The Brave Sacrifice (Omegaverse)

12. It Has to be Him

Eiji was already at the entrance of the zoo at 8:15. He watched as families started to enter and the excited faces of children made him smile. The first time he visited a zoo was when Yukio ran out of their school because his parents didn't come during his piano performance.

That time, both parents promised to come and for the nth time, none of them showed up. He ran out with Yukio and just followed wherever the latter went. They both ended up visiting a big and well-maintained zoo and went home with smiles on their faces.

"Hi."

Eiji turned to see a very refreshing face. Yukito was wearing a white hooded windbreaker jacket, a pair of jeans, and a pair of sneakers. The young man was smiling at him showing off his perfectly lined white teeth. He looked like he was just a university student.

"Hi. You're early."

"Not as early as you." Yukito really couldn't help but admire this man's beauty. Wearing a brown trench coat and a pair of loafers, he carried it more elegantly than some celebrities. "Let's go."

They went in another entrance. Eiji wondered but just followed silently. He saw Yukito hand an ID and they were immediately ushered in. They were led to a building that was separated from the tourist attractions in the zoo and were immediately approached by some staff wearing uniforms.

"Dr. Yamamoto, we are so glad to have you today. Thank you so much for coming." The oldest man in the group snappily bowed towards Yukito followed by his people.

Eiji was astounded. "Doctor??" He disbelievingly looked at the young man beside him who had already bowed back and gave a very professional but warm smile.

"Thank you for inviting me as well, Dr. Maseda. I'm sorry my visit was delayed for a week. I visited some research centers in Tokyo after the convention."

"No, no, just having you here is already an honor for us, Dr. Yamamoto. Despite the young age, nobody in our field could deny your exceptional skills and mind-opening researches. Your presence will be a great help for us." All other four staff that welcomed them happily nodded at their leader's remarks.

Yukito's face reddened in the midst of the flattering words showered on him while Eiji couldn't make sense out of all the mixed feelings brewing inside of him. This young man that he mistook for an inexperienced university student was actually a Veterinarian and a renowned and highly respected specialist at that. "What else is there about you? I want to know everything."

"Thank you for the kind words." Eiji jolted when he felt a hand touching his arm. "I hope you don't mind me bringing my friend along with me. I assure you he is of no conflict in interest."

"No, of course not!" The team's leader turned to face Eiji amiably and bowed to him as well. "Welcome, Sir. I'm Dr. Maseda and this is my research team."

Eiji bowed back to greet the group in front of them and smiled, "Thank you. I'm Eiji Kanno, Dr. Yamamoto's friend. I'll do my best not to be a hindrance to your activities today." He looked back at Yukito and felt so glad that the latter was smiling at him.

They really didn't walk much but Yukito was 'in the zone' with his work, quite focused and expertly checking the confined animals that were sick. He conducted tests with the research team and most of the time, Eiji was left outside the glass watching the whole team's movements.

Actually, he was thoroughly engrossed with the youngest one. It was like the person transformed. With furrowed brows, steady hands, tightly pressed lips when observing and confident words when speaking, his level of professionalism was truly mesmerizing.