A/N - Alright, this is a story featuring mostly Kai Kouda and Lahti (Yes, I'm going with the American spelling/pronunciation) Bara of Makoto Tateno's Blue Sheep Reverie, and later, Steal Moon. This story takes place AFTER Blue Sheep Reverie Vol. 1 and before Steal Moon. If you haven't read either of the stories but would like to read this fic for any reason, I have pictures of Kai and Lahti on my profile at the top under the title of the story and a VERY brief summary of Blue Sheep Reverie (it is NOT necessary to have read Steal Moon to read this fic). If you have any questions, let me know! I hope that at least someone reads this!
Also, I took the title and am using lyrics from the song Coffee Shop Soundtrack by All Time Low...which I know is weird, but the lyrics are so nice.
-Havah
"Should I write myself out of the history books and mark a place in time for every chance you took?"
"Lahti!" Judd cried as he ran through the Sarte headquarters, looking for his boss. "Lahti Bara!" He skidded to a halt, checking the office that Lahti used when he wasn't in his room or out somewhere. "LAHTI! WHERE THE HELL ARE YOU?!"
"Breathe, Judd." Lahti spoke calmly, leaning against the wall next to Judd as the young bodyguard whipped around, surprised by the sudden appearance. Even leaning against a wall, Lahti looked impressive – tall, serious, strong and nearly most flooring of all, calm. At least, Judd thought, he would be until he hears the news.
"No, Lahti…" Judd panted, leaning over, his hands on his knees as he struggled to catch his breath. "It's the Mynah, they – they," he took a deep breath, backing away slightly in an attempt to avoid the repercussions of a potential 'shoot the messenger' scenario. "They have Kai." Judd winced impulsively, not looking at Lahti as he continued. "I don't know how it happened, he was out getting lunch and it must have been their intention, because TEN of them attacked him! Kai's good, but ten to one? Even you're not that good! And they didn't kill him."
"Why didn't you help him?" Lahti asked, his voice dangerously stable.
"I wasn't there," Judd panted. "I – someone who witnessed it told me about it, I went to the same restaurant to get some food and it was a wreck, the owner explained that ten men jumped a skinny boy with dark hair and rough karate skills; said that the boy fought best using a chain with a pointed spear head on the end – that's KAI!"
"Yes, thank you." Lahti nodded. "I realize that."
"Well then why are you just standing there?!" Judd asked. "What are you going to do about it?"
"If he's in the Mynah's possession, he's as good as dead, if he's not already."
"I told you, they didn't kill him! They weren't trying to kill him! You have to understand, something fishy is going on here!"
"Judd, we are at war," Lahti stated. "There will be casualties. Kai has fallen into the losses." With that, Lahti turned, leaving Judd panting in the doorway of the office, confused and breathless.
"Lahti?" About an hour later, there was a knock on Lahti's bedroom door. "Please let me in."
"It's unlocked," Lahti replied, recognizing the voice of Sana, his chief computer hacker/ technology guru. Sana and Lahti had been very close for years – ever since Sana had come out with a deeper appreciation for other girls than was 'normal' for other women. Until Kai came, they had been the only two homosexual members of Sarte, and that forged a bond between that Judd, and sometimes even Kai, could not understand.
"Judd told me what happened," Sana said softly as she closed the door behind her. "I thought that you might want to know that he's still alive."
"Alright." Lahti shrugged. "Even if there were a way for you to know that, why would I care?"
"Lahti, you might be fooling everyone else…" Sana shook her head. "But you can't get this past me. I don't presume to know you as well as I would like to, but I do know you better than anyone else here and I can tell that you feel for Kai – beyond the intense physical relationship that everyone knows about. Now you can keep trying to lie to me about this, or you can give up and let me help you."
"This stays between us," Lahti said after a moment. "I don't trust anyone right now, especially not with something like this."
"It won't leave this room." She shook her head. "Tell me what you're feeling, Lahti."
"Only if, first, you tell me how you know he's still alive."
"He has a tracer," Sana began to explain. "It's in a necklace that he always wears. I made it for him – customized to his personality and to his heartbeat."
"His heartbeat?" Lahti looked at her, confused.
"It transmits his location and his heartbeat," she clarified. "If his heart stops beating, even if it started beating irregularly, I would know about it by now."
"What if someone else is wearing it?" Lahti asked.
"Then the rhythm of the beat would have changed," Sana shook her head.
"That's…impressive," Lahti admitted.
"You underestimate me." Sana offered him a weak smile.
"Sometimes, that is true," he nodded. "Why did you do that for him?"
"He's your boy," she shrugged. "You have one too – I'm surprised you haven't figure it out by now." She smiled. "Seeing as you wear the necklace every single day - you know, the one I gave you for your birthday three years ago?"
"I should have known." Lahti nodded.
"At any rate, stop avoiding your end of the bargain – what do you feel for Kai?"
"Tell me where he is first."
"Fine." Sana rolled her eyes, knowing that Lahti was just trying to prolong the time that he had to discuss his feelings; he may be gay, but that did NOT mean that he liked to have heart to hearts. "He's at the Mynah headquarters."
"Great," Lahti sighed. "The one place we couldn't rescue him from."
"Exactly." Sana nodded. "And they clearly know that. Now spill."
"If I have to." Lahti looked away. He made the deal to tell her, but he had absolutely no intention of looking at Sana as he did so. "With Kai…he's my lover, yes, and everybody knows that, but he's also the first person that's ever saved my life. I've been in danger hundreds of times, and until Kai, I had always gotten myself out of it; then he came along and saved my life twice." Lahti paused. "The first time was random – he was working for me, his instincts kicked in and he pushed me out of the way, but the second time…the second time he came for me. That boy, that crazy kid, walked into a deathtrap knowingly to rescue me, even after I had practically told him that I wanted nothing more to do with him."
"So you care for him because he saved your life?" Sana asked.
"Partially." Lahti nodded. "He's a talented fighter, he is very smart, he isn't hard to look at – but he's young, Sana." Lahti shook his head. "He's too young to understand the weight of what he's gotten himself into by getting involved with me. This world, it will tear him apart and he can't change it and he can't beat it, none of us can."
"What are you saying?" Sana asked.
"He's in love with me." Lahti declared.
"I know that." Sana shrugged. "We all know that. What no one knows is if you're in love with him."
"If I am, it doesn't matter." Lahti shrugged.
"Why not?" Sana frowned.
"Because he will always love me more than I could ever care about him," Lahti explained. "Even if I save him now he'll still be trapped in an unequal relationship; if I save him, Sana, he won't leave me, just like I won't ask him to leave me until I'm bored with him."
"What if you don't get bored with him?" Sana pressed. "What if Kai is different than the others?"
"He's not." Lahti shook his head. "Kai Kouda is special, yes, but he's not that special. No one is."
"So you're going to let him die?" Sana asked.
"This city needs me, Sana," Lahti stated. "I won't sacrifice myself for a boy; not while I'm still needed."
A/N 2: Sorry to have one at both the top and the bottom - I just thought that it might be fun to give a SMALL preview of chapter 2, so here you go!
"I have entertained the image of you tied up many times, Kai, but I never would have imagined that it would look this good."
"Maria." Kai looked up to see his ex girlfriend; the sister of his current lover, looking down at him, a coy smirk on her face. "I should have known."