Disclaimer: I do not own Prince of Tennis or any of the characters related to it. They all belong to Konomi Takeshi.
Rating: T for implied adult themes.
Author's Note: I seem to enjoy scenes with water apparently. *random observation*
Also, the characters always seem to be doing one of these things: tennis, eating lunch, conversing at the mahogany tree, taking a shower, or studying. Especially the last one :D
Niou having a caring side… I didn't even think about that as I wrote that last chapter, but it makes sense and it's such a nice way to put it. I think I was really focused on making sure his actions were not going to bring up questions from Yagyuu. Niou, despite being a calculating, tough, devious trickster with an small air of laziness and recklessness, would have a softer side set aside for Yagyuu… at least, I think he does. He knows how to push the limits of everything, but just enough before he gets into serious trouble xD
Also, Yagyuu seems to be extra sensitive to touch. I figured that, being the courteous gentlemen that he is, he likes to respect the spaces of other people and he dislikes other people invading his space. As for his somewhat low self-confidence about his appearance, I feel like he is always focused on school and tennis so he doesn't know how to deal with something as "trivial" as physical appearance. He really just doesn't know what to do sometimes, haha :)
So please enjoy and review if you get the chance! Thank again for those who reviewed the last chapter - I love hearing your reactions! ^^
Yagyuu woke up feeling more revitalized than he was sure that he had ever felt. The effects of last night's massage was very evident and Yagyuu loved the feeling. He would have to go play some tennis later to see how much quicker and more precise his movements would be.
He got up and opened the curtains to his window - the bright sunlight shining off of his bare skin. He was still shirtless from falling asleep almost immediately after he saw Niou out. This was the first time he slept shirtless, and although he didn't seem to mind it despite his earlier doubts, he certainly preferred wearing a shirt to bed for comfort. He stretched his arms and tried to suppress a yawn as he headed towards the bathroom to take a cool, refreshing shower.
'If I feel this good,' Yagyuu thought to himself as he reached for the shampoo. 'I should see if I can get a massage more often.' He ran his hand through his hair, feeling the sensation of the smooth strands against cascading water and found his mind wandering back to the day before.
Hanging out with Niou was something he had always treasured. He always looked forward to experiencing unexpected surprises, having deep conversations without fear of betrayal, and even partaking in some of his minor pranks. It was a chance to let his guard down and know that he will be safe. He was glad that Niou forgave him for accidentally putting their friendship lower on his priority list. Now Yagyuu felt that he would be able to achieve a better balance between time dedicate to Yanagi and time dedicated to Niou.
He was now lathering soap over his body, making sure to hit every spot. The moisture on his skin further enhanced the refreshing feeling that he was experiencing. He looked at his body with an analytical look on his face. He had fairly developed muscles that fill well with his tall and lean stature. His skin was a bit pale in his opinion, but it complemented his choice in clothes perfectly. He remembered Niou stating that his body was great after he took off his shirt last night, but he concluded that it probably was a statement to assure him and remind him that he needed more self-confidence when it came to his physical appearance.
He turned off the water and stepped out, grabbing a fluffy green towel to dry himself off with, still lost in thought about the previous day. It felt like a whirlwind of activity and it was hard to wrap his mind around the fact that all of that happened in such a short time period. His thoughts were suddenly interrupted when the phone rang in his bedroom.
"Ah, good morning Yanagi-kun," Yagyuu greeted as he answered the phone.
"Good morning to you too, Hiroshi. Did I catch you at a bad time?"
"No, I'm just about to change into my clothes."
"You know I'd want to be there."
"Yanagi-kun! … You're making me feel embarrassed."
"I know," Yanagi replied smoothly and Yagyuu was sure he was smiling deviously on the other side of the line.
"Anyway, what did you call for?"
"Just wanted to see how yesterday went with Masaharu."
It was Yagyuu's turn to smile - he knew that his boyfriend was probably wondering about it all day yesterday, mostly subliminally, but it meant the same. He told Yanagi how he felt that it certainly helped Niou's mood and restored a significant part of their friendship that he didn't' realize was in shatters recently.
