The Begining [1x1]

[Niftyness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

Releasing a heavy sigh, Takami climbed down the chair and moved to shut as well as lock the door. If he didn’t do it, no one would. His mother had become too far of a carefree person to not think that someone could just easily come in and rob them. Even if this was a trashy place, a desperate druggie could come in thinking they had drugs or maybe someone from the black market wanting organs. No one would notice if anyone from this apartment complex disappeared. They were all at the bottom of the food chain. Like usual, his drunk mother and boyfriend staggered towards the bedroom, not bothering to shut that door either. There were just some things that should be kept behind locked doors.

He didn’t need Rei seeing that! Oh! That’s right, he left Rei all alone in his room. Takami kept forgetting Rei’s vocabulary wasn’t advance as his so it was a bit of a struggle to interact with the child. It had been awhile since he had done interactions with anyone other than his mother and her many boyfriends. Bleh. Stupid door. It was stuck again. Why wouldn’t it completely close?! Pushing with all his might the door remained ajar. Maybe his mother had dropped something that prevented the door from shutting?

Stopping long enough to glance down to see what prevented him from shutting the door, a blank expression fell on Takami’s face when he saw a shoe. Slowly his dull orbs trailed up towards the owner of the shoe. The older male was definitely a shady character. So suspicious! There was no way he could overpower someone like that! Times like this, it was best to act dumb. Without much of a warning, Takami scrambled away from the man, immediately heading towards his own room. There was a mafia guy here to take their organs! He didn’t care about his mother or her boyfriend but him and Rei had to get out.

 

[Gazimon X]

A child? It was no ordinary child either, he had shockingly white hair. Had some idiotic woman bleached his hair thinking it would look punkish? Or was he an albino? No his eyes weren't red... leucism? The toddler scampered away like a frightened gecko and Andrei stepped into the room after pushing the door open, careful not to topple anything in the filthy apartment. He had visited fetid conditions before, but this kind of environment felt so out of place for someone living in Tokyo. Was his mother or father a packrat hoarder or simply lazy?

The russian's eyes locked on his moving target, following the child as he, (or was it she?) made his way to one of the bedrooms. That was surprisingly smart for a two-year-old. Or were disturbances so common that he had learned to fear strangers?

He could hear some springs creaking in a neighbouring room, and paused near the doorway, waiting to ensure that they weren't paying attention before he stepped swiftly across and out of immediate sight. Roaches scurried around and the sight of the little brown ovals with long wavy antennae irritated the man even more. Was Raleigh really here? Surely his son wouldn't be so stupid as to stay in this rotten hellhole? Oh well... the boy was technically his nephew... so he could blame his brothers genes.
 

[Niftyness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

Never in his life had Takami fumbled so much just to open a door and it seemed like minutes before it successfully opened. Wasting no time, Takami slid between the space, shutting and locking the door. Of course, old and raggy as this place was, someone could still open the locked door if they pushed hard enough but at least it would buy them time. “Rei, quick, open the window. There’s a mobster here.” Takami ordered as he busied himself with blocking the room door with boxes of toys. Of course it took a lot of effort just to slide the box near the door but that’s all he really had to block it and buy them more time.

After much grunting and pushing, he had successfully managed to push one box of toys infront of the doorway. Course, feeling a bit panic for his zodiac, he momentarily forgot to use small words with Rei and the child could have easily mistook his term for monster. Takami had never been able to open the window himself. It was either jammed or he simply didn’t have the strength. Yeah well, jammed window or not, they were getting out. It was a good thing this lead to the fire escape. Bah, Rei was taking too long opening the window.

“Hurryyyyy~” They didn’t exactly have time on their hands and now wasn’t the time to be patient. If Rei couldn’t open it then he was going to break it open with with…oh! The baseball bat! Rushing over to the other toy box, Takami pulled out a baseball bat and moved towards the window. “If you can’t open it, I’ll break it open so move out of the way.” Course, rather than carry the steel bat, he dragged it. Breaking the window was going to be hard when he couldn’t even probably lift the heavy weight.

 

[Gazimon X]

A monster?! Takami’s tone of alarm was infectious. Rei stood up, grabbing his backpack and slinging it onto his shoulders. But… run away? That seemed so cowardly!

