Moon Drop

by TNWanderer

In dire need of money, four friends Zero, Yuuki, Aido and Shiki apply to a restaurant. Will The Imperial be a place for Zero where he will find love and happiness or misery and heartbreak in the form of a handsome and rich young man, named Kaname? BL :D

10. Chapter 10

Thirty pages long... I hope it will be enough apologies to make up for the long time. And thanks for the lovely support and reviews. I know I am very bad at sending you replies, but each and every one of them is precious to me and gives me energy to write more. *bows*

All mistakes are mine. Enjoy!

-

Chapter 10

Walking on one bare foot, the knot on his obi ruined into an ugly mess, the pony tail extension at the back of his head brushing his shoulders lifelessly, Zero endured his way back to his apartment limping on his foot and with a deadly scowl on his still flushed face.

As he searched for his key in the hand clutch that he nearly ruined between his tightly clenched fists during the taxi ride, he cursed everything he knew with everything in his being. The irritating little key seemed to be lost even though the bag was as small as that Kuran bastard's brain. But what Zero didn't want to acknowledge was the fact that his fingers felt numb and his hands shook badly enough for him to become unable to get a grasp of his swirling emotions, let alone a small, innocent key.

Zero gave up searching for the tiny item and cursing yet again, his hand went for the door bell. But just before he rang it, he stopped himself, eyes widening.

It had to be around twelve or something and the only person in the apartment was Ichiru, no doubt awake and waiting for his return. His mind made a quick check up of his condition.

Well, he had a split lip which was still smarting faintly, his kimono was dirty on the skirt part, one of his zori was missing and his tabi sock was like a toilet rag now, his obi was a mess, his hair seemed to be coming loose and the worst thing was his sprained ankle which had to be swollen like a pig now.

Then his mind let him see a quick trailer of the scene that was about to happen if Ichiru saw him like this.

He had to be looking like a harassed little girl at the moment… Zero grunted, his face contorting into a display of fury.

Enough of this, already! His brain was screaming. He had enough deriding in a night to last him for a life time. Just because of his stupid attire… This ugly sight he presented… This stinking mask he had to carry around…

Unable to stop himself, Zero tore down the extension from his hair, ruining its clip. He swiped his hand over his lips for the umpteenth time that night to get rid of that feeling, that taste still lingering in his mouth.

For some reason nearly every man around him thought that he looked beautiful, that he looked ravishing even when Zero hated his reflection in the mirror when he wore these things and acted like a refined person, if not a lady…

Ravishing, my ass… He swore with a bitter smile. They deemed him ravishable… As if he was up for anyone to take, as if he was not a person, but a thing.

His hand clutched at his chest where his heart was beating madly. So, he thought, when this hurts Ichiru feels like this…

Fool, fool, he was the worst kind of the fools to trust Kuran, to trust him that he was different, he was not after this fake and ugly mask. He was a fool… For giving the brunet enough reason to think so of him.

He felt defeated. Truly, utterly, completely defeated… And he despised the feeling.

But his whirlpool of emotions could wait to be sorted out later, right now, he had to face Ichiru.

He quickly put his hair into a semblance of normalcy, dusted off his kimono, lamenting silently to the fact that he had to pay a huge bill for it to be cleaned, got rid of his socks and tried to arrange the ruined knot at the back of his obi.

There was nothing he could do to create a lovely sight out of the disaster that he was, so he gave up and rang the bell, bracing himself to face Ichiru's wrath.

Just as he expected, the sound of rushing foot steps was followed by a quickly swung open door. And Zero met with Ichiru's taken aback features.

"What the!..." Ichiru began, eyes wide upon the sight of his battered brother, immediately reaching for Zero's face with worry. "What the hell is this?"

Zero suppressed a sigh and grimaced at the look of anguish and fear in Ichiru's eyes. Walking in, he forced Ichiru to step back and he closed the door, unable hold his twin's gaze.

Shocked and suddenly irritated by the lack of response from Zero, Ichiru shook Zero from his kimono clad arm, voice demanding. "Zero-nii, what did that fucktard do to you? Zero?"

His scowl deepening, Zero simply threw the single zori to the entrance and stormed into the living room on his limping foot, momentarily ignoring Ichiru.

But furious by the outcome of the night he hadn't even approved in the first place, the younger twin was taking none of it.

"That bastard tried to harass you, didn't he? I'll kill him; I'll rip his eyes out!" He began fuming until he saw how Zero was limping. "The fuck?! Zero, what did he do to you?"

"Don't yell before the door, Ichiru, come inside, and before jumping to conclusions let me talk." Zero gritted his teeth as he dumped his aching body upon one of the sofas in the living room, finally able to rest his aching ankle.

Ichiru immediately kneeled before him, taking the hurt foot in his hands and trying to see the damage.

God, Zero groaned internally. How he hated seeing Ichiru like this, face pale with worry, hands trembling with fury, lilac eyes darkened with an array of emotions that Zero abhorred himself for putting them there.

"Does it hurt? Zero, are you alright?" Ichiru asked rising his bleary eyes at his brother who watched him with a stricken expression.

"It wasn't Kuran… Some men attacked me, mistaking me for a…" Zero stopped, feeling something clogging his throat upon the word at the tip of his tongue, observing his twin's eyes widen. "For a geisha impostor…" Yes, that was a much better term, a euphemism to sooth his heart. "And they hit me… Kuran was the one who saved me…" He spoke, bitterly remembering the scene again, hating the fact that he was exalting that despicable brunet with his words. But Ichiru didn't need to know the real reason behind his vexation and dourness.

And from then on, it was twenty questions time for Zero, but he tired his best to cover his shameful encounter with the brunet in his car and all other flirt attempts that Kuran had thrown in his way through the night.

Ichiru was not relieved the least bit. His intelligent eyes were clouded with doubt as he helped his brother to soak his foot in an ice bath. He was biting on his pale lip, still angry that he had let Zero go out in this attire to meet up with that apparently incapable, insensible, useless and conscience-proof imbecile known as Kuran Kaname.

"What kind of a nitwit would take a woman out for a walk across that coast line at night? That area is known as the pick up place of whores and drunkards! People go there to get some privacy to do…things, you know!" He was saying, unknowingly making Zero cringe at the words whore and drunkard…

"No couth man would go there if he doesn't have other ideas about the woman they are with." He accused with straight eyes, looking up at Zero seriously. "Zero-nii, how did you let him take you there? I thought you were sensible enough to be cautious with a hyena like him!"

Now that struck a cord inside Zero in a very painful way. He knew it, damn it… He knew that it was entirely his fault to trust Kuran for being a gentleman. He had let his guard down; he had been like a fucking mellow girl on her first date with her crush. And he invited this outcome to himself. But how could he had known that he had been played for a fool when the brunet had been smiling like that, had been whispering words that sounded sincere like that… How could he have guessed that he would be seen that much cheap, that much worthless even by people he had never ever seen?

Yet, what made him angrier, what Ichiru's words made him realize was that he had been a complete retarded to not understand the motives behind everything Kuran had done and said tonight… Kuran had wanted something… He had planned all this… He had hoped that the walk beside the coast line would result in something. Maybe Kuran had even thought that he had been giving him the message by bringing him to such a suggestive place, assuming that Zero knew of the reputation of the place.

Something was boiling inside of him now. Somewhere in his chest…

"I did not know, Ichiru!" His voice came out harsh and pained, his eyes averted. "How do you expect me to have an idea of which places are dangerous at night, which places are better when all I can have time to do is going to work and then coming back to sleep like a log?"

But just as he utter the last words, Zero instantly regretted saying them as Ichiru's eyes grew wide with hurt and then he bowed his head in acceptance of the harsh words.

"Sorry, Zero-nii…" His twin whispered his apology, thinking that he has the one who robbed Zero off of even that freedom of knowing these kinds of things that every young person their age who lived their life would know. He thought that his brother was right in his anger and half of the blame of why Zero was currently in this condition was his to bear.

"Ichiru…" Zero began, his voice soft and remorseful now. The last thing he wanted was to make his twin guilt trip himself because he was upset about what had transpired between him and Kuran tonight.

"I am the one who should apologize. I didn't mean to sound angry. It's just that… My pride is wounded now and I don't know what I am saying anymore." His voice hushed itself towards the end, Zero tried to massage his pounding temples.

Seeing his elder's agitation, Ichiru sighed, quickly forgetting his hurt. He reached out a hand and cupped Zero's cheek gently.

"Zero, are you sure there isn't something else that is bothering you other than those bastards?"

Zero resisted swallowing and averting his eyes from his twin's sincerely worried expression. "I am…" He whispered lifelessly, cringing inside at his lie.

"I am very tired, Ichiru."

Understanding that Zero needed some time to collect himself, Ichiru nodded and went about bandaging his brother's swollen ankle and helped him in getting up and going their shared room.