As he went into detail about the day at the arcade, art museum, concert hall, and eating places, Yanagi responded with appropriate acknowledgements in all of the right places. It was very obvious that Yanagi supported Yagyuu's complete happiness, which he knew was related to his friendship with Niou, and Yagyuu was proud to say that he couldn't have had a better boyfriend than he already did.
He hesitated when he got to the part about the about the massage, catching himself off-guard. He wasn't sure how a significant other would react if he was told that another guy was touching his body… even if it was just a massage.
"Hiroshi? What's wrong?"
"Oh nothing - just distracted for a second."
"So what happened at the house?"
'I don't think he would mind if I told him… He would know that it was harmless…'
"We just talked a little bit and then he wanted to give me a massage."
"Sort of an arbitrary thing… Maybe he's more impulsive than I thought, but I'm sure you went along with it."
"I thought the same thing when he asked."
"So… how did it feel?" Yanagi asked curiously.
"Amazing," Yagyuu responded truthfully. "Almost indescribable really."
Yagyuu had to step back and think about what he had just said. It was certainly amazing - Yagyuu knew that for a fact. As for the indescribable part… it had to be the way his rough hands from holding his tennis racquet (and maybe from doing pushups during training) felt against his smooth skin, the unpredictable variations of tension and release against his muscles, the soothing heat of his touch soaking into his body…
He rubbed his temples as he accepted the recently discovered truth that what he felt last night wasn't just amazing - it was definitely aroused. He was glad that Niou avoided mentioning something about his verbal signs of pleasure to spare him any awkward embarrassment. After a few more moments of deliberation, he reminded himself that he had been aroused because of the massage itself and not because of Niou. Still, nonetheless, it was in his best interest to not tell Yanagi about this fact.
"At any rate, I'm glad that things went well," Yanagi continued without digging into the subject more.
'Is he saying that honestly or have I somehow hurt him?' Yagyuu asked himself uncertainly.
"And I can't wait to see you in a little bit."
"Yes, right," Yagyuu confirmed, turning his full attention back to Yanagi. "I'll meet you at your house in about half an hour."
"Why so long?" Yanagi inquired interestedly.
"… I forgot to change talking to you," Yagyuu admitted lamely.
"I know," Yanagi said and Yagyuu mentally slapped himself for falling for it. "You're probably wearing your towel around your waist still, brown hair about halfway wet and kind of messy in an attractive way…"
"Yanagi-kun!"
"Love you too," he remarked as he hung up the phone.
'Yanagi-kun is sometimes too smart for his own good,' Yagyuu thought to himself jokingly as he got ready to leave the house. A small fear lurked at the back of his mind and nagged at the front of his heart though - the fear that Yanagi may have figured out exactly what he had felt last night, and Yagyuu had to blame himself for being shamelessly vulnerable to touch.
The fear turned out to be unfounded when they were spending time with each other for part of the day. No actions, words, or expressions seemed out of place and Yagyuu felt his anxiety ease into nothingness.
They went to the park for a while to read leisurely in the cool shade of a Japanese blossom tree, sitting next to each other, but not touching. Yanagi surprised him with a picnic for lunch - courtesy of his mother's fantastic home cooking.
Afterwards, they went to tackle homework at Yanagi's house. Yanagi finished first, but that wasn't surprising considering that Yagyuu had completely neglected his homework for two nights. This was extremely rare for Yagyuu to do, but he was exhausted after the confrontation with Niou the first night, and was busy spending time with Niou the next day. Thankfully, Yanagi helped him accomplish it a bit faster and put in a movie to watch.
It was a romance movie, but with mystery in it. He enjoyed these two genres very much, but was a bit distracted by Yanagi during the movie, who had pulled him into an embrace and was stroking his arm gently.
"Hey, do you want to know who was the culprit that stole away that woman's man?"
"I don't like spoilers."
"Well, then you'll have to come over another time to see the answer then," Yanagi said mischievously as he kissed Yagyuu. As Yagyuu returned the kiss back, he felt glad that Yanagi was acting normally and that everything was going to be just perfectly fine.