”Whut kinda monster is it?” He questioned, scratching at his temple and then rubbing his eyes when some stray hairs of his fringe poked in. The small white-haired rubbish god was pushing the boxes against the door, so it did seem like trouble was here. ”Don’t worry! I can turn into a dragon!”

… Oh wait! He wasn’t supposed to mention it! Rei’s hand flew to his mouth before he glanced at the door. Takami seemed to have given up and was now dragging a metal bat across the floor. At first Rei stepped back, slipping into a child’s instinct of following orders before his mind could even process what it meant. Then he grinned at the comical sight. Silly rubbish god, how could he break the window? He was so small! Reaching down to grab the bat, Rei shook Takami’s grip off it and lifted it. How did it go again? Baseball that is… Well there was no ball he was aiming for right? It was just a window. He swung hard and the metal collided with the glass. The glass cracked, but it wasn’t enough to shatter a proper hole.

”Again?” He wondered, looking down at Takami.

 

[Gazimon X]

The sudden sound of something against glass alerted the mafia underboss to the possibly-dangerous situation in the room. He tried the doorknob but it was locked. His mind briefly considered using his gun but a stray bullet could hurt the child. Besides, if Raleigh was in there, he wasn’t going to fire blindly into the room. If the other two ‘adults’ had heard the noise, then there was no point in being stealthy in his approach. They were probably too drunk to do anything properly. Pissed off by the stench and the barrier, Andrei took a step back before ramming his shoulder against the door, near its edge so that he could stress its connections far more than having the force distributed across the entire door.

If the other two weren’t alerted by the noise, they probably were now. He felt the lock mechanism snap, but it was still stuck in the keyhole. Another hard bang did the trick and the door swung open by a foot, the box of toys and clothes skidding several inches across the floor. Andrei raised the muzzle of his gun and slipped in, instantly cautious of anyone who might have been hiding behind the door. There was no one there and the room was surprisingly empty, save for a bare bed, an old television and two little brats.  

[Niftyness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

“Not monster, MOBSTER! Gangster! Mafia…umm….someone that breaks the law or practices in breaking the law. A really really really really bad guy.” Takami corrected, shooting the definition of what he meant left and right. Ugh. Putting words in simple terms was difficult when his mind was running a mile a minute. “That’s exactly why I’m worried. You transformed on your way here didn’t you?! Somebody might have saw you and now they might want to sell you to the black market or do weird experiments on you.” The young god pointed out. He had read how Rei had arrived here the moment he stepped into the apartment so of course he knew Rei had temporarily transformed into his demonic form. “You don’t have to keep it a secret from me. I already knew the moment I saw you.” The jade emperor informed. Yes, as he expected. It was fairly hard for young children to keep secrets or maybe his dragon blabbed because of the connection they shared. “H-hey!” Takami protested when instead of stepping aside, Rei chose to snatch the bat away from him.

“You can’t disobey your g-..” He began to say but his sentence was cut off by a sudden crack. “Yeah but stand to the side and as much away from the window as possible.” Takami instructed. Even at a time like this, he was a bit peeved Rei possessed much more strength than him. The way it was now, he couldn’t protect his zodiac the way he wished. Banging for entrance could be heard from the other side and Takami fidgeted about motioning for Rei to hurry up. Was his mother and her boyfriend so dead drunk that they did not hear any of this or did this mobster kill them already? Takami immediately felt his body tense up the moment Andrei slipped into the room. His orbs immediately fell on the gun in the older man’s possession.

Ugh! He really didn’t want to have to do this but if he didn’t then both of them were doomed. “Rei, sic him!” Takami ordered, snapping his fingers so Rei could turn into animal form. If there was a chance his mom and her boyfriend were alive, they would be too wasted to know what was going on. Any normal human would be terrified of a dinosaur right? Maybe the man would get frighten enough and run off or maybe frighten enough to shoot but Rei had healing abilities.

