His shadow obscured the face of the older man. It was curious how his feminine looks and lithe figure covered up the fact that he was older by Ban by a year. By any measure, Fuuchouin Kazuki resembled the part of vulnerable prey more closely than of an older, wiser man. Ban didn't know whether to be glad that even the frightened, bewildered look in Kazuki's eyes couldn't get him to pull away.

Bending slightly, his mouth grazed the side of the pale neck, eliciting a startled gasp from Kazuki.

"You want this as much as I do." Ban stated.

He hated doing something as underhand as this. But if the evidence was anything to go by, he was running out of ideas - and time - to solve the mystery. Their client was getting distinctly unhappy, and the number of dead bodies was piling up by the night.

Besides, it wasn't as though he had never intended to stake out Kazuki as his own, it was simply that the circumstances had forced him to make his move a little faster than usual. It was difficult to convince himself of the justification of his acts, when he looked at Kazuki and saw his will breaking down in his eyes, dark pools that reflected every thought and feeling. Ban knew exactly how to press his advantage to get Kazuki pliant and docile to his will, yet found himself unwilling to move.

His predicament was solved when Kazuki tentatively threaded his hands through his spiked hair and around his neck. Not a word was said, but Kazuki's eyes spoke volumes in their searching, unreachable depths. Mistrust, fear, excitement and a certain reckless thrill that Ban felt more than he saw, when Kazuki kissed him hard.

Ban figured he was probably damned anyway.

"Here, eat it before it melts."

Kazuki looked up to see Ban holding two ice cream cones and handing him one. Smiling, he accepted it gracefully with thanks, shifting a little so that Ban could sit down next to him. It was evening by the time the pair had finished trying out all the rides inside the amusement park. Ban had been mostly attentive and affectionate, and their date was turning out to be a success.

He had no idea how things had come to this stage – well, he did, but it was somehow inconceivable that something that good happened to him.

Kazuki remembered telling himself repeatedly that his fixation was ridiculous, a dangerous side addiction on the battle genius that barely tolerated his presence. He had tried his best to repress his feelings, and even resorted to spending as much of his time in the most isolated areas of town. Yet he could never really bring himself to leave; not permanently at least.

He could never tell the difference, when Ban was flirting with him like he did with everyone else for the fun of it, and when he meant what he said. Back at the Honky Tonk one week ago, his heart had nearly stopped when Ban had grazed his lips lightly, and an awful voice taunted in his head that caving in would allow Ban the chance to mock him and walk away. He didn't think he would be able to bear that.

But Ban had paused, mere centimetres away, and Kazuki found himself unable to look away.

It was easier to kiss him back and pretend that everything between them somehow became alright. Closing his eyes to how convenient everything was, blocking out the voice that insisted vehemently inside his mind that Ban was not to be trusted; Kazuki chose to believe in Ban instead. Although, there were still memories that refused to be muted as easily.

The night that he had been drunk and passed out in front of Ban seemed important somehow, even though he couldn't remember everything. But of what he could, it seemed important and yet disjointed somehow.

Through the night he had heard voices and snatched at wisps of dreams that lingered as he drifted in and out of sleep. But he had awoken to feel Ban shaking him, a voice cut off instantly but not before Kazuki registered the insistence in its demand.

"Who are they, Kazuki? Who are they?"

His eyes snapped open in that instant, as he came face to face with Ban and saw the determination in those blue eyes melt away. Kazuki realised belatedly that he had frozen in fear, his hands shielding his eyes from his nightmare. Bewildered, he stared at his fingers which came away wet with tears.

"Were you dreaming?"

"Oi, Itomaki! Didn't you hear me? It's near 6 already! Let's go!"

Ban sounded annoyed and Kazuki realised with a start that he had probably been trying to call him for some time already. Standing up gracefully, he breathed in deeply before hurrying after Ban who looked exasperated and amused all at the same time.

Kazuki was warm, sticky and the ice cream was melting faster than he could lick up the errant drops. But he was contented and happy, just walking back to the car with Ban.

Kazuki leant back in his seat uneasily, wringing his hands quietly as he asked Ban again for the fourth time that night,

"Are you sure Ginji is fine without you for the whole day?"

Ban rolled his eyes heavenward, before replying matter-of-factly that weighing the options, Ginji would cry more in the long run had he realised that he was an unwanted obstacle in his dearest Kazuki's love life. The image of Ginji wailing and clinging onto his head in remorse was enough to make Kazuki smile, and Ban felt an odd twinge of satisfaction from entertaining the strings-user.

The two were having dinner at a small restaurant that Kazuki knew of. Ban had told him to choose any place he liked, but he still chose the cosy café, knowing of the tight budget that Ban was on. Even then, Ban was too stubborn to let Kazuki foot the bill for even half of the meal and Kazuki didn't know whether he should be glad that his lover was so caring, or exasperated at his pig-headedness.