The next two weeks came and went without any incident occurring outside of the norm. Yagyuu had adjusted his schedule to spend a little bit more time with Niou than he was for a while and it didn't seem to put any noticeable strain on his relationship with Yanagi. He would study with Niou once a week as they always did, but he added a tennis practice session for them alone to work on becoming even stronger as a doubles team, and it was something enjoyable for the both of them. He also made a conscious effort to pay attention to what he talked about during lunch.
Niou's mood seemed to be much more uplifted as a result of this. He was back in business with his pranks, detentions, and standing up to the fukubuchou. In fact, his feelings were rather contagious as Yagyuu found himself more lighthearted around him and sometimes smiling at some of his antics. Of course, most of the time, he had to tell him off for various things in the serious manner that he always did and keep him out of trouble, but that was just another sign that things had gone back to normal.
"I have a rather hypothetical question," Yanagi sated as they were having lunch. It was just them today since Niou was serving detention for switching the chemicals in science class which caused an explosion when the teacher was demonstrating their activity.
"Okay, go ahead," Yagyuu answered back, taking a sip of his drink.
"Do you think Masaharu likes you?"
He peered at him over the rim of the glass inquisitively.
"Excuse me?" Yagyuu asked, taking in Yanagi's facial features for a clue.
"You know… as in, more than a friend."
"That's preposterous. We've always been close friends."
"Indeed," Yanagi said, tapping his chin in thought.
"And besides, I don't think he likes guys. He's always flirting with those fangirls of his."
"That's a good observation," Yanagi confirmed. "So let me ask you this… Do you have feelings for him?"
"What? Are you trying to break up with me or something?"
"Certainly not. I guess I should rephrase - Did you ever have feelings for him?"
"No, the only feelings I've ever had were for you." Yagyuu had abandoned his drink and looked over at Yanagi who had crossed his arms and closed his eyes a bit further in thought.
"Thank you for answering that question. I trust you, but I needed to hear you say it."
"It's okay, glad that I could ease your doubts," Yagyuu said. "It's my turn then. Why do you ask?" Yagyuu was intently focused now because there was no logical explanation to explain the bizarre scenario that was occurring.
"I sense that Niou's behavior has been rather… different lately," Yanagi announced. "Especially after your day with him two weeks ago."
"You're not accusing me-" Yagyuu began.
"Not you. I don't think you did anything unfaithful at all. I feel it is he who has shown his cards and is vying for you through his crafty, subtle ways that unfortunately don't deceive me."
"This is ridiculous, Yanagi-kun," Yagyuu said with annoyance. "Please name a few instances that have caused you to feel this way."
"A few?" Yanagi repeated as he thought about what to say. "The other day, he offered to take your court clean-up duty so you could catch the concert on TV that you had been looking forward to. Then yesterday, he dived in front of you to block a shot from Sanada that would have most likely injured you. He's been holding the door for you instead of simply going on his way without thinking of being overly nice to others… And he's been studying more. That's completely abnormal with no reason to back it up."
"He is just happy to be back to the way we were and he's showing that he appreciates our friendship. Maybe he just wants to solidify the fact that I made a good choice in choosing him as a best friend? Besides, he essentially "gave" me to you because he wanted me to be happy," Yagyuu countered back as politely as he could, pressing on quickly to not allow Yanagi to speak. "… and lastly, I love you."
"I'm sorry Hiroshi," Yanagi apologized as Yagyuu's tone was rapidly becoming more agitated. "Again, I just had to know."
"No, it's okay," Yagyuu said, touching him lightly on the leg under the table. "I should have not gotten so wound up about this."
"It just shows that you really don't want to lose me and I don't want to lose you either."
Yanagi's conversation unfortunately echoed around in his head for the rest of the day. He remembered sneaking a glance to his left periodically during the class he had after lunch at Niou to see if he could pick up anything. Niou was staring out of the window most of the time not paying attention to the lecture, but on the last time, he noticed Yagyuu looking and he winked at him. Nothing out of the usual there except that Yagyuu felt that maybe his blue-green eyes sparkled more. It might have just been a trick of the sunlight.
The last class of the day was Physical Education and it just happened to be swimming. Yagyuu was not the biggest fan of swimming at school because he didn't like other people looking at his body and he didn't like having to deal with making himself look presentable again after class.
