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The First Meeting	By : MadoushiClef Category: +S to Z > Tokyo Babylon Views: 1030 -:- Recommendations : 0 -:- Currently Reading : 0
Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Babylon, nor any of the characters from it. I do not make any money from the writing of this story.

Chapter List
- 1-The First Meeting
- 2-Shopping
- 1
- 2
The First Meeting

The First Meeting

by Madoushi Clef

Finished: March 6th, 2006

The city didn�t care, but then it never does.
The grinding sound of life in New York City beat to the drum of inevitable
desolation. Sooner or later, the City chugged along, everything will be
the grime on my streets, even little boys like you.

Whiskers shivered in the shadows of the a
theater on Broadway. The freezing cold made him want to run back to
Harlem and hide there with Duo and Ryuen. But they knew he stayed with
them, they would find him there and kill him. Maybe they would kill Duo
and Ryuen too. He shivered again. The snow banks mercifully stole sound as
he coughed, watching the busy, night crowd. Easy marks, most of them, with
probably enough money on them to buy something warm to eat and maybe
something warmer to wear. Fuck, it was cold out. He looked up as it
started to snow again. He�d better hurry. The people who had places to be
would soon get there.

He spotted a black-haired man looking at the
sky, dazed. He looked to be alone. The mark wore a long black coat, the
kind with a breast pocket that couldn�t zip up. Whiskers blew on his
fingers, trying to convince them to warm up enough for this. He couldn�t
afford to get caught shoplifting again, his left side still hurt from the
last beating. The bruises had barely faded and here he was asking for more
trouble. Not that the man looked very dangerous, no, he wasn�t very
well-built. Even covered in a coat, Whiskers could tell he never had to
work like the men on the docks.

He darted out into the crowd, closing in on
his mark. He had reached him just as he was turning. The collision even
looked like an accident.

Whiskers fell on his right side, hiding the
stolen wallet under his body.

�Oh!� The man said, shaking his head. He
looked at the boy and his jaw dropped. �Are you alright?� His voice was
softer than Whiskers had expected. The man stood and brushed some of the
slush and snow off himself.

�Yeah�� Whiskers sat up and his left side
screamed at him. Fuck, that hurts! He doubled over, forgetting about the
wallet. He coughed again, trying to breathe through the pain.

�Subaru Sumeragi?� A much deeper voice
called.

�Eh?� The mark turned away from Whiskers.

This is your chance, move it you idiot! He
yelled at himself. It seemed to take forever to get his feet under him.
The world swam before his eyes. Clutching the wallet to his chest,
Whiskers ignored the two men beside him and took an unsteady step forward.

�Hey!� The deeper cried and grabbed Whiskers�
wrist. �This can�t be yours.�

Whiskers couldn�t open his eyes against the
pain of standing up. He let go of the wallet without a struggle. It was
all he could do to breathe. Despite the freezing wind he suddenly felt so
hot and so dizzy.

�You little thief,� the man sounded like he
was about to hit him; Whiskers shrank away.

�Stop it!� Subaru, the mark, cried. He
stepped in front of Whiskers and dropped a hand onto his shoulder.

�He stole your wallet.� The other man said,
voice harsh and angry.

�Look at him,� Subaru�s voice had gotten
quieter, but held an edge of steel in it.

Whiskers had caught his breath enough to look
at the two men arguing over him. Subaru glared at a taller man with
shoulder-length black hair and dark eyes. He looked mean in his leather
jacket and open dress shirt, like the enforcers in the gangs. Whiskers�
instincts told him not to mess with that man.

Subaru had kept his hand firmly on his
shoulder the entire time. He was stronger than he looked. His hold kept
Whiskers steady and upright even through another coughing fit. �I�m going
to get him something to eat. You can come or not.� He did not want
the other man to come, but Whiskers didn�t understand why.

�Whatever.� The long-haired man turned and
left.

�Come,� He pulled Whiskers away from the
theater crowd, his voice still steel.

�No,� He tried to tug himself free, �I�m
fine.�

�I�m not going to hurt you.� He said and took
Whiskers� hand. �We are going to that restaurant,� he pointed across the
street, �to eat.�

He wanted to go with him, he seemed nice.
However his head told his instincts it was a stupid idea. �I�m not
hungry.� He protested.

Whiskers� stomach took that moment to
contradict him.

�Let me at least feed you,� the man said. He
didn�t even bat an eye at Whiskers� lie. �You look like you need it. We
can buy extra for you to take home to your family.� He pulled him along
and they made it into the restaurant. Subaru suggested that they wash up
before they sit down.

In the restroom Whiskers got the first good
look at himself in two days. Living on the street will really destroy your
looks, he thought, reaching for the soap. He was covered in so much dust
from the explosion that his brown hair looked grey. He rolled up his
sleeves, washed his face and arms, he even tried to wash some of the grim
out of his hair. He hated how he smelled if he didn�t bathe at least once
every two days. When he was done, he checked himself over in the mirror.
He eyes looked a little too wide and he still looked half frozen, but it
would have to do. He wanted to check his side, but the man was watching.
He ducked into one of the stalls and locked the door. He had to go
anyways. He silenced a hiss as he saw his side. The bruises hadn�t faded
at all! His whole side was purple, blue, with yellow and green mixed in.

I survived being nearly blown up, only to die
from a beating for stealing some food, he thought wryly. He slumped
against the stall�s wall, dizzy a moment. He coughed again. After it
passed he took care of business. The man still waited by the door, leaning
against the wall patiently. Whiskers washed his hands again telling
himself the he really should be searching for a way to escape. Not many
good people took an interest in children.

Ordering dinner was an awkward moment. The
waitress gave the man a hateful look as she handed out the menus. He
sputtered, trying to explain he wasn�t going to do anything illegal.
Whiskers smiled behind his menu. It took explaining the whole situation to
the girl to convince her not to call the cops.

