. ... I'm sorry. Perhaps later.
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[... There wasn't really anything in his room. All of his Gaim things were hidden away. Instead he painted the picture of a studious teenager - books everywhere, school notes carefully lined up in folders, and notebooks that held nothing of interaction with other people, only chemical formulas and algebraic equations. He leaned on his door slightly.]
We'll see, won't we -
[He moved to turn the doorknob when he coughed again, barely catching himself against the wall as his body shook. He let out a quiet hiss of pain at the awkward angle and the sudden pressure on his wrist, but bit his tongue to cut it off.]
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How long have you been feeling this way?
[It didn't seem like the sort of thing that came on suddenly overnight. It was possible Mitsuzane had been sick for longer and Takatora hadn't noticed with his busy schedule. Takatora visibly frowned, reaching out to open the door and carefully nudging his brother inside. Usually, he wouldn't enter his brother's room without permission (or a good reason), but this time he would make an exception.]
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[His bed had been made neatly, of course, and he'd swept the floor himself in order to make sure that there was no trace of dirt or anything that could give himself away.]
Only a few days. It's just a cold, I think. Please don't worry about it, nii-san. You have important work to do, right? I know there are a lot of things you have on your schedule, and I'd hate to make you fall behind.
[He reached up and covered his brother's hand on his chest with his own, fingers curling in the fabric of his sleeve like he had done when they were younger.]
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I only want to get you settled in.
[When Mitsuzane touched his sleeve, Takatora had instantly recoiled, but quickly recovered, silently cursing himself. It had been so unexpected that he had reacted in a negative way, which he only hoped Mitsuzane hadn't noticed or would take offense to.
After nudging the door open, Takatora guided Mitsuzane into the room and steered him towards the bed.]
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I'll be fine, really. But thank you, nii-san.
[He really should have changed before getting on the bed, but he couldn't do that with his brother in the room for multiple reasons. Still, as he tried to shift to get under the covers, some of his bruises stung sharply. He froze for a moment, before gently moving his arm again.]
Please let me know if there's anything I can help with while I'm at home today. I don't want to make you sick, but I do want to be useful.
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The best thing you can do for me is to take care of yourself.
[With that, Takatora turned back towards Mitsuzane and ran his hand over the other's hair.]
I'll send a maid up with some breakfast and medicine. Don't try to push yourself. You can't force your body to get better.
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... Yes, I know. You need to take care of yourself, too. The company needs to know that even its leadership can be strong, and you can't be strong if you don't rest.
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What kind of brother am I that my younger brother is the one trying to take care of me?
[Takatora returned his hand to his side, tilting his head at the other and watching him carefully.]
I'll be fine. [He sighed, looking the other over once more.] Is there anything else you need now? You know you can always call me if you need anything.
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[As much as the statement made him want to gag, it was true. They couldn't really rely on anyone else, and he didn't trust any of his brother's staff. He couldn't. He didn't know what they knew about the Armored Riders, and he didn't trust them aside from that. Almost all of them seemed extremely suspicious.]
I'll be all right. Go to work. I'll leave you a message after I rest.
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Right. ... You're right.
[It was difficult for Takatora to say more than that. He walked to the side of the bed and reached down to brush Mitsuzane's hair away from his face, managing a small smile.]
Please be careful, Mitsuzane.
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I will.
[Later in the day, he did feel somewhat better, though not enough to sneak out to the stage. He waved off one of the maids, explaining where he was going, and soon enough he arrived at Takatora's office and knocked on the door. He'd hidden away his dance uniform and put in another textbook to his bag. He did actually have to study - there was a test next week, after all.]
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[Takatora had been at his desk most of the day after leaving home, after meeting up with Ryouma that morning and discussing the next steps in their projects. Since then, he'd gone through a small mountain of paperwork, reading documents, signing them, neglecting himself and his health as usual, if the full yet cold cup of coffee on the corner of his desk was any indication. He'd barely looked up from his work in the last few hours.
In fact, Takatora had been so distracted that he had nearly forgotten Ryouma had come into the room an hour beforehand. Now, the professor sat in his chair across from Takatora, playing with the phone in his hands every once in awhile, but mostly spending his time watching his superior. When he heard the knock at the door, Ryouma laid one arm across the back of the chair and turned curiously towards the new visitor.]
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Sengoku-san.
[Carefully, he looked over at Takatora, and closed the door behind him.]
Nii-san. I thought maybe I would keep you company and study here. And one of the maids said you didn't bring lunch, so I brought it for you in my bag. I wrapped it an extra time to make sure it didn't get any sort of germs on it.
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[In the times the two had seen each other over the years Ryouma had been friends with Takatora, they rarely managed to be in the same room together for very long or to exchange words other than basic pleasantries. Ryouma smiled at Mitsuzane when he came in the room, draping himself over the back of the chair. He could tell Mitsuzane's smile was faked, clearly the boy had not taken the time to sharpen his skills as much as Ryouma had in that department.]
Your nii-san told me you weren't feeling well. Are you sure you should be out of bed?
[From behind him, Takatora gave Ryouma a look (which the professor couldn't see, obviously), before he turned his attention to Mitsuzane and motioned for the other to sit down at the small lounge area to the left of his desk. While he wanted to scold Mitsuzane, he didn't want to do so in front of Ryouma. Family matters were not to be shared, no matter how close Ryouma liked to think he was to them.]
Thank you, Mitsuzane.
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I thought that I could at least spend a little time with you, even if you're busy. And nii-san is the smartest person I know, so if there's something too difficult perhaps you could help me.
[None of it should have been too hard, but he could pretend on the rougher parts.]
Besides, all of the kinds of things you do I'll need to learn how to do at some point, right? And it's getting to near when we have to start studying for entrance exams, too. Learning business practices is important if I'm to get into a good university.
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That did not go unnoticed by Ryouma.]
Feel free to start studying on your own. If you have any questions, you're welcome to ask. I should be done soon.
[Short and straight the point. Takatora's words were always considerably different at work than when he was at home, though it was rare Mitsuzane saw him in an environment where he forced himself to be so professional. Even if it was only in front of Ryouma, Takatora couldn't allow himself to relax as long as he was working.]
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[He fell silent, absorbed in his textbook. Really, most of this was stuff he knew, but biology was tricky. He always wanted to dispute things his teacher told him, but doing so would be useless. Memorizing the information, even if it was incorrect, took priority. He could always reteach himself the correct information later. Textbooks on science were always outdated by the time they were printed, after all.]
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Carefully, Ryouma had slid one hand onto the back of Mitsuzane's chair and leaned over, practically with his head on the other's shoulder as he glanced at the book and attempted to see what the other was working on. Obviously, personal space had never been a concern of his.]
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