“DAMNIT TAKA!!! CAN’T YOU PLAY QUIETLY?!” An irritated voice screeched out, quite annoyed that her son was making so much noise. Damn brat, always had to turn her mood sour. “Don’t worry babe, I’ll get him to shut up.” The boyfriend promised, grabbing a half empty bottle of volka before staggering towards the brat’s room. One good gulp of this should knock him out for a few hours. “Come here brat, I got something for you~” The male called out, his hand stretched out to push the door open yet his drunken mind couldn’t comprehend he was actually pushing the door frame rather than the door.

 

[Gazimon X]

The child was suddenly talking so quickly that all Rei could hear was a string of staccato sounds. All he caught was the last two words. Bad guy. Duh... "Yea... monsters are bad guys." He murmured.

Something banged against the door and Rei jumped, looking at the door with wide eyes. What was going on? What was trying to enter this room? Maybe it was a trap! This white-haired kid had told him to stay here after all... but now he was asking him to break the window. Nothing made sense. Rei was about to take another swing at the cracked glass when an adult stepped into the room, dwarfing him and the toddler in both size and sheer strength.

Oh! That wasn't a...

POOF! The metal bat dropped to the ground and Rei squirmed, trying to make sense of the world. He had fallen on his side from the imbalance and his center of gravity had shifted, but hey... this body seemed familiar. Sort of. His tail jutted out of the top of his shorts and underwear, but he hadn't torn anything at least. Sic? What was sic?

The orange dinosaur flipped himself onto his feet, quickly realizing that the floor felt a lot nearer to his face than before. He seemed a little smaller, but only because a large portion of his mass had been transferred into his long muscular tail which helped him balance with bird-like nimbleness. His clothes were a little loose on his lithe agile frame, but they didn't hamper his movements too much. His shorts were starting to slip down to his knees though. Scrambling toward the glowering black tower, Rei tucked his arms under his chest and let out a soft gurgle. Leaning against the man's leg, he tilted his head upwards and parted his jaws, tongue curling slightly in anticipation. "Blaaaaaa....." As if he were a sealion expecting fish to drop down at any moment.

Andrei arched a brow and then frowned when Raleigh transformed so suddenly. Had he been starving? Was this why he had changed into his demon form? But this creature did not look like the demon form at all. It lacked horns and the head crest, it was built differently with a more dinosaur-like stance. Even its arms looked different. "Raleigh... wait."

The sound of another man's voice quickly occupied the Russian's attention. He stepped to the side of the door, which resulted in Rei toppling over again with a soft disgruntled squeak. His finger rested on the trigger of the gun, and as soon as the man came into view in the shallow gap of the open doorway, he pulled the trigger. The shot wasn't silent, but it wasn't loud either. Knowing that it was a confirmed hit between the man's eyes, Andrei turned away before the dead body even hit the trash in the apartment. Any man who wanted to drug a child for such a reason should be killed anyway. He had to get Raleigh out of here before the woman made a report... since it would be a pity to kill her if she was the mother... she kept the baby's room clean at least?  

[misha soupness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

Takami simply flashed Rei a long stare when the dinosaur immediately fell over after transforming. Oh, that’s right. This was his first time transforming into that form so of course it would get some adjusting. It was obvious Rei was still confused with what was going on. Suprisenly, the intruder didn’t take this moment of distraction to shoot them. If looks could kill, Rei would have been dead. Despite that, the dragon still charged straight at the intruder but instead of attacking like Takami had expected, he leaned his head against the stranger’s leg.

Confusion flickered through Takami’s orbs as he watched the scene unfold before him. Why was Rei being so friendly towards this intruder?! It wasn’t until the intruder spoke Rei’s name did it dawn on Takami this was no stranger to Rei at all. This was Rei’s guardian. As if to confirm his thoughts, Takami took the time to read the intruder’s thoughts while the older male was distracted with his mother’s boyfriend’s voice. No wait, this wasn’t Rei’s father, it was his uncle but still his guardian. Wishing to know a little more about the type of person that had been taking care of his dragon all this time, Takami lurked deeper into the male’s mind in search of answers.