After drinking his pills while Zero changed into his comfortable pajamas, Ichiru tucked him into the bed before lying next to his brother. Yet, when Ichiru snuggled to him, as it was his habit, Zero tried his damnedest to not flinch away from his brother's closeness. His breath held firmly in his lungs, Zero struggled to remain put even as his mind was berating him about being afraid of his own sibling's touch.

This was insane, he knew it, but he couldn't help the slight tremor that coursed through him when he realized that the reason behind his stiffened body and thudding heart was not completely the taunts and dirty touches of those men tonight, but because he actually felt himself cheap and dirty just like the way those men had claimed that he was. He didn't feel worthy of Ichiru's warm half-hug no matter how much his mind and heart argued against it.

And this terrible taste in his mouth… Even after brushing his teeth vigorously before going to bed, he could still feel the touch of that impudent tongue, the texture of those sinuous lips and the taste of that hatefully warm mouth.

Feeling that his cheeks were burning upon the bitter memory, Zero cursed Kuran silently. Because now that there was nothing for him to distract his mind with other than the soft darkness of the room and Ichiru's steady breathing, the sole thing that replayed in his mind was Kuran, how he had acted and how he had kissed him.

Yet again embarrassed to the roots of his hair, Zero buried his face deeper into his pillow and tried to disappear under his quilts even though he felt unbearably hot. He shivered and closed a hand over his mouth, brows furrowed, eyes closed tightly.

He tried to coerce his mind into catalogue the brunet's touch into the same corner of his mind where he collected all his abhorrence and fury, where he kicked aside the sick amusement of that old fart and his friends in the restaurant and the laughter and accusations of the beasts at the coast line. But his mind was not cooperating, showing him that scene again and again, making him feel the same things over and over.

And slowly, as if he was submerging from under water, a thought struck him, causing his eyes to widen and making him gasp despite himself.

Kuran's touch did not disgust him like the others' did… Among all of the emotions that Zero felt, disgust was not one of them at all...

Zero felt horrified. His first kiss was stolen by a man, for Pete's sake! What could be more disgusting than that other than that man also being a rich and pompous player? How could he not hate Kuran for playing him for a fool in his stupid game of hunter and the hunted? How he not despise….

But his thoughts got another sharp turn when something inside him whispered into his ears, you hate him because you think he is not serious about you…

The fuck?!

Zero nearly yelled in frustration, his body jerking into a sitting position. He was suffocating, he was sweating profusely. Anger flared anew in his eyes and twisted his face into that of bloody murder.

"Zero?"

Ichiru's groggy voice momentarily stopped him from murdering that whispering thing inside him, whatever it was.

"I… I can't sleep Ichiru. I guess I'll watch TV for a bit." He forced the words out between his teeth, hoping that Ichiru would just nod him off and go back to sleeping.

"I can keep you company…"

"No… You'll rest, remember our rule." Zero mumbled as he got up from the bed and limped to the door.

"Nii-san, come back quick, 'kay?" Ichiru relented and Zero grunted a reply before he ushered himself out.

He headed for the kitchen and on autopilot he raided the fridge for the ingredients of tomorrow's lunch and dinner. He had to do something or he felt like going crazy upon his new discovery.

Cooking… Yes, cooking was his remedy. He could vent off some of his anger by imagining himself chopping Kuran's fingers instead of leeks, carving his eyes out instead of potatoes, boiling his face instead of rice and stabbing his guts instead of chicken breasts…

But he stopped, knife in hand, the water running over the veggies in the sink. He hung his head, looking unseeingly at the kitchen island.

Why did it hurt this much? Why the fact that Kuran was playing with him hurt this much? Why the motives behind that kiss being solely an empty lust stung him this badly? The thought of both of them being guys should have been much more disturbing to him than the thought of Kuran seeing him not as a person but as a tool to slake off his fleeting desires with. He should have been disgusted to be kissed by another guy, not drown in this guilty conscience about misleading Kuran into making him believe that he was a girl and an easy to get girl on top of that.

No, no… Both his thoughts and Kuran's intentions were turning into a very dangerous path. He didn't want this, he hadn't even asked for it, damn!

What Should I do? Zero wracked his mind for an answer. What should do to forget this hellish night and that face…

But try as he might, Zero already knew that he was done for, his hands trembling with his suppressed chagrin.

-

The start of the new week began badly for Kaname.

Here he was standing before his bathroom mirror, a sour expression decorating his sleepy features and a deep frown etched on his face.

His split lip was still visible to the eye and the skin below it seemed a bit bruised even though it was smaller than an inch.

He observed his face, still frowning at his reflection.

How the hell was he going to hide this…this shameful display of his failed advances? And what the heck had he been thinking in promising to take Kain and Takuma to the Imperial tonight in celebration of his oh so grandly staged out seduction plans?

He gritted his teeth and scratched absently at his shirtless chest when he remembered what Kain had said then.

"Guys with such prejudices are always in for some really nasty surprises…"

Yes, that slap was really nasty, he admitted, resting his hands on the edge of the porcelain sink. But when he remembered Roze's fierce eyes, her bloody lips, and her warm breath puffing against his face… God, it trilled him to no end, shaking his very being.

But… Looking at his lip now, he surely could have done without that slap even though somewhere at the back of his mind he thought that he deserved it… a bit.

Even after a day, he could still feel her mouth against his, those silky lips, and her resisting hands against his thudding chest. It was a first for him to recall every single detail of such encounters he had experienced before and then quickly forgotten. His mind was mystifying him by the array of things that it had managed to catalogue about Roze during that quick and sloppy moment of his desire's expression.

Why was it so vivid in his mind, those accusing words that likened him to the guys who attacked her in the coast line? Right after the warm and gentle pleasure that remembering her lips and scent brought fort, his mind would immediately get assaulted by her hurt expression and shaky voice.

Kaname grunted in his throat and hung his head. He had never felt upset about hurting other people's feelings before, let alone the women who clung to him like a parasite would cling to its host. He would even derive some sort of satisfaction from causing pain by disappointing their delusional expectations from him.

Yet, this girl's, Roze's accusations were still lingering in his ears even as he tried to make himself believe that he would take whatever he wanted and then discard that thing or person from his life, never to turn back to it for a second time.

He was not remorseful of his bold actions, nor had he been lying when he had told her that he had admired her strength, her integrity, her natural beauty under the moon light. He would never lie on those things, not even for getting what he wanted. He wasn't a swindler or a player who would entertain a lady with falsities and then use them for his own amusement.

Yes, he would use people if it was necessary, but would never tell lies to bend them to his will or turn them to his side… People would bend before him or take his side either because of their respect or for their own interests. And what Kaname hated most in life was people who showed themselves unwilling in order to higher their price.

True, what he wanted from Roze was very similar to what those rascals had wanted from her. But he was neither a brute to force his way on an unwilling woman, nor he would stoop down to the level to lie and flatter to obtain his desire. He had principles, yet Roze was stretching his limits.

But here he was standing in his own bathroom, looking dejectedly at his lips and remembering for the umpteenth time what Roze had told him. He didn't like this feeling, this feeling of having breeched some invisible line between what is acceptable and what hurts.

Kaname let out a chuckle which didn't sound amused at all. Here he was guilt tripping as if he was bewitched.

Yes, he had to be bewitched. No person on the planet had the right to make him ashamed of himself for what he had done or what he wanted. And one pauper of a girl named Roze, one of his workers ready at his every whim, was no exception. At all…

The situation was far from amusing now, Kaname thought as he touched and pulled at his wounded lip. The girl was certainly beautiful. Hell, she was gorgeous. And she was providing him with the diversion he had been admittedly missing for so long in his life. But this was not the way Kaname handled things and this was certainly not the kind of weakness that he wanted in his life.

He would get rid of it, he thought. He would scrape this girl off of his mind and for that, he knew what he had to do.

But firstly, there was this problem about his lip and his promise that he had made with Kain and Takuma.

Maybe he could get off the hook by saying that Roze had bitten him at the heat of the moment whilst they had kissed. Yes… That was believable enough. And about the other matter… Kaname got rid of his silk pajama bottoms and boxers, heading for the shower. If it would come to the worse, he would take his friends there. Yes… This was better than ruining his reputation and pride even though he knew that that would anger Roze more than anything. A pouty Roze was fine, but Kaname didn't want to ruin his chances by seriously angering her… But that was true if she had been actually not staging out a performance of a dignified and conservative girl that night…

Kaname tsked with narrowed down eyes and readied himself to face the morning.

-

Working whole morning in a joint project between their firms, Kain and Takuma barely made it in time for their appointed lunch with Kaname. The two young men, especially Kain was really looking forward to seeing their brunet friend. Heck, who would turn down the opportunity to bug the infamous president of the Kuran conglomerate about his personal life when that very chance was presented by the normally detached and reserved man himself.

He was smiling crookedly as Takuma drove them in his personal car, rubbing his hands together in anticipation.

"Kain, you seem really sure of the outcome already." Takuma was smiling, too at his friend's antics.

