I Cry

by Mapperson722

Shuusei insists that his scar doesn't hurt, but what happens when Hotsuma discovers that this is a total lie? Will he confront his best friend, or wallow in his own guilt that he once believed to be long gone? No yaoi, just a little lemon. First Uriboku fic so be nice. Pairing: Shuusei/Hotsuma. Rating: T. Genres: Angst, Hurt/Comfort, Romance, Friendship (However You want to see it)

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters from the Uriboku series. Nor do I own the credits to the song "Cry". I am merely borrowing the lyrics. I only own the Storyline and the drama behind it.

"Cry"
Performed By: Faith Hill
Album: "Cry" (2002)
Written By: Angie Aparo

*^* Story Summary: Shuusei insists that even though the scar is there... it didn't hurt. One day when he overhears Shuusei talking to Yuki about the pain, Hotsuma learns that this is a complete lie. Will Hotsuma confront his partner, or will he wallow in his own grief that he thought was once gone? *^*

*^* I Cry *^*

Shuusei nodded lightly as he looked at the younger boy sitting in the shade next to him. "I appreciate that you at least tried."

"I am sorry, Shuusei..." Yuki said sadly. "I really wish that there was something more that I could do for you. Perhaps the scar will heal on its own one of these days. Perhaps after the war."

Shuusei nodded again and leaned back against the base of the tree. "I guess you are right, Yuki," he shook his head lightly. "I was just hoping that maybe you could help with the pain, that is all."

Yuki nodded and leaned back against the tree as well. Their conversation continued, bouncing from subject to subject, occasionally a laugh from either boy was heard echoing through the gardens. Both boys were swept up in their conversation, neither one of them noticing the other teen boy walking out of the gardens into the Twilight Mansion. Hotsuma hadn't meant to eavesdrop... but what he had heard was more than he was willing to take.

It was all a lie... Hotsuma shook his head as he walked up the stairs to his room. How could he lie to me like that?! The troubled teen pushed his back against the door the moment it closed and he swallowed the lump in his throat. Just hours before he had specifically asked his partner if his scar was still hurting him. The quiet teen had told him that it was not the scar that was bothering him, only a kink in his neck that was bothering him. Hotsuma had been the one that told him to go to Yuki to see if he could heal it!

Hotsuma slid down the door and wrapped his arms around his bent knees, pulling them tightly against his chest. He laid his chin on his knees and frowned. Shuusei had lied straight to his face... and his partner didn't even flinch while doing it! Did I do something to make him lie to me like that? Hotsuma was dumbfounded. He ran the events of the past several days through his mind over and over again. He could not recall a single thing that would make his partner lie to him. Does he not trust me anymore?

A knock on his door made him jump. "Hotsuma! Hotsuma!"

Hotsuma frowned. It was Yuki. Did the younger boy know that he was there and that he had heard EVERYTHING that the two had said to each other? If not... why come to him all of a sudden.

Hotsuma frowned as he felt the knock against his back once again. "Hotsuma! It's Yuki. Please, I need to talk to you!"

Hotsuma shook his head and sighed. "Go away, Yuki."

After a moment, the sound of footsteps walking away from his door was music to Hotsuma's ears. His thoughts soon returned to the moment that he had seen his best friend holding his shoulder.

*^* Flashback *^*

Two hours after breakfast the group had scattered to do their own thing. Hotsuma and Shuusei had opted to stay inside for the afternoon, much to everyone elses' dismay. After trying, and failing, to convince the teens to join them, the two teens were left to do what they wanted. Hotsuma chuckled lightly and sat on the floor with his legs folded beneath him, his favorite video game blaring away while Shuusei sat on the couch behind him, just watching like he always did. It was not until Hotsuma started to feel the unease in the room did he look around. What he saw was almost saddening. Shuusei winced lightly as he sat back against the couch. He reached up and grabbed his shoulder, rubbing lightly. Hotsuma frowned as he looked at his friend and partner. "Shuusei? You okay?"

