Warning: slash, skirts around the lemon sorry.

Disclaimer: Don't own, don't flame, don't sue.

Our Ending: Tale of a Gypsy Boy

I don't remember my parents, all I know is that I was born in the back of a wagon during the dead of night. My mother had supposedly been a performer of sorts, but I knew well enough what she did without having to know her. You don't work in a place and not know the things that the others did. I was told no one knew who my father was, he had just been some guy from some no name town. Though I'd rather be a no name then some of the things people called us. I often get the feeling that people don't get that for some of us, there really wasn't much of an option. Quite often I'd run into people who'd say we were blasphemous people, hand us a bible and tell us they'd pray for us. My soul didn't need saving. What my soul needed was something that was truly mine.

We'd pitched tent in another one of those no name towns, I was sixteen and had yet to learn much beyond reading and simple writing. It wasn't to say I wasn't smart, I was, just not many opportunities to do much else. I had no one to really talk to, write to, anything. A couple of dotted line alphabet books sat in my old black chest, some half done, others never even touched. The closest ones to my age were the few twenty-five year old men and women, there were only three them. I wasn't desperately lonely or anything, I just wondered what others my age were doing while I did various tricks and slight of hands. My curiosity never won out, regardless of how much people told me I resembled a cat in nature. I always found myself wondering off on my own to read without interruption.

I was sitting underneath a tree in the middle of the afternoon hiding partway from the sun. I was just about done with my latest book when I heard something. Looking up I saw a guy, his hair looked two-tone, top half white lower half black, his eyes looked gray in color. His figure was tall, just a tad lanky looking, his walked had a sort of sway and stagger to it. The sun slightly hued him as he listlessly walked closer to me, when he was a few steps away from me I realized his face was quite handsome. It seemed like he was kind of lost, like something had happened and it just didn't seem to register yet in his head. As he started to walk past me I stopped him.

"Sir?" he couldn't have been more then two years older then I.

He stopped in his tracks and turned to look at him, and he blinked a few times, "Huh? Where?"

"Is everything ok?" I left my book on the ground as I stood up.

He steadied under my touch on his shoulder, "I don't know."

"Why don't you sit, I think you need rest," I handed him my canteen of water as he sat.

"Yeah," he nodded and took the canteen from my tan hands.

After a few minutes of silence I wondered if it would be impolite to ask what maybe have happened to him. But I bit my tongue, no one wanted to answer a question from someone like me. He lifted the canteen up to his mouth and took a long drink from it with slight shaky hands. Once he was done with it he handed it back to me with a slight smile touching the corner of his lips. I felt the oddest feeling pulse through me at that moment. Somehow I felt a smile quirk its way on my face, something I almost never did.

"So…….."

"You have a name?" he had a nice voice.

"Kyo." I said confidently.

He nodded his head once and smiled again, "That's a nice name," he held out his hand to me, "Haru."

I shook it, "So, everything ok then?"

"Don't know, I think I'm still in shock," he left it at that.

"I see, well," I looked up to the sky, "I should be head back before it gets too late."

"Home?" he watched me stand canteen in my hand.

"Sort of- I mean, yes," for some reason it felt warm.

"If you want, I can walk with you," he shielded his eyes from the sun.

"No, I'm fine, not that far, I'll um, see you," I walked off, back to my pitched tent home, I'd practice for a few hours before tonight then go back to my book.

I looked down at my hand and noticed I only carried my old canteen. I didn't want to go back and risk looking like an idiot. I had no idea why I was so bothered by the idea o him thinking I was just a little on the pathetically stupid side. Maybe if I went back early tomorrow I'd find the book still there, just a little damp and wrinkled, but still readable. I suppose that's more then I could hope for, but still I'd rather save face then go back for it at this point. When I came insight of the brightly decorated tents and canvas covered ground, I'd wished I'd gone back and stayed gone.

At night the way was lit by rows of colored paper covered candles. Rhinestones sparkled off the canvas, bright colors gently billowed in the soft wind, and slightly awed and amused voiced filtered from the large canvas tent. I was on, light flecked off the red bandana across my head, my white shirt just slightly open at the top, my black pants just a bit snug with boots stopping a few inches from my knees. I loved fire, juggling, hoops, whatever I could do to use it when I went on. I was hoping to somehow use it with my whip. As I tossed another in the air and went to smile falsely at small audience, I saw him, I nearly burnt myself and dropped it, if it weren't from all those years of practice I probably would have. He sat third bench, dead center, he smiled at me and there was that feeling again. I never thought my bit would be over as I bowed and stepped out of the light and out the canvas tent.