"Really now, Takuma… Don't tell me you can't guess the reaction that Roze-san would surely give to any men who treated her the way our cocky president planned to act." The fiery blond relaxed against the leather seat, watching the mid hour rush of the city.

Takuma shook his head in amused exasperation. "Don't tell that to Kaname. You know how prideful he is, he might say something not very pleasant, you know." He warned his friend.

"Heh," Kain shrugged his shoulders. "If Roze-san is not intimidated by him, then I would feel ashamed of taking his words to the heart." He laughed. But then his expression turned half serious and melancholic. "Whatever Kaname says I can never get upset over his words, Taku. The same thing goes for you, too." He admitted.

Takuma smiled his thanks and nodded. "I too think that he needs a lesson about relationships. Isn't it funny that he has found his match in such a girl? For some reason I really hope that Roze-san had given him that lesson, not the vice versa…" He sighed.

Kain's smile grew bigger. "Any sensible person would take sides with Roze-san. Pres is handsome, rich, classy, has an air that commands respect and awe… Yet, I can easily tell the last thing for that girl, too, even though she is from the lower class and poor. I admit that I would feel sorry for her if we see a smug looking and very relaxed Kaname today."

Takuma approached the parking lot of the restaurant that they frequented and nodded again before he stopped the engine. "Strange isn't it?" But that was not a question to be answered.

Together they entered the familiar and spacious establishment and easily found their way to their usual table, finding Kaname already seated, his lunch before him, acknowledging them with a barely perceptible tilt of his head.

Kain sat directly before Kaname and Takuma took the seat across them, quickly calling a waiter's attention with a small gesture.

Pouring himself a glass of water, Kain watched his brunet friend from the corner of his eye, quickly catching on with his usual mask of indifference and aloofness.

Yet at a second glance, he recognized that something was strange, off about Kaname's face. Inspecting carefully, finally his eyes located that minuscule difference as being the small wound on the edge of Kaname's lower lip. Raising his eyebrows at that, Kain congratulated himself and Roze inwardly, smirking slightly at his discovery.

"So, Pres… How was your night?" He asked, acting as if he hadn't seen the wound at all.

Kaname raised his eyes, looking as detached as ever. "It was fine." He answered simply, knowing that Kain had already seen the bruise and was humoring him nevertheless.

Their talk was interrupted by the waiter who took their orders before he left just as quickly.

"Now this isn't the face of a man who had conquered his intended game." Kain commented when he was sure that they were alone again.

"Presumptuous, aren't we?" Kaname raised an elegant eyebrow over his water glass and went on with his act, though he didn't know why he bothered to delay the inevitable.

"Then tell us a little bit more about it. Was Roze-san angry, did she make a scene, is there any hope of ray for a second outing?" Kain pestered even as he observed how Kaname's eyes slowly narrowed down to garnet slits and his lips thinned in distaste.

"Kain…" Takuma discreetly interjected even though he was smiling now, too.

Giving up, Kaname dabbed his lips with a napkin and leaned back, his eyes softening slightly. "You certainly are a bad influence and even worse as a friend, Kain."

"But you love me for it, don't you?" Kain arrogantly shrugged as a waiter approached and set their lunch before them.

"Yes, you certainly are presumptuous." Takuma huffed good naturedly and watched his two friends as the drama unfolded.

Kain started his meal lazily, still waiting for Kaname to tell his adventure. "C'mon, President… Even girls don't feign reluctance about talking of this thing among them. I bet Roze-san has already spilled the beans to her friends."

Yes… Kaname thought, not a bit amused. Had there really been some beans to spill in the first place…

Relenting to his misfortune of having a childhood friend like Kain, Kaname chose a roundabout way of telling the truth. "The dinner was good. We both learned new things about each other, some of which admittedly surprised me. Then we took a walk along the strolling area on the coast line and Roze got attacked by two drunk men who probably mistook her as a… as an escort girl who was dressed as a geisha. Satisfied?"

Both Kain's and Takuma's expressions would be considered hilarious had Kaname not been still feeling guilty over the incident.

"Probably? What does it mean probably?" Takuma asked, incredulous.

"What have you been doing then, Pres? Were you star gazing as she got attacked?" Kain's jaw dropped at the way Kaname talked about the event as if he wasn't a witness to it at all.

"It happened whilst I was talking on the phone." Kaname explained, face full of vexation. "I had walked a bit away and unfortunately left her alone for a couple of moments."

"Then..?" The blonds asked in unison, meals forgotten.

"I beat them to their bones but Roze had her ankle sprained. One of the thugs had hit her before I could reach there, so she was bleeding in her mouth. And well, I guess her knuckles must be hurting since she had punched one of them so hard that the man had already gotten a broken nose when I reached there."

"Woa!" Kain leaned back, his face full of surprise and admiration for the silver haired server. "I knew she was a fighter in the soul."

"But Kaname, she must have been really shaken… What a terrible thing that is for a woman to be mistaken as something like that… You didn't do anything stupid after such a shock for her, did you?" Takuma asked, seriously doubting the answer.

Kaname's face looked crestfallen for a millisecond but Kain caught the expression just before the brunet schooled it back into a pensive mask.

"Don't tell me… Don't tell me that small wound was Roze-san's doing, too…"

"No, that's…" Kaname began, relaxed as usual, but tense to the core, only to be interrupted by Kain.

"No, no… I can tell the rest for Takuma, don't tire yourself." He smiled wickedly. "You saved her. And then getting courage from playing her white knight in disguise, you made your move on her… Being that frightened and deprecated, she mistook your advances as those of the drunkards and she slapped you, didn't she?"

A moment of silence ensued, during which Kain looked at Kaname, hands grabbing the edge of the table, Takuma's wide green eyes hopping between Kaname's deadly stare and Kain's dangerously evil eyes full of childish sense of victory.

And when Kaname averted his eyes in palpable displeasure, Takuma burst into a chuckle which he tried to hide behind his napkin and Kain congratulated himself by snapping his fingers, wickedly grinning.

"I hate you, Kain." Kaname murmured, stabbing his half eaten steak with a vengeance, yet unable to stop a ghost of a smile from appearing on his lips.

"Ah, I love you, too, Kuran-sama." Kain winked at the still chuckling Takuma. "And my friend, drink some water before you kill yourself over being discreet about the magnificence of the first text book example of our President's how to seduce a girl, part one, chapter one."

But that was the last straw for Takuma as he openly snorted once and then coughed, yet still trying to not hurt Kaname's feelings by laughing outright.

"I won't forget this, gentlemen…" Kaname threatened, but he let his friends have fun at his expense since he himself had dug his grave by making that bold promise that afternoon.

"But I admire your stance against the subject, Kaname. I really do." Kain admitted. "Guys who get the same treatment generally tell a few lies to cover it. For example…" He drawled lazily, observing Kaname. "They tell that their partner had bit on their lip in the heat of the moment. At least you respect yourself enough to not use this worn out lie to save the day…"

Yet, as he watched his friend's reaction to his words, Kain easily figured out that Kaname had thought about using that lie, too. His slightly widening eyes told everything.

"Or do you?.." He asked, already cracking into laughter.

"Alright, alright… I give up!" Kaname tossed his napkin onto the table and smiled his own evil smile. "But don't tell me that you've never been slapped or used the same lie. I will never believe you."

"Oh, he did…" Takuma interjected, very amused.

"Yes, yes… Who am I to lie?" Kain admitted. "I got slapped more than you can guess and even used the same line a few times. But isn't Roze-san just the girl? You know the kind… umm, what was that song…" Kain speared Takuma a side glance and hummed a tune unknown to the other two.

"She looks like a flower but she stings like a bee, like every girl in history. She bangs, she bangs…"

And a huge laughter erupted from their table, attracting a few amused glances towards them.

Even Kaname chuckled at Kain's mischief, both embarrassed and amused at the same time. "You have signed your death certificate, Kain." He murmured with a positively dangerous gleam in his eyes even as his lips smiled. "Do you have any last wishes before I reunite you with your ancestors?"

Kain raised his hands in surrender, bowing his head. "I am sorry, I am really sorry." But he was still smiling. "I'll take any punishment, Kaname, but… Don't you agree that she is admirable? Holy cow! She breaks her attacker's nose! Then she slaps Kuran Kaname and that same Kuran Kaname still lets her go in one piece… You too must be thinking that she is something curious. Am I wrong?"

"So you find the tomboy cowgirls in the Western movies admirable, Kain?" Kaname asked, even though he was of the same opinion with him.

Kain did not answer to that, choosing to only raise one of his eyebrows at his friend. He returned to his meal, snickering quietly.

Yet Takuma didn't let the subject end, fork and knife in hand, both eating and talking. "To tell the truth, I wasn't expecting you to act so calmly at Kain's remarks about this, Kaname. I thought you'd get a bit angry."

Kaname took a small sip from his orange juice, looking mildly disturbed by the comment. "Do you actually expect me to get angry or upset over a girl and her ridiculous attempts at presenting herself as someone who is conservative and dignified?"