Shuusei looked at his friend. He smiled lightly and nodded. "I'm fine. I think I might have slept on my neck wrong. That's all."

Hotsuma frowned and looked at the teen. "Is it your scar?"

Shuusei shook his head. "There may be a scar, Hotsuma... but I don't feel it anymore. Since Yuki has come back... it just doesn't hurt anymore."

"Are you sure?" Hotsuma asked.

Shuusei nodded again and smiled lightly. "Your concern is appreciated... but alas, unnecessary. It's just a kink in my neck."

*^* End Flashback *^*

Hotsuma frowned again and shook his head. He smiled... he didn't even flinch when he lied to me...

If I had just one tear running down your cheek
Maybe I could cope, maybe I'd get some sleep

If I had just one moment at your expense
Maybe all my misery would be well spent

Hotsuma jumped again as there was another louder knock on his door. There was no call with this knock. He frowned as the knock came again, a little louder and harder this time. He sighed heavily and pushed off of the door. "Who is it?"

"Hotsuma... it's Shuusei..." the muffled call came through the door. "Come on, open up."

After standing up and dusting off his pants, Hotsuma frowned as he reached for the handle. He turned the knob and barely opened the door, turning and walking away from the door. He kept his back to the door, opting to stare out the window than face his best friend. Shuusei cautiously walked into the room, frowning as he looked at his best friend.

"Hotsuma? What's wrong?" Shuusei asked as he took a couple steps into the room.

Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders. "Why would there be anything wrong?"

Shuusei frowned and took another step towards his partner. "Yuki said that you told him to leave you alone."

Hotsuma snorted. "So just because I told Yuki to leave me alone... you are going to run to his defense, huh? Why not... after all... he IS the reason your SCAR doesn't hurt anymore, right."

Shuusei watched Hotsuma turn to him with his arms crossed over his chest. However it was the look on his face that gave him more to worry about. "Hotsuma?"

Hotsuma shook his head. He simply could not believe that same face was the one that had lied to him earlier. "Just get out. Seems Yuki can help you more than I can."

Shuusei frowned and shook his head. "What is the matter with you?! You were the one that told me to go talk to him!"

Hotsuma shrugged his shoulders. "Yea, so I did. But at least I didn't hide my concern in any way."

Shuusei's eyes widened as he heard Hotsuma's voice change. It was darker than normal. He had only ever heard him speak like this when there was a Duras attacking. But what was more than that... was what he had said. "What are you talking about? What did I hide?"

Hotsuma frowned as he watched his best friend lie to him again. "So... you can look me dead in the eye and lie to me! I will say it only one more time... GET OUT!"

The force alone was enough to cause Shuusei to step back out of the room. He stood there looking at Hotsuma as the teen with the shortest temper walked to the door. His dark eyes narrowed as he slammed the door closed. Shuusei stood there, frozen in place as he stared at the closed door. What the hell just happened?

Hotsuma shook his head as he walked over and laid on his stomach across his bed. He grabbed the pillow and stuffed it under his arms, crossing them so that he could lay his chin on his crossed wrists. He sighed heavily as he reached over to the dresser beside the bed and tapped the button on his little radio. Music always calmed him down and he needed that right about now. It didn't matter what kind of music it was, just as long as he could hear it, he didn't care. He frowned as he focused more on his inner thoughts. So... he is going to keep the truth from me until the bitter end, huh? Well... let him. See if I care. And why the hell does this song have to be playing on the damned radio?!