The meal was excellent but Ban's mind wasn't on the food. Kazuki was in a warm, talkative mood and Ban felt worse at the night wore on. Fuuchouin Kazuki was known for being extraordinarily gentle and gracious to everyone he knew, but beyond that lay a polite distance between himself and the next person. Juubei had taken him aside the day after their relationship was brought into the open, and told him seriously.

"If you ever make Kazuki cry, I will not be able to forgive you."

Ban had been about to brush off his comment with his usual flippancy, but Juubei had caught his arm and Ban glanced up to see the heartbroken expression that even the mask could not hide. Juubei did love Kazuki, and he made no effort to conceal that fact from Ban. Though, really, he supposed he should have known that by then.

What came as a surprise was probably Juubei's warning that Kazuki's heart was fragile even though he expressed warmth and affection for almost anyone he came across. He fought to keep a part of himself, safely tucked away from the rest of the world who couldn't see his pain. When Kazuki gave his heart to someone, he relinquished all control and the very same person could break him completely.

"I watched him grow up, Ban. After his parents' demise, he hid everything that made him sad inside, so no one ever would ever see him cry again."

He had dismissed it at that time, brushing it off as irrelevant advice. But he had also found out that Juubei knew almost nothing of Kazuki's drinking habits. The taller man was stunned when Ban had regaled him cheerfully about the Kazuki he had come across, drinking himself sick in a bar by himself. He knew nothing of it even though he had been with Kazuki since they were children.

Ban kept his face deliberately bland as he chatted with Kazuki about trivial matters, charming him in the only fashion that he knew how. He could win the heart of almost anyone he set his sights upon, but the thread user was proving to be an enigma. Ban's heart sank when he realised how furious Kazuki would be when he finally realised that he was being made use of.

'So what happened with your previous job about the vampire?"

Kazuki asked suddenly, sipping his drink as he waited for a reply.

Ban looked almost exactly the same as always, but Kazuki recognised unease when he saw it. Heard it, in fact, in the deliberately chosen words and the apparent casualness in Ban's body language.

"It's still on. I think Ginji and I would be able to pull it off on our own after all…what?"

Ban stared at Kazuki, sensing something deeper in the usual gentle-tempered man's gaze. The look Kazuki was directing at him, was distinctively mistrustful in its probing, searching intent. Kazuki had the strangest feeling that he was being played by a superb marionette master, and it both unsettled him and made him suspicious. But the supreme confidence that Ban wore like his personal brand of cologne had already lashed tightly back into place.

"Nothing," Kazuki murmured in confusion, as he set his glass back into place.

"Can I sleep over at your place tonight?"

Kazuki's eyes widened fractionally as his mind raced to find a diplomatic reason to put Ban off. They had barely known each other for a week and Kazuki winced when he thought of the training room and how he had sworn even Juubei to absolute secrecy before he had let him in. Letting Midou Ban into his private apartments to roam around at free will was probably tantamount to bringing home a stray dog that had never been housetrained before. Kazuki wondered briefly if that was too harsh a judgment, but still his privacy was more important.

"Itomaki," Ban grinned broadly.

"I asked to sleep over at your place. Not sleep with you. Thoughif you really wanted me too, I suppose I could throw that in for a modest fee, of course." Ban winked seductively at Kazuki and brushed his fingers against his lips.

Oh. That.

Kazuki flushed deeply and turned to unlock the door behind him, fumbling with the keys in his embarrassment.

"Itomaaaakiii…" Ban drawled out in a singsong voice. "You haven't answered my question "

Kazuki tried to will his cheeks to go back to normal. Nope. The more he thought about it, the hotter he felt his face become. If he did let Ban into his house, he supposed it'd be a miracle if Ban was still alive in the morning. Kazuki grinned at a sudden thought as he twisted the right key into the keyhole. Then again, if Ban became too annoying, he had many convenient corners of the walls and ceiling to suspend him from. All night, if necessary.

Kazuki chuckled to himself, as the door swung open and let them in.

A/N: Na ! A present for everyone! Since I took so long with this chapter, I made it twice as long as the previous one! I replied personally to all reviews, but I'm not sure if they were received though… Just in case, I want to say that I'm happy people like a dark, angsty and potentially ruthless Kazuki. Unfortunately, Kazuki Part II will not be joining us, until Kazuki Part I has had his fill of happy prancing around in fields of sunshine and marigolds.

Don't stone me for the shameless plugging, but I'm still ploughing the most effort into Art of Life, one of my Tennis no Ohjisama fanfics.

R&R is always appreciated!