'It could be worse,' Yagyuu thought sardonically. 'I could have PE in the morning and have to come to the rest of my classes smelling faintly of chlorine with my hair disheveled.'
He changed quickly and hurried out to the pool where half of his class was waiting. Some girls that he was sure liked him giggled and blushed when he walked by. He nodded curtly back and they ended up excitedly chattering while he stretched out his arms and legs.
His PE class was combined with another class that contained Sanada and Yukimura. Yanagi, unfortunately, was in neither of those classes, but at least he was with Marui and Jackal. As he was scanning the area for some of his friends, he slowly made his way to the edge of the pool and looked down into the pristine depth of the water.
A hand appeared in front of his vision and took his glasses as he was pushed from behind causing him to fall in without a chance to react. He surfaced as quickly as he could, spluttering and shaking his head. He squinted to see who the perpetrator was and saw a telltale shock of silver white hair. He was almost positive that he was twirling Yagyuu's fragile glasses around in his fingers effortlessly, smirk prominently in place.
"You miteminshai."
"Niou-kun," Yagyuu scold as he swam closer. "What on earth was that for? And besides, I can't 'take a closer look' because you have my glasses."
"Class was about to start. I was aiding in your punctionality." Niou explained simply like he was talking to a young child.
"You couldn't do it in a more reasonable way?"
"Where's the fun in that?" Niou asked. "Here, I'll join you so that you'll feel better." Yagyuu watched as Niou set down his glasses in a safe place (hopefully since he couldn't see well) and jumped not-so-gracefully into the water next to him. He dipped his head under the water and resurfaced with his hair partly laying down instead of his normal, spiked everywhere hair. It certainly wasn't a bad look, but it was different and Yagyuu was accustomed to the other look.
They had waded to a more shallow end of the pool where the rest of the class was assembled. Yagyuu saw Yukimura, still mostly dry with his arms folded across his chest, next to a taller Sanada, who strong muscles built from kendo training glistened with water beads from the pool. Yagyuu found himself impressed again by how much power they generated from just their mere presence.
Most of the class was spent working with the breaststroke technique and diving technique, which Yagyuu was just fine with. Towards the end of class, they were allowed to divide up into pairs to check each other's progress. Yagyuu always paired with Niou, but Yukimura asked if he could partner him this one time and Yagyuu accepted.
As they were working, Yagyuu's eyes kept wandering over to Niou, who was stuck with a somewhat scowling Sanada. His mind was back at it again - seeking desperately for something that would tell him the answer.
Niou's body was a bit stockier than his, but not by much. He definitely had more build than him, but not anywhere as much as Sanada did. His hip bones were prominent and the way his lower abdomens were shaped was appealing. His body was irrefutably attractive to Yagyuu.
'But I just like his physical look,' Yagyuu reasoned with himself. 'That doesn't mean I have feelings for him.'
Yagyuu and Yukimura ended their lesson a little earlier than everyone else because Yukimura was still trying to be a little careful outside of tennis in his recovery. They ended up sitting on the edge of the pool, legs dangling in the cool water.
"Anything on your mind, Yagyuu?" Yukimura asked politely.
'Almost too politely,' Yagyuu thought, which brought up a red flag in his mind.
"No… not particularly," Yagyuu answered.
"Ah, well, you seem a bit preoccupied," Yukimura stated, leaning back on his hands and looking at the ceiling. "Nothing happened between you and Yanagi, right?"
Yagyuu froze, caught off-guard, but quickly recovered with a shake of his head.
"We are fine," Yagyuu responded back. Indeed, nothing was wrong in their relationship, but the previous conversation was unsettling.
"Oh good. I'm happy that Yanagi is happy."
"You are a very dear friend to him, Yukimura-kun."
"And he is a dear friend to me," Yukimura replied sweetly. "He is with someone truly special."
'I wonder if he knows?' Yagyuu questioned himself. 'There is possibly no way Yanagi-kun could have told Yukimura-kun in the time elapsed… unless the Three Demons communicate telepathically…'
"Thank you for the praise."
