Hi Everyone!

Here is the next installment in my fic "This Feeling". I hope you enjoy it!

Only one more to go.


Taichi's light brown hair was plastered to his scalp as he scrubbed his arms viciously with a luffa in the Wataya family's bathtub. Because I'm your friend… Those four little words kept chasing themselves around the brunette's head and they made him feel empty. Why do I feel so hollow? He thought incessantly, They're only words, but they hurt… I hurt. Taichi pressed a hand to his chest in an effort to steady the rhythm of his heart.

"Here are some clothes from your bag." Arata said, padding into the bathroom with bare feet.

"Thanks," Taichi blushed turning his back to Arata, "Do you usually walk into a bathroom without telling anyone your coming in?"

"No, but it's only you so…" Arata blushed uncomfortably, "I talked to mum and dad."

"And, what did they say?" The brunette inquired.

"…I'm sorry," he began, "but you'll have to go back home tomorrow."

Taichi swallowed the lump that had taken up residence in his throat. "I understand… Guess I'll have to apologize to mom after all." Taichi listened to Arata's footsteps as he left the steam filled bathroom, the brunette continued scrubbing himself down, the sloshing of soapy water filling the silence.

Taichi soon finished washing and left the bathroom behind after he had finished dressing in his change of jeans and green and white striped shirt; he scoured the house peering at photos of Arata and his family, there was one of him gazing out at the ocean, he looked around the age of 8. He looked so cute back then, Taichi felt his eyes widen, had he really just thought that? His heart started pounding again its thumping echoing in his ears, and then those four little words re-entered his mind, making him feel sick. What is happening to me?

"Taichi in here!" Arata called, breaking the brunette out of his reverie.

"Coming." He called, while he tried to find the source of the others deep voice.

"Let's play karuta." Arata smiled when Taichi finally found his room and sat down in front of him.

"Bring it on." Taichi smirked, opening the karuta box between them; they quickly mixed the cards around and soon had twenty five each. Taichi placed his cards carefully down on the floor placing the cards where he knew he could find them easily and try to confuse Arata, the two boys locked eyes as they finished at the same time and they stayed like that frozen for a moment in time.

The brunette drowned in the depths of the other boy's blue gaze and felt his mind become stripped bare revealing everything, Arata coughed and pressed play on the tape recorder and soon the opening poem began resounding throughout the room.

Nanywa Bay,

Now the flower blooms,

But for winter.

Here comes spring,

Now the flower blooms.

Taichi hunched over in concentration, visualising a map of the cards on both fields behind his closed eyelids, his ears straining for the first poem.

None are left who know me…

Taichi reached for the card on Arata's left field and stopped before touching the back of the other boy's hand. When did his hand move? Taichi thought, shock rattling his nerves, It's only the first card… Why am I panicking already? Shaking himself, the brunette hunched over again, concentrating harder than ever in anticipation of the next card.

The world offers no escape.

Taichi moved again, zeroing in on the correct card, his heart thrummed excitedly as his hand claimed the five syllable card. He had taken a card from Arata he could hardly believe it, Taichi felt a smile break out as he placed the card by his side. The game played out like this for the next hour, each player taking a card from the other, each player sending an undesirable card to the opposing side, each boy desperately trying to gain the lead.

In terms of skill Arata excelled with his speed and accuracy, but Taichi's concentration was absolute, he had not yet made one fault and reached with equal accuracy to every card without fail. Sweat beaded on the brunette's brow as the game continued at a slow pace, his brain burning through his body's sugar.

Swift…

"Thank you very much." Arata bowed, his coal black hair covering his face… he had won.

"Thank you very much." Taichi bowed in respect. Don't worry, it's only the first game, Taichi told himself as he gathered the cards and mixed them up again in preparation for the next game, while Arata changed the tape.

I'll win the next game for sure, I can't lose to Arata, Taichi began setting out and memorising his cards again, he looked up at Arata and examined his eyes through the glass of his spectacles, watching the light play in there tantalisingly blue depths. It was like watching him contemplate the universe even though he was waiting for the opening poem to end and the next poem to begin.