Could you cry a little
Lie just a little
Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain
I gave, now I'm wanting
Something in return

So cry, just a little for me

If your love could be caged, honey I would hold the key
And conceal it underneath the pile of lies you handed me
And you'd hunt those lies
They'd be all you'd ever find
And that'd be all you'd have to know
For me to be fine

And you'd cry a little
Die just a little
And baby I would feel just a little less pain
I gave, now I'm wanting
Something in return
So cry just a little for me

Give it up baby
I hear you're doin' fine
Nothin's gonna save me
I can see it it your eyes
Some kind of heartache
Darlin' give it a try
I don't want pity
I just want what is mine

Yeah... Could you cry a little
Lie just a little
Pretend that you're feeling a little more pain
I gave now I'm wanting
Something in return
So cry just a little for me

Yeah... Cry just a little for me
Woo ooo, could you cry a little for me

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Meanwhile - Downstairs *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Shuusei frowned as he sat on the couch downstairs. He shook his head, his thoughts still reeling from how cruel his childhood friend had acted towards him. Luka, in the process of walking by, frowned as he seen the hurt in the eyes of the young teen sitting there. Don't get involved... Keep walking... Luka shook his head and decided to listen to his own advise for once. He frowned as he heard the heart breaking sobs come from behind him. Damn... He turned on his heels and found the teen leaning into his hands. He frowned even more as he took a few steps towards the teen. This is new... Don't think I have ever seen him cry... And it was true... Shuusei WAS sensitive... but he never cried. Not in public at least. Luka sighed lightly as he came to stand beside the sobbing teen.

"What happened, Shuusei?" he asked as he crouched before the teen.

Shuusei's face was buried in his hands, his elbows were balanced on his knees, and his shoulders bobbed lightly with each tiny sob that was emitted from the teen. Luka's frown grew as he placed a hand on Shuusei's knee. The teen slowly pulled his shoulders back and came to sit up straight. He looked down at the demon crouched in front of him and could see the concern written in those silver eyes.

"Talk to me, Shuusei," Luka said. "What happened?"

Shuusei shook his head and shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know what happened, Luka... I really don't!"

The demon looked down and sighed heavily. "I swear you humans are complicated..."

Shuusei used his fingers to wipe the tears off of his face. "It's Hotsuma... I don't know what I did... He was so mad."

Luka looked up at the teen with a wicked gleam in his eyes. "Did you finally tell him how you truly feel about him?"

Shuusei shook his head and sniffled lightly. "You know that I can't do that... and that has nothing to do with this. I... just... I don't know what he thinks I lied to him about. He said that he hasn't hid anything from me... meaning that I WAS hiding something... but, I don't know what he means."

Luka sighed lightly. At least the Shuusei-loves-Hotsuma conversation would have held his interests more than this. But he frowned and looked at the teen. "If Hotsuma suspects something, then it must have some merit to it. What are you hiding?"

Shuusei shook his head. "That's just it, Luka... I am not hiding anything!"

Hmm, the conversation was starting to sound more interesting. He sighed heavily and stood up from the floor, opting to sit next to him. He sat on the couch and Shuusei turned to him, bending one of his legs underneath him and folding his hands in his lap. Luka knew that getting in the middle of their fight was going to be a bad idea, but he didn't have anything else better to do that day, so what the heck.

"What happened before this? Did you guys hit it off bad this morning or something?" Luka asked.

Shuusei looked to the side and recalled the events of the morning. "No. Not that I can recall. Only..."

Luka smirked. Once again, leave it to the demon to help smooth things along. So all it took was the teen to look back and realize that maybe there was something that happened. "Only, what?"

Shuusei shook his head. "He thought that my scar was hurting again... but it wasn't my scar. I slept on my neck wrong and he told me to go talk to Yuki about it. So... I did. After that... Yuki left and returned about ten minutes later saying that Hotsuma was upset about something."

At the mention of his companion, Luka frowned. "Yuki went to see Hotsuma? About what?"

Shuusei frowned. "I don't know. I didn't ask. But Yuki told me that when Hotsuma had told him to leave that he was compelled to do so. Hotsuma has NEVER used his Kami no Koe on anyone that was an ally before."

"I didn't use the Kami no Koe on him!" Hotsuma snapped as he came to the landing at the bottom of the stairs. "I simply told him to go away. Can no one in this damned place say one thing to him without going to Luka about it?!"