The air felt cool against my sweat touched skin, I never usually felt like this afterwards. I closed my eyes and shivered in the breeze that drifted by. Taking a deep breath I moved for my tent, I paused to glance at Hana who was brushing her black cat, she red cards. She was older, long black flower hair, dark knowing piercing eyes. She'd been born into it like I was, she wasn't made to do the thing the other women were. Hana had apparently mad her point early on in life that she was not the same people as her parents, she had more class then that. When she lifted her gaze to me I nodded once and said 'hi' and rushed to my tent. She was the Ebony Woman.

I pulled the red bandana from my head and tossed it to the floor and tugged off my boots. This night could not be over soon enough. I'd flung myself face front on the bed/cot and sighed into my old but soft pillow. That odd feeling would not leave me. It was frustrating me so much because I had no idea what it was supposed to mean. I found myself growling and stopped when I heard footsteps outside my tent. The flap opened and a tuffet of white hair was first to greet me.

"Hi?" was my chocked words.

"Sorry, you left your book and I remembered you said you only lived close by. I knew I'd never seen you in tow before, so you had to be here," he walked all the way in and held out the book.

I sat up and took the book from his pale hands, "Thanks."

"So," he gave my tent a once over, "how does one come to work here?"

"Not sure," I shrugged a shoulder, "I was sort of born into it, every once in a while we get a new person."

"What if I wanted to work here? Who would I talk to?" he stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Why would you want to? Don you have a place to go home to?" I put my book aside.

"No, not anymore," Haru looked nonchalant, unconcerned by it all.

"To be honest, not really sure, we just all agree together on things. I suppose though you could talk to Shigure, he seems to handle a lot of things, I'm sure he could get you a tent or something," I got up and pointed him to a large deep blue canvas tent.

"Ok," he smiled at me and I watched him walk off to Shigure's tent.

When morning came a new tent had been risen next to mine. Charcoal gray next to my red-orange tent off to the back right of the largest canvas tent. I said nothing as I stepped out and saw him sitting outside his tent flipping through a pamphlet. On the cover of it was a spindly brown bottle with elegant cursive writing scrawled in an archway across the front. I'd had some of it before. A spicy warm taste with a hint of bitter sweetness to the aftertaste. It left you feeling both good and off center. I remembered taking it, but nothing much after that, when I'd woken up I found myself curled up in one of the other guys tent. Lucky for me the guy had spent the night in one of the women's tent.

Haru looked up at me and smiled, "Morning."

"Morning," I smiled back at him and half waved.

"We leave tomorrow," Haru put the pamphlet down and came to stand next to me.

"I know."

"So that's what you do? Stay for awhile and leave?"

"Yup," I started to walk off.

"Where you going?"

"Practice." And I walked off before my heart somehow made its way out of my chest.

"I'm sure he didn't notice how strange and awkward I felt, for starters he didn't even know me. If all else, he probably thought I was strange. Really though, what could anyone really expect from someone raised in this atmosphere all their life. Social maladjustment may just have been one side-effect, but who really knew? All I really wanted right now was to throw myself into my performance for tonight, tonight was my whip night.

Back at the tents Haru wondered around and finally stopped himself at Hana's pitch-black tent. He tapped the tiny bells that hung just at the top corner and waited for a response. A minute later she opened the flap of her tent and stared up at him with mild interest etched across her features. Haru smiled slightly at her and she just sighed and let him in. The tent was slightly larder then most and odd trinkets, bobbles, and jars sat around on makeshift tables and the like.

She handed him some tea, "Can I help you?"

"I just needed some company, sorry if I disturbed you," he sipped at the tea.

"Hmm," she sipped at her tea and nodded, "I see."

"What?"

"You like him."

"You refereeing to the kid?"

"You're nothing more then a child yourself," she gave him a long dragging foot to head stare, "tragedies aside."

"You can tell all that by looking at me?' he put his tea down.

"No, I saw you two days ago quarreling with a young woman. Somehow, I get the feeling things just didn't quite work out," she sipped at her tea some more.

"…………" he finished his tea off, "I get the feeling he doesn't like me."

"Nonsense," she opened a small box with what looked like some sort of sweet dessert, "he doesn't even understand what your feelings are, let alone his own."

"What?"