He watched the man study the menu and order
hot tea to drink. She looked to Whiskers.

�How about some milk to drink? And hot
cocoa?� The man asked.

�Okay.� He shrugged. Milk he liked, but he
didn�t know what hot cocoa was.

The girl left.

�What�s your name?�

�What�s yours?� Whiskers asked him back.

�Sumeragi.� He answered. �Subaru Sumeragi.�
It rolled off his tongue like it didn�t belong to English.

�Subaru�� He looked him up and down. Under
his black coat he�d worn a black suit. His yellowish skin looked sickly
with all that black and his black hair and grey eyes. He sniffed and
lifted his chin.

�Whiskers.� He reached across the table to
shake his hand.

With a small smile, Subaru reached across the
table and shook his hand. �Hello, Whiskers.�

�Hiya.� He sat back in his seat. Looking
around the restaurant he decided it was a nice place, if a bit dim. There
were lots of people crowded into the booths, families being loud, couples
out on dates laughing, people having debates on who-knows-what. All of
them sat like they belonged where they were, clean, well-fed, and
comfortable.

�Penny for your thoughts,� Subaru called his
attention back to him.

Whiskers shrugged. Instead of answering him
he asked, �Why are you doing this?�

�You need it,� he told him honestly.

Whiskers glared at him. �I can take care a�
myself.�

The weight of Subaru�s stare made him want to
squirm. �Do your parents know you�re out this late?�

He rolled his eyes, crossed his arms over his
chest and said boldly, �I don�t got no �rents and I don�t need �em.� He
dared Subaru to challenge his words. Instead he got a look of profound
sorrow that made his chest ache and his eyes water. �Don�t-don�t look at
me like that. I�m fine. Adults suck. Duo and I take care a� ourselves.�

Subaru�s voice shook. �You shouldn�t have to
take care of yourselves��

Whiskers turned his head, pretending that
Subaru�s eyes hadn�t watered. The smell of freshly cooked meat caught his
attention and he watched a man walk by with a steak, mouth watering. He
hadn�t eaten in almost two days and he was so hungry.

�Have you two decided what you want?� The
waitress returned. Their drinks had been put on the table.

�That,� he said, pointing to the food the
other waiter had brought out.

�One steak,� she smiled, �Mashed potato,
baked, or fries?�

He blinked at her, confused.

�Baked, please,� Subaru supplied. �Butter and
sour cream on the side.�

�It comes with a house salad, what kind of
dressing would you like?� she asked, writing on her pad.

�How about some of each on the side to try?�
suggested Subaru.

Whiskers tried to hide his surprise. He
didn�t know he could do that. �O-okay.� He picked up the steaming cup in
front of him, savoring the warmth. Then he took a sip, �Mmmmmm�� He almost
drank the whole cup in one swallow.

�Careful, kid.� The waitress laughed. �You�ll
burn your tongue.�

�It�s good,� he told her, meaning it. He
beamed up at her like she had given him liquid gold. The sweet chocolate
made him warm from the inside out.

�It�s just instant,� she confessed, turning
red.

Whiskers just looked at her, not
understanding.

Subaru and the waitress shared a look. He
gave her a helpless gesture and said, �Double that order, but pack the
second one to go, please.�

�Sure thing.� She said, casting another look
at Whiskers.

�To go?� He gulped, remembering the perverts
in Port Authority and in the crack houses. He didn�t want to go anywhere,
even if Subaru seemed nice.

�For Duo,� he answered like he could read his
mind. �You said you took care of each other.�

�Yeah,� he scratched the side of his nose.
�But nobody gets somethin� fer nuthin�.�

�That�s �nobody gets something for nothing,��
He corrected. Subaru drew a breath and thought a minute. �Payment�� he
thought a moment. �How about you give me your real name?�

Whiskers stared at him. �What?�

�What kind of name is Whiskers?� He asked,
�You must have another.�

His jaw dropped. Whiskers is the only name
I got, he tried to say but it couldn�t get passed the lump in his
throat. After two swallows he was sure he could talk without his voice
cracking. �What kind of name is Subaru?� He shot back hotly.

�Japanese,� he answered. �It�s our name for
the Pleiades in the Taurus constellation.�

Whiskers had no idea what that meant, but it
sounded important. �Oh.� He thought about the people who called him
Whiskers and tried to remember the first one. He couldn�t remember which
face it had been but he remembered a hand on his head and someone telling
him, �Whiskers, �cause like on a cat, I warn the others of 5-0�s and
stuff.� He watched Subaru�s face.

�What�s a five-oh?�

�You know,� he pointed out the window to the
cop directing traffic. ��Dem.�

�Police�� He hissed and looked back at
Whiskers, surprised. Subaru opened his mouth to say something, but the
waitress came with their salads. �Thank you,� Subaru said, bowing slightly
where he sat.

The boy looked up at her for a second before
repeating Subaru, �Thank you.� The words felt strange on his tongue, like
he�d never said them before, even though he had. The waitress just smiled
back at him.

He had a fun time dipping the lettuce in the
different bowls of colored dressing. The white one with stuff in it,
called blue cheese, tasted horrible, but the ranch and French weren�t too
bad, to long as he didn�t mix them together. Even the radishes weren�t so
bad after he drenched them in ranch.

Subaru almost laughed, being treated to the
sight of Whiskers enjoying his salad so much he ended up covered in
dressing. He stopped the waitress as she walked by, �I think we�re going
to need more napkins.� She left laughing.

Whiskers grinned at him. This was fun. Duo
was wrong, vegetables weren�t that bad. They crunched when you ate them!