With this one’s background, the older male was perfect to use to regain his position. The thought of Rei leaving so soon now that it was practically time made Takami feel a sudden sense of loneliness. His orbs drifted over to the clumsy dragon once more. Yeah, now that he knew Rei’s living situation a bit more clear and the way the head used his dragon it made Takami want to leave this place now instead of when he was actually old enough to defend himself. There would be nothing he would be leaving behind. His mother already lived a lifestyle as if she had no children to support.

The sound of all all too familiar gunshot followed by a THUD soon broke Takami from his thoughts. It was strange how the sound didn’t appear that loud at all despite the proximity. “She doesn’t keep this room clean, I do. You don’t have to worry about the police suddenly showing up. Everybody minds their own business here. Especially when they do things they don’t want the police poking their noses into. Look, you’re a business man and I have an interesting proposal. I know your weaknesses. I’ll cut straight to the point since my mother would start to wonder what’s taking her boyfriend so long. Take me with you or I’ll have Raleigh stay in this form forever. I’m the only one that can change him back.” Takami firmly spoke and as a demonstration he snapped his fingers to turn Rei back into his boy form before snapping them once more to have him transform again. “It might not be that much of a problem now but when he gets older, hiding a big dinosaur like that would become troublesome. Besides, we have the same goal. You want to get rid of the current head too don’t you?” The jade emperor inquired. His method was the perfect way to make a negotiation in case the mobster got the idea of shooting him would immediately solve the problem. “Also, you really shouldn’t be shooting people infront of Raleigh. He’ll grow up thinking that sort of thing is ok.”

“Hun!!! What’s taking you so long?!” The woman whined, growing impatient by the minute. Why did her son choose to ruin the mood like that?! Couldn’t he tell that mommy was busy?! The sound of gunshot didn’t cause any alarm from her. The fact that it wasn’t loud made her drunken mind automatically assume it had come from somewhere outside. Gunshots around these parts were normal. Growing tired of the wait, Chiyo staggered her way into the hallway, not bothering to put any clothes on. It was just her boyfriend and son anyways. Takami was far too young to know what he was seeing. Besides, he wasn’t that bright. Even though he was already walking, his vocabulary was fairly small. Well at least she never had to put up with any annoying crying or screaming. Chiyo huffed in pure annoyance the moment she saw her boyfriend passed out on the floor. He fell asleep! She couldn’t believe he fell asleep before they could finish. The nerve of him! Puffing her cheeks in pure displeasure, Chiyo gave the man a good kick. How dare he insult her like that! “Get up you piece of s**t. I want you out of my place. You have some nerve passing out like that when we were in the middle of it.” Chiyo angrily growled out as she continued to kick the male and grew peeved when he didn’t bulge.

Releasing a heavy sigh of exasperation, Chiyo knelt down to push her boyfriend so he was laying on his back instead of his stomach. It was then she noticed the bullet wound in between his eyes. Screaming at the top of her lungs, the mother scrambled backwards until her back was pressed against the wall. Oh how she hoped she wasn’t next.

 

[Gazimon X]

The articulate voice with its weird child-like pitch made the man stare at the toddler, confusion evident in his eyes. It was soon replaced with the shock of knowing that this child had read all of his thoughts. Was this a nightmare? Had he fallen asleep at the wheel?! No… this was too real. He frowned, but a small smile twitched on his lips. The Jade Emperor. He knew about the mystical figure from the records of the family, which the translator had kindly explained to him, but he did not expect to find such a spirit in such degraded living conditions. The irony nearly made him laugh out loud.

’You may know them, but are you able to act on them?’ He arched a brow, wondering if this child was going to show telekinesis or something equally horrific next. Change his form? Andrei’s eyes flicked to the side at the sudden movement. Rei changed back into a human for a split second, followed by another abrupt shift into his dinosaur-like form. The understanding that the child held such power over his nephew made the man’s blood run cold, but then it was quickly replaced with a strong burning anger.

