estirise

I asked someone on IM for a prompt. This is what I got out of it.

Title: Flurried Truce
Author: EstiRose
Fandom: Kamen Rider Kiva
Spoilers: 30s
Rating: 8+
Summary: Taiga and Nago are stuck in Wataru's house without Wataru during a snowstorm.
Word count: 1640

Nago Keisuke had been in rougher situations as a bounty hunter, but somehow, being stuck in a house with Nobori Taiga was not exactly how he'd choose to spend the day. The Fangire King was someone that Keisuke had never gotten along with - at least after Keisuke had found out what he was - and it galled him to be stuck in Wataru's house with him.

Not that Taiga was overly enthralled either. He'd deliberately timed his trip so that Wataru would be forced to listen to him, and his little brother had not even been there. This human - a member of his foster father's meaningless association - had been, and they'd both been stuck in Wataru's house thanks to the knee-deep snow outside, with the continuing flurries.

Taiga did not like the man at all, and the feeling was apparently mutual. Keisuke could have done without being stuck with him either, especially since they were on opposite sides of the struggle.

In some ways, each was what the other despised. Keisuke didn't like Fangire in general, and Taiga was a bad influence on Wataru, who needed to stay human. Taiga, on the other hand, wished the other man dead, because he kept Wataru from being the Fangire he needed to be.

So, the two of them glared at each other over Wataru's dining room table, faces lit by a few candles that Keisuke had found, because the King seemed hopeless at that sort of thing. Taiga had fished out a glass of water for himself; Keisuke was grateful that his pupil had plenty of food, though he wondered why he did, and if Wataru could possibly be snacking on humans. But no, Wataru wouldn't do that. Keisuke believed in him.

Wataru was human, despite Taiga's best tries. Wataru believed in humans, saved humans, and Taiga couldn't do anything about it because Wataru knew what was right and what was wrong.

"Why were you visiting my little brother?" Taiga demanded, his fists tightening. He wondered if Wataru would be too upset if he killed the human.

"Why were you visiting Wataru?" Keisuke demanded back. He couldn't deny the fact that Wataru's older brother was King, but he could protect Wataru from him. Wataru sometimes needed to be saved too.

"You first," Taiga said, folding his hands. "Why do you continue to corrupt Wataru? He's Fangire. He has to be." Wataru *was* Fangire; his armor was Fangire, his mother a former Queen. Besides, Wataru was Taiga's little brother, and therefore, Wataru was Fangire.

"He's chosen to be human," the human said, foldong his arms, irritating Taiga. He was too smug for his own good, and Taiga longed to wipe the slight smirk off his face. For a human, he was arrogant, and the only thing that prevented Taiga from killing him was that Wataru was still attached to the man and might see it as a betrayal. Wataru was awfully fond of his humans.

"That's because he's confused," Taiga said, leaning forward into Keisuke's space. The Fangire King glared at him. "Deep down, he knows he's Fangire."

Wataru knew what he was, and Keisuke doubted it was Fangire. The King was delusional, and Keisuke knew it. He leaned back, not as a gesture of weakness or fear, but because he didn't fear Nobori or Nobori's plans. Because he knew Wataru.

And if Keisuke was wrong, then Keisuke would save him. Simple as that.

"Then you don't know Wataru very well," the human said, leaning back. But there was no fear, just the same arrogance no sane human should have with the King of the Fangire.

Of couse, no sane human went up against the Fangire, because they knew inside of them that it was futile. Humans were prey, and Fangire were predators, and that was that.

"Wataru is my brother," Taiga explained patiently. He shouldn't have to do that, but humans were sometimes stupid. "He was born to a former Queen. He's Fangire, but he doesn't understand yet."

"I think he understands, and has chosen humanity," Keisuke said. "Nothing you can say will change that. He understands good and evil." Evil like his brother, who was king over monsters that ate people. Yes, he'd fallen for one, sort of - Wataru's mother, if briefly - but they were still monsters. The fact that Wataru wasn't was because he knew right from wrong, even when he hadn't been brought up right. After all, he had been brought up by a Fangire.

Albeit one, from what he'd heard, that turned her back on the Fangire and had given humanity a chance. Which was probably why he'd fallen for her; he probably sensed the justice within her heart. If she was Nobori Taiga's mother as well, she'd failed with him, and partly with Wataru, though Wataru could be redeemed.