Reaching across the table, Subaru wiped his
face with a napkin, much like Mrs. Maxwell did when she was feeling
better. He took a clean napkin and wiped his hands. �You might want to try
a fork.�

Forks and knives were cumbersome since they
had not been made for his little hands and he had bad leverage. �Okay�� He
replied sullenly, more unhappy because Subaru had stopped touching him
than needing to behave. He liked the soft touch of his hands, it let him
know he wasn�t imagining his good luck. He was warm for the first time in
days. He barely could keep his eyes open, but dinner came. He perked up
and, with utensils, ate most of his meal before he got too full to finish.
There was only a little bit of his potato left. He liked the butter better
than the sour cream. It tasted like it had gone bad and it couldn�t be
good for you if it had, he reasoned. Right? Still, it was a shame to leave
anything uneaten, since he might not get to eat again for a while. He was
still staring at the last piece of potato on his plate when Subaru�s hand
snatched it way and ate it. �Hey!� he cried, indignant.

�Payment.� He popped the last piece in his
mouth.

�Oh.� He sat back, feeling too full, warm,
and content to want to move. His eyes drooped.

No!

He forced himself to keep awake. He had to
find someplace warm to sleep tonight. Maybe Cherish or Sugar would let him
stay at their places� tonight. He hadn�t seen either girl for a while.

�Come with me,� Subaru stood next to him, one
hand out.

�Wh-where�re you gonna taking me?� He shrank
further into the bench.

�To Duo,� he looked at him, towering over the
cowering boy. �I am not going to hurt you.� He sat next to him.

He looked up, then sat up. �You stopped the
other guy�� Whiskers tugged on the sleeve of his coat. �About your
wallet�� He squeezed his eyes shut, �I�m sorry.�

�You need it more than I do.� The man placed
the wallet on the table.

Whiskers stared at it. This guy didn�t make
any sense. He felt okay, but his head told him it must be a trick. What
did Duo and Ryuen always tell him? Don�t over think, if you have to ask if
it�s a trap it probably is. Besides, �I can�t go see Duo.�

�Why not?� He sounded genuinely concerned.

�Cause the bad men might be there.�

�The ones that hurt your side?�

Whiskers shook his head. �No, worse. If they
think I been there, they might kill Duo. I can�t do that.� Not after how
much he and his brother and mom took care of me.

Subaru looked like he wanted to say
something, but instead he stood and held out his hand. �You need some
place safe and warm to stay tonight. I�ll find you one. Will Duo be
alright for tonight? It�s dangerously cold out.�

�He lives with his brother and mom.� Whiskers
answered, taking hold of his hand. They walked halfway to the door before
he remembered the wallet. �Wait.� He dashed back and grabbed it. �Here.�
He held it out to the man.

There was a moment where all Subaru did was
look at Whiskers. The little boy kept the wallet out, face slowly turning
increasingly red as the seconds passed. The man slowly took the black
billfold from him, keeping his eyes wide, trying not to let the tears
fall.

The waitress waved at them as they left,
shooting Subaru a meaningful look.

Outside, the man hailed a cab. He rattled off
an address Whiskers didn�t know, but then he couldn�t read; he didn�t know
any addresses. He found things by sight.

Being inside a cab was new for Whiskers. It
went really fast at times and stopped abruptly. Other times it went slow
and stopped abruptly. They passed several streetwalkers, Whiskers waved at
them as they rode by. The radio played rap music in Spanish. He could pick
out a word or two, mostly the curse words he heard a lot in Spanish
Harlem. They arrived at a white stone sky scraper. It wasn�t a short sky
scraper like some of them could be, but it wasn�t like the Twin Towers or
the Chrysler building.

Subaru paid the cabbie before letting
Whiskers out. He unlocked the door to the building by running a card
through a machine. He ushered the boy in, trying to balance the doggie bag
at the same time.

The main lobby had been painted pure white.
The floors were white marble with several wet, red area rugs between the
front door and the stairs and elevator. The stairs ran up the middle of
the building, wrapping around the elevator. To his left a desk had been
built into an alcove. A brown-haired man in a gray suit stood talking with
the older man who sat behind the desk. The older man looked about fifty-ish,
black hair, black mustache and beard and a large, solid body. The younger
of the two turned when the door opened. His brown eyes lit up when he saw
Subaru walking through the door, then they fell on the little boy with
him. His face went from happy to curious.

�Evening, Subaru-san,� his voice rolled out
deep and rich. �I thought you had a blind date tonight.� Whiskers watched
his eyes linger a bit on Subaru�s mouth like sometimes Gojyo�s would on
Mrs. Maxwell�s lips.

�Hello, Conrad-san,� he nodded to the other
man with a half-bow, a slight bend at the waist. �I did.� Subaru rubbed
his hand over his face, in a frustrated voice he sheepishly admitted, �But
he was a jerk.�

Conrad seemed pleased with that for a moment
but the look was gone so quickly Whiskers couldn�t be sure of what he saw.
�This one�s a little young to have been �the jerk.�� He motioned to the
boy. �What�s your name?�

�Whiskers.� He held out his hand.

Conrad laughed. It was a light and happy, a
stark contrast to Subaru�s silent, empty personality. He shook Whiskers�
hand, smiling. �Well, how do you do? Conrad Weller.�

He looked up at Conrad, totally confused.
�How do I do what?�

Conrad looked at Subaru the way the waitress
had.

�You see?� The Japanese man gestured to
Whiskers. �I couldn�t let him stay out in the cold.�

�I do see. Let me walk you to your apartment.
You can tell me how you came to �bring home this stray cat.� He smiled
again, but managed not to laugh.

Whiskers turned pink.

�Good night, Sigu.� Conrad called to the man
behind the desk.

Subaru nodded to him. �Mr. Curtis.�

The three took the elevator up. Subaru
related succinctly the story behind their meeting, making Whiskers turn
even more red at Conrad�s laughter. �So, you take him home?�

�I couldn�t leave him on the street,� Subaru
protested, opening the door. He ushered Whiskers inside, his attention on
Conrad. �He would freeze to death.�

The door opened to the kitchen and dining
room. As one open space, it had a small, black iron table with a glass top
and two black iron chairs that matched. The kitchen�s white linoleum
floors matched the white walls, all the appliances, which were black,
looked like holes in the d�cor more than pieces of furniture. One large
black hole for the refrigerator, another for the stove and microwave,
smaller black holes for the toaster and coffeemaker.