"I doubt he's even touched himself, not to be crude, just making a point."

"Oh."

She smiled at him.

"…..how do you go through sixteen years of your life and not….?"

She shrugged a shoulder and sipped at her tea and took a bite of the sweet dessert, "He's never had an opportunity to really think about those sort of things I assume. He's young and the only people close to his age are my age."

"How old are you?" Haru smiled and took a bite of one of the dessert snacks and tried not to make a face as he put it back.

"A lady never reveals her secrets. Now, go find something else to do, here, take him one of these candies and have a nice day."

He was ushered out the tent and gave the other boy about five more minutes before seeking him out. When he found Kyo he was trying to put out candle flames with a whip, he had four out of ten out. The boy seemed a bit frustrated, Haru barely moved out the way in time enough to be missed by the whip when he threw it. When Kyo noticed him he turned red and wide-eyed.

When I saw him, I couldn't believe he'd seen me do what I'd done. I never let anyone see me get angry. Yeah sure these people were like family, but deep down I knew they weren't and that one day we wouldn't be able to keep doing this. When things got me this mad I made sure no one was around to see me yell curse and bitch about anything. Oddly enough though, right now the only thing I worried about was the sudden rapid beating of my heart. Seeing him did strange things to me.

"Uh……I" I couldn't think of any thing to say.

"Hana wanted me to bring you one of these." He held out the small treat.

I tried my best not to make a face, "Um…uh thanks I guess."

"I get the feeling you like them about as much as I do."

"It's the aftertaste that gets me," I walked over grabbed it and tossed it into the woods.

Haru smiled at me, "I think I could really like you."

That's when it happened, my heart felt like it missed a beat or something and realized that it wasn't just him, it was me. Something about him affected me in a way I'd never encountered before. The feeling made me uncomfortable and I wanted to just ignore it. He continued to smile at me and I had to look away and busied myself with picking up my whip and re-lit the candles that I'd managed to put out. For ten more minutes I practiced, but it did really no good for me, I was too distracted. He just sat at the sides watching me and he continued to do it for the next few months.

Three months later me and Haru were sitting around a small fire in the back of all the tents closest to the woods, drinking. I didn't usually drink, but Haru had an assortment of things and one night we drank till we found something I liked, well, there was also some vomiting involved, but we indeed found something I liked. Tonight was no different than any other night we were together drinking, though Hana had stopped by earlier and sipped on some Brandy for a while next to the fire. She kept giving me a look, it scared me partly, but at the same time it was oddly comforting. When she left Haru and I sat in silence for what felt like eternity, but it wasn't awkward or strange in any way. An hour later we'd reached our limit and Haru was helping me back to my tent.

For the first time I realized how much I liked the feel of his arm around my waist and that warm scent that always surrounded him. I leaned my head against his shoulder as we crossed the other tents, from the distance you could hear music and light laughter, it use to bother me knowing what went on at such late time in the night, now it's just something I try to ignore. Haru made it especially easy, somehow he made me forget about things, all the horrible things. We made it to my tent and we both tumbled to my bed I really didn't think much of it. Usually when we drink too much we end up falling asleep together in one of our beds. It felt nice waking up next to someone like that, though once I woke up with his arm wrapped around my middle. Deep down inside a part of me hoped we'd end up in the same position. When I turned my head to say something to him he was staring down at me with this look on his face I'd seen some of the men would give to the women right before they got……affectionate.

"Haru……?"

Without saying anything he leaned down and kissed me, kissed me……..an electrifying feeling bolted straight through me and I heard myself make a surprised sound. What we were doing both felt good and yet terrified me. Another bolt shot through me, what we were doing wasn't something I've ever done before. Not to say I never thought about things like that, I'd see other people together, they looked happy, I never figured I'd ever get a chance like this. The only problem was, Haru was a guy, I'd never seen a guy with anyone other then a woman. That though alone sent a different feeling through me, I felt sick suddenly. Was what I was doing wrong? Was what we were doing wrong? I had to get away from this.

"Nn…." I broke the kiss and made my way off the bed.

"Kyo?"

"Can't, leave."

"What?"

"Go."

"I'm-wait, don't get- I'm sorry."

"Go!" I pointed out the room.

"Kyo."

"Fine, I'm going!" I stormed out the tent and made my way out to the woods, I just needed to get as far away as possible.