Takuma's green eyes widened at the brunet's dismissal. "You think she was acting?" He asked in disbelief. Getting a nod and a slightly deprecating smile as an answer, he lowered his eyes to his plate. "Now that was a cruel thing to assume." He judged with a soft voice.

"How so?" Kaname asked, still a bit angry at Roze's accusations and being categorized in the same place as those rascals. He wasn't one to feel bothered over things of small magnitude like his, and that was why he was slightly angry and vengeful even though he denied it with a fervor he wasn't aware of.

"Imagine Kaname, she gets attacked and deprecated… And then you try to kiss her… Can you understand how she had to have felt about it all? Maybe you frightened her and she got the wrong message."

"Heh…" Kain rejoined. "She got the real message, you should have said."

Shaking his head ruefully at Kain's boldness, Takuma continued. "And you think she was acting… I'd say you were careless."

"Whatever…" Kaname was quickly getting bored of the topic. "I guess she has some semblance of pride in her. If she had given in easily, maybe she thought that I would have never met her afterwards, thinking that it would mean as if she herself proved me how true the accusations of those men were."

"God, you are so heartless." Kain laughed with sarcasm. "Roze-san is doing the right thing by constantly refusing you. I wouldn't want to be in her place."

Kaname only narrowed down his eyes at that comment and feeling his mood going down the drain, he called a waiter to order some wine.

Takuma suppressed a sigh at his brunet friend's callousness and pitied Roze, for Kaname really seemed to think low of her yet was strangely obsessed over her for some reason.

"This means no free food tonight at the Imperial, eh?" Kain raised his eyes lazily and observed his thoughtful friend.

"Depends on your choice... If you want to watch a tormented server whole night, I can do something about it anytime." Kaname answered, still infuriatingly calm and indifferent.

"No, I'll pass on it. I don't like watching people squirm in unease before me as I eat. That's my sister's forte." Kain smiled sadly.

"I'll go alone if you don't mind. I want to see a cute blonde cooking for me."

It was high time for him to make his own move and Kain hoped that Aoi wouldn't misunderstand his intentions just like Roze had done about Kaname's. But in the end, it was all up to Kain to not act like a complete prick about his feelings like Kaname had done, wasn't it?

-

"Shut up, Aido."

"Damn, he harassed you! And you tell me to shut up? Are you nuts Zero?"

"For the love of God, Aido…. Please shut up! I am about to go crazy here!"

"You must be insane! That playboy must be insane, too! I told you to not go there! I told you that he has some other things going in his head. First he lets you get attacked, and then he turns around and does the same! And I am not even including the fact that you two are both guys! Guys, as in, males! Males, dammit! And what's worse than that, he thinks you are a woman! What will happen when he harasses you again? What will happen when he…. When he tries to grab your nonexistent…assets, for goodness sake! What will you tell him? That you have forgotten your breast pads at home or something?!"

Aido was making grabby motions with his hands, face beet red, and he was talking in an unstoppable fury as if he was an actor making his aside.

Zero was furious, too. Eyes closed, face disgruntled and creased into a terrible frown, all pale and sickly looking. He hadn't slept the whole night, cooked up a mountain of dishes that would last them at least three days and then he passed out on the sofa in the living room and had not woken up until the time they had to leave for work.

He had successfully managed to get away with his friends' questions until late afternoon, Ichiru filling them in with the details he knew. But ever so sensitive to Zero's mood changes, Yuuki and Aido had understood that there was more to Zero's grumpy and pissed off mood than he had let on. And when they had reached to the restaurant, due to Yuuki's insistent and relentless bugging, Zero had simply told them the whole story without mentioning the kiss at all. Yet, Yuuki had gotten the small and barely there to see hint and declared for her other friends that Zero had been kissed by their boss.

From then on hell broke loose for Zero as all of his friends looked at him with shocked faces, Yuuki bursting into endless giggles, Shiki raising his eyebrows in wonder –what a rare expression that was to see- and Aido panicking and starting his endless tirad of reprimands as if Zero didn't already know how wrong everything was and how bad he felt about it all.

"Aido… You are really becoming too much." Shiki said bored as Yuuki was doing his obi knot. "Don't you see Zero's face? He is already as tormented as he could be."

But Aido was not listening. "This is spiraling out of control in a maddening pace, I tell you." He grunted indignantly, turquoise eyes narrowed down. At least he was a bit calmer now.

"And I never knew you were a homophobe." Yuuki rejoined, her face a bit pinkish with the idea of his best friend being kissed by a gorgeous person, albeit a man at that.

"I am not!" Aido huffed, all too defensive. "People can fall for whoever they want. But do you seriously think that Kuran Kaname has got good intentions? And the problem is not as simple as that. He thinks that Zero is a girl… If he is serious about him, imagine what happens when he realizes that he has been wagging his tail all this time for a guy."

The irony of the situation was so comical that Yuuki burst out laughing, all the while apologizing to Zero. "That would be hilarious!" She was saying, ignoring how Zero's back turned to her was now stiff with tension and agitation.

Aido gave up and returned to his own dressing, waving a dismissive hand to Yuuki. With serious and now a very calm face, he said his last words on the subject.

"No, Yuuki. It won't be hilarious. You can never guess what a man like him who has the power and the money in his hands would do when their pride is at stake. I just hope that he is just a player and soon he gets bored of this."

Sobered up by Aido's ominous words, Yuuki nodded and bit her lip, her eyes travelling among his friends' pensive faces. Even Shiki seemed a bit crestfallen upon what Aido had told. Zero was still sitting on his bench, his back to them, ready and Aido was doing up his hair with a dreary expression on his face.

For the first time that evening, Yuuki realized the magnitude of how she had persuaded her friends into something they hadn't wanted in the first place. If Zero would get hurt in the end because of this, she would never forgive herself for pushing his friends into this job that day.

Of course, Zero had agreed to all this mess because of Ichiru's expenses, but she thought that had Ichiru known the real reason why his brother felt this belittled and this forlorn, he would surely have had a heart attack that instant.

The terrible thought of that left Yuuki trembling despite herself and she promised herself to keep an eye on Zero better this time.

Her friend looked so tired and in turmoil that she felt herself responsible for it. If she could look after the younger twin to his health, she could handle the elder as well just as easily, she thought.

-

"What?!"

"Go out with me."

Aido's brain functions chose that moment to get on a plane and take a holiday in Bahamas. He blinked stupidly at the fiery blond sitting before him who was looking at his face with a childish enthusiasm and expectance. Yakisoba was frying on a pan, and he was serving the fresh smelling kenchinjiru soup to his guest who was none other than Akatsuki Kain.

The man was waiting for a reply, hopeful and patient. "Yes, Aoi?" He was saying, chopsticks in his hand snapping to get his server's attention.

"Will you go out with me?"

Aido spluttered, catching a grip of himself, his eyes widened to brilliant marbles. "Are you crazy by any chance?" He asked, cheeks going red with his fury and embarrassment.

Kain, not expecting an answer like this leaned back and laughed, "Why do you say so?"

"I won't! My answer is no!" Aido stirred the noodles, looking scandalized. God, why was this happening to him right after he had castigated Zero for something which was not his fault in the first place? These bastards were of the same kind and now he understood that where that Kuran bastard was coming from. These men were friends; of course they were alike in their arrogant player attitude!

"But why not?" Kain asked again, truly mystified by the outright refusal and the murderous look the girl was giving to him.

"Look, sir." Aido began, "I am a worker here, not some toy who exists to please every silly whim of my patrons. I don't know you. I don't trust you. I don't like the way you treat me. So, out of which do you think is the best reason for me to refuse you?"

"Wow…" Kain sighed, his shoulders slumping in defeat. "So, Roze-san is really furious over what Kaname had done to her."

"What does it have to do with that?" Aido was getting really angry now.

"Everything…" Kain lazily leaned back and played with the vegetables in his soup. "You think that I am the same as Kaname, that I am after you for my ill intentions, that I will embarrass you. But you are wrong."

Aido huffed, giving another stir to his noodles. "Hah, tell me who your friend is and I'll say who you are. I don't want trouble, sir. I cook, you eat… That's why I am here for, not to get myself tangled into the games of some bored people who have nothing to lose other than a few bucks from their thick wallets. Sorry, I am afraid I can't entertain you on this matter."

"And what if I tell you that I like being with you? Look at me in the eye and tell me I am not sincere when I say that I like your company and want to know you and wish you to get to know me, too…" Kain countered, really serious and ardent about his claim.

Aido was at a loss of words as he looked at that face, feeling his own change into a few hues of red. "What?" He mumbled stupidly, the metal chopsticks trembling in his hand. The sudden onslaught of emotions that whirled in him was all new to him. He felt anger flare up deep within his chest, then felt a surge of thrill upon the indirect confession of the fiery blond, unable to decide if he was feeling insulted or esteemed. Yet at the same time panic was spreading in his mind, clouding all other emotions.

