love beyond species《tsukkiyama》

04:出会い

出会い: rendezvous

Tsukkishima Kei walked down the isolated street and approached his school, as usual. He walked with his back as straight as a stick, seldom looking down on others with his stoic gaze.

He stayed the same way in all of his classes. He got another love letter today. The perfume that was sprayed on it made him sick to his stomach, so he immediately threw it away, not caring about the broken-hearted girl watching him do so.

Yamaguchi happened to notice this and frowned. He had been acting way too weird, and it was starting to concern him greatly. He knew Tsukkishima was not one for romance, but this was a bit much, even for him.

"Tsukki? Why the hell did you do that? You sent her out in tears!" he said, grabbing a hold of his shoulder to stop him from walking any further. Kei jerked his arm away from Yamaguchi and gave him a fierce glare. Tadashi stepped back, taken aback by his movement as fear flashed in his hazel eyes. Tsukki turned away from him and walked away without a word, shoving his hands in his pockets.

Yamaguchi stared after him, lost in his own thoughts, truly confused about what was happening to Tsukki.

~

Tsukki didn't even bother to go to the rest of his classes. The voice in his head kept bothering him about what he did to the freckled boy.

'What the hell did Yamaguchi ever do to you? I will not allow you to lay a finger on him!' it screamed, giving him a pounding headache. A new feeling filled his head, clearing any trace of his consciousness.

"One of my kind is near," he muttered," It has murderous intent, but wants to talk."

'There are more of you?!' the voice screamed. Kei walked in the direction of the signal and came face to face with a gray-haired teen, who was a few inches shorter than him. He recalled the name clearly from his memories.

"Sugawara-senpai?" he asked, eyes widening ever so slightly from amusement," I didn't know you were one of us."

"I can mask my signal. I have learned how to act like the humans do, and just go with the flow, I suppose," he said, with a dark chuckle.

"Why were you calling me?" Tsukki asked, looking down tauntingly.

"There is a party running for mayor in our town, a party made up of only our kind. I was told to recruit more of us, for safety, ya know," he said, placing a hand on his hip," You up for it?"

"I suppose," he just said, looking away and up into the cloudless sky. Suga smiled a bright smile and gave him a thumbs up.

"Good," he said, but then suddenly grabbed Tsukkishima's tie and pulled it down to his level.

"We exterminate everyone who is an interference, understand?" He muttered, his tone suddenly taking a dark turn, "Also, you better not mock me ever again, because I will not hesitate to kill you." After saying that, he gave Tsukkishima one last glance and walked off as if nothing had happened between the two. Kei looked around to make sure the coast was clear and then walked off, back into the school building, because he had nothing better to do.

~

The rest of the day moved on dreadfully slow for Tadashi, and what Tsukki said to him still lingered in his mind. He was so distracted by it and couldn't focus on anything that he learned in his classes.

He started walking back home, staring down at the ground with his eyebrows furrowed.

"Yamaguchi," a gruff voice said, pulling his arm into a dark alley. Tadashi let out a small yelp as he was pulled into the shadows. He was pushed against the brick wall and two tall figures loomed over him.

"You forgot the meeting," the other voice said. A sliver of light shined through the alley, allowing Yamaguchi to make out the faces that stood before him.

"Asahi-san? Daichi-san? You guys are part of this thing?" he asked, sighing mentally in relief.

"Of course," Asahi said, his gentle voice immediately masking his otherwise intimidating stature.

"I'm sorry, there was a lot on my mind, I really do want to help you," Tadashi said, bowing down slightly. Daichi lifted Yamaguchi's head up and stared him square in the eye.

"Don't mind. We have more important things to worry about," said Daichi," Outside of school, you may call me Agent Sawamura."

"And I will be Agent Azumane," said Asahi.

"So... What do I need to know about these creatures?" Tadashi asked, pulling out a mini notepad and a pencil from his bag.

"Ah yes. We hunt Parasytes, that's what we call the creatures who have been causing the mincemeat murders," Asahi explained," We don't have much information on them, but we have the basics on how to identify them."

"Parasytes are usually dull and boring. They have a dead look in their eyes and feed on human bodies. The way they attack is monstrous, and it's something you do not want to witness," Daichi finished. Asahi had a grim look on his face when he explained that part. Yamaguchi looked up at him in concern, after jotting down his notes.

"My mother was killed by one," Agent Azumane said, trying to keep a straight face," That's my reason for hunting them."

"I-I'm so sorry!" Tadashi stuttered, tears brimming in his eyes.

"It's alright," Daichi said, patting Asahi on the back," Our scientists are working on more ways to identify and kill these creatures, and we'll tell you more when we find out."

"From now on, you are undercover, like us. We are assigning you as an assassin, so if you identify a parasyte, your goal is to kill it," said Asahi, clenching his fist," If you are to attack one, it will only die of blood loss, so you have to strike the heart first." Tadashi could only nod, knowing how serious the situation is. Daichi placed a hand on Yamaguchi's shoulder and gave him a reassuring look.

"You'll get used to it, I promise. You're now one of us, Agent Tadashi," he said, giving him a final nod, and then leaving with Asahi in tow. Tadashi slumped his shoulders. It was a lot to take in for the freckled male and only added to his already long day.

"I promise to save the human race," he muttered to himself, looking out of the alley to see whether the coast was clear, then started on his way back home.

w: 1069