I ended up near a small pool of water, the moon flitted in from the tree tops casting white-blue light everywhere. I crouched and touched the water, maybe if I tried hard enough I could make things different. If I asked the moon or God or something to change things, everything would be ok. If I had something to go home to, maybe I would be happy. Why would Haru give up everything for this kind of life? Selling bottles of who the hell knew what to people for twenty to thirty bucks a bottle, depending on how gullible the patron was. Haru had everything, why would he leave it all to, to, to do something like that with me?

"Kyo?"

I turned my head and saw him hued by moonlight, "What are you doing here?"

"I didn't mean to freak you out or anything, I just like you, does that- scare you that is?" he sat down beside me.

"Don't- I don't know really," I really didn't.

"We've spent, how many months together now? Three, four? I have feelings for you, feelings I thought I'd had for someone else, I regret how things turned out between her and I, but if things hadn't gone so badly I never would have found you."

"What happened that was so bad to make you even think about doing something like this?" I glared at him sidelong.

"She was cheating on me with a friend of mine, my best friend. I was going to marry her, but when I found out about it, I told her it was off. She was mad and told me I couldn't because it would make her look bad. I came home two days later and I found both her and my friend dead, I was scared and a part of me really didn't care."

"…………" I just stared at him, I didn't know what to say.

He looked at me and smiled sadly, "I don't want to seem like a cold person or anything, but when you called out to me in concern everything just seemed to slip right out of my head."

"You looked like you were going to just keep on walking, like you'd have gone straight off a cliff if someone didn't call out to you." He reached out hesitantly towards me, I didn't pull away when he placed his arm around my shoulder.

"I'm glad it was you."

A bolt shot through my chest and I just smiled.

"Can I be honest with you?"

"Sure," I leaned my head against him, not really sure why anymore why I was so terrified.

"I want to do things with you, make you happy, make you smile, maybe even take you away from this all. I want you, Kyo," he leaned his face close to mine and kissed me again.

I was suddenly reminded of that dream I'd been having every so many times a month. I'd wake up sweating, hot, heart racing. It was always him, him touching me, holding me, kissing me, I never said anything because I figured it wasn't normal, but the dreams felt so real and it made me wonder. Wonder how it would feel if he really was touching me, doing those things he did to me in my dreams. I wasn't stupid or so inhibited as everyone thought I was. Not to say I went around doing things in places I shouldn't, in fact, I never really……well anyways, I just usually let my thoughts wonder. Hana caught me once a couple weeks ago with the oddest smile on my face while I'd been out by myself reading. Well, my intent had been to read, but my thoughts drifted elsewhere. She told me maybe I wasn't as innocent as she'd first thought I was and I felt embarrassed. I never like being caught off guard.

"Mmm….." this felt real nice.

His hands started sliding lower and it wasn't something I was expecting and I jumped a little.

"Hey, hey, hey!"

"If you want we could go back to your tent?"

I rolled my eyes, "Like that's any better."

"I plan on making you feel good and you want to stay out here in the grassy knolls of Lord knows where?" he smiled down at me with an amused look on his face.

"I-that's not-I just don't want anyone to…….." I could feel my face color a bit.

"I doubt anyone would really care if you and I…….you know."

I cast my eyes off to the side, "I just don't think I need to catch more flack then I do already……wait, what do you mean feel good?"

Haru turned red, "I think I'm getting ahead of myself, sorry, but at least let us try a few things, I'm sure you won't hate it."

I opened and closed my mouth a few times, "I- I -I uh, m'kay."

"Heh, come on, we're going to my tent."

He grabbed my hand and led me back to his tent. Things had died down back at the large canvas tent and lights were being snuffed out here and there and down the long trail leading its way out the place I called home. I looked down at our hands, his was clasped in mine, I brushed my thumb against his wrist and I knew that there was something to it. We went inside his tent and he pinned it shut the best he could. My heart was hammering and as we laid down on the bed I could feel his heart beat, it felt so rapid beneath my palm. Somehow that made me feel a lot more better and comfortable then I had in the previous moments. I pulled our faces together and for a while all we did was kiss.

Minutes later I felt him glide his hands down my sides and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders. His mouth felt warm against my neck and I exhaled just loud enough for even myself to hear. I wasn't sure what we were exactly going to be doing, but I knew what ever it was, I wanted it to happen. I brought my hand up and ran it through his hair. This is what people did wasn't it, became intimate? That's what always happened in those books I read. A guy fell in love with a woman and they lost all sense of reason and got caught up in wild passionate sex. Which made me wonder, did Haru and his lover ever……..? Then again what did it matter now except that I really might be the only one who didn't know what they were doing. Did things like that matter?

