Disclaimers and notes in part 1. As a reminder, this is an AU.

Useless Things
by Estirose
part 4

Keisuke hauled Wataru back to Wataru's house, his mind full of plans. It had become apparent to him that Wataru had been telling the truth about his lack of knowledge about his ancestry - the isolation by his mother had meant that he didn't know that most people didn't hang around flying, talking bats. Wataru's mother had been a strong individual, and she'd raised her son her own way. But at least thanks to Shima-san's promise, she'd at least been unable to raise Wataru out-and-out as a Fangire.

Which meant that Wataru had the upbringing to assume a role in the Checkmate Four, and for the moment, more ties to humanity than the Fangire. Keisuke had to change his plans to accommodate what would happen if Wataru became King, but also keep Kiva's wielder human. That would require keeping an eye on him, keeping him on the straight path. And if it meant making him a puppet ruler of the Fangire, Keisuke would do that.

Wataru could have his rebellious moments, but he was mostly a sheep. Keisuke had to wonder if that could have been Maya's form, and if Wataru could ever assume it. He hoped not, on both counts. He had seen a sheep Fangire before. It looked stupid, and had apparently been a really big pain.

He could deal with any other form Wataru had later. If he was to keep Wataru human, then he had to set out rules that were right. Wataru would follow his rules.

And then, maybe, he'd get his clothes back from that little golddigger.

"Rule one," he said. "Don't argue with me. That hasn't changed. Rule two. Don't date women. You know as well as I do why that's important. You can talk to them over the phone or in person. Rule three. Avoid Fangire unless you're fighting them. I'll figure out what to do if it turns out you're King. Rule four. The only person you sleep with is me." He couldn't imagine Wataru not having urges, and he'd have to handle them, for the sake of humanity.

"So, you're still going to pretend to be my boyfriend?" Wataru asked, not looking at him. "And sleep with me?"

"I have to, for the sake of humanity," Keisuke said. At least Wataru wasn't arguing with him. He could be shaped. Keisuke would take charge, IXA would be glorious. And with the two of them fighting side by side, they'd defeat the Fangire. "Especially if it turns out that you are their King, I'm sure you'll be called upon to continue the succession."

And if it turned out that Wataru was destined to be King, then of course Keisuke would take care of the Fangire another way.

"I'm relaxing some of the restrictions because apparently it's useful to have at least some women in my life, and I doubt Megumi's interested in you," Keisuke said. "How many people do you know?"

"Um." Wataru sat there, apparently thinking. "Well, you, and Megumi-san and Shima-san sort of, and the master of the cafe, and Mio-san and Shizuka-san and Kengo-san. I think that's it, currently."

Three of those he named were Wondrous Blue Sky members, one was sympathetic, one was that girl, one was someone he vaguely remembered Wataru was seeing, and one was a slightly over-enthusiastic rocker. Two people to worry about, then.

"I am a bit worried about Mio-san," Wataru said. "I haven't seen her for a few days - that was the waitress that spilled ice cream on us at the cafe, Nago-san. She's a lot like me. Megumi-san keeps urging us to date, Kengo-san likes her too. To date her, I mean."

Right. "I'll make sure she's all right," Keisuke said, "And that she's out of trouble. In the meantime, you'll stop dating her. I'll find someone for her." It sounded like the girl wouldn't be as much trouble as Shizuka-chan. She'd probably be grateful if someone found her a husband. Kengo was out of the question, as Kengo needed a strong person to keep him focused too. He would at least get a measure of who she was and if she was a threat.

"Thank you, Nago-san." Wataru looked relieved. He wasn't going to be hard to control at all, Keisuke reflected. Kiva or not, he was gentle. Pliable. Or at least he reserved his ferocity for where it should be, in battle.

Shima-san's warnings came back to him. Wataru's emotions were tied in to his powers. Keisuke could not be a tyrant, or even seem to be one. He would be Wataru's hero, Wataru's bedmate, the firm-but-not-unyielding man that Wataru needed. Wataru looked up to him, and Wataru would continue to look up to him.

Because he was Nago Keisuke, and he did things right.

Wataru, sitting on the little couch in his workroom, had to admit that things were much better. Nago-san was more reasonable, and things made so much more sense when he knew what was going on. He understood why Shima-san had made his mother make that promise, but he wished that she hadn't.

He was Fangire – half, at least, from a powerful bloodline. If he had been full Fangire, he might have been King by default – and at least had some chance to ascend, or try to decline. He wasn't sure he felt like he could be part of the Fangire, Shima-san's words about his upbringing notwithstanding. He wanted to be human.

Was that what his mother had wanted for him? What would she have raised him as if she hadn't been bound to Shima-san's promise? Shima-san said he acted royal Fangire. He had no clue what that meant.

