Two of Kind Continues

How long has it been now? Ayame thought to himself. Ayame dusted the front counter of his Japanese lingerie store. His store in England was worse off than his first store. "I guess people in England don't like lingerie, poor dears." He said out loud to himself.

"Did you say something sir?" His short assistant asked as she put the last new outfit on the rack.

"Oh it was nothing. I was just expressing how sad it is that I couldn't help bring fun to England. Such as shame."

"I've finished stocking up the store and my shift is over. I'm leaving for the evening." Aya's assistant said as she closed the door behind her. The clink of the bell echoed the loneliness that suddenly struck Aya. If only I had someone to spend my time with. Like Yuki and Tohru.

Speak of the devil and he shall appear, Yuki stepped through the door. "Yuki! My dear brother what brings you to my humble abode?"

"Don't worry I don't plan to stay long." Yuki replied.

"I was just closing for the day actually. What can I do for you?"

"I came to announce that Machi and I are engaged to be married."

"Congratulations brother. I'm so happy for you." Aya joyously said.

"We would like to invite you to the wedding." Yuki said.

Ayame nearly dropped the outfits he held in his hands. He looked at his brother in complete shock and awe. "Really? You want to me to be there?"

"You are my brother. You should be there." Yuki simply said. "So, will you come?"

"Oh absolutely! What kind of big brother would I be if I didn't attend the wedding of my little brother?"

"Am I to assume that is a rhetorical question?" Yuki asked.

"I would be a horrible big brother. Expect me there Yuki. One question though."

"What is it?"

"Who's designing Machi's wedding dress?"

"Most definitely not you. That's all you need to know." With that, Yuki left the store and left his big brother on his own once again. An hour later, Aya finally left the shop. He locked the door and put the keys in his pocket. Aya sighed to himself and gazed into the night sky. The joy overflowed from Aya's pores as he thought about the way Yuki invited him to his wedding. It wasn't exactly the kind of invitation he was looking for but it was a start.

"Ah well. I should call it a night and head home now." The sound of a chainsaw distracted Ayame and he turned from the way home. "What's this?" Aya continued to follow the sound and found the source of that horribly loud sound. The man in red, with red hair held the chainsaw close to the ground, towards a boy lying on the ground. Aya hid behind the closest building and watched the familiar man in red.

"Now, why don't we take a look at your cinematic records shall we?" Grell said. White lights seemed to come from all around the boy, completely surrounding Grell. As Aya watched the lights, he noticed flashes of the boy; playing in the creek, holding a cute little puppy when the boy was no older than a toddler. Aya smiled along with the memory of the boy, his cute little black curls blowing in the wind.

In a flash, the memories were gone. Grell grunted. "Well I suppose it's on to the after life for you."

"Not so fast Grell Sutcliff." That tall dark man from the first time Ayame and Grell met. He fixed his glasses just like he had before and spoke to Grell. "You and I both know that boy is too young and he may bring greatness to the world. We should spare his life and allow him to live."

"If his life is so beneficial Will, then why is his name on the To Die list? Explain that one to me and I shall spare him his life." Grell tossed his red hair behind his head and gleamed at Will.

"I have no such answer. The answer I can give you is that I am your superior and you will do as I command. Now spare this boy Reaper Sutcliff."

Grell snarled in distaste and in an instant his look of disgust transformed into one of…begging. "Come on Will. I have reaped a single soul in over a month. Why won't you let me collect one?"

Will sighed and fixed his glasses once more. "Because Reaper Sutcliff, you've seemed to have forgotten the exception to the Reaper job. Even our first soul, Thomas, wasn't spared by you."

"I wanted to after we read his book remember! You were the one who insisted that we follow protocol." Grell reasoned.

"Not the point. Since your…rebellion and breaking Reaper code, you must be reprimanded."

"Will my darling! You've been punishing me for months! I've learned my lesson I promise." Grell lowerd onto his knees. "Please Will! Stop this torture! Please just let me do my job."

Will sighed. "I supposed. There are a few more souls left in Japan. Collect them accordingly and report back to England."

"You won't regret this darling. I'll prove it to you!" Grell grasped his chainsaw once more and headed towards the first soul. That was when Ayame decided to show himself.

"Hello Grell." Ayame said.

"Who's there?" Grell asked.

"You don't remember me do you?"

"It's you. Ayame wasn't it?"

"So you do remember me then."

"How could I forget somebody like you?" Grell put down his chainsaw. "You look a little different from the first time I saw you."