He unbuttoned my shirt and nudged my shoes off with his boot covered ones, knocking his own off after mine. I watched as he reached the last button and exhaled a breath I hadn't even noticed taking. He started licking and kissing my neck and made his way to my chest. I wanted him to take his shirt off, but I didn't know how to go about it. We continued on in that fashion for a while and he eventually smirked and let me take off his shirt and I hesitantly undid his pants. He didn't seem to have much worry when it came to undoing mine. I felt embarrassed, but the fact that he had about as much on as I did, made me feel confident that this wasn't going to end badly.

It was strange, I'd never felt like this before in my life, like there was some part inside painfully drawing me to his touch. I get the feeling I'd been craving human contact for such a long time now. My skin felt like it was on fire and his hands felt dry and hot. I could see dims lights going out slowly one by one and soon I closed my eyes. I shuddered as I felt his lips trail down my stomach. His hand fell lower, like it was slowly ghosting a path for his mouth to follow. After about a minute his hand came to rest on my inner thigh and I couldn't really focus on anything beyond the feeling of his tongue licking the area right below my hip, more pelvis region than anything. I couldn't keep my right leg from twitching, he was so close to………I took a deep breath and exhaled, but right before I finished exhaling the tail end of it came out awkwardly like a strangled moan. He lifted his head and smiled at me.

"Glad to know you're enjoying it so much," his smile reached his gray eyes.

"Just shut up," I ran my fingers through his hair and he just smiled again.

I stared down at him and watched his mouth, he glanced up and saw me, I quickly averted my eyes. I could feel my face heat up, embarrassed I'd been caught staring. I went to glance down and he was still staring up at me, I wished he'd stop making that face.

"What?!"

"Nothing, just, I realize how stunning you look in this lighting."

I swallowed hard, "…..thanks….." my face felt hot.

After that everything went up in a haze of pulsating pleasure and heated kisses. I can't remember much of it really, all hands and teeth and tongues and wave after wave of bliss. I wanted to drink from this fountain for the rest of my life. I wanted him, with me, like this, for as long as humanly possible. He stared languidly up at me from his position on top of me. His head lifted slowly from my chest and he inched up till his forehead came to rest on top of mine. I smiled at him and he kissed me firmly on the lips, a sheen of sweat glistened, a glow adorning his body from head to toe, that's how much of a view I had. I exhaled, a white cloud escaped and misted away. This was an amazing feeling that I wanted to linger way beyond the confines of tonight.

"Kyo…..?" he stared down at me, a hint of confusion on his face.

"Hm?"

"What's with that faraway look?" he attempted to search my eyes.

I reached up and pulled him down and kissed him. He tried to say something, but I wouldn't let him up and just continued to keep him pressed that firmly to me for as long as possible.

-A year later –

Eventually we'd taken off on our own one day, didn't say a word to anyone, packed our things and left at the dead of night. I could have sworn I'd seen someone standing lone in the heavy fog that night, but it may have just been a figment of my imagination. I'd spent so long, so much of my life, since birth in that place that maybe a part of me had wanted someone to notice I was leaving. But no one had come that night, or the night after that, to find out what had happened to me or to Haru for that matter. Currently we were currently loading a long couch into the back of a wagon we'd borrowed from the couple four houses down from us. We use to always get looks, but after a year it was normal for everyone to see us together, no more whispers or disgusted looks. Now those same people wave high to us and ask us to help them when they need it and offer us help when we need it. I never thought it would be like this, I thought it would be like it had been in the begging and would remain like that. I'm glad I was wrong.

As we finished tying it down we started pushing it and half way home I saw a wagon full of people, canvas tents tied up in the back, all the same things other people may have thought strange and odd. Another wagon pulled up and someone peeked out from behind the black satin curtains. A slight chill ran through me, but Haru didn't seem the least bit disturbed by it all. I watched as the wagons kept on and disappeared down the dirt roads. Going home, a part of me wished I was still back there, doing all those tricks and attempts to put out candles with my whip. It still hung in the living room of our home, ……..yeah, home. I liked that. It was ours.

XXX

A/N: Woot! Much love for the Haru/Kyoness. This story was spawned by two really old songs out of the 60's I'm guessing, I'm not telling!! And partly rest inspired by Golden by Fall Out Boy. Hope it was loved. –smiles-