It took him a few heart beats to realize that an answer was expected from him and Aido did his best to collect his scattered brains and think rationally, not emotionally. This man, whose eyes actually seemed sincere, whose body language told him that he too was as nervous as he was, was gravely mistaken on something… That he wasn't a woman… A new shade of crimson colored Aido's cheeks upon the thought but if this man was serious in his claim, which was obviously true, then giving him even the slightest bit of hope about this would result in a disaster.

Stupidly enough, Aido was secretly happy to receive such an attention from such a man even though he didn't swing that way… But he doubted that misleading another guy into making him believe he was someone that he actually wasn't would end in some laughter or polite exchanges of 'Ah, pardon me, my bad.' or 'Oh, sorry. I was simply having a bit of fun.' like Yuuki had thought.

No one on earth liked to be played for a fool, and Aido was not about to try his luck.

"That's fair enough." He mumbled, his face drained of its color now. "But I don't want to." And he returned to his yakisoba.

Kain gazed at his server with dejected eyes, damning his luck to hell and back. Clearly Aoi was affected by what happened to Roze-san. And he thought that it was understandable for them to be this way. Here they were simple workers who tried to earn their breads and lead simple but problem-free lives without the headache of what a man of their station could bring. He knew how they saw them... They had to be giving the image of a nonliable, care-free man who wanted a relationship without strings attached, who did not offer anything in return, who had nothing to lose but a little money and time just like Aoi had stated before.

Even though Kaname was fixatedly claiming that Roze-san was after much more than this, that was why she played the hard-to-get girl, Kain didn't think so. There were some women who wanted something steadier, more reliable and based on mutual give and take, rather than a fleeting arrangement of exploiting the benefits that each side could offer until there was nothing left or until one of them got bored of it and wanted a new adventure.

Shit, he thought. If Roze-san too had this adamantly refused Kaname's advances, how could his friend still not be able to see that they weren't acting? That they were actually… dare he say, afraid of something… of them…

He suppressed a groan, a sinking feeling anchoring in his chest. Now that he saw this, he wanted to get to know this girl even more than before… Aoi deserved it; she deserved his full attention, full effort and his utmost care in treading the pathway to her heart and mind. These girls were not simple as Kaname declared. They were something else, entirely different from the painted dolls that sauntered around them daily. That was why Kain was not about to give up.

"I have never been this flashily rejected before, Aoi." He murmured with a rueful smile on his lips.

Aido bowed his head slightly and formally apologized. "I am sorry if I hurt your feelings, sir."

"No, no… Not at all… I guess I deserved it by approaching you the wrong way. No wonder you don't take me seriously now. I understand."

Aido bit on his lower lip and felt something akin to sorrow in his chest for causing such a dejected smile to appear on that face. But things had to be this way.

"But, tell me, Aoi. Is it alright for me to come here again and chat with you on random things? Maybe we could try to be friends… I promise I won't be a bother to you on this matter from now on. But I simply can't let go of the opportunity of getting to know someone like you. Is it okay?"

Aido listened to his patron with wide eyes. "You don't give up easily, do you?" He asked, not expecting an answer.

Kain smiled sadly. "Was it too much to ask?"

Damn, Aido got flustered all of a sudden when he saw that smile. He felt guilty for causing that but at the same time he felt happy to see that his companionship was esteemed like this.

"Fine… But don't try anything funny and don't look at me like the way you did when you first came here. It gave me the creeps." He smiled at his own words despite himself.

Kain huffed and smiled, too, feeling elated by Aoi's permission.

"So, won't you give me some of that yakisoba, Aoi? I think it is a bit overcooked now, but I am sure it's better than I could ever manage."

And Aido looked at his pan, seeing that he actually fried them for too long in his concentration. "Sorry." He mumbled embarrassed. "I will immediately cook a new batch."

"No… It is alright. Just make me a radish salad and we'll be even." He made a thumbs-up gesture and waited to enjoy his now very crisp noodles.

-

A week and a half passed by without a major event for Zero. The weather was getting colder and colder and the autumn rains were now chilling them to their bones. Thanks to the Chairman's precautions, now the partitions had decorative roofs made from dark polished timber which was installed in a day. Though the customers were now unable to gaze at the darkened skies above, the solution was but a temporary one until the next spring.

Zero's hands were always full now. He was serving to his patrons nearly every one hour and a half, sometimes hosting five or six groups until the closing hour. The late comers were generally sitting only for a quick main dish and chatting over large amounts of sake and Japanese beer. Zero hated this group the most.

This people were mostly of high status men and sometimes their mistresses. They would all come in after most probably enjoying their night at some posh place else and they would want to eat something solid and warm before they would return their homes and wives. The suits they wore were of renowned designer boutiques, the scarce amount of women would be beautiful and just as classy as the men they flirted and acted so intimate with.

But sometimes, there would be some groups which would be all too serious and nearly unapproachable in their countenance. Zero knew deep inside that these were the dangerous type. They were probably from some underground syndicate in appearance of business men.

Yet, each and every of them would request his presence for some reason. They would ogle him as if he was a monkey in a freak show. Some men, even though their woman companions would cling to them like insistent leeches, would eat him up with their eyes even as Zero would grind his teeth and try to pour his damnedest to seem subservient and polite. They would chew their every morsel whilst they gazed at him, request him to serve their sake by sitting next to them and even pay their bill after they would grab his wrist and forcefully place a kiss on the back of his hand with their greasy lips.

And Zero would just want to slaughter each and every one of them at the spot.

It was as if these people were all linked to each other somehow or maybe they were all coming here after one of the earlier customers had recommended him to the others. Then he would remember the old patron who had said him that he was recommended for his great cooking by one of his frequenters. This was most likely the case but it didn't mean that Zero had to like it.

Yet the worst thing about this development was the growing number of names on his list and the money that he was keeping in the box in Cross' locker. Cross too was not happy with the situation and he would strictly admonish Zero to come and directly tell him if one of the guests was going off the limits of civility in any way. Zero would simply nod at the man.

Normally, this wouldn't have bothered him this much if the episode in the coast line had not happened at all. He wondered if it was the habit of the men to turn to insensible brutes about women when they had the money and the means. It was as if they saw woman kind and people of lower standards as things to amuse themselves with. As if money was enough to put them on a pedestal of sorts and the pea brained ingrates thought that everyone had to kiss their feet, men or women, since they were something holy now.

Yeah, Zero would think. Some people believe that cows and oxen are holy, too…

And thinking about this would immediately make him remember the brunet whom he fortunately hadn't seen his face for about twelve days now.

Kuran Kaname hadn't been around at all during all these. Zero had seen Takuma-san and Kain-san a few times. Shiki would be visibly happy to have the chance to interact with the blond male, but Aido would be a little pensive and even agitated. Of course Zero knew the reason behind it, since Aido could hide nothing from it even if he wanted to. They had talked about Kain-san's visit and his offer to Aido when the two had been in charge of the dishes and the next day's meals.

Zero had admired Aido's forwardness then, wishing that he could have been as firm as Aido towards his jackass boss Kuran. But their situation was different. Aido had been gently asked out, but Zero had been tricked into it. Even so, after a few days, Zero was finally able to look at the incident between him and Kuran with a cool head and without the unnecessary replay of the event in his mind.

Try as he might Zero was still unable to find it humorous the way he would have done during their first encounters. Aido was doing the right thing.

The thing that had been the constant reminder of Kuran's unwanted presence was a single rose that Zero received every night from the same flower shop errand boy. Aido would look at the rose as if it would be poisonous, Shiki would raise an eyebrow at Kuran's pestilence and Yuuki would be overprotective.

She had torn down the first couple of roses into its petals even before Zero could understand what was happening. The small, elegant card that would accompany it would also find its resting place in the dustbin along with the destroyed rose. But after the fourth rose, Zero had lost it against his curiosity and dared to take a look at the card when no one was around. He had taken it out of the dustbin and opened it carefully to not shred it further before he could read it and took a look at the neat handwriting there.

Please don't throw me away, Roze.

And afterwards, he hadn't known if he should just sit there and curse the heavens or laugh his heart out. Yet one thing was certain that from that night on he had made sure to get each single rose and the card and hid them away to where he was hiding all the other roses that Kuran had sent him since they had met. In every card the same thing was written and every rose seemed to be the carbon copy of each other, a blazing red and so vividly fresh. And he would choose to not question why he was doing this, ignoring every little attached meaning to his action. He was simply admiring and preserving beauty; that was all.

Tonight he could feel eyes on himself.

It was around eleven pm and he was serving a group of four men who were all pristine in their appearances. Among them two of them were young and the other two were middle aged, maybe even older than that. It seemed to him that the young men were their bodyguards or something along that line, since they were sitting in a formal way and eating discreetly, not participating in the dialogue as one should expect. The other two were most probably fast friends because they were cracking jokes about each other's personal lives and laughing at them.