The pale wood floors in the living room were
as barren as the walls. Subaru had no rugs nor pictures. On the wall
furthest from the front door were four large windows. In the middle of the
living room sat the black, leather couch, it came with a matching black
leather recliner. A lamp stood on the right of the couch, between it and
the chair. The lamp had several heads, like a fan of lights spreading over
one corner of the couch and the chair. A glass and black iron coffee table
stood in front of them with nothing on it, not even dust. The wall
opposite the couch had a medium sized television sitting on another black
iron table, only there was no glass top. The doors beneath the television
were glass, behind those doors rested the VCR and DVD player, and one
remote control. Behind the couch stood a long, dark wood sideboard next to
a closed door that probably lead to the bedroom. The sideboard also had
nothing on top of it. Whiskers wasn�t sure he liked what he saw. Mrs.
Maxwell liked colors and flowers, living things. Nothing in Subaru�s
apartment was alive.

Conrad took off his coat and laid it over one
kitchen chair.

�Was there something you needed, Conrad-san?�
Subaru hung his coat on the hook by the door. He dropped the contents of
his pockets on the kitchen table. A pack of cigarettes, a lighter, a large
bundle of keys, a folding cell phone, and his wallet, that pile made the
only mess in the apartment.

�I was going to cheer you up since your blind
date went so badly,� he sounded like he had changed his mind. �However,
you have a guest.�

Whiskers grabbed onto the counter having a
coughing fit. He wanted to leave. Obviously Conrad wanted to be alone with
Subaru, he liked him. There were people in the apartment where Duo lived
that were like that. Some of them were okay, but some of them were
dangerous. �I-I don�t have to stay.� He backed up, almost tripping over
his own two feet.

�You need some place safe to stay; I will
protect you.� Subaru shook his head. �May I see your side?�

�I�m fine.� He lied, �It doesn�t hurt.�

Subaru simply looked at him. Whiskers shrank
back. �Then take a bath, I�ll get you something clean to wear.� He went
through the only other door in the apartment.

Whiskers was suddenly afraid to follow him.
Having one small knife might not amount to much defense with two men here.
Neither seemed interested in molesting him. The hell with it, he decided.
He�d find out what his payment would be afterwards. He followed Subaru
into the bedroom to find no one there. The white walls continued, even the
blankets were white. The bed had been tucked into the corner farthest from
the door, another long wall of window to his left. The bedroom furniture
was pale and washed-out wood. The dresser had one large mirror above it,
across from the bed. The lamp by the bed was more black metal and on. Its
harsh light reflected off all the whites in the room.

There was one interesting deviation from the
emptiness of the apartment. At the base of the bed was a little table with
a small bowl of white flowers, a candle, a picture of a smiling girl that
looked an awful lot like Subaru, and other things Whiskers did not know
the name of. Completely new to him were the black woodblock with something
drawn on it and the stick in a little brass holder. Slightly above the
picture was a statue of a solemn looking fat man. Next to him was the
strangest worm he�d ever seen. It swam through clouds and had eyes and
feet and really big teeth; it even had a mustache!

But there was no Subaru.

�S-Subaru�?� Whiskers called tentatively.

�Yes?� He came out from behind a corner,
opposite the bed with a pile of clothing in one hand. He hadn�t even seen
the corner on the right, all the white gave the illusion of nothing there.

�Did you just move in here?� He marveled at
how clean the place looked, but except for the one little table the place
was so empty. He didn�t even have an alarm clock, just a light.

�No.� Subaru frowned at him.

�You�ve been here for two years, right?�
Conrad leaned against the doorframe, smiling.

�Yes.�

Two years? �There�s nothing here�� Whiskers
turned to look behind him.

Conrad coughed, covering another laugh,
Whiskers was sure.

Subaru said nothing, but it didn�t seem in
his personality to say much at all. He motioned for Whiskers to follow
him. Around the corner Subaru had appeared from were two doors. Right in
front of him was the closet, the open door showed neatly hung and folded
clothes mostly black and white. The right door opened to the bathroom.
More white on white with metal, this time shiny chrome instead of black.
Even the towels were white. Whiskers looked forlornly at Subaru. �Don�tcha
like color?�

Subaru jerked away from the faucet he had
been turning on. He wouldn�t look at Whiskers.

The boy gave in to the urge and hugged him.
He didn�t care if he got Subaru dirty or if he would hit him for touching
him back; he just had to hug him, or he�d cry. And boys don�t cry, so
everyone told him.

After a stiff, uncomfortable moment, Subaru
patted Whiskers on the back. �You need to get clean.� He whispered.

�I�m sorry,� the boy replied. �I got you
dirty� Mrs. Maxwell always yells at me fo� dat.�

�For that, not �fo� dat�,� Subaru corrected.
�It�s ok. Leave your clothing there,� he pointed to the corner by the
washing machine. �I�ll clean them when you�re done with your bath.�

�Okay. But,� he started.

�Worry about paying me back tomorrow.� He
patted the boy on the head and left.

Whiskers tried not to use up a lot of hot
water. He scrubbed the white soap all over and in his hair. He wondered
about the bottles for a second. Opening one he smelled something sweet and
spicy. Mrs. Maxwell might like that, or something like it. He squeezed
some out into the water. He tried not to make a lot of noise, no body like
it when he was loud. So, he quietly laughed and sloshed the soapy water
instead of splashing like he would if Duo or Ryuen was with him. He missed
Duo. But Duo wouldn�t like him anymore. He killed all those people, like
the enforcers. He didn�t like it at all, being an enforcer. Being a runner
and look out was hard enough. Now the 5-0�s would really be after him. He
stared sadly at the murky bathwater.