"Oh well, this is usually what I wear when I work. I was just closing up shop and heading home for the evening. Where are you headed?"

"I've got a job to do. But I suppose it could wait a few minutes. Do you mind if I walk with you?"

"No of course not." Ayame said. Grell picked his chainsaw up again and they walked to Ayame's house. Upon entering the door, Grell dropped his chainsaw onto the floor. "If you would, could you not slam that on the floor? I just waxed it."

"Sorry Aya. Do you mind if I leave it there?"

"No that's no problem at all." Aya disappeared into his room for a few minutes. Grell looked around Ayame's living room. A row of pictures lined the shelf and peeked Grell's interest. He wandered over to them and gave them a glance. One picture contained a photo of Ayame standing next to another man. He didn't appear to be a man to Grell but he looked very similar to Ayame except that his hair was shorter and more of a hint of grey to it than Aya's.

"I see you've found my pictures." Ayame said as he appeared out of the hallway. He buttoned the last button on his shirt. "Curious?"

"Yes. Who is that boy in this photo?" Grell asked.

"That's my younger brother Yuki. That's the most recent photo I have of him. You see, I wasn't a very good big brother to him as often as I should've been but… I've made up for it and now he has even invited me to his wedding in a few weeks."

"A few weeks?" Grell asked surprised. "That seems a little late notice for a wedding invitation don't you think?"

"Well…Yuki was very busy. Anyway, Grell would you like to see more pictures?"

"I really should be getting back to work. I've got a lot of things to do tonight and my….boss we'll say will punish me severely."

"I accidentally overheard that."

"You did did you? Well….I suppose I could let you tag along. But you mustn't breathe a word of this to anyone. Or I will have to do something about it. Understand?"

"Yes Grell." The remainder of the day, Ayame trailed after Grell as he wandered the streets looking for the last five souls of the night. Ayame watched Grell admirably, each stroke of his chainsaw, every movement of his feet, Grell hypnotized Aya. Grell collected the fifth soul and sighed.

"Okay. That is the last soul on the To Die list for today. Alright Ayame, now what should we do?" Grell set down his chainsaw and looked to Ayame.

"Well I…don't suppose you have anywhere to stay for the night?" Ayame asked.

"I don't as a matter of fact. I won't be too much trouble?" Grell asked.

"No, no of course not. I don't get many guests in my home. Come come, follow me." Later that night, Grell settled into Ayame's couch. Aya brought him some blankets and pillow and was about to retire himself when Grell's comment stopped him in his tracks.

"You know Aya, I've thought often about the first time we've met. How long ago was it now?"

Ayame turned around and flicked his hair back behind his shoulders. "Oh, I don't know. I've lost track of the days you see. I'm afraid I'm not very good with dates." Aya bashfully looked down; he knew what he wanted to ask Grell next but his mind struggled to say it. Or was it his heart that hesitated? Grell laid down and Aya knew it was now or never because tomorrow Grell would return to England and he might not see him ever again. "Grell?"

"What is it?" Grell grumpily asked.

"Would you perhaps accompany me to….my brother's wedding in a few weeks?" Ayame felt his cheeks redden in embarrassment. Ayame didn't know what he would do should Grell reject him. His heart stopped when Grell rose from his laying position and looked at Aya.

"You know what Ayame, I was going to return to England tomorrow….but now….I will go with you Aya. I'd love to go with you."

Aya hid his tremendous joy and tried to show a smile of gratitude. "Thank you Grell." Aya wished him a good night's rest and sauntered to his bedroom. When he was sure he was out of hearing range, Ayame first called Yuki to tell him that he will be accompanied by a guest. Yuki sighed and allowed it. After Yuki hung up, Ayame decided that Hatori ought to hear the wonderful news.

"Tori! You are never going to guess what happened to me today."

"This better be good that you're waking me up in the middle of the night Ayame." Hatori said, half asleep half awake.

"I have a date to Yuki's wedding!"

"How ever did you mange to catch that poor little girl." Hatori said sarcastically.

"Oh, it's not a little lady I'm having Grell Sutcliff accompany me."

Aya heard and felt Hatori's hesitation as that name registered in his memory. "You mean that red-haired gentlemen you met a month ago?"

"Has it really been a month? But yes, he has come to Japan and I invited him to Yuki's wedding. As my date."

Hatori cleared his throat. "Well Ayame, even though I shall be there too, I wish you a good time. Now please hang up so I can sleep." Hatori didn't wait for Ayame and hung the phone up and went back to sleep. Ayame sighed in content and went to bed too.