He had a bad feeling that in order to figure out the way to be who he was, regardless of what human or Fangire wanted him to be, he was in for a tough time. For all he knew, his powers as a Fangire – or the Fangire King – would manifest the next day. Nago-san was still paranoid enough to consider him manifesting as Fangire as a threat, unless it was someone he or the Wondrous Blue Sky Association could control, and the Fangire weren't likely to take to someone they perceived to be corrupted by humans. He wondered what the King of the Checkmate Four was supposed to act like, and concluded that it probably wasn't like him despite what Shima-san had said.

Wataru wished Omura-san was there. Omura-san would have known what to do. Or his mother. He had probably been the heir in waiting, probably was still the heir in waiting. He lacked friendly Fangire to ask. And Nago-san wouldn't let him do it anyway. The threat of punishments was still in effect. And Wataru had no desire to get in trouble with the people that were currently his allies.

Besides, he liked Megumi-san. Nago-san was idealistic at best, but he didn't understand. He considered the things in Wataru's world useless, only tolerating them because he didn't have much of a choice. Wataru didn't need a guardian, but if he'd had to choose from one, he'd have chosen Megumi-san, who understood him, not Nago-san, who didn't.

But he guessed he understood Nago-san. Nago-san wanted things to be pure, for things to be the best, and he genuinely worked towards saving humanity from the Fangire. Wataru couldn't fault him for that, and Nago-san's strength might be exactly what Wataru needed to stay sane and human. Nago-san was definitely blind to some things, and Wataru knew that he'd grow to understand, but it would take time.

His door opened to admit Shizuka-chan. “Wataru, you've got to call the police!” she said as he blinked at her. “He's evil. I don't care that he saved my life, he's selfish and evil and he probably wants to kill you!”

Wataru remembered the threats that Nago-san had given, and remembered that he'd forgotten them. “Nago-san is pretty closed-minded,” he said quietly.

“I remember reading something about some man in America that invited gay people over to his house and then killed them,” Shizuka insisted. “He'll kill you in your own home.”

“Only if he has reason to,” Wataru said, but he had to admit that Shizuka-chan wasn't paranoid. She just didn't understand Nago-san very well. He might not understand Nago-san much better than she did, but he did know why Nago-san did what he did.

Nago-san was afraid of the Fangire, and wasn't sure about Wataru and his small amount of power. Wataru definitely felt he was not going to be King, so Nago-san didn't have to worry there.

“You're hopeless, Wataru,” Shizuka said. “I'm not going to watch my best friend get killed!”

“Um, you probably won't,” Wataru told her. “I don't think Nago-san is evil. Just, maybe, misguided?” Shizuka huffed. Wataru smiled at her. “I want to go to the park; I think I had some varnish ideas. Would you like to go with me, Shizuka-chan?” That would make her feel better for sure.

She smiled back. “I wouldn't let you go without me, Wataru. Who knows what other trouble you could get into!”

So, the two of them went out, Wataru remembering to lock his door. He and Shizuka went to the park. “I think some of the soil, this time,” he said.

Wrinkling her nose, Shizuka said, “Soil?”

“Well, it does have metal and minerals in it. Maybe it's what my father used.”

“It can't be any stranger than some of your other choices,” Shizuka allowed. “Okay. Did you bring-”

Wataru produced a spade and a pair of baggies. “I wonder if you can boil soil?” he asked.

“I don't know,” Shizuka admitted. “It's good to see you do something normal, though.”

Wataru grinned at her and shoveled. As he worked, he looked up and saw a man in a Christian Priest's outfit sitting on the benches, watching them. Since the man didn't seem to be interested in calling the police, Wataru paid him no other attention, returning to the task at hand.

Bishop watched the young man who he'd been keeping an eye on. He'd kept tabs on Maya's younger son the boy's entire life, mostly because there was a chance that he might inherit the King's mantle. The fact that he could handle Kiva's chained form was of little interest to Bishop; the whole point of the chained form was that somebody besides the King could handle it.

When Wataru started assuming the whole, complete form, things changed. Taiga showed no powers other than what might be expected of any Fangire; Wataru could handle Kiva's unchained form. With royal bloods, one could never tell what sibling might inherit the power, and in this case, it looked like Wataru was the one that had gotten it. In some cases, the power might go to a distant descendant, like with the current Queen.

Bishop had quietly searched the records. He knew that half-breeds occasionally happened; they seemed to lean one way or another at puberty, and those that went the Fangire way tended to be powerful from their hybrid ancestry, some of the toughest Fangire out there. But more of them leaned disappointingly human, which was why the rule was established millennia ago, and why the Queen's role was to wipe out that possibility.