What do I do now?

That was the problem. He didn�t have anyone
to ask, except Subaru� who knows what he�d think. Ryuen� and Duo� Duo knew
everything, or someone that knew what to do. But� he was in Harlem.

So back to the problem at hand. What do I do?

Hide? Maybe� Go talk to Reno? He was the
enforcer for the people he usually ran for. Knives was Reno�s boss. Knives
had given me the bomb. Maybe Reno knew what to do about it. He�d killed
lots of people before. So long as Reno wasn�t told to kill him� Whiskers
chewed his bottom lip. Bad idea, he discarded the thought. Just leave it
alone. The whole thing. Just leave it alone.

He rinsed and dried himself quickly before
anyone could come in and tell him he�d taken too long. He looked at the
pile of clothes Subaru had left him. Subaru was so tall� skinny, but tall.
He put on the white tee-shirt; it came down to his knees. The boxers
looked too small for Subaru to wear, but clean. More white� Whiskers
frowned. The boxer shorts were a little big, but he didn�t want to walk
out there half-dressed. There was another pair of shorts, a light brown
pair, under the underwear. He really needed a belt. Still, more clothing
was better than less. He put that on along with a pair of white socks. At
the bottom of the pile was a light gray hooded sweatshirt. Whiskers
smiled. It had something on the front of it, but he didn�t recognize the
design.

He put that on with a smile. It hung to his
knees, like the shirt, and the sleeves dangled way past his hands, but he
could curl up in the warmth within it. He loved hooded sweatshirts. He
tried to avoid the gang colors but no one would see him in this one. Most
likely, he thought, hugging himself. You can do this. He lifted his chin.
He put his knife in the front pocket of the hoodie and marched out of the
bathroom.

The bedroom was empty. He followed the sound
of movement. Conrad sat at the table, Subaru was setting down a steaming
cup in front of him.

�That was fast.� Conrad said, taking a sip of
his cup.

�Would you like some tea, Whiskers?� Subaru
asked.

�S-sure.� He didn�t sound sure, but he sat at
the table anyway. Subaru placed a steaming mug of green liquid in front of
him. He took a small sip. Tea wasn�t sweet like cocoa, but it wasn�t
bitter like coffee, and it had a tang to it, like a pear or an apple, but
it wasn�t quite the same. His eyes drooped. When he opened them again the
coffee table and television were in front of him.

Huh?

He sat up, the white comforter falling off
him. The room wasn�t light but it wasn�t dark, an in between twilight, a
false darkness. Sunlight poured through the cracks of the blinds. What
time was it? What had woken him?

�It�s been over a day�� Subaru�s muffled
voice came from behind the bedroom door.

�He probably needs it.� said Conrad.

Whiskers coughed. Pain shot through his side.
His side wasn�t the only thing hurting. He rubbed his throat, but the itch
was inside in the back. Add to that, his right shoulder and armpit hurt. A
dull ache in his shoulder blades matched the pain in his forearms. More
bruises, he thought sourly. The boy stood only a second before needing to
sit back down, too dizzy to keep upright.

�But,� Subaru started.

Conrad cut him off. �If he doesn�t wake in
the next few hours we�ll wake him.�

After the dizziness passed he rose and
knocked softly on the door. Subaru opened it quickly. �Um�� Whiskers
pulled at his sleeve.

Subaru dropped to one knee in front of him.
�How do you feel?�

Not good. Whiskers reddened. �I hafta�� He
gestured to the wall bordering the bathroom.

�Ah.� Subaru moved out of his way and let him
pass.

Whiskers hurried into the bathroom. After he
washed his hands he scrubbed his face clean. When he came out he found
Conrad leaning against the kitchen counter with a steaming cup in his
hands. Subaru had put another cup on the table and was cooking something
on the stove that smelled very good. He walked over to Subaru and tried to
see what he was cooking.

Sausages, he smiled. And eggs, he noted the
bowl of yellow liquid. There was a white, round machine on the counter
next to the sink in a corner that steamed from a small vent in the top. He
wondered if it was a new kind of tea pot, but it looked too big for that.

When he turned around Conrad sat at the
table. He winked at Whiskers and pushed the other chair out for him with
his foot. Whiskers crawled into the offered chair. The man leaned over and
whispered rather loudly, �He might not look like it, but Subaru-san is a
really good cook.�

�What do good cooks normally look like?� He
whispered back.

Conrad smiled and rubbed the boy�s head
affectionately.

The white round machine held rice. Subaru
scooped out a large helping. When he placed the full plate of food in
front of Whiskers he gave Conrad a sour look.

�Ain�tcha gonna eat?� He looked doubtfully
between the food and the two men.

�Aren�t you going to eat,� Subaru corrected.
�I already had lunch. Conrad-san?�

�I�m�� He saw the worry on Whiskers� face and
finished, �partial to the thought, if you have any left over from your
guest.�

�I dunno if I can eat all a� this.� The boy
pushed the plate towards Conrad.

He looked at Subaru who got him a fork. He
snatched a sausage and Whiskers followed his lead. It didn�t take Conrad
long to taper off and let Whiskers to finish the meal by himself. The boy
cleaned the plate and Conrad cleaned the dishes, despite Subaru�s
objections.

It took a bit of convincing to get Whiskers
in the car to go to the doctor�s office. He�d never been before and the
only time he�d heard of going to the doctor�s or the hospital was when
someone died. Subaru�s doctor, another Asian man named Juan Myo, worked in
a large office building, not a hospital. He stood half a foot taller than
Subaru, with short brown hair. It took some more convincing to let
Whiskers examine him, but eventually the youth sat on the table. Dr. Myo
listened to him breath and cough. He checked his eyes, ears, nose, and
mouth. Fingering the boy�s neck and shoulders he frowned. �Take off your
shirt, please.�

Whiskers hesitated.