"Yes, he does," Taiga said patiently. He was seriously tempted to take care of the human - but a battle might result, and while it might be satisfying to finally take care of the human, he didn't want to damage Wataru's house. Plus, as he reminded himself again, Wataru was fond of the human and he didn't want another rift opening between them. Wataru needed to be weaned off of these humans, but Taiga had no clue how.

Keisuke's phone rang, and he opened it. Wataru. Shielding it from the Fangire King, he answered it. "Yes?"

"Nago-san?" Wataru asked. "Are you all right?"

"I'm here at your house. I'm fine," Keisuke said, before the phone was wrested out of his grasp by Taiga.

"Wataru? Where are you?" Taiga practically barked into the phone. He had to make sure his little brother was safe. Then he'd worry about damage to Wataru's house. "And why is this... human here?"

"Human? Wataru sounded mystified. "Oh, you mean Nago-san?" His tone had brightened, making Taiga wince inside. The human had so much to answer for when it came to his little brother. "I don't know. Why *is* Nago-san there?"

"I don't know either," Taiga said, "But I can make him leave. Where. Are. You?"

"I'm fine," Wataru told him. "I'm over at the Cafe." There was only one cafe that Wataru went to, at least. "Megumi-san, Shima-san, and owner are here, so we're fine."

Wataru sounded far too happy to be around humans for his own good, but he supposed that his little brother was safe for the moment. "Oh, good."

"Taiga?" Wataru asked, confused. "What are you doing at my house? And why do you have Nago-san's phone?"

"It's a long story," Taiga said, taking a deep mental breath. "But I heard him talking to you, and I wanted to make sure you were safe. Why didn't you call me?"

"Um," Wataru replied nervously. "The power's out at the Cafe, and Megumi-san wanted to make sure Nago-san was all right. I was going to call you after I called Nago-san."

"Just as long as you're safe," Taiga said. Nothing to be done about Wataru and the humans for the moment. Shima didn't really like Wataru; in a strange way, Wataru was safe with him.

"I'm safe," his little brother reassured him.

"Good." He handed the phone back to Keisuke, who had been listening to Nobori's side of the conversation. He didn't like Nobori talking to Wataru, even though he knew it was inevitable, with their blood relationship. But there was nothing to do about it except talk to Wataru afterwards. He suspected Nobori would be doing the same thing.

"Wataru," Keisuke said, "Are you all right?" He knew that Wataru was safe from what he'd overheard from Nobori's conversation, but he wanted to make sure.

"Megumi-san, Shima-san, the owner and I are just fine," Wataru told him. "Are you and Taiga all right?"

"We're fine. We just both came to visit you and... you left your door unlocked." That was a lie, but better than than to explain he broke in, and who knew how Nobori had gotten in.

"Oh," Wataru said. Keisuke wished he wasn't easily convinced, but he'd take it for the moment. "Please get along with my older brother."

Which meant no shooting him with the IXA Knuckle, unfortunately. Though he didn't totally blame Wataru. "Very well. If he doesn't attack me first."

"Thank you, Nago-san," Wataru said. He sounded grateful. "Please let me talk to my older brother."

Keisuke glared at the Fangire King and handed the phone back to Nobori. He suspected that Wataru was going to ask the same thing.

Accepting the phone curiously, Taiga placed it to his ear. "Yes, Wataru?"

"Taiga," Wataru said, "Could you please get along with Nago-san? He shouldn't attack you either. Please? For my sake?"

For his little brother, he could do it, even if he wouldn't do it for anybody else. "All right, Wataru. If he doesn't attack me first."

"That's all I can ask. Thank you." His little brother's gratitude warmed Taiga's heart. He'd have to wean his little brother off the humans later, at least he was safe and Taiga could abide by his promise. Hopefully. He returned the phone, glaring at its owner.

"I promised Wataru that I wouldn't hurt you," he said. "And I'll hold by that promise. But if you continue corrupting my younger brother...."

"I would say the same for my pupil," Nago interrupted, folding his arms again after putting the phone back in his pocket.

"...Then we will face each other in a final battle, and I will win," Taiga said, ignoring him. He leaned back. Battling with words was useless. Battling with weapons, not a good idea. But one day he would finish this pesky human off.

Looking at Nago, he knew he was thinking the same thing. But Taiga would win. Because Wataru was his younger brother.