"You're welcome," replied Yukimura. "Well, down to business then…"
'No way - he misled me?' thought Yagyuu in astonishment.
"I noticed that you have been watching Niou rather closely throughout the duration of class."
'Is there anything that escapes the Child of God?'
"And I think I know my team exceptionally well and this constitutes as unusual behavior for you. Care to explain?" Yukimura finished, smiling with interest at Yagyuu who was at a lost for words. From the tone of his voice, it was more of a command concealed as a harmless question, but it seemed as though he wasn't going to tell anyone of their conversation. He was merely checking in with the well-being of his team.
"I didn't notice I was acting that way," Yagyuu assured Yukimura. "But if I was, then I'm sorry for raising some questions."
"You were not looking at him like you wanted him… more like…" Yukimura paused searching for the appropriate words as Yagyuu waited uneasily for the final verdict. "…like a puzzle that you were trying to figure out."
"That's an interesting observation," Yagyuu noted, relieved that Yukimura didn't say something else. "Maybe it's one of those days where I'm subconsciously wondering how my best friend works."
"I have days like those too…"
Yagyuu looked at Yukimura who had now turned his attention to Sanada, watching him get ready to dive.
"I don't understand how he manages to act so stoic and intimidating all of the time," Yukimura mused. "His gruff exterior and apparent lack of people skills effectively mask up his gentler, more caring side…Although I do have to admit that I secretly enjoy this fact about him…"
"Maybe we'll never figure out our best friends?" Yagyuu threw in, adding to the pile of thoughts that they were accumulating.
"That's probably true, but the adventure is in the discovery process and I'm intrigued by it."
"Sanada-kun did mention that you seem to enjoy figuring people out."
"Did he now? I might have to indulge him a little bit this weekend for that."
Yagyuu laughed softly as he watched Niou attempt a dive, but lacking the finesse and grace that Sanada had. Water splashed everywhere and hit Sanada in the face, who started threatening to make him run laps carrying Kirihara on his back until he died from dehydration or exhaustion.
"I suppose I'm going to have to stop him," Yukimura said with a pretend, dramatic sigh. "I feel like it's partially my fault that he's more irritable than normal because I'm not partnered with him. And that he's with Niou of all people." He got up to leave, but turned back to face Yagyuu with an angelic smile full of radiance and charm.
"One more thing… I'd follow my heart if I were you regardless of what your mind tells you. You'll be much happier that way."
Yagyuu was completely aghast. Yukimura had known exactly what was going on and was simply testing him out to confirm. That smile cloaked his true intentions - he was a cunning predator that just sank his teeth into his naive prey.
'No! I'm overreacting!' Yagyuu yelled at himself. 'He was just being inquisitive and showing concern for my mental health. I'm reading too much into it. He does what he can for the team's success and I'm a part of it.'
He attempted to regain his composure as he focused on Yukimura who had caught Sanada's attention by touching him on his arm, having an immediate calming effect on the infuriated fukubuchou. He climbed out of the water quickly and Yukimura handed him his towel. Niou mouthed 'thank you' to Yukimura, who gave him a small wink.
There was something so perfect and complete about the friendship between Sanada and Yukimura, despite some major differences in their personalities. Their similarities worked together well though and it seemed as though their connection was indestructible. All of this reminded him of his friendship with Niou.
Yagyuu frowned in annoyance. He was back to square one, but this time he had both Yukimura's and Yanagi's conversations weighing on his mind. He didn't have much time to gripe about it because Niou had made his way over, demanding him to never let Yukimura force Sanada to partner him again. Niou argued that torture was not allowed during school hours, and that Yukimura was a sly devil with a streak of malice that should be restrained. Niou was just being Niou again.
As luck would have it, he still had the extra tennis practice session with Niou in the evening.
'Of course, this happens one day a week and it just happened to be this day,' Yagyuu thought dryly to himself as they were packing up to leave school for the day. 'Maybe I'll borrow some of Yamabuki's Sengoku's luck to make up for my apparent lack of it.'