Now the flower blooms.

The autumn paddy shacks…

And the game had begun again with Arata, again taking the first card. Frustration began to boil in the pit of Taichi's stomach as the game continued, he swore in his mind as the young man across from him took the card, and the next card, and the next card. His anger burned in his veins like fire as he lunged taking a five syllable card from the other, his triumph was soon smothered when Arata took yet another card.

The sunlight pouring through the window turned to bright gold and as the day progressed to evening the gold burned to red and slowly the sun began to set casting the room into darkness, the boys were on their sixth game now and Taichi was furious inside, he hadn't won a single game yet. Arata was just too good, his movements were so flued like water and he had a lot of stamina, the cards before Taichi's light brown eyes began to waver and blur with the consequences due to his tiredness, physically and mentally.

But looking up he could see that Arata was tiring as well, not as quickly but still tiring nonetheless, Taichi strained his ears waiting for the next word, waiting for the next syllable. The silence in the room was overwhelming, the air was charged with so much energy you could cut it with a knife, sweat beaded and dripped from the boy's foreheads as the silence stretched on.

So spring ends and…

Taichi raced for the card on his lower right, his hand was centimetres from the card and he was going to take it, and then he lifted his hand at the last second realising that it was a dead card. Apparently Arata had the same idea and lifted his hand over the card at the same time, Taichi watched as Arata lost his balance and fell forward on top of Taichi, crushing him aginst the floor with his large frame.

Taichi's heart danced in his chest as he looked up into Arata's eyes, warmth flowed from the other's body into the brunette's were ever their bodies touched which was mostly everywhere, their legs; hips, thighs, stomachs and chests. Why do I feel so warm and why is my heart racing again? Taichi gulped as Arata brushed a strand of loose hair behind his ear.

"What are you doing?" Taichi gasped, afraid that the banging of his heart would be heard by the young man lying on top of him.

"I'm just admiring how beautiful you are." Arata whispered, tracing his soft lips with a finger.

"What?" Taichi cried in disbelief, his throat seizing up.

"I can't stop thinking about you." Arata smiled, trying to breathe normally. "Ever since I left you and Chihaya to live in Fukui, I couldn't stop thinking about the two of you, and as I grew older it was just you…"

"I admit…" Taichi began, his face flushing a very unattractive red. "That lately my heart keeps pounding whenever I think of you, and I get this feeling that I… That I just…"

"What?" Arata whispered whilst playing with the hair at the nape of Taichi's neck.

"That I just want to be with you." Taichi breathed in a rush.

Arata's eyes widened behind his glasses as he took in the brunettes words with disbelief, the air grew even warmer as the larger male pulled the older into a firm embrace their lips locking together as if the first kiss they shared was their thousandth, his lips spoke of unyielding love as Taichi responded, arching into the others firm grip as he wrapped his own arms around the neck of the boy crushing him.

Heat flowed through their veins and warmed the room into a furnace and soon Taichi found himself shirtless and being kissed from neck to hip by the coal black haired boy, the brunette slid his hands beneath Arata's shirt and felt the muscles of his taut back slicked with sweat from the karuta game. Feeling Taichi's impatience he drew back and removed the offending article and bared the skin of his upper body.

The two boys lips connected again and they clung together like life depended on it, burning seconds turned into minutes, and minutes into hours as the two clung together in a tight embrace, their burning passion being smothered in the chill of the night. Exhaustion finally claimed the bodies of the duo as they moved to the futon in the corner and collapsed down onto the soft mattress, Taichi nuzzled his face into Arata's chest as the other drew the sheets of the bed around their slim figures.

"Goodnight Arata." Taichi whispered, further snuggling up to Arata's warm body.

"Goodnight Taichi." Arata whispered back wrapping his arms around the smaller boy.


Thank you again for taking the time to read my poor effort.

Please review and help me improve.

Bye.

Chinese Translation by Kay: blog/post/48781136