”Stop that!” He snarled, pointing the gun at the child to make his point clear. If he killed Jade Emperor, he would probably made Raleigh’s future dimmer, but whether his ‘son’ remained a human or demon did not change the love he felt for him. Instead, he was enraged that the wise Jade Emperor would force Rei to undergo such drastic transformations without giving much thought to his current state of mind, simply to prove a point. ”If you’re trying to blackmail me you’ll have to try much harder than that.” Andrei paused before lowering the gun, ”But you’re right, we have the same goal.” And Andrei had no way of knowing how long it took for the Emperor’s spirit to reincarnate. Killing him now would only be a temporary solution. ”Its not the first time, and it won’t be the only time. Its no different from a sword your highness…” Andrei muttered sarcastically, his voice trailing away when he realized that the brat’s mother was outside the door now.

Kicking the boxes of toys and clothes to the side, Andrei opened the door wider and canted the gun, in case she would scream too much. ”Woman, how much do you want for this baby?”
 

[Niftyness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

Exhaustion was starting to sweep over him. He was doing more mind reading than this body could handle. He hated his limited mind reading abilities. By now, anger was evident in the older male’s voice and Takami dully stared at the male who aimed the gun at him. Well convincing the mobster he could go through with acting on those weaknesses wasn’t as difficult as he thought it would be. Transforming Rei to get his point across was absolutely necessary to ensure his plan worked. Takami didn’t flinch in the least with the older man’s snarls. He wouldn’t shoot.

Yes there was a possible bluff in his words that Rei would stay like that forever if he was killed but was the uncle really willingly to risk that? The uncle had obviously done some researching on his own to automatically know who he was. Sarcasm. Cute. The jade emperor could tell right away they would get along just fine. He suppose he should turn Rei back now that the mobster agreed. A business man always kept his word right? Besides, carrying Rei around in dino form would bring far too much unwanted attention.

“Very well. But you better not back down on your word. It’s obvious that you did a bit of your own research. If anything happens to me, Rei will feel it.” Takami responded, not seeming the least bit concerned when he heard his mother scream. Well she was a bit of a drama queen. While Andrei took care of the negotiations with his mother, Takami snapped his fingers once more to change Rei back into human form. His mother’s words in the background did not surprise him in the least. Whether it bothered him or not, such a thing didn’t show on his facial expression. Like usual when dealing with outsiders, it simply remained void. Outsiders didn’t matter, only his zodiacs did. As long as he had Rei, he would be fine. Rei had come for him. Wrapping his arms around Rei’s arm in a clinging/possessive manner, Takami nestled his head against the older child’s arm. Embracing his dragon was something he had wanted to do all along. It just made him feel content even if he was drained and hungry.


Tears of fright freely rolled down her cheeks as she stared at the dead corpse. Oh god. Oh god. Oh god. She was going to die wasn’t she?! Her orbs widened in horror the moment she saw a man emerge from her son’s room. Did he kill her son too and now she was next?! The words he spoke took awhile to register through the mother’s mind. It was a bit hard to comprehend his words when he was holding a gun. Even she wasn’t stupid enough to argue with someone holding a gun. He was one of those people that kidnapped children and sold them in the black market wasn’t he?!

There were plenty of times when her boyfriends would want to sell her child to make extra cash and promised they would just make another one. But this child, he was the product of her first love. It was like she still held a connection with her first love as long as she held onto his unwanted child. Throughout all her breakups, she still had her Taka. He was something she paid attention to when it met her own convenience. “Please don’t kill me. You can have him if you spare my life. I won’t tell anyone about this.” The woman whimpered, choosing to exchange her son’s life for her own. She had always been a selfish mother but maybe it was time she let her son go. Either way, she had a feeling he was going to get taken away even if she did not agree to it.

 

[Niftyness]

xxX { Y x A x M x A x T x O } Xx x

“YOU WHAT?!” A voice angrily snarled out followed by the sound of something shattering. “HOW HARD IS IT TO KEEP AN EYE OUT FOR ONE CHILD?! YOU’RE THE ADULT! DON’T JUST STAND THERE LIKE IDIOT! FIND HIM!” Yamato growled out, his nostrils flaring the more his temper rose. Damn it! That brat was going to get it once his men located him. How dare he run off like that without permission! How dare he! Damn brat was in for some strict disciplining. Those idiots! They better find him or it would be their heads. It was high time he inserted a tracker into the boy. Yamato wasn’t going to let HIS dragon escape from his clutches. Upon the chauffeur’s exit, Yamato immediately called for his servants to help locate the child. Seemed like it would be a long day at the Tokushima supermarket. Nobody would be allowed back until the child was found.