But sometimes those children were born, and watched to see which way they'd go. If they went Fangire, they were helped through the sickness that accompanied the change to full Fangire; if they didn't, they were left in sad human ignorance. Wataru had been left in that ignorance when he didn't change. Obviously the next time such a half-breed happened in a royal bloodline, they had to be watched past apparent human puberty just like their full part-siblings.

To buy Wataru time to complete his change, Bishop had sent out a challenge; defeat Rook, have the chance to be King. He knew that there would be contenders lining up, all boasting of their connection to a royal bloodline, or at least the ability to start one.

"Wataru? Wataru?" The young human's call brought him out of his contemplation. Wataru was looking distinctly dizzy, but waved the girl off.

"I'm okay, Shizuka-chan. Just... it was hot, all of a sudden." The King-to-be smiled at his companion. Bishop blinked. Was Wataru finally showing signs of the change? Perhaps maybe Kiva's unchained form was the trigger to the change that should have happened in puberty.

"No, you don't look well," the girl insisted. "I'll take you to the hospital, Wataru. Maybe he's done something to you."

Bishop had no clue who the 'he' was, but it was time to take action. "May I help?" he inquired, striding over. He knew of a doctor, a Fangire, who could confirm his observations. If he told her that it was a late puberty, she'd believe him.

"I'm okay, Shizuka-chan," Wataru said, with a little more force. "Just... let's go home."

"I think the young woman is right," Bishop said. "You don't look well." Gaining the King's trust would prove helpful when Wataru's full powers manifested. Half-human or not, Wataru was - would be - a member of the Checkmate Four. Bishop wanted things to work more smoothly with Wataru than they had with Mio. "You should go see a doctor. I know one nearby, at the clinic. I'm sure she'd be happy to take a look at you."

"I'm fine," Wataru said obstinately, not looking at Bishop or the human beside him. He got up and had to immediately sit down again. "In a few minutes."

"The clinic is only a block or two away," Bishop told the human. "I suggest we take him there."

The human, showing a grasp of logic, nodded. "Okay. Wataru? We're going to the clinic."

"Not moving," Wataru muttered.

Bishop sighed and pulled out his cell phone and dialed. "Takamoto-san?"

"Yes?" the woman answered the phone abruptly, then softened her tone. "Oh, my lord Bishop..."

"I have a young man who's not feeling very well; he's very stubborn. I'd like someone with your specialized medical experience to come look at him. We're at the park down a few blocks from you, off the garden path..."

"Understood," she said. "I'll be there as soon as possible. With the... special tests." Message received and understood.

"Thank you," he said, then hung up. He knelt next to Wataru. "I have a friend coming. She's a doctor. She'll look at you."

Bishop hoped that Wataru wouldn't prove to be stubborn with him. He disliked having to use force. He stayed by Wataru's side until Dr. Takamoto arrived. He drew her aside. "This is a half-breed; I have a suspicion that his Fangire blood is showing. I want to know if it's that or if he's just crippled by some temporary human ailment."

Dr. Takamoto nodded. "What's his name?"

"Kurenai Wataru," Bishop said. "Call him Wataru for the moment. I don't want to reveal our hand."

"Understood," she said, and walked towards the pair. "Hello, I understand your name is Wataru. My name is Dr. Takamoto. I also understand you're not feeling too well?"

"He got dizzy," the girl said.

"Just for a moment," Wataru muttered. Dr. Takamoto just smiled at him.

"I want to see if this is simple overheating, or if there's another problem," Takamoto said. "I want to make sure you don't get heat exhaustion. Okay?"

Bishop watched as the doctor performed tests. She even took a bit of blood. "It sounds like you need to get into the shade, Wataru, you're too hot. How about you go home and rest?"

"We can do that," the girl said, pulling Wataru up.

"Keep him in cool temperatures, make him rest. If he continues to run a fever, please call me," Dr. Takamoto said, handing the girl a card. "There might be other things going on that are not obvious."

The girl nodded. "Come on, Wataru," she said, helping Wataru up.

Dr. Takamoto stopped next to Bishop. "If you're guessing late puberty, then you're right," she said. "I would suggest eliminating the girl and then bringing him to me. I can educate him about his Fangire blood."

"I plan to explain that myself," Bishop said, reminding the woman that he outranked her. "I'm aware of what needs to be done; I just needed confirmation."

"Understood," she said, obviously disappointed. Bishop had to wonder what she suspected about Wataru. He watched her as she left.

He caught Wataru as the new King almost fainted again. "Here, I'll help you take him back," he said.

The girl smiled, and Bishop smiled back. He looked forward to eliminating her.