Yuki's big day came at last and Yuki and Machi weren't the only ones nervous for this wedding. Ayame sifted through his collection of outfits desperately trying to find the perfect outfit for his date with Grell. Grell had stepped out to the shops to find a new outfit to wear; he had been staying at Ayame's place for the past few weeks meanwhile taking care of the souls on the To Die List in Japan. Grell was entirely surprised Will allowed him to do so, but he figured Will was perfectly capable of handling the rest of the souls.

Ayame grew more and more frustrated with each rejected outfit. "How is this possible? How do I have absolutely nothing to wear? I can't wear just anything, this is a date and my younger brother's wedding day." Ayame sat on the bed in defeat. "What am I to do?"

Ayame jumped from the bed startled at the sound of a knock on the door. "Sorry to disturb you Ayame but I have something I think you'd like." Grell said. He strode into the room holding two garment bags. "This one," Grell referred to the garment in his right hand, "is for me. But this one is for you."

Ayame took the bag from Grell's hand and opened it. Inside, he found a blue tuxedo with white frills from the collar and sleeves, complete with black dress shoes. "Oh my goodness Grell. How did you know blue was my favorite color?"

"I didn't. Blue looks the best on you. My outfit however is my favorite shade of red. We'll look fabulous in these outfits." Grell gushed and ran to the bathroom to change and left Ayame to do the same. Aya looked at the outfit and then briefly to the closed door Grell left behind. Ayame smiled to himself and thought how lucky he was to have met someone like Grell. After that, he wasted no time getting dressed. When he exited the room later, Grell waited in the living room dressed and ready. Ayame stood dumbfounded by the sight of Grell; he had his luscious red hair curled and separated. His red glasses framed his eyes loaded with red make-up.

The thing that most took Ayame's breath away was the floor length red dress Grell wore. It's gold sequin belt matched the gold bracelets, necklace and earrings he wore as well. "Grell, you have to be the most beautiful man I have ever met." Ayame said.

"Oh don't embarrass me Aya!" Red blushed his face. "You're just saying that."

Ayame offered Grell his hooked arm. "Shall we go?"

Grell took Ayame's arm and they left for Yuki's wedding. They walked in the door of the church and sat down in the back pews. The ceremony went without a flaw; Machi was beautiful, Yuki was handsome and the priest made the ceremony as short and simple as he could. After the ceremony, everyone headed to the Sohma house for the reception. Grell stuck to Ayame like glue, following him everywhere he went. Hatori approached Ayame.

"So Aya, is this the….gentleman you spoke of?"

"Yes Hatori, this is Grell Sutcliff from England. Grell, this is my very good friend Hatori Sohma. We were in the same class together you see."

"Pleasure Mr. Sohma." Grell shook Hatori's hand.

"Well, you should probably talk to Yuki. You know, congratulate him and such."

"Oh you are absolutely right Tori." Ayame said. "Come along Grell, I want you to meet my brother." Hooking arms, they made their way over to Yuki and Machi.

"Hello brother!" Ayame said. "Congratulations to the both of you. Machi, I'm so happy to call you my sister-in-law."

"Thank you Aya. That means a lot to the both of us." Yuki said. "Who's your friend?"

"This is Grell Sutcliff. My date for this evening." Ayame said.

"Congratulations Mr. and Mrs. Sohma." Grell said formally.

"Thank you very much….sir?" Machi said.

"Yes, I am a man. Now if you'll excuse me, I'd like to find something to eat." Grell walked away towards the food table and grabbed a plate.

"Isn't he wonderful?" Ayame asked before leaving his brother and new sister. Machi and Yuki looked at each other with complete confusion. The meal was served and Machi and Yuki forgot all about Grell as they pulled each other close for the first dance. Grell and Ayame looked on affectionately. Grell hooked his arm through Aya's again and rested his head on his arm.

"Hello, we have not been properly introduced young lady." Shigure said to Grell.

"Who are you?" Grell asked.

"Oh my God! You're a man!" Shigure said.

"Shigure! That is very rude to my guest. Where are your manners?" Ayame scolded.

"Sorry Aya and….sir. My name is Shigure Sohma, I'm a good friend of Aya's and Yuki's cousin. And who are you may I ask?"

"I am Grell Sutcliff. Ayame's date. Pleased to make your acquaintance."

"Shigure! There you are! Where have you been? I've been looking all over for y…." Akito stopped. "Who is this?"