They seemed a normal enough group and as far as Zero could remember the names of them from the reservation booklet he carried around, one of them was a well known business man who dealt with shipping goods from the overseas. And that man was the one who was eyeing him from the corner of his eye without even bothering to be subtle about it.

Zero was trying to concentrate on his work. He was cooking teppanyaki for them, the sizzling sound of the grilling veggies and various kinds of meats was somehow filling the disturbing silences during which the brown haired man asked him questions, but it was quickly becoming disturbing to him.

He was asking his name, which he had to say even though he really didn't want to. He was asking his age, where he was from, where he had learned cooking from, what he would enjoy doing in his free time, where and with whom he lived...

What was the matter with this guy? Why was he being subjected to this? Was there something written on his face giving them the signal that he was molestable or something? He changed a few shades from light pink to deathly pale and then a sickly gray color. This was becoming too much to endure.

"Sir, I have to kindly ask you to refrain yourself from trying to learn personal information about the workers. It is strictly forbidden for us to talk during the serving other than the necessary times and I can't transgress that rule as a head waitress." He gritted between his teeth all the while keeping his head down and sharing the dipping sauces he had prepared into small cups.

"Look here, missy." One of the young men started with a condescending voice. "You are insulting our boss. Simply answer what is asked of you and sit there prettily as you have been doing all night. You lot are only good for that, aren't you?"

Now that made Zero see red as his gaze flicked between the ass kisser blond man and his so called boss who now ignored him altogether and stuffed his face with some pork chops.

"Are you aware that you are insulting me, sir?" Zero asked, brows furrowed and shoulders tense.

"You insult my boss and wait for respect when all you can do is clowning yourself here and expect us to enjoy the sight?" The young blond was speaking in such a refined and irritating manner that it would be no surprise for Zero if the man had said that he was a college graduate. You could never cure the stupid and never educate a jackass with text books.

"Sir, I am merely saying that asking for personal information of our servers is forbidden. Hence I have no obligation to tell you where I live or what I do when I am free. This establishment is not a geisha house. This is a restaurant."

Zero was doing his best to not yell at the men to simply fuck off. No one had to right to belittle his work or liken his cooking to mucking around.

"Then shut up and do your pitiful job, missy."

This time, it was the old brown haired man who talked. His face was crunched up into ugly wrinkles as if he was disgusted over something, his sake cup was in his hand and his bleary little eyes were narrowed down.

That was the last straw for Zero. Anger was boiling within him like a wild fire and if he was to endure this any more he left like he was going to combust with the force of it.

"Then my good sir," He bit down, not hiding the derision he felt from showing on his face or in his tone. "Maybe you'd want another of our servers to help you. I seem to be falling short in being able to fulfill your wishes."

He made a motion to get up from his thin cushion, intent on leaving the partition. His hands were trembling and he felt very disappointed with himself in being unable to act with a cooler head.

The room was silent now; the other guests were eerily quiet as a cold atmosphere permeated the room.

But just as he was getting up on his knee a vice like grip clutched his hand. "Sit there now Roze-chan." It was the old man and he was now down from his seat, forcefully making Zero sit before him, too. "Maybe I should have given your tip as soon as we entered the room." He said, all too close. His face was nearly before Zero's face now, his breath reeking of alcohol.

Zero felt lots of different emotion invade his senses all at the same instant. He felt an unreasonable fear at first. No patron in any of the places he had worked before had done this to him. He felt disgust churn his stomach. The man's eyes were looking at him just like the way the drunkards at the coast line had been looking at him that night. He felt fury grip his insides and tighten his chest. What had he done to deserve this disrespect, this callousness, this derogation?

"Unhand me!" He ordered; panic feeding his rancor, forgetting that he might cause a scene here before his colleagues, before his other guests. "Don't touch me!" And he tried to get up even as the other men around them tried to pull the brown haired men away and get him under control, but he wasn't relinquishing his grip.

"How feisty! She is as beautiful as they praise her!" He was saying in a sickly bemused tone. "What about I tip you a handsome round of 25000 Yen? Would you be willing then?"

Zero's mind went blank for a second as his mind failed to understand what the half drunk half crazy man was offering him. All he could hear was the other young man and the other old patron's words as they tried to coax the brown haired man to let Zero go and stop with his indecent offer.

"Nagashi-san! Nagashi-san stop! You are going to cause a scene!"

"Stop that Nagashi, you're embarrassing yourself. What if her boss is here? Stop this nonsense!"

But the men's urgings were unheeded of as the old man kept his cool act of persuading Zero all the while trying to get into his personal space more and more by crawling over his knees towards him. He reached a hand to cup Zero's chin as if to raise his face towards himself. But that was then when Zero snapped out of his stupefaction.

No longer able to care if he was going to get fired for his actions, with a tremendous force he shoved the man away from himself as he sprung up to his feet, ready to kick the man in the shins if it was needed. Yet, the brown haired man, called Nagashi, toppled back like a fat teddy bear and couldn't get up from his position for a few seconds until his men, too, rushed to help him.

Zero looked at the scene with widened, horrified eyes, face pale as a sheet, as the old man swore heavily under his breath and yelled at him.

"You little slut!.. If you didn't like the money, you could have told me, you whore!"

Enraged to see his boss kissing the tatami flooring, the young blond man made it as if he was going to hit Zero but in a blur of motion, somebody jumped into the partition from where it was opening to the gardens and in a dizzying rush, the person stopped the punch that was on its merry way towards Zero. All the men who were fumbling on the floor and who were now on their feet stopped at that instant with their curses and their accusations.

Still in his black coat, it was Kuran Kaname who was the second share holder of the place that was standing before them with murderous garnet eyes that were darkened to mere slits.

He had been sitting in the bar area, where he could see Roze work after learning from the hand-in-wait which partition she was in. Even though he had been adamant on not visiting her for at least two weeks, there he had been, at the most suitable place in the restaurant, watching her just like a cat would watch its prey.

This was not something to be proud of and Kaname even felt disgusted at his lack of self control when it came to getting a glance of Roze even from afar, yet he had sat there and observed her until he had realized that something was wrong.

And when that man had grabbed her wrist like that, tried to get in her personal space like that, he had literally seen red and had run into the room in such a haste that didn't suit him at all. But he wouldn't let some other men to touch his Roze. He wouldn't let it happen, not this time.

"What is the entire ruckus here about, gentlemen? Did you think that this establishment is a place that you could carry your stupid brawl here?" He asked, voice low and polite but all the more sinister and threatening.

"Kuran-san? Is that you, Kuran-san?" One of the friends of Nagashi spoke from the floor, apparently knowing him. The man, whom Kaname recognized now, was still trying to help the man in getting up on his feet. "Oh, God… We are terribly sorry. There is a huge misunderstanding here, Kuran-san."

And upon the word misunderstanding, Kaname's penetrating eyes landed on Zero who was breathing raggedly, flushed and looked so damn much pissed off. "Could you care to tell me about it, Roze-san?" He asked, holding those vivid amethyst eyes with his sharp ones.

Shocked to see the brunet appear right there at that right moment for the second time, Zero felt a mixture of relief and shame at the same time. It was just like a déjà vu of that night. But before he could even utter a word, Nagashi stood up and took a step towards Zero. "You are employing girls like these here, Kuran?" He asked, disrespect shown on his flushed, wrinkled face. "She is the devil incarnate! How can you let people like her work here? She disrespected a customer! She offended me and my companions!" He bellowed, his friend still trying to manhandle him into stillness.

"Roze-san, is that true?" Kaname asked to Zero who was watching the scene unfold like a badly written farce. With anger filled eyes, Zero looked straight into Kuran's hardened and detached gaze, fearless.

"He made improper remarks, he gripped my wrist and didn't let go!" He answered, lips trembling in his rage. He had to speak in a low voice, had to stand still, he didn't want to attract other patrons' attention here than it already was. He could see a few of the serving staff before the partition door where it opened to the gardens. He was sure that people had heard some of the yelling the drunken man was making. He felt so sick to his core that he wanted to vomit everything in his stomach. But the worst was yet to come.

The blond guy, apparently bent on covering his master's sorry ass at all costs, turned towards Zero and pointed at him as if he was pointing at a culprit.

"She is a disgrace for this establishment. She hit my boss for crying out loud! What kind of a place is this?!"

"Silence!" Kaname ordered and immediately the blond shut up. He returned to the first man who addressed him. "Arata-san, what exactly happened?"

The man called Arata bowed his head in shame. "It is just like the girl had said, Kuran-san. I guess she was so frightened that she pushed him away and he ended up like this."

Zero felt a flicker of ease in his heart and thanked the man silently for telling the truth. Kaname's gaze found his again and he didn't avert his eyes as if he wanted to show him that he had to believe him no matter what the others said.

Yet, feeling belittled among his own company, Nagashi pushed Arata away with a growl, his face contorted into a mask of fury.

"This girl attacked me and toppled me over not because she was afraid! She did that because she didn't like the tip money I offered her! She is such a slut that she is expecting more than 25000 Yen for her pathetic excuse of service!"