~

Yamato grew tired of playing this waiting game. Hours had passed. It was had already grown dark and there were no clues about the boy's whereabouts. The last clue that matched the description of the boy was him boarding a bus. There were servants out searching for the boy and other servants calling relatives to see if the boy visited them without permission. He had tried calling the boy’s uncle earlier but it was out of range. Perhaps he should give it another go? Dialing the number once again, Yamato impatiently tapped his fingers as he waited for Andrei to answer.

 

[Gazimon X]

Raleigh would feel it? Andrei started to doubt the truth behind the child's words, but he had no choice but to be cautious and wait for things to reveal themselves. Right now, he had to ensure the woman wasn't going to dial a handphone or whatever she used to pick up clients. The slut. He could have the child for free? Well, the 'trade' was fair. Right now she was just spending money getting him clothed and fed, and it wasn't like the white-haired brat could be used for child labour until he was a few years older. "At ease woman." Andrei snorted, "He's not gonna die so soon." In spite of his reassurance, his tone with thick with disgust. There were horrible parents in the world and he loathed to be so close to one of them.

Keeping his gun trained on her, he took the risk and glanced to the side where the open door to the bedroom was. It seemed Rei had transformed back and the confused boy was trying to get the white-haired kid to let go of him. "Let's go." He told the both of them firmly, stepping over the corpse and the trash without care or concern for the woman. Heck if the corpse decomposed it wouldn't really change much considering the ever-present stink in this place. Might even make it more lively with maggots.

Shaking his arm, Rei frowned then quickly bent down to pull his shorts up. Oh that was so embarassing, he hoped no one noticed that! Even without the verbal command from his father, Rei would be quick to move and follow him. He wanted to get out of this shithole as soon as possible and the woman was making him feel extremely uneasy. Distracted by the strange man lying on the floor, he tripped over his leg and bumped right onto the lady! The ground tipped beneath him once more as he struggled to get to his feet, the foil wrappers of god knows what food rustling as he panicked and writhed.

"WRAAA!" Rei yelped, taking several moments to try and get his bearings. Ehhhh?! Dragon again? Hmm... oh well. He picked himself up, shaking from side to side before bounding towards his father, immediately seeking to lean against the man's leg again; the white-haired rubbish god all but forgotten for now. They were going home... YES!

Andrei frowned at the ring-tone which chimed in his pocket. He didn't need to read its LCD display to know who it was. He picked it up quickly, wishing to keep the call as short as possible while he kept an eye on the woman, in case she wanted to take the opportunity to reach for her phone. "I found him. We'll return soon."
 

[Niftyness]

xxX { T x A x K x A x M x I } Xx x

The woman couldn't help but sob uncontrollably. She was petrified. The male's words were of little to no reassurance. She was afraid that if she moved, he would abruptly change his mind and shoot her. Chiyo flinched when the unfamiliar child bumped into her. As if she wasn't frightened enough, the kid suddenly transformed into a demon. “D....” She attempted to utter out though instead of screaming out the term demon, her eyes simply rolled back before she abruptly fainted from shock.

Takami was far too busy clinging to Rei to pay much attention to his mother. Now that his dragon had come for him, she was of no concern to him. The fact that she was willingly to just hand him over in exchange for her own life didn't faze him the least. It was expected. She was a selfish woman. There was nothing of value he wanted to take but perhaps a few clothes wouldn't hurt. They were his and it would be practical to bring them along. It was the only reason Takami chose to release Rei's arm. Takami couldn't understand why Rei was trying to wiggle free from his grasp.

Wasn't it natural to want to be with one's god? Was it even possible to feel lonely even when he was finally reunited with his dragon? He was the god here yet Rei had gone off to attach himself to his 'father' the moment the other spoke about leaving. Envy, jealousy, anger, hurt, all naturally boiled within him but Takami momentarily turned to place some of his 'clean' clothes in a plastic bag before turning around to follow after the two. A huge part of him felt as if they would leave him here if he had his back turned for too long. His dragon seemed to find a new life to live and it hurt to watch. It wasn't fair. That was his dragon! He didn't want to share! But the way things were now, he had nothing to offer his dragon. Wait...he was a god. His dragon should be offering him things!