�It�s alright,� Dr. Myo said. �No one is
going to hurt you.� He looked pointedly at Subaru who only shrugged back.
Conrad shook his head. Whiskers wondered what all the silent communication
was about but he figured he probably didn�t want to know.

The doctor kept a neutral face when he saw
the boy�s side, but Subaru hissed one sharp intake of breath. The colors
had gotten darker and the bruises had grown. He could even see bruises on
his shoulder and forearms. Those weren�t there last night.

�I want to take some x-rays of this,� Dr. Myo
told Whiskers.

�What�re those?�

�Pictures, only of what�s inside,� he
explain.

His eyes lit up. �Cool!� Then a thought
occurred to him. How do they get the camera inside? �Does it hurt?�

�Not a bit.� The man smiled reassuringly at
Whiskers. �I just need you to change into this,� he went to a grey cabinet
and pulled out a blue cloth. �I know it�ll be a bit cold, but you�ll be
back in your own clothes before you know it.� He shook the gown out and
held it out for Whiskers to step into.

Looking at it dubiously, he objected, �It
doesn�t close in the back.�

�I�ll lend you my coat,� Conrad interjected,
smiling again.

Arms through the holes, he stepped into the
gown and looked up at the doctor.

There was an awkward moment where all three
men realized Whiskers didn�t know how to tie the gown. Subaru got to the
boy a second before Conrad. With the coat wrapped around him, all four
walked to the x-ray room.

The doctor gave quick instructions to the
technician and left to take care of something. The woman technician smiled
and helped Whiskers onto the table. She handed Conrad his coat. �I�m
afraid you two can�t be in here for this.� She made them wait outside.

She flipped her bright blond hair over her
shoulder. Smiling beautifully she asked him casual questions. �What�s your
name?�

�Whiskers,� he answered and he extended his
hand to her. �What�s yours?�

�Julia.� She laughed and adjusted the large
machine hanging over him. �And how old are you?�

He shrugged. �Dunno. Why?�

She looked at him a second, �You don�t know?
Didn�t your parents teach you your birthday?�

�I don�t have parents.� Whiskers felt very
small lying on the table with nothing but that blue, cotton gown on. He
didn�t like having to say that lying down, it made him feel weak. I am not
going to cry, I am not going to cry, he told himself.

Julia sat down and took his hand. She opened
her mouth to say something, but instead swept him up in a hug.

Whiskers melted into her arms. She smelled
sweet and clean, and she was so warm. She was also shaking, faintly, but
shaking just a bit. �It�s okay�� He told her. �I-I don�t want �em. All
they do is yell.�

�It�s not okay.� She sniffed and cleared her
throat. �You should have a family.�

He pulled away, keeping his face down. �No
one is gonna want me.� He curled up into a ball and shivered.

�I would take you home. Mr. Sumeragi and Mr.
Weller want you.� She pulled him against her.

He let her think what she wanted. He was a
bad boy and no one would want him for anything anymore. But he said
nothing, he just enjoyed being held until she decided to get back to
business.

Julia went behind a glass paneled wall to do
something on a computer. When she came back out she had him lay down flat
and not move. She adjusted the huge hanging machine and went back behind
the glass wall. The x-ray machine made several noises and rotated around
him. She kept adjusting it and disappearing behind the glass wall. He
wondered how this would take pictures of inside his body, but there had to
be something special about the camera. It was huge!

After a couple of passes she announced that
he was done. Julia let the other two back in with a look much like the one
the waitress had given Subaru, only she gave it to both of them, twice as
strong.

Conrad turned slightly red, shook his head,
and told her, �We are taking him out of a bad situation.�

Subaru raised his eyebrows at the �we� but
said nothing. He draped his long coat over Whiskers� shoulders and with
one hand on the boy�s shoulder escorted him back to the examining room.
�How about after this, when we get home, I�ll teach you how to tie your
shoes?�

Whiskers shifted his weight, not looking at
Subaru. �Is it okay? Cause� Conrad likes you n� I�d just be in the way��

For a long moment Subaru didn�t answer, he
finally settled on, �You won�t be in the way.� He waited outside while
Whiskers changed.

After a while the doctor came in, Subaru and
Conrad following him. Subaru leaned next to where Whiskers sat on the
examination bed. Conrad sat in the chair, looking unhappy. Dr. Myo looked
the least happy of the three, scribbling furiously on his clipboard.
Whiskers shrank in on himself during that oppressive silence.

�Why don�t you tell me how this happened?�
Dr. Myo finally looked at Whiskers.

�How what happened?� He started to panic.

�You took quite a beating. Your side� Your
collar bone healed, but that�s an old wound. Your scapula�um�shoulder
blades�are bruised. The muscles around your right shoulder blade are torn.
Your forearm bones, the ulna and the radius, have hairline
fractures and bruises as well.� He frowned at the boy. �Who hit you?�

Whiskers rubbed his left collar bone. He�s
forgotten all about how much that had hurt� How long ago had that been? A
long while.

�Does it still hurt?� Subaru asked.

�No. It stopped hurting a while ago. I�d
forgotten about it.� He smiled ruefully. �It was during summer. Duo had ta�
steal lots a ice, but Mrs. Maxwell made him stop �cause it�d melt �n there
were all these puddles...� He nodded. That summer had sucked. It had been
so hot inside, but his arm and shoulder would hurt if he stood up for too
long.

�But how did it get broken?� The doctor
asked.

�My package was late.� He shrugged. �Or
light. Or something.� He shook his head. �I don�t remember. It was a while
ago.�

Conrad raised his eyebrows and exchanged
looks with Subaru. �And your side?�

Whiskers chewed his lower lip. �My fault.� He
pulled at his sleeve. �I got careless. I wasn�t payin� attention.� It was
awfully warm in the doctor�s office.

