Part 2:

Kanou looked up and lit a cigarette with the special, Zippo lighter Ayase didn't rememberer giving him four years ago. Kuba Misao walked in his office door; it was the noise that caught his attention. Now he rarely mixed up the twins after having them in his employ for several years. Plus, he had ordered this meeting, anyway.

"I need you do something for me without letting Ayase know."

"That's why you wanted to meet me at the office."

"Yeah, I need you to shadow the high schooler and tell me about the shop he works at. I want to make an investment in it and take it over. Did he happen to tell you anything about his after school job?"

"Some. He does a lot of cleaning and cooking for his boss-lady. Also, she has him do some strange errands that makes no sense at all, but he didn't go into a lot of detail about those. For example, he mumbled something about once climbing up the outside wall of an apartment building with a baseball bat and having to climb back down with a high chair and the bat tied on his back, because his boss made him. The whole story made very little sense, because he kept skipping over parts. He declared that fiasco was why he wanted his boss-lady to give up the Internet, but the story just left me baffled. Sounds just like a regular job for a high school student, except his boss-lady sounds pretty eccentric."

Kanou gave a slight chuckle. "This lady's business could be easy pickings. I don't know what she does, but I'm curious. It sounds like she's got the high schooler working at her shop for decades and there is some debt four people owe her that sounds very lucrative. I want a piece of her action."

Misao nodded and rose to leave. Kanou said, "Not so fast! I don't want a repeat of your Saturday night sleepover. The last thing I need is you being investigated for molesting a high school student. Got it?"

"Got it."

"Make sure you stay well above the board."

Misao just nodded and left the office. Kanou ground his teeth. Why did he have the distinct impression that Misao took that to mean he could go just as far with Watanuki as Kanou did at the underground night club?

Usually, the younger twin took orders fairly well, but Kanou had made sure the chain of command was clear. Homare was in charge, because he seemed to have a better balance than Misao, and that's why Kanou paid him more. He'd just have to trust Misao would remain his normal, asexual self.


Watanuki slammed the skeleton key down on Yuuko's coffee table. It was late Tuesday afternoon. "Kakei-san came and let me out of the audio/visual closet at school with this! He said it was what you were looking for!"

Yuuko cast her eyes at the grandfather clock in her parlor and said, "You're exactly one day late. That's a new low, even for you, Watanuki. But at least you did bring Ayase's latest effort. Eggplant! It smells heavenly!"

"It wasn't my fault I was late! I swear, Yuuko-san! I was locked in a room at school and couldn't get out for HOURS! It was FOUR in the morning when Kakei-san rescued us and the spirits were too horrible. We had to hunker down in the gym until morning and then... ahhhrrgggg... you don't care!" He pointed an accusing finger at her nose.

"Of course I care why my breakfast wasn't here, and my dinner wasn't made last night, and why my warehouse wasn't dusted yesterday afternoon."

"Where is your compassion?!" Watanuki raged with a clenched fist. "I'm utterly exhausted and all you can think about is your belly! I was trapped in a closet until FOUR in the morning! Didn't you even bother to worry about me when I didn't show up for work? You didn't even call the police, DID you? I could have been killed and put at the bottom of TOKYO BAY!"

"With a Yakuza as a boyfriend? I guess you should be worried about that."

The girls started their happy dance around Watanuki, chanting, "Yakuza boyfriend, yakuza boyfriend!"

Black Mokona popped up from a cushion and said, "Watanuki certainly gets around!" To add insult to injury, Pipe Fox curled around his neck and kept kissing his face jealously.

"I do NOT have a YAKUZA boyfriend! Misao is JUST someone I used to know! I do NOT have a boyfriend AT ALL!" Watanuki felt as if his head was about to explode with all the aggravation Yuuko and the others were giving him. The incident with Doumeki was playing at the back of his mind. He still had no idea what it meant.

She just chuckled. "Anyway, something seems to be bothering you. What is it?"

"Never mind. It's really nothing," he said sullenly before preparing Ayase's dinner for Yuuko.


What really bothered Watanuki, now, was the fact that Doumeki had ignored him all Wednesday. Totally. No glances, no lunch, no walks to classes together, no nothing. Watanuki saw him in the distance at lunch and had started walking over to give him his bento, but Doumeki turned and walked off with some other boys in the archery club.

Watanuki hadn't expect that, and he felt rejected and ignored. His breath left him as he sat under a tree. He found himself experiencing pain and embarrassment after allowing Doumeki to be so intimate. Today, Doumeki wasn't to be found, and that's what caused his discomfort.

He tried to make sense of what Doumeki and he had shared in the audio/visual closet on Monday while waiting on a rescue until four in the morning. They had shared a lot of kisses and stroked each other off more than just once, before Kakei rescued them. They had even held each other, giving each other soft caresses for a long while, not saying a word. Watanuki felt such tumult at remembering the whole thing. At the time, he had felt such bliss at Doumeki's touches.

Doumeki hadn't told him a damn thing during the whole fiasco, except that he wasn't to see Misao again and that he'd get "rewarded" for that. There was no commitment. There was nothing said about them being "exclusive." It was just a "don't see one particular person because he's a man mixed up in shady business." Why should he do what Doumeki told him, anyway, if he was just planning on getting some jollies and pretending Watanuki didn't exist the following day?!

Himawari had joined Watanuki for lunch, and it had cheered him up some. He still found her to be the most awesome girl in school and so very cute. What had happened with Doumeki, though, made him start questioning his sexuality. Maybe he was bisexual and he didn't know it!

He and Himawari had a nice lunch. She had told him that Doumeki was under a lot of stress over an archery tournament coming up this weekend. Maybe that's why Doumeki was ignoring him today. He really hoped that was the case.