Seeing that Rei had transformed after clumsily bumping into his mother, Takami inwardly groaned. Ugh. Why did he get the feeling Rei was going to be a handful? Paying no attention to the passed out woman or the dead corpse, Takami carefully stepped around the both of them before he reached Rei and Andrei. By now the older male was talking on the phone while Rei was practically leaning against the other's leg. It was a horrible sight to see. How dare he love someone more than his God! When he tried to cling to Rei, the other had shoved him away. Rei was his. He would have to learn how to tolerate it for now. Choosing to set his focus elsewhere while Andrei spoke on the phone, Takami glanced around the apartment once more. It would be the last time he stepped foot in this place. He didn't have that desire to say good-bye to his mother. There was no attachment there. Only possible attachment there might have been was the fact he didn't want to be left alone. He was finally going to leave this lifestyle behind him. Good riddance.

Once Andrei was off the phone, Takami glanced up at the 'older' male. “And how do you propose we travel with him without bringing too much attention to ourselves” Takami evenly inquired, not the least bit amused by how troublesome moving Rei about was going to be. Who knew how long it would be before Rei transformed back into a human. The time varied. Someone was bound to notice them moving out a demon. He didn't have to question Andrei who was that on the other line. That was kind of obvious. Tch. How dare that man act as if Rei belonged to him.

 

[Gazimon X]

Andrei was slightly amused when the woman promptly fainted upon seeing the transformation. He didn’t have to worry about her tongue wagging too much. With her own home in such a state, one wouldn’t be surprised if the decomposition was also secreting bio-toxins into the air. She obviously had mental problems and she would soon have the corpse to deal with. He saw no need to retrieve the bullet since it would be impossible to link him to the crime scene once he had left. ”We’re in Tokyo; we’ll return tomorrow morning.” He told Yamato blandly, feeling a slight sense of dread. Would the crazy head of the Sohma clan start preparing some kind of torturous punishment? There was only so much that Rei could take and Andrei wasn’t in the mood for bickering with the man yet again. Several years ago he had no choice but to listen to the clan head, but today he had more than enough clout in the underworld to be threatening Yamato if he had to; so the two tolerated each other in a strange, uneasy sort of alliance.

”Carefully.” Andrei mumbled, feeling strangely disturbed by the fact that he was starting to speak to the articulate toddler as an equal. It felt too weird. Hanging up on Yamato, he made a second call, this time conversing in Russian as he made arrangements for a one-night stay in safe territory. However, only a few people in his family knew of his son’s ‘condition’, which made options rather limited but at least workable. He glanced down when he felt a familiar pressure against his leg, noting that this time, Rei had transformed back into his usual form, head armour, knobbly horns and all. Well, at least the sky was dark and this was obviously an alcoholic neighbourhood. He slipped the phone away, locked his gun and tucked it behind his shirt before he bent down to scoop Rei up, displeased with the mild stench of refuse which was now smeared against the reptilian hide.

Orientating the dragon’s clawed feet away from him, he hefted the burden and started to walk, assuming that the ‘god’ would be able to follow without much trouble. As long as Rei didn’t writhe too much, he could still pass off for a toy. The conditions here were far too degraded for functioning road cameras and Andrei hoped that even if they were spotted, it wouldn’t look too farfetched with the child following along. Right now, all he cared about was getting Rei to the car before he transformed back, so it was with quick strides that he carried Rei downstairs and chucked him in the back seat of the car. The windows were well-tinted so it wasn’t a problem once they were inside. It wasn’t until Rei was out of the way did the mobster turn to scrutinize what Takami had been dragging along. ”Leave those behind. We can always buy new clothes.” He scowled, more annoyed that there was a third source of stink in his car apart from the two.

Rei squirmed a little, but was otherwise more than happy to be carried all the way. He was tired from his journey, hungry and all too ready to go to bed after some food. Scrambling across the leather seats, he promptly flopped on a large plush dinosaur, a soft-toy sauropod which was almost as big as he was.