�Careless with what?� Dr. Myo asked. �Did you
find yourself in the wrong territory?�

The boy shook his head. �No. I�� He glanced
at Subaru. �Got caught boosting some apples and bread.� How dumb is that,
Whiskers thought, I can�t even sneak past a store clerk.

�Alright.� The doctor sighed. �I want to
order a blood test. You lungs sounded infected. I want to be sure before I
prescribe you anti-biotics. I�m going to prescribe some calcium pills to
help with your bone density and a multi-vitamin. You are malnourished;
vitamins should help but they are no substitute for food.� He gave Subaru
a meaningful look. �I want you to come back next week for a check-up. If
everything seems to be going well, then come back in a month. I also want
to schedule an appointment to give you immunization shots.�

Whiskers blinked at him, not understanding
what he was talking about. Subaru and Conrad looked worried. He chewed his
bottom lip.

The doctor made him breathe in and out again.
He nodded and wrote some more on his clipboard. He ripped off three sheets
of paper and handed them to Subaru. He said something Whiskers couldn�t
understand, it wasn�t any kind of English he�d ever heard. Some if it
sounded like Spanish, but it couldn�t have been. Subaru answered him in
the same rhythmic language, but he wasn�t happy about something.

The doctor nodded and said, �The lab tech
will be in to take his blood shortly. Excuse me.�

Within a few minutes another blond woman came
in, smiling. �Whiskers?� She looked at the boy.

He nodded.

�I�m Sally. This is your first time for a
blood test, huh?� She pulled on a pair of gloves.

�Yeah.�

�Ok, this is how it�s going to work.� She
placed several plastic-wrapped things on a small rolling table. �I need
you to lay down and keep your arm straight. You�re going to feel a little
prick and pinch when I put the needle in-�

Whiskers� eyes widened. He scuttled away from
her, shaking his head back and forth. �No. No needles.�

�It�s just for a second, honey,� Sally said.

�No.� His voice came out strong and firm. �I
don�t wanna get sick. I�m not a junkie. No needles. I don�t want any
stuff!� He held onto Subaru, shaking his head again.

Subaru wrapped his arms around the rigid
little boy holding onto him. �Shh�� He rubbed circles on Whiskers� back.
�She�s not going to give you anything. It�s not going to make you sick.
It�s to see how sick you already are.�

Whiskers didn�t believe him. �Needles always
have stuff in them, unless they already been used.�

�It�s not that kind of needle.� Conrad had
moved to stand at Subaru�s back. He said to the nurse, �Why don�t you draw
some from me? That should show him it�s not what he thinks it is.�

She hesitated a moment then nodded. �I�ll
need the log the lost equipment, but ok.� She opened one package and
pulled out a cloth. She wiped down Conrad�s arm. �You�ll need to lie down.
There�s no support here.�

Whiskers climbed down only to end up sitting
in Subaru�s lap. Dizzy again, he clutched at the arms around him.

�You alright?� Subaru�s voice was in his ear.

Whiskers could only groan until the world
stopped moving on its own. �Okay. Funny, but okay.�

�What do you mean, funny?� Conrad�s feet
dangled off the end of the bed.

�Everything goes weird n� fuzzy n� crooked.�
Whiskers rested against Subaru�s chest. �And really hot.�

�Why don�t we tell the doctor that when he
comes back in?� asked Subaru.

Whiskers nodded, going through another
coughing fit.

Sally looked back and forth between the two
men before she continued. Opening more packages she laid them out on the
little metal table. Quickly putting something together the nurse went
searching for a rubber strip which she tied Conrad�s arm. She warned him,
�Ok, you�ll feel a little pinch now.� She stuck the needle in him and slid
a test tube into the blue catch. It filled quickly with blood. She took it
out of the catch. Then with gauze over the needle, she pulled it out. She
whipped the rubber strip off his arm. �Just keep pressure on this�� She
dug through the carrying case to find a white roll. She pulled off a strip
and taped the gauze down. �All done.� She smiled and turned to Whiskers.

�That was it?�

�That was it.� She nodded.

�No injections.� Conrad sat up. He kept one
hand clasped over the bandage.

He took a deep breath and coughed so hard he
nearly fell. �Ok.�

Subaru lifted him up and put him on the bed.

Whiskers gaped at him. �Wow.�

He winked at the boy. �I�m stronger than I
look.� He let Conrad have the chair.

She repeated the same process on Whiskers,
cleaning his arm, opening all new packages, and filling one vial of blood.
When she was done, however, she gave him a choice of Scooby Doo band aids.

The doctor came back in as she was cleaning
up. �The lab results should take about forty-five minutes.�

***

Subaru sat on the examination table with
Whiskers, scratching lazy circles on the boy�s back. Eventually he put his
head down in his lap and drifted off to sleep. He couldn�t help the small
smile forming on his lips when he looked down at the boy. Such a small,
feral thing, he thought, but so cute everyone wants to take him home. Dr.
Myo is right, he�ll need a lot of work and help. Keeping him cannot be
temporary, he needs a real home. I will make him my life in America.
Perhaps this is what Grandmother intended by sending me here, to find a
new life here� where Destiny barely exists. He�s certainly colorful,
Subaru leaned down to kiss Whiskers� temple. With terrible grammar, he
thought.

He can�t be more than seven. My God, what a
commitment. I�m only twenty-five. A single parent?

He glanced at Conrad. Or maybe not. He
flushed.

What a mess! I should have never mentioned
�S-Seishiro to Sara. His secretary had made it her mission to get him out.
Apparently this meant dating, as she came in the next day declaring a
blind date between him and her friend, Kiira. She hadn�t understood. I do
not want another� anyone like him. He didn�t even know if he was
interested in dating anymore; he knew he wasn�t ready. Not even one whole
date and even Conrad thought he was ready to jump into a relationship.