Shizuka was grateful for the man's help. Wataru was definitely not feeling well and the doctor might not have thought it had to do with that man, but Shizuka thought so. Maybe she'd call the doctor and have the woman look at Wataru again. Or maybe the woman would seek Wataru out if he'd been poisoned or something like that.

The gate for Wataru's house came into sight, much to Shizuka's relief. Megumi-san was ringing the doorbell, but stopped as the two of them came into her view. She rushed forward to take one of Wataru's arms for Shizuka, while Shizuka unlocked his gate and his door. The man and Megumi-san got Wataru up the stairs and then down the stairs to his bedroom/living room. Wataru was maneuvered, still protesting, into bed, and then Megumi-san sat down. "Please, sit down too," Shizuka said to the man who had helped her get Wataru back to his house. "Would you like some water? Tea?"

"Tea would be good," he said, smiling at her. She was struck by the fact he looked so much like a christian priest; was he one?

"Megumi-san?" The girl turned next to Megumi-san. "What would you like?"

"Tea is fine, also," The woman assured her.

Shizuka bounced into Wataru's kitchen and put on his kettle, selecting the most conservative tea from his varieties. She made the tea fairly swiftly, selecting two of Wataru's mugs and bringing his visitors some tea. She then headed back into the kitchen and made some iced tea from a mix for Wataru.

Soon, Wataru was glaring at her and sipping at his iced tea while Megumi-san and the stranger enjoyed theirs.

"I'm glad to help," the man said. He looked at Shizuka. "I don't know how adept your friend is at going to doctors, or even if he has one, but she is very good."

Shizuka nodded. Getting Wataru to go to the doctor had always been difficult. Maybe he could be persuaded to go to this one.

"Are you both this young man's friend?" the man asked, raising his eyebrows. "And is there anything else I can help with?"

"I've known Wataru since he was fifteen," Shizuka boasted. She was not his first friend - that had been somebody named Taiga, apparently - but she was the friend who had stuck by him. Megumi-san was nice, but Shizuka had been there for the long term. "Megumi-san, haven't you known him only a few months?"

Megumi-san nodded. "He's come a long way since I met him."

Shizuka thought about this, and smiled. "He has," she agreed. Wataru had developed as a person, which meant that he was starting to be a regular person. Okay, a regular person who had to be a weirdness magnet. Or a person magnet. She wasn't the only one finding him attractive anymore.

He had to be a weirdness magnet if a guy wanted him. Nago Keisuke had saved her once, yes. But he was not Wataru's boyfriend, Wataru liked girls if his time with Mio-san was any indication. And if she had to, she'd step back for Mio-san if it meant that he'd be dating a girl.

"And thank you for helping out," Shizuka said to the stranger. She smiled at him, hoping he wasn't falling for Wataru too. Guys seemed suspect at the moment.

The man smiled back. "Maybe I'll run across the two of you sometime," he said. "This place looks fascinating." He got up. "I'm afraid that I have some souls to save."

Shizuka blinked. "You're a Christian priest?"

"Not... precisely," the man said. "But people expect me to look this way, so I do." He got up and smiled again. "If one of you would show me the way out..."

Shizuka got up as well. "Here, it's right this way," she said. She escorted the man out the gates and and watched him saunter off. She then returned to Wataru's house.

Kivat was waiting for her at the top of the stairs. "Shizuka," he said in a low voice. "I've seen that man before. I don't think you should let him or that doctor near him again."

Shizuka frowned. Kivat was a good companion to Wataru, and he usually had a head on his shoulders. She had no clue where Kivat came from, but Wataru trusted him.

Kivat followed her down the stairs, which was unusual for him. He usually didn't make himself known around strangers, and she was lucky to have figured out he wasn't a sculpture.

"Thank you for the tea, Shizuka-chan," Megumi-san said. Kivat flapped down to hover around Wataru. "Are you all right?"

"The man that brought Wataru in," Kivat said, "I don't trust him."

Megumi-san understandably stared. She'd probably never seen Kivat before.

"Um, this is Kivat," Wataru said, indicating the flying bat-creature. "He's a friend."

"And you are the Modigliani woman!" Kivat exclaimed.

"Kivat!" Wataru got half up before Shizuka glared him back into lying down.

"Why don't you trust him?" Megumi-san said, addressing Kivat as if she'd known him for a while.

"I've just seen him before," Kivat said, "When I was very young and... well, when I was very young. When Wataru was a baby. He knew Wataru's mother when Wataru was a baby."

Megumi-san nodded, and Shizuka had to wonder what the other woman was thinking.

And then the door above slammed open, and heavy footsteps revealed Shizuka's worst nightmare.