The tennis practice came and went without any incident though. They spent quite a bit of time doing essential drills and occasionally hitting each other with the ball. The main focus was giving Yagyuu some experience with adding topspin to the ball (he heavily favored flat shots like his Laser Beam) and adding more power to Niou's groundstroke (who was more proficient with placing the ball anywhere on the court). The evening was ridiculously hot as they practiced and their jerseys stuck to their sweaty bodies uncomfortably.
At the end, they both collapsed down against the wall that the street tennis courts they were at had. Yagyuu brushed back the damp hair that had fallen over his eyes into his usual part, but Niou didn't do anything seeing how his hair was usually unaffected by everything except for a lot of water at one time.
Yagyuu liked how Niou's hair was - not that he would ever try a haircut like that. It suited Niou exactly - cool, wild, unique, and untamable by others. He wondered what it would feel like to run his hands through his hair…
'Not again,' Yagyuu groaned to himself. 'Why am I having such thoughts about his physical makeup?' Maybe it was that he knew he could assess the outside of Niou, but he knew it was harder to analyze the inside of Niou. Whatever the reason was, his train of thought met an early demise as it crashed and burned when Niou asked him what Yukimura had talked to him about.
Evidently, both Niou and Sanada had been talking to each other about them before they had started arguing. Yagyuu kindly told him that Yukimura was simply asking how things were with Yanagi and was pondering about things with no definite answer. Niou smirked and dismissed it as something he could see Yukimura doing and that Sanada didn't have the emotional capacity or patience to partake in Yukimura's eccentricities.
Four days later, Yagyuu found himself at Yanagi's finishing up the movie that was previously unfinished due to some distractions. Or at least, attempting to finish it again, since Yanagi kept running his hands all over Yagyuu's body and he found it hard to focus, let alone breathe. He was positive that Yanagi found some sort of sadistic thrill in causing him to moan with pleasure at the slightest touch and to crave for more. Yagyuu was ever so slightly perplexed at Yanagi's behavior - it was a shade unusual for him to be so physical as often as he had been in the week. It wasn't anything extreme though - just the fact that he seemed to find ways to hold his hand or hug him more frequently.
"Hiroshi," Yanagi said in a seductive whisper that could have rivaled Hyotei's Yushi Oshitari's normal speaking voice. "I know that you like this."
"You're teasing me again."
"Mmmhmm, but I can stop if you want."
"You're hiding something in your sleeve."
"Indeed. I'm not going to stop teasing you. I'm going to give you everything that your body aches for right now. Starting here…"
Yanagi climbed on top of him and engulfed him in a kiss so strong that he fell backwards on the bed. Yagyuu was essentially immobilized as Yanagi exerted control, taking off his clothes with absurd efficiency…
'So much for that movie,' Yagyuu thought as he lay there, panting heavily. They had gone as far as they had during the library incident about three weeks ago, and despite being a bit more frantic and quicker paced than before, it felt just as good. He wondered if Yanagi was feeling the same way.
Something didn't feel right at that moment as he turned over to look into Yanagi's warm brown eyes. The whole thing felt more passionate than the last time, but to the point that it seemed that Yanagi wanted him to truly understand his feelings. Yagyuu couldn't fathom what it could have been and Yanagi was waiting for some kind of verbal response.
"Yanagi-kun, that was… wow…" Yagyuu said, wondering if he sounded as lame as he thought. He was never good with improvising something on the spot.
"I know. I feel the same way."
"Good."
"What's on your mind other than this?"
Yagyuu threw semi-panic to the winds when Yanagi saw right through his feeble attempt to conceal his thoughts. In addition to telepathy, he wondered if the Three Demons were also gifted in the ability to read thoughts. He decided to say the first thing that popped into his mind.
"Are Yukimura-kun and Sanada-kun in a relationship?" asked Yagyuu hastily.
"Now where would you get an idea like that?" asked Yanagi interestedly.
"Just…" Yagyuu said hesitantly, trying to figure out how much to say. "His tone of voice and choice of working when we were hang a conversation in PE class."
"Don't you usually partner Masaharu?"
"I do, but Yukimura-kun wanted to partner me today for an obscure and undisclosed reason."