And in a blink of an eye, even before Kaname could react, he shoved Zero back just as hard as he had been pushed away, causing him lose his balance.

Zero couldn't catch himself and he lost his footing because of his kimono. Yet, the grill was just behind him and whilst he tried to grab on something to ease his fall, his hand landed on the still working grill, all his weight causing his hand to slide over the oily surface and get burnt.

Clamping his teeth over his lower lip, Zero immediately freed his hand but it was too late. Now he had a nasty burn over half of his palm which was now throbbing like a heart, still sizzling with the dirty oil from the dish he had been preparing. Tears sprung to his eyes but he refused to cry or voice his pain, he simply sat there, mind too lost in the words the man had just said before Kuran. Yet, for reasons unknown to him, he raised his head and searched for Kaname's eyes. He wanted to see how Kaname was looking at him, he wanted to see his reaction.

"You work pitiful women like this here? This kind of sluts will ruin this place's reputation someday, I tell you!" The man was still going on it, watching Zero's fallen form in a sadistic smile.

Kaname could only stare at the ugly wound on Roze's hand. Then as if pulled by a vortex his eyes met with hers and he was unable to hide the flicker of doubt he felt from showing in his eyes.

Zero understood, something in him breaking apart in realization. He had seen it… that disgust and doubt. It was enough for him. So he averted his eyes.

What transpired between them at that moment Kaname didn't know but when Roze lowered her gaze, something rebelled in him. He felt rage surge in him like a volcano. "Get him out before I do something I won't regret." He hissed lowly between his clenched teeth, unable to pry his eyes away from Roze's hand, mind swirling with questions.

Did she really ask for more money? How could this man offer her an amount worth of the meal itself as tip money? Why isn't she saying something? Why is she sitting there as if she is guilty?

"Tell her to apologize from me!" Nagashi demanded, cutting through Kaname's swirling thoughts. "Tell her to make a formal bow!"

Zero would prefer to die before he did that. So he simply stood up and with his bowed head, went to the sliding doors and made his exit before murmuring a small apology to Kuran.

"Hey! How could you let her go?"

"Shut up, Nagashi!" Arata yelled and surprisingly the drunken man stopped his bickering.

Exchanging a subtle glance with Cross who entered just after Roze's departure, Kaname looked at the mess in the room. "Chairman, this gentlemen will never be accepted into this establishment again under any condition." He made a gesture that excluded Arata. "Send the bill for the damages to this man and offer some of the best wine to the other customers in apology of the ruckus here."

And he swiftly turned back and exited the room to find where Roze had run away to.

Cross surveyed the scene and his face took on an edgy expression as he fixed his glasses over his nose. He had seen the way Zero had escaped the room with a burnt hand and slouched shoulders. He hated the fact that his fears about Zero became true in such a nasty way like this. He had no tolerance for the ones who hurt his workers that he came to like and admired.

"Who is the one that hurt my precious employee?" He asked in a terrifyingly serious tone, his eyes sharp as knives.

Zero had run to the first place that came to his mind, their special locker room. He had passed through the garden and done his best to seem normal when he stormed by the kitchen area, avoiding curious looks and kind souls who had asked him if there was anything wrong and if they could be of some help.

No, no… He was thinking, eyes bleary with involuntarily collecting tears. No one could help me with my own foolishness.

Now he was sitting in the empty room, on the edge of the rows of metal chairs that stood before the many mirrors. His back was to them, because he couldn't take it to look at his face now, shoulders trembling with the struggle to not cry or to not go back in and crack that moron's head into two and bake his none-existing brains.

The silence of the room was getting on his agitated nerves. In the whirlpool of emotions and ideas that wreaked havoc in his mind, he wished that one of his friends were here beside him. Not to talk… But just be there as an anchor that would ground him in reality. But on second thought, he didn't want anybody to see him like this, as he hunched forward, head in between his burnt hand and the other trembling one, tremors shaking his frame as if he had been in a blizzard.

This was a mistake. This had been a mistake from the start… He was losing his self respect here even as he tried to do his job with utmost care, tried to earn enough money to find a remedy for his twin's fragile heart… He was losing his integrity no matter how many times he had told himself that this was not his fault, this was not happening to him because he had called for it… It was no use.

He was worthless in the eyes of the others and would be so until he quitted this thrice damned job and find himself some other place to slave away his sweat and labors… This was unjust!

But deep inside, even though he tried to deny it to himself, what hurt him most was being called a slut twice before Kuran. He chuckled bitterly with an acrid taste in his mouth. No wonder Kuran was seeing him as such, too. How could he blame the other for thinking so when everyone around him openly voiced their opinion before the brunet without a reserve?

He hugged himself, staining his kimono with the dirty oil still clinging to his wounded hand. Why was he unable to hold Kuran's gaze after hearing that word when he had been able to gaze into his eyes levelly just a few seconds before? Why the thought of Kuran thinking so of him hurt this much? His eyes… He wished he had never searched for them at that moment. His stomach gave a lurch and he heaved, shooting directly to the sinks in the small bathroom.

After drinking mouthfuls of ice cold tap water, he was able to regulate his breathing for a bit. Still unable to face the mirror, he washed his throbbing hand and observed the ugly burnt that decorated it. Everyone thought that he was dirty, so this burnt had to be the solidified evidence of it.

He returned to his spot and started to gaze at the marble flooring with empty eyes. He wondered silently what his friends would say about the event. He tried to imagine how Ichiru would react if he had told him about all the harassment he had been going through during this couple of weeks was happening just because he was wearing this stupid, this ugly kimono and doing up his hair like some cheap prostitute would do so before she would go out to hunt for jobs.

The idea hurt something deep inside him that he never knew could hurt. He was a cook; he was a worker who only wanted to do his job… But here he was comparing himself to what? Now if that was not darkly humorous than what was? He was thinking of himself in the same way those beasts were thinking of him. Had he been this weak? Was his will this breakable?

He shut his eyes against the thought and tried to steady himself as best as he could. Ichiru would be sad to see him like this. It would hurt him. He just had to be strong for both himself and for his twin. He could manage it, yes, he could do this.

But just as his mind tumbled around to find a semblance of courage within himself to hold on, the door of the room was knocked and without waiting for an answer someone entered.

Zero's back was half turned to the door, so he was unable to see who the intruder was, but he also felt afraid of someone seeing his terrible state like this when he felt this vulnerable and this much down. So he kept his back turned to door and bowed his head, not wanting to acknowledge the person that entered. He cradled his hand on his lap and waited for the person to leave him alone, to his misery.

Kaname stood there for a few moments, his eyes narrowing down at the sight of a defeated looking Roze. The bowl of ice water he had requested from a staff as he searched for her swished in his hands, the cracking sounds coming from the ice filling in the silence.

He felt terribly enraged. The way the girl before him hung her head, her silvery hair falling down her shoulders lifelessly, the way she refused to acknowledge his presence as if she was afraid of being seen this way hurt him irrevocably. He ignored the trembling in his own hands as he gripped the edges of the bowl, loathing the fact that someone had hurt his Roze and she had seemingly accepted the blame with her sunken shoulders and shivering frame.

It was as if Roze looked smaller, that strong girl seemed so broken and in pieces. He abhorred the sight. But what he hated most was the fact that the reason of it all was someone else's words and actions.

Unreasonable jealousy gripped Kaname's insides as he gazed at her silent form and he was unable to answer to the question why. All he knew that someone else had dared to break his Roze and he had been this close to break that man's nose in return. But, where was her fighting spirit, why wasn't she saying anything? Why was she averting her eyes now when she had been able to hold his gaze daringly just a few minutes ago?

He gritted his teeth, angry at her for causing this much emotion to shake his control. He approached her, his shoes making harsh clanking sounds. He stood before her, watching how her shoulders shook… with rage? …with embarrassment? He didn't know, but he hated the sight.

"How long are you going to sit like that?" He asked icily, startling her. "Don't you have a job to attend to instead of sulking here?"

Zero's lips trembled in suppressed ire. So Kuran had come to berate him over the scene he had created… How very typical of the bastard. And here he was thinking of quitting the job. Kuran was going to fire him by sparing him the trouble. He bit on his lip and remained silent, nursing his hand.

Kaname's brows furrowed in agitation at Roze's silent treatment. The wound on that pale hand irritated him. The way she bowed her head infuriated him. What had this girl had done to him enough to pull these strong emotions out of him at her mere sight.

"Look at you." He taunted. "Your shoulders are shaking just like a bird's. You are bowing your head as if you are the guilty one. You are not that strong and level headed girl who slapped me and split my lip that night. That Roze would never run away with slouched shoulders like the way you did. You look pathetic." He griped, anger palpable in his voice. But with what he was angry he couldn't tell. Even as he hedged his mind for an answer he couldn't tell if he was furious at that man, at Roze or at himself. And the feeling was making him crazy.