Then he kicked himself for wanting more of that big oaf's attention. Didn't he still hate Doumeki? Wouldn't everyone know and start gossiping about what had happened if he started treating Doumeki differently? This whole mess with Doumeki was like riding a roller coaster. Now he was really wishing he would have kneed Doumeki in the balls.

He put away his stress over Doumeki to tell her about a new customer of Yuuko's that had a strange habit of going against the rules of society. Himawari was always so fascinated in his after school job and the supernatural element in it. It was nice having a person he could relate the whole truth about his job and his life seeing spirits to. She never judged him or doubted. She just gave him kind support.

The afternoon was more stressful. Doumeki did seem to pointedly ignore him the rest of the day. The end of the day was when he really needed Doumeki, so he could be walked to the wish shop without being accosted by spirits. He heard there was a last minute archery practice called in preparation for the big tournament this weekend, so Doumeki wouldn't be showing up. He walked onto the sidewalk, shivering at what he'd find.

Doumeki usually joined him at the entrance of the Private Cross Academy, but he wasn't to be seen. What was to be seen was a large mass of spirits looming across the road, waiting on him to make a move from his school. They'd attack him, for sure, if he moved from the gate.

He moaned in fear and anticipated pain. He heard the word, "Dirt," in a bland tone.

He quickly said, "Thumb!" The spirits backed off, and he looked over to see Misao close by. The man was leaning against the wall around his school. Watanuki scrambled over, clenched the front of Misoa's gray, suit jacket, and begged, "Please get me to my job!"

"Baseball," the man said and pointed to the slick MG waiting by the street's curb. Misao quickly hustled Watanuki into the car after he nodded vigorously and said, "Lollipop!"

When they took off down the road, Misao driving, the man said, "Pin."

"North," Watanuki said and looked over his shoulder. They traveled down the street and the spirits faded into the distance. "You saved me. Thank you so much, Misao."

"You have to go to your after school job?"

"Yes, I can't avoid it, or I'll have more time tacked on." He sighed and shook his head. "I think Yuuko-san is irritated with me, because she wanted me to dust her warehouse on Monday and I wasn't able to get it done. It'll just have to wait until the weekend."

"Can I pick you up when you're finished, Kimi?"

At first, Watanuki didn't think that would be a good idea. The man was using a very intimate nickname that was totally inappropriate for their status with one another. Then again, he justified using the man's proper name because he had an identical twin. It should be fair to let the man address him this way.

Watanuki needed to sort things out in his head about Doumeki. Being around Misao wouldn't help that. Watanuki knew if he was by Misao's side for long, and in private with him, he'd be so tempted to give himself over to the man's previous offer if it was reissued. That time when Misao was with him on his futon and what could have been been did play in Watanuki's mind. Also, Misao saying the name "Kimi" was just another thing breaking down Watanuki's defenses.

"That would be great," Watanuki said, in spite of his trepidation. Maybe Misao's presence could clarify what he felt towards Doumeki and his own sexuality.

He looked over towards the man and smiled. Yes, Misao was so handsome. He looked like a polished businessman, so Watanuki still couldn't picture him as a Yankee running the streets and stealing cars. Then again, he remembered Misao pulling that huge knife on that dirty, old hentai trying to mutilate Ayase. He shivered. He logically knew Misao was a very dangerous man.

Watanuki couldn't keep the flutters in his stomach down, being alone in a car with the man. He didn't know if his rush of emotions was because Misao was really a dangerous man or something else. He remember when Misao was on his futon undressing him, innocently, and then there was the not-so-innocent offer to take his virginity.

Watanuki ground his his teeth. Why had he rejected the offer? Surely the man wouldn't offer twice. Misao had probably come to his senses and realized all the trouble he could get into propositioning a high school student.

Plus, there was Doumeki waiting in the wings. The archer had started something with Watanuki, but he hadn't defined it at all. It was all so confusing. Doumeki and he gave each other pleasure, and then Watanuki felt ignored and used.

"Please stop here, Misao."

It was three blocks away from the wish shop. Watanuki was a little afraid if Misao could see his face properly, the man could see the wish shop. He knew Yuuko wouldn't like it, and he did have an urge to respect and protect her.

Misao pulled over. Watanuki froze when the man reached across his lap to put his hand on the passenger's door latch. Watanuki was chest to chest with the man. Their cheeks almost touching.

Misao softly asked, "What time do you want me to pick you up?"

"Ten o'clock is fine. I have homework."

"I'll be here."

Watanuki felt his heart pound when the man opened the passenger door and their cheeks rubbed together. Watanuki was shocked when Misao pressed his lips gently to his and said, "Have a good evening at work." Watanuki's stomach fluttered, his pulse raced, and he so wanted the kiss to be less chaste.

"Are you working tonight, too?" Watanuki asked, worried, suddenly remembering the violent rescuing of Ayase. The man live a life Watanuki had no clue about, but he could imagine it was full of nasty perils.

"I have to do a job, but I'll be back for you." Misao's breath was so hot on his neck and his earnestness coaxed Watanuki's trust.

"Please... could you... again...?"

"You want me to kiss you again?"

"Yeah," Watanuki admitted, in spite of the panic. He closed his eyes and enjoyed the feeling of Misao's lips parting his. He felt Misao gently push his tongue inside. He let the man deepen the kiss. Watanuki let out a moan even thought he wanted to fight to suppress it, he didn't want Misao to know how weak and needy he was.

He returned the kiss, forcing himself to not get too enthusiastic. This felt so incredibly good, but he still couldn't ignore the part where he felt wrong being with a man nine years older than him. He pushed that out of him mind. Watanuki parted, reluctantly, and asked, "Ten O'clock?"

"I'll be here."

Watanuki left the car and jogged to the "vacant lot."

To be continued.