Luka frowned as he looked at the teen at the staircase. He also seen the others standing just beyond him staring at Hotsuma as if he had just screamed at the top of his lungs for no apparent reason. Hotsuma growled lightly and pulled his jacket closer to him and shook his head. He glanced at the others behind him and snorted lightly. He turned to the door and walked out into the warm sun. The door slammed closed behind him, making all those in the room jump.

"Hotsuma!" Shuusei called out as he stood up and was out the door moments after him. Luka frowned, he hadn't even seen the teen move. The teen went out the door, leaving it to bang closed behind him as well. The group that had just come in from the back was still standing there staring at Luka. The demon shook his head as he stood up from the couch, grumbling that humans were still too complicated.

"Hotsuma, STOP!" Shuusei shouted as he chased after the hot tempered teen. "I have something to say to you!"

Hotsuma glanced over his shoulder at his friend. "You really don't know when to quit, do you?"

Shuusei grabbed him by the arm and swung him around to face him. "You need to hear this."

"Save it," Hotsuma snapped. "Anything that you have said to me lately has been a lie. Why should I expect anything less this time?"

Shuusei shook his head. "This isn't a game, Hotsuma. You were right about everything! I am sorry... This is what I have been hiding from you. I didn't want it to change anything between us, and that is why I have distanced myself from you!"

Hotsuma frowned and shook his head. "I already know that part, Shuusei. You love me, and I have been trying to deal with that."

Shuusei gasped lightly but before he could mention anything more, Hotsuma continued his ranting. "But what has me riled up today is something completely different. You lied to me this morning when I asked you about your scar. You told me that it was a kink in your neck... then turned around and told Yuki that MAYBE it would heal on it's own after the war. There is no way that a kink in the neck would take that long to heal, Shuusei!"

Shuusei frowned. He heard us?! Oh God... "Hotsuma... please... it's not what you think!"

Hotsuma growled lightly and pulled his arm free from Shuusei's grasp. "Bullshit! I cannot believe that you would lie to me like that. I told you that I would take responsibility for your pain from the scar. All you had to do was tell me. But instead... all you could do was lie to me about it."

Shuusei shook his head and took a step towards Hotsuma as he stepped back. "It's not like that, Hotsuma! It's because I love you that I hide the pain! It's kills me to think that you still blame yourself for it! I don't want to hurt you even more by telling you how much it really does hurt!"

Hotsuma finally pulled the truth out of him, but again, it was more than he was willing to bear. He shook his head and glanced at Shuusei, softening his voice slightly. "For someone in love... you sure have a funny way of showing it."

"Hotsuma..." Shuusei said, but before he could continue, Hotsuma put a hand up and silenced him, turning his head to the side as if he couldn't bear to hear what else would come next.

"If you ever find someone that built a relationship on a web of lies... let me know," Hotsuma said as he turned and looked at his friend. "Because it sure as hell is not going to happen with me. Not now, and not ever. Loving someone involves trust. Trust... without it... what are we?"

Hotsuma shook his head and turned from his friend. He walked away and Shuusei found himself left alone, again. This time... he knew WHY Hotsuma was upset. He sighed heavily and looked down. But if I told you how much it hurt... you would hurt just as much... That is the only thing that I wanted to avoid...

*^*^*^*^*^*^*^* Somewhere on the Beach *^*^*^*^*^*^*^*

Hotsuma sighed heavily as he leaned back against the large boulder. If felt somewhat good to get away from it all. He could take himself out of the situation and reflect in his own way. He frowned lightly as he heard his cell phone going off again and so he ignored it. It had been ringing constantly since he left the safety of the borders and headed to the beach. He didn't care if a Duras came upon him at the moment. Perhaps it would help him blow off some steam.

Hotsuma sighed heavily as his thoughts went down one particular path. One he had considered several times. What was keeping him there?