"Well, you are the first one to point it out. But I figured you would be first since the rest of the team is oblivious to fine details," Yanagi said with pride for Yagyuu and joking contempt for his team.
"How long? If you don't mind me asking?"
"Let me think…" Yagyuu said, turning towards the ceiling in recollection. "I can't pinpoint the exact date since they never told me, but I know that it was about a month or so before we got together."
"That's wonderful for them. I think they fit each other perfectly."
"To be honest, I was a bit envious of them for a while… being best friends with both of them…" Yanagi reminisced. "Oh, Hiroshi?"
"I won't say a word. Promise. I respect them greatly… and I respect my life as well."
Yanagi laughed and Yagyuu smiled, pleased that he was able to say something humorous once in a while.
"So, what happens at the end of the movie?" Yagyuu asked, changing the subject.
"I thought you didn't like spoilers."
"I don't, but statistics say that I am never going to make it to the end of the movie."
"They invented something called resistance. You might want to try that sometime," Yanagi said jokingly.
"My defenses are weak - they have nothing against your tactical offensive genius."
"Full of witty remarks today, aren't you?" Yanagi commented approvingly.
"Niou's influence I'm sure," Yagyuu guessed reasonably.
"Of course - it would be him," Yanagi replied offhandedly still in a teasing manner. "Anyway, back to the original question, the culprit at the end of the movie was no one."
"How does that make any sense?"
"Because the woman let the man go to be with the one that deserved him."
"I did not see that coming," Yagyuu said as he started to get dressed.
"Neither did I," Yanagi agreed, pulling on his own clothes. "Neither did I..."
In a minute, they were both fully dressed and rearranging the pillows on the bed. Yagyuu was still feeling wonderfully content, and was sure Yanagi was feeling the same until he took a glimpse at his face while tidying up.
"Yanagi-kun, what's wrong?"
"No… nothing."
"You seem distant," Yagyuu observed. "In fact, I think you've been vaguely distracted all day."
"I'm fine."
"Then… was this not good enough?" Yagyuu asked reluctantly and a bit nervously.
"No!" Yanagi said loudly. Feeling a bit ashamed at his sudden reaction, he apologized before continuing. "I enjoyed every minute, every second… I didn't want it to end."
"Then…?"
Silence. That paper-thin kind that a dull knife could cut through. Yanagi sat down on the edge of the bed and indicated that Yagyuu should sit as well. The air was heavy and uncomfortable - further enhanced by Yanagi, who was normally the epitome of self-control, fidgeting mildly with his hands.
"Do you…" he started softly. "… remember the conversation I had with you a few days ago?"
Yagyuu thought back and it surfaced as readily as someone who was underwater for too long and desperately needed oxygen.
"The one about Niou."
"Yes… Have you thought about it all?"
"You're kidding, right?" Yagyuu said incredulously. "It was hovering on my mind all day and the next day…"
"Have you come to any conclusion?"
"Yes. I think he's rather attractive and I kept noticing things about him as I was figuring him out. But it's all physical and I don't have any emotional feelings for him," Yagyuu said in a fast stream hoping the speed would wash away Yanagi's idiotic notion.
"And can you say for a fact that he doesn't have feelings for you?"
"Yes… no," Yagyuu said defiantly. "That's not the point."
"It is completely the point," Yanagi said regrettably. "I've been thinking about it a lot lately and everything adds up."
"Such as…?"
"Remember how he was missing for three days before with a weak excuse of a story to back it up? Notice how much more spirited he has been around you ever since your day together? Even the contents of that day said that he wanted to feel like he had your heart, if only temporarily and fabricated in his mind."
"Yanagi-kun, do you think you are reading too far into this?"
"Facts don't lie."
"When assembled wrongly, they do!"
"He's been careful about what he does, but he's been watching you when you aren't looking and going above and beyond to find ways to brighten your day."
Yagyuu was agitated. He hated feeling this way immensely.
"And about you," Yanagi continued, avoiding his eyes. "You seem to be at ease when you are around him, almost as if you felt completely at home."
"I feel that way about you," Yagyuu pointed out.
"You do, but I know it's not as much as when you are with Masaharu."
"I'm not ignorant of my own feelings!"