Adopting a homeless orphan notwithstanding.
But that was different. Something had snapped into place when the boy had
first touched him. The stars had been singing him something, but the city
had drowned out what they were saying. Something important was about to
happen, and now the stars were quiet. Could Whiskers have been what they
meant?

This was too much to think about right now.
One thing he did know, taking in Whiskers was not an answer to his
depression nor would the boy be treated like one.

The door opened and Dr. Myo came back with
the laboratory results.

He wrote out another small sheet and handed
that to Subaru. �Make sure he eats regularly, keeps warm, dry, and
watered. Tea, juice, or those neon sports drinks. No soda. Milk if he
likes it, it should be good for his bones. And he�s going to need lots of
bed rest. If you can�t have him watched all the time, check him into the
hospital. I�d like to see him well.�

�I will keep him safe,� he spoke softly so as
not to wake his child. Thirty six hours and Whiskers was his already.

�The instructions will be on the medicine
bottles, but dose him evenly with the anti-biotics and calcium pills.�

�He had a dizzy spell while the nurse was
here.�

Dr. Myo nodded. �Probably a side effect of
his fever and the pneumonia.�

�And the over-sleeping?� He wrapped his arms
around Whiskers. �He was out for thirty-six hours and now he�s asleep
again.�

�His body probably needs the rest, don�t
worry.� He looked at the print out. �He�s a mess, Sumeragi-san. He�s
almost anemic, his white blood cell count is low. Fortunately he has no
lice or skin diseases and his eyesight seems to be twenty-twenty. I�m not
a psychologist, but I think it is a good sign that he feels safe enough to
sleep that much around you.� He went quiet a moment. �I heard from the
Nurse Po what had happened.�

They shared a quiet moment of understanding.
How can he know about needle injected drugs and not know how to tie a
hospital gown? It will be difficult to get him to take his medicine.
Whiskers was suspicious enough about drugs, what would he say to pills?
The boy had looked too fierce and determined to not have any drugs.

Another problem for tomorrow, Subaru sighed.

�The prescriptions are your name,� Dr. Myo
informed him.

Taking that as his dismissal he picked
Whiskers up. �Thank you.� He said. He carried the boy through the lobby
and to the car. �I�m sorry, Conrad-san, could you drive?�

�Of course,� he smiled and took the keys from
Subaru. �I�ll stop by the pharmacy first and by the time we get him home
it should be ready.�

�That�s the second time you�ve said we.�
Subaru laid the sleeping boy down on the back seat. He took off his coat
and draped it over him. He shut the back door and sat in the passenger
seat.

�Wishful thinking on my part.� Conrad backed
out of the parking space and eased into traffic.

The ride back to their apartment building
went by in silence. Conrad concentrated on driving while Subaru studied
him and wondered. Conrad� If Conrad is who he seems to be, then, yes, I
enjoy his company, but� to date� I can�t� I don�t�

He swallowed, squeezing his eyes shut.
Breathe, he told himself and started the very first meditative exercise
his grandmother had taught him. Just be, she had said, and
breathe. He turned straight forward in his seat and concentrated on
breathing. Definitely not ready.

Conrad is not him.

Conrad did not just smile, he laughed. Conrad
was kind. Conrad was patient, he never pushed �much. He encouraged
him to open the dog breeding business he had always wanted. He helped
secure people�s homes. He covered for Mr. Curtis when he needed to take
Mrs. Curtis to the doctor�s. Conrad took half a day off from work to help
him with Whiskers. Conrad had spent the last year and a half befriending
him. After a year and a half he still was the same person� Perhaps�
Perhaps� the darkness he could sense in Conrad was not so dark as� his.
Perhaps he could �believe in him.

All because a little boy told him Conrad like
him it was now a possibility. Had I just been blind? Subaru wondered. I
don�t think I wanted to notice. Dr. Takeru, before I do anything else
drastic I need to talk to her. His therapist would have a clear head.

At the apartment Conrad almost offered to
carry the boy for him but one scornful look kept him quiet. Subaru laid
Whiskers in the middle of his bed. The huge bed seemed to swallow him;
curled up into a little ball, he barely took up any room. Smoothing back
the soft brown hair with a small smile he said, �Someone needs to stay
with him.�

�You stay; I�ll pick up the medicine.� Conrad
stood a breath�s distance behind Subaru, his voice barely above a whisper.
�And some things for him to do.�

�Here, I�� Subaru started, reaching for his
wallet.

�I got it.� Conrad stopped him. He shifted
his weight which Subaru knew was a nervous gesture for him. He didn�t want
to say what he was about to say. �He needs a home, Subaru.�

Subaru. No honorable suffix. His heart
started to beat faster. What is wrong with me? �I know�� he started again.

Conrad cut him off again. �You can give it to
him. Or I can give it to him.� Brown eyes met grey. �Or we could give it
to him.� He put a hand across Subaru�s mouth. �You don�t have to answer me
now. I know it�s a lot to digest in a short span of time, but� think about
it.� Then before Subaru could respond Conrad was almost out the door.

�Wait!� He called, coming out of the bedroom
with a plastic card in hand. �You will need my prescription card.� His
cheeks flushed.

�Eh-aa�� He took the card, fingers
brushing along Subaru�s.

That faint blush spread through his face.

�Ja.� Conrad left smiling to himself.

Subaru closed the door without locking it. He
picked up the comforter folded on the couch and brought it in with him to
the bedroom. He wrapped himself and Whiskers in the blanket. He studied
the sleeping boy�s face. �I should give you a real name�� Even though
Whiskers did fit him. �How about Hige?� He whispered, tucking a
piece of curly brown hair behind one ear.

The little boy snuggled towards the warmth.

The End

Too damn cute, isn't he? BTW, 'hige' means 'whiskers' in Japanese, if you
didn't catch that.
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The First Meeting