Perhaps staying at the Twilight Mansion was the biggest mistake that he could make. Hotsuma had wanted to leave once Yuki came back... but Shuusei had convinced him to stay. And so he did stay, and learned to get along with the revived bearer of God's Light. But it was not Yuki that kept him there. It was the trust he had in Shuusei.

He trusted his partner to stay with him and keep things as normal as they were. As he got used to the new and improved Yuki... Hotsuma found that Shuusei was distancing himself more and more. Sure, he knew that Shuusei harbored deeper feelings for him, but Hotsuma never once asked him to hide the truth. He constantly brought up the scars to Shuusei so that he would TRUST him with the TRUTH that to this day it did still hurt. The scars made by a soul mate were eternal, never to fully heal. That was how Hotsuma discovered that Shuusei was his soul mate. His bond with Shuusei was going to be eternal, whether or not Shuusei knew that.

But Shuusei had to trust him. To Hotsuma it didn't seem to be the case. If he could trust Luka and Yuki with the truth... why couldn't he trust him? He knew that this would blow over, just like all of their fights did. But what if it didn't? Was this going to be the end of their friendship and the bond that had been present between them since childhood?! Hotsuma frowned as he came to the realizations that he might have overreacted. Might have? Hell... I did overreact! He said that he didn't want to hurt me by telling me the truth... But why... Why would I push him away like that? Oh no... What have I done?

"I never meant to lie to you, Hotsuma," a soft voice said over his shoulder.

Hotsuma crossed his arms as he watched the teen come to sit beside him. "You really have no sense of the words 'personal space' do you?"

Shuusei smiled lightly and shook his head. "Not when I need to be in that personal space in order to get my point across."

They sat there for a while, silently trying to mend the broken pieces of their friendship. Hotsuma sighed heavily and shook his head. "You could have just told me, Shuusei. I would have been there for you. Done anything that I could to take your mind off the pain."

Shuusei sighed lightly and leaned back against the boulder. "I was only trying to protect you. I know that you still blame yourself for it... I couldn't bear to see your face if I told you that it hurt. I would rather see that goofy grin on your face."

Hotsuma frowned and looked at the teen beside him. "What goofy grin?"

Shuusei smiled lightly and turned to him. "The one you get when you are playing video games. Why do you think I sit and watch you play for hours on end?"

"Because you had nothing else better to do at the time," Hotsuma said sarcastically.

Shuusei shrugged lightly with a smirk. "At least the hours passed... didn't they."

Hotsuma sighed lightly and nodded as they fell silent again, watching the world pass them by. After what seemed like hours but was only minutes, Hotsuma decided to break the silence again. "We need to work on our communication issues."

Shuusei nodded and looked out at the waves crashing on the warm sand. "Agreed."

"Starting with you trusting me," Hotsuma snapped as he glanced at the teen beside him.

Shuusei nodded again and smiled lightly. "I do trust you, Hotsuma. Trust is not the issue. But I will offer a better compromise. How about... no more lies. No matter how big or small. From now on... we tell each other everything."

Hotsuma nodded and smirked lightly. "Guess I better tell you that it wasn't Luka that ate your last frozen yogurt... it was me."

Shuusei smiled lightly and nodded. "And I was the one that ate the last of your tomato bread... Not Yuki."

Hotsuma sighed heavily and shook his head. "We have got a long way to go."

Shuusei chuckled lightly and laid his head on his partner's shoulder. "You bet we do. But at least we took a step in the right direction."

Hotsuma took a look back on the events of the day and shook his head. That was a twist. They woke up friends, by lunch he had flipped out on the only one that had ever gave a shit about him, and now... by sundown, they were friends again. But another thought came to mind. Is this what love really was? Hotsuma smiled lightly and figured that all relationships, friends or lovers, had a special kind of love. And that love seemed to triumph over the fights every time. I guess love really does conquer all. After all the tears and the fears... love is still there in the end.

"Hey Hotsuma," Shuusei said lightly and sat up. "I have something to tell you."

Hotsuma looked at him and frowned. "What?"