"You are. You have been before and that hasn't changed. Masaharu was the one who told me your harbored feelings, not you."
If it felt like Yanagi had gone after his heart with a dagger before, repeatedly stabbing him with each sentence, then he was now twisting it harshly in the wound.
"… I don't know what to say…"
"Hiroshi… I love you and I always will… Please don't forget that," Yanagi said, fresh tears forming in his eyes. At once, Yagyuu's anger evaporated as two new feelings crept in: concern and fear.
"Yanagi-kun," he said, pulling him close. "Why are you saying this?"
"Because I have to."
"No…"
"I'm breaking up with you."
Yagyuu was stunned. He didn't see it coming until just before it did, but it was too late. Yanagi pressed a finger to his lips to keep him from protesting immediately.
"I'm doing this for you, not for him."
"I just said I don't have feelings for him."
"And I find that to be untrue," Yanagi argued back, tears falling in streams now. "I'm too much like you and can't offer you everything that you are missing. But he makes you laugh, he makes you frustrated, and he makes you happy . He completes you."
"No… no… this isn't happening."
Yagyuu was crying now unable to hold back the mess of emotions any longer. His hold on Yanagi tightened as he buried his face in his shoulder.
"Please remember that it was nothing you did to push me away. I just want you to be with your true soulmate. I'll be happy knowing that you genuinely are, and that is why I'm sacrificing myself for you."
Yagyuu couldn't respond any longer. He was beaten and hurt and he had now lost someone very dear to him.
"No one will know anything happened - we will remain close friends. However, on the condition that he does not feel the same about you as I know you do for him, I'll take you back with a full apology."
"Is this supposed to be a game?" he yelled between ragged gasps of air.
"Not at all, just reassurance that you will always have someone no matter what Masaharu's response is. Now, please Hiroshi, trust me," Yanagi pleaded, taking his hand into his own.
"No, I've had enough," Yagyuu said bitterly, standing up and pulling his hand away. "If you wanted to let me go, why didn't you do it earlier before we did what we did?"
"Because I wanted to be that close to you one last time. I said I love you. I wasn't lying."
"I'm going to prove you wrong, Yanagi-kun. I want you know to know that… that I want you."
Yagyuu grabbed his things and stormed out, heartbroken, and leaving an equally heartbroken Yanagi sitting on the edge of the bed. Something echoed ceaselessly in his head as he ran home: Yanagi's data had never been wrong. Yagyuu wanted to curse at the night sky that was devoid of the light that had always guided him.
Author's Note: Yanagi! *hugs* Yagyuu! *hugs* I love them both. And Niou too *hugs* Why did you have to splash Sanada with water? :P
Now things have really taken off. As reassurance, they'll all be okay - just very heartbroken :( Anyway, I've already started writing the next chapter because I wanted to make sure that I could bridge this chapter to Chapter 12. I hope that it comes off as emotional and unpredictable as I am trying to portray it. Honestly, it's the hardest chapter I've written - the other ones I wrote were fairly easy to come up with a good pacing of the sequence of events. This one, however, has a lot of thoughts and ideas coming together and it's stressful to get the writing structured just right. I'll make it through somehow!
By the way, Yukimura doesn't really know what Yagyuu was thinking - he just has an inkling that Yagyuu is lying to himself about certain things. But it's hilarious to think that he does know since he is able to talk ambiguously and the team knows he controls all of them to a degree. That sly, manipulative demon. Actually, Yagyuu (yes Yagyuu), Niou, and Yanagi are quite manipulative themselves - Sanada could be, but he prefers ruthless brutality because it usually saves time and energy.
Lastly, there is a completely unintentional ironic parallel - did you catch it? It was the movie that they were watching. I wanted to combine the genres of romance and mystery together (another allude to Yagyuu's interests) and then I had Yanagi ask a question that would seem like something that the movie was about… the question of who stole someone that was in love with someone else. In the second time they watched the movie, I knew that Yagyuu would want to know, and when I had Yanagi answer with the fact that the person was given away instead of stolen, I realized that I accidentally foreshadowed what was to come later in the chapter. Crazy how creativity works.