A.N: Ack!! I haven't updated this in . . . forever. Two years?? Wow, that's really lazy of me. Well, I came back to it and here's a new chapter. The chapters are going to be an attempt of short and sweet to try and lure you into reading more, hopefully. Anyway, enjoy, and please review ^^

"What, you want breakfast? Is that it?"

"No," Tatsuha continued to stare at the empty wooden table before him. He heaved a sigh and looked away.

"Ever since you got up this morning, you've been behaving strangely. Pull yourself together, Tats-kun. We have a ceremony to attend!"

Tatsuha picked up the toast his father handed him and spread it with jam three times, like he always did. Then he took the tea bag and likewise, dunked it thrice. Not too weak, not too strong. He wasn't really in the mood for normality, not after last night. He yawned and stretched in his chair, cat-like. These dreams, no not dreams! Nightmares, had to stop. He pushed his back further into the chair, willing the wood to eat away his sinful skin.

"A ceremony before school? Dad, you know I despise them."

His father scowled and with a mumbled threat and disdain over laziness, he left the room. Tatsuha sat in the empty kitchen and stared at the wall, trying to think about anything but what was plaguing him. "Sodding Eiri Yuki . . ."

The morning ceremony crawled by slower than usual and Tatsuha had to grit his teeth when chanting his vows to prevent himself from saying anything that would be regarded as ill-fitting. The session concluded with his father's blessing and the attendants gathered out of the area. Tatsuha's father confronted him and rebuked him darkly about lack of concentration. Sure, he had mucked up his chanting a few times, just stumbling over words, nothing major. Why did his dad have to go and get so mad about it?

School was a slug. When it finally cut to lunchtime, Tatsuha could stand it no more. He pulled out his phone and punched in Eiri's name. The phone began to ring, and he bolted himself into one of the toilet cubicles, eager to hear that dark, smooth voice that was so familiar and lately, so erotic.

"Hello? Tatsuha?"

There was a pause. It lasted for what seemed a lifetime. Tatsuha found it difficult to breathe and regretted having called his brother. He moaned faintly into the receiver and snapped his eyes shut.

"Baka! Answer! What do you want?"

Eiri was probably sat there at his computer as usual, his fingers working frantically across the keyboard before Tatsuha had called. Yes, he could imagine it now, those strange amber eyes his brother was gifted with, the pale blonde hair falling across his brow, the frown that turned his lips downwards . . .

"Oh gods!" Tatsuha gripped the phone tighter, breathing hard.

"Tatsuha – the fucking phone! What do you want? I'm busy!"

Tatsuha hit the button to cut the call immediately. He was trembling, his whole body literally shaking as his hand returned the phone to his pocket. He couldn't do it, couldn't even talk to his brother. That velvet voice was the one he'd heard in his dreams, the one that had spoken his name when they'd –

Someone knocked heavily on the door.

"Hai! Some of us need the toilet here . ."

"Ack." Tatsuha sucked in a breath and slung his bag moodily over his shoulder. This situation was worse than he'd thought. First the dreams, now he couldn't even speak to Eiri through a simple phonecall. He was such a freak! What was he supposed to do when he saw Eiri face-to-face? He gripped his hands to fists tightly. Well then, he was just going to avoid seeing Eiri ever again if he was going to make this work.

Yeah, the sensible half of his mind snickered in response to this verdict. Never see your brother in your life again. And that's going to work out how?

"Shut up, arsehole," he spoke aloud, throwing open the toilet door and coming face-to-face with the boy who had been waiting. He was about three inches taller, with a square face and eyes that were too close together. Tatsuha knew that face.

"What did you say to me?" the boy snarled roughly, his stalkers who considered themselves "body-guards" standing glowering at his flank.

"What?" Tatsuha's eyes flew wide. "I – I didn't say anything. I wasn't talking to you!"

He hated backing down to people, but this was Kenji. Tatsuha may assume himself king of the school when it came to good looks, but Kenji was the thug. And for someone who publicly resented being throned King due to his similarity to Yuki, this meant he didn't have many friends left. So there was no one to call upon to run Kenji down. The best thing to do was be polite in a situation such as this. Tatsuha's skin itched with fury as his brain swiftly translated this to submissive. Hell, he wasn't going to submit to this prick!

"You better not have been," Kenji warned in a low growl. His two cronies nodded in unison, flexing so that their necks cracked. Tatsuha felt a cold shiver creep up his spine. "You know what happens to people who cross us."

Tatsuha offered Kenji a simpering smile but said nothing. Instead, he sidled past, careful to not make skin contact: he'd seen Kenji in work before, the way he would use any excuse just to get some violence. The guy was a moron.

"Where are you going? I was talking to you!" Kenji boomed after him, his voice echoing up the corridor. Several students continued walking, trying to avoid trouble, but others stopped and turned towards the location of the voice. Kenji left the bathroom in pursuit of Tatsuha, who paused and stood still abruptly.

"To class, Kenji. Where else am I supposed to be?"

"You watch your back, Uesugi. Watch it closely."

Tatsuha laughed, the stress of the day and his conversation with Eiri crushing down on his shoulders like a heavy weight. And now this. What had he done to displease the world to will such cruelty on himself? "I'm watching, Kenji. I'm always watching, my advice is that you should do the same."

He departed the corridor deliberately slowly. He wasn't going to flee with his tail between his legs just because of Kenji. He'd dealt with his type before. If he was going to need a distraction from Eiri, then this opportunity was perfect. Secretly he thanked the thug, and his face grew dark with a gritty smile.

The smile was silenced as his phone stung his thigh, vibrating in his pocket. He retrieved it and stared emptily at the screen. The incoming call read Eiri. Tatsuha scowled and snapped his phone shut. Bloody, beautiful, irritating, deliciously hot Eiri with his goddamned sexy voice . . . Life was so unfair!