"You are just as much of a liar as I am," he said and smiled lightly. "Not even two hours ago you said that you would never build a relationship on a web of lies. And yet..."

"Shut up," Hotsuma said moments before he pulled Shuusei into a kiss, more to stop him from talking than anything else. He found himself rubbing his thumbs across Shuusei's cheeks as their kiss went from a friendly kiss to a more passionate and possessive kiss. But Hotsuma suddenly pulled away as he felt something slide over his knuckle.

He looked up and seen that Shuusei's eyes were glassy and suddenly red. Shuusei was crying again. He frowned, about to say something, but stopped when Shuusei shook his head. "I'm only human, Hotsuma... humans cry when they are happy and when they are sad."

Hotsuma shook his head as he recalled the song on the radio earlier this afternoon. It had prompted him to at least TRY to work things out with Shuusei, hence the fact he went downstairs. Perhaps he wasn't the only one that possessed God's Voice... perhaps the radio was able to speak words that God wants said that he could not. The song this morning was about tears of pain, and here he was sitting, wiping tears from the eyes of his soul mate. Only these were tears of joy. Hotsuma sighed lightly and kissed his cheeks, being sure to catch the tears with each kiss.

He stood up and reached out his hands to the teen on the ground. "Come on. Let's go home."

Shuusei smiled as he placed his hands in Hotsuma's. The teen pulled him to his feet and with a smile, wrapped an arm around his waist. Hotsuma smiled and held him fast as Shuusei tried to pull himself from the grasp, freeing himself only to a point. He sighed lightly, allowing the hands to stay connected as they walked, until he seen a group of people heading towards them. Shuusei felt the blood rushing to his cheeks as he watched the group of girls walk past them, oogling them as the pair walked by hand in hand. Shuusei glanced over his shoulder and found that they had all stopped and were watching the pair walk away. Hotsuma glanced over his shoulder at them and smirked darkly. He pulled Shuusei's hand up to his lips and placed a feather light kiss on his knuckles, earning a wave of awes from the group of enthusiastic girls.

"You are mine, Shuusei," Hotsuma said lightly. "And they know it. One can only hope that you know it too."

Shuusei blushed again at Hotsuma's statement but felt more pride in his heart than anything else. He smiled and nodded. "I do know that, Hotsuma. But I do have one more secret to divulge."

Hotsuma sighed lightly and shook his head. "Lay it on me."

Shuusei swallowed lightly and let out a small breath. "I was the one that deleted your game when you were so close to beating it."

Hotsuma stopped walking and frowned as he heard this. "You WHAT?!"

Shuusei chuckled lightly and shrugged his shoulders. "I guess I needed an excuse to stare at you for another couple of months."

Hotsuma frowned and shook his head. "Do you realize how long it took me to get that far and that type of score?!"

Shuusei smiled and nodded. "I know. But I did say that I needed the excuse."

Hotsuma frowned and growled lightly. "I am going to kick your ass for that. I owe you that much."

Shuusei chuckled and shook his head. "Gotta catch me first."

He shoved Hotsuma down into the warm sand and took off down the beach, chuckling and laughing as he glanced over his shoulder to find Hotsuma right on his tail. But the look of malice was nowhere in sight, only a look of playful energy that had suddenly overwhelmed the pair. Hotsuma finally caught the teen and lifted him over his shoulder, shouting to be put down as he noticed Hotsuma was heading INTO the ocean. As Hotsuma and Shuusei spent the next hour chuckling and splashing in the warmer waters of the ocean, the wounds that seemed would never heal slowly began to close and seal themselves. And all it took was for the tears of a lover to be spilled in order for those wounds on both sides to mend.

*^*^*^*^*^*^* The End *^*^*^*^*^*^*

Yay! I did it! Okay, this was my first Uriboku fic, so please be nice when commenting. If I went off character... get over it. It is my story. So, yeah, please leave your comments and your reviews. Look forward to hearing from you all.