Zero listened to the brunet with wide eyes. So he was pathetic? So he was the guilty one? So Kuran had believed what the other man had told there? What was he doing here standing above him, spitting his foul mind, taking his anger upon him? Who did he think he was?

"Stop that." He whispered between clenched teeth.

"Stop what?" Kaname asked, eyes dangerous pools of garnet stones. "Stop telling the truth?"

Zero fisted his injured hand into a tight ball. "Stop playing with me!" He yelled unable to take the derision any longer.

"Stop trying to goad a reaction out me for only to turn around and laugh at it! What do you think I am? Am I something existing for your fun? Am I someone you people can ridicule and insult to your little blackened hearts' content? I am a human being, too! I have limits, too! So stop with your sick games, Kuran!" He couldn't shut his mouth, couldn't rein his words. He had to get them out of his chest, he had to say them or he thought he might die.

His face now ashen pale, eyes scorching pools of true hurt, he looked up at his tormentor, intend on ending this here and now.

"Are you that much offended by my slap? Is this your twisted way of getting revenge? I am sure you loved every second of that masquerade. Did you like it when you saw how that man treated me just like the way those bastards did? Did you feel elated when he threw me down like some rubbish? Well, let me tell you this then, you lot are all the same! All of you are after the same thing! When you have the money you think you can rule the world and treat anyone as nothing but bugs! Am I the guilty one? Am I the pathetic one?" Zero snorted, his eyes brimming with tears. "Of course you'll think so… I am nothing but a simple person, but he is oh so noble and high just because he has his dirty money! Of course he is right and I am wrong. How could I defend myself after you looked at me with those eyes? How do you expect me to find strength in your gaze when all I see there is the same derision and doubt?"

Kaname stood still at the words that left Roze's mouth. With wide eyes he watched how those tears tumbled down her lashes and then were furiously wiped away dry by a now bleeding hand.

This girl wanted to take strength from him? This girl had been looking at him with those eyes because she wanted to see in them that he believed in her? Was that why after she had found nothing in his icy detachment that she had turned away and left the room without saying anything? Was she expecting him to defend her just like he had done that night without a second thought?

Kaname felt dread quivering up his spine as realization hit him hard. Roze was still seeing him the same, she was aware what he was after. She was clever enough to realize that he wanted her like a man would want a woman. She was suspecting him just like the way he was doubtful of her purity. So he had been right all along in assuming that she wasn't going to let go of him after a casual one night stand, she wanted more and she wanted to ensure that by pulling this needy act. And at that moment when their eyes had been locked, it had been his chance to prove her wrong and show her that he valued her, that he respected her… But he had lost that chance and even come here to rub salt on the wound.

This had to be another of her masks. She had to be acting yet again… He didn't know, he didn't have time to analyze her every word and action now. But all he knew that if he wanted to continue this… This thing that Roze believed was a game, he had to do something, to repair his broken Roze somehow before she fell down into pieces because of a total stranger's blow.

He fell on one of his knees and tried to reach for her hand, but even before he could attempt it, Roze flinched away from his touch, curling inside herself more. The reaction hurt him, he didn't know but it clawed at something within his chest.

"Roze, I am sorry… Roze, please look at me…" He tried, setting the bowl of water by her side. "Why are you still thinking that I am the same as those people? I was angry, yes. I was trying to goad you into anger rather than this dejected look you have now. I hate seeing you defeated, Roze… I thought, maybe if I could get you angry, then you would stand up and fight again… Please look at me, Roze."

"You are doing it again… You are trying to fool me." Zero sobbed dryly, disgusted with the way how his heart was thudding in his chest at Kaname's words, at how his tears refused to stop blurring his eyes.

"I am not!" Kaname felt desperate. "If there is a fool here, then it is me! I don't know how to approach you, I don't know how to voice what I actually feel. Those were merely taunts, not my real ideas about you! I'd never believe in what a drunkard would say over what your eyes would tell me, Roze. I am sorry, I didn't understand it there…"

And he sat there, right there on the floor, not caring that he was ruining his coat and trousers. He really felt stupid now for being this much dense about it all. He wanted this girl to be his, yet all he had been doing was antagonizing her as if she was his enemy when Roze was expecting him to believe in him. Why he hadn't seen this card before? He could have easily played for it and things could be less complicated now.

He snorted at the idea. The situation was already as absurd as it was.

He could never tell if she was trying to trick him into trusting her. Her tears looked genuine, but so was a crocodile's. She was adamantly trying to maintain her purity act even when men were attacking her like leeches. How could he believe into a bewitcher? This girl was a trouble magnet, but not all she attracted was trouble. People wanted a part of her, anything that could put hands on… No wonder that he wasn't the only one who was drawn to her like a moth. But what was her goal in trying this desperately to show that she was innocent and pure?

But as Kaname raised his head to look at her, he sincerely thought that he was losing something within himself to Roze that he didn't understand. The notion was killing him and enraging him to the point of wanting to grab the girl from her shoulders and shake her until she confessed that she was just a player and he was right from the start.

"Please leave the room, Kuran-san. I'll change and leave this place." Zero muttered, turned sideways to the sitting brunet. He was calmer now that he was able to shout everything he had been storing in his heart.

"I won't. Not until you look at my face and let me learn why you think so low of me." Kaname countered leaning his elbows on his knees and clasping is hands before him.

"Then why did you…" Zero began, swallowing. He had to ask this, he had to dammit, even as his cheeks colored. But he preferred to believe the reason being his anger. "Then why did you do that? Did you think that it would be a marvelous idea to molest me right after what those guys had tried to do?" He stopped and looked into Kaname's eyes again, now having the courage to meet them.

"Or maybe you thought the same? That I am a simple girl who is up for grabs, not some one who deserved your respect or not worthy of even asking my opinion about the subject at all…" He fisted his hand again, not able to recognize the pain any longer.

"None of them…" Kaname said, looking suddenly deadly serious and feral. "None of the things you said ever crossed my mind during that moment."

He stood from his place and dusted himself, then cautiously sat on a bench near Roze. He held out his hand, asking for Roze's wounded one, waiting.

Zero didn't want the contact and understanding what Kaname was going to do, he pushed his hand into the bowl and winced as ice and cold water bit into his damaged skin. But soon the pain lessened and Zero moved his hand in the bowl, painting the water with his blood.

Kaname was smiling slightly at the sight, a melancholic look on his handsome features. "This is what I like about you." He murmured. "You are so stubborn that even in pain or misery you hold your ground and look at me with those eyes. You never ask for others' help directly." He admitted in a low voice, looking at Roze's profile with a soft look in his eyes.

"You say I see you the same way as those men. But you are wrong, Roze, terribly, wrong. I only admire you." Even if you're acting…

"This is not my answer." Zero grumbled, feeling his hand go numb in the ice. He was nervous and agitated for another reason now. The way the brunet was looking at him, the way his voice softly echoed in the empty room was making his chest hurt.

"That night," Kaname began, scooting just a bit closer, "I was captivated by you, then… I just wanted to… I just wanted to hold you so that I could show you how much you had affected me by your inner strength. I… I guess I was jealous… That some other men thought of touching you…" He gritted his teeth imperceptibly at the admission. No one can touch you other than me… His eyes took on a dangerous edge. "I… It is childish I know but, I wanted to express that feeling in some way… That I like you, Roze… More than you can imagine."

And he took out that cold hand in his hand and turned it palm up, bringing the blistered, abused skin to lips and ever so gently kissed it with reverence.

Zero was speechless as he watched Kaname adore the ugly, angry red skin of his left hand as if he was kissing rose petals. Not understanding completely what the brunet had told, he stuttered, face beet red to the roots of his hair, eyes wide and still damp, full of shock and fear.

"W-what?"

Kaname raised his eyes, the pale, trembling hand still in his clutch. He loved the way how his object of desire was looking at him now with bewilderment on her beautifully flushed face, with fear deliciously illuminating those vulnerable eyes.

So, Roze… what will you say now when I pulled the stakes this high? He thought with grim satisfaction. If this is a game as you say, then you are my toy… Not the other way around! If you'll get broken, I will be one who does so, not others! And if you are not as pure as you claim to be, I will be the one who plucks your deceitfully captivating wings and send you to where you really belong.

"I am just like those kids who tug the pig tails of the girls they like…" He smiled warmly even as his mind was convincing him that he was going to have the laugh of his life time.

"Because I like you very much, Roze."

Don't temp the fates, my red rose… Don't temp the devil in me.

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TBC…

25000 Yen is around 280 USD. –I hope I am not wrong. And even if it is a ridiculous amount as a tip, if you consider that Nagashi was asking "something" in return, it will be understandable.

Don't get angry with Kaname. He is deluding himself into thinking that Roze/Zero is a liar, so he acts accordingly when in fact he is unable to picture a true girl because he had never seen one around himself. This could be considered as his self-protection mechanism against the heart breaks… Poor guy doesn't know what awaits him ^^.

I think I deserved a review :D REVIEW PLEASE AND TELL ME YOUR THOUGHTS!!!

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