"Akito, this is Grell Sutcliff. Grell, this is Akito Sohma, the head of the Sohma family and also Shigure's wife."

"Hello. Pleasure to meet you." Grell said.

"Wish I could say the same." Akito said.

"Akito, darling. You promised you would be nice." Shigure said.

"Whatever. I wish to dance." Akito pulled Shigure away without so much as a backward glance. Ayame shook off the terrible introduction. And invited Grell to a dance. They gracefully glided across the dance floor.

"You are quite the accomplished dancer Grell." Ayame said.

"Why thank you Aya. You aren't so bad yourself."

Ayame smiled. "You know Grell. I'm really glad you decided to come with me."

"I am really glad I came along as well. I'm having a smashing good time."

The tension between them increased with each new song. Yuki and Machi glanced in their direction several times with a very good feeling about what was going to happen. Grell put his hands on Ayame's shoulders and leaned forward. Ayame wrapped his arms around Grell's waist and leaned forward too. Their lips met and for Grell, they created fireworks he had never before felt. He forgot all about Sebastian and Will in the moment, thinking only of the man in his arms and the way his lips were making him feel.

Ayame forgot everything that had been on his mind; he forgot about letting down Yuki many times, he forgot they were in front of the entire family. All Ayame cared about in this instant was that he finally kissed the red-haired man he couldn't take off his mind for a month. They unwound themselves from the kiss and smiled into each other's eyes. Grell became mesmerized by Aya's sparkling green eyes as did Aya in Grell's emerald eyes.

The wedding ended all too soon and Grell and Aya said their goodbyes and exited the Sohma house. They chatted all the way back to Ayame's place; about the fun they shared and how much they enjoyed their first date. The words came short as they entered Aya's home. Grell looked at his Death Scythe sitting in the corner of the room and for the first time that night, thought of William T. Spears and how furious he would be if he saw what Grell was doing.

"Well Ayame, I'm afraid I must return to England tonight." Grell announced.

"Must you go now? You could at least wait until tomorrow morning. One more night would be no trouble."

"I'm sorry Aya. My boss Will will be terribly furious that I took a night off and I don't want him to punish you as well."

"Would he really do that?" Aya asked puzzled.

"Well, I don't know for sure but I would rather not risk it." Grell turned to the couch where his clothes sat but Aya grabbed his hand.

"Grell wait."

"What?"

Ayame didn't care, he pulled Grell to him and kissed him with more passion and intensity than he had the first time. Grell moaned and dropped the clothes in his hand. Together, they made their way to Ayame's bedroom. The next morning, Grell awoke laying on Ayame's bare chest. He looked up to Ayame's still sleeping face and kissed his cheek.

"Good morning Grell." Ayame said rubbing his eyes. "Did you sleep well?"

"Yes I did. But I'm afraid that I must go back to England now." Grell began to get up but Ayame stopped him again.

"How about breakfast first?" Ayame suggested.

"Very well." Grell smiled. Grell and Ayame got dressed and met in the kitchen. Ayame cooked and placed a plate in front of Grell. After words, Ayame washed the dishes in the sink and Grell picked up his Death Scythe from the corner of the room. "I'll never forget you Ayame."

Ayame turned to the direction of Grell's voice. "I'll miss you."

"I'll miss you too. But I have to go."

"Grell."

"Yes?"

Ayame went over to him and pulled him in for a hug. "I'm so glad I met somebody like you. You understand me so well and you're so beautiful."

Grell hugged him back. "I'm glad I met you too. I'll miss you."

They gave each other a quick goodbye kiss and with that, Grell headed back to England. From that day forward, Grell could only think of Ayame and the magical nights they shared together.

"Reaper Sutcliff, did you not hear me?" William T. Spears demanded Grell's attention.

"What? Did you say something?"

"I said you've got twelve more souls to reap tonight. Get to work." Will said.

"Alright Will." Grell went to the first soul of the night and noticed a man in black running towards him, silverware pointed towards his midsection. "Bassy! What are you doing?"

"Hello Grell. It's high time I avenged Madame Red's death for my young master." Sebastian told him.

The idea of a fight as a distraction from Ayame sounded wonderful to Grell. "You've got it Bassy! Why don't we duel this out all night long?"

"After you!" Sebastian said. The battle ensued all night as Grell requested and he forgot all about the heartache from leaving Ayame behind in Japan. But no matter who crossed Grell's path, he would never feel the same way about Sebastian and Will that he did about Ayame Sohma.