Pinkshuchan: Hello! This is Pinkshuchan and here is another chapter! Enjoy!

Chapter 11

Feeling the Heat

It was a hot summer afternoon, probably one of the hottest days to come so far. Luckily for Kai, he didn't have to stand around in the heat. The brunet was currently standing around in the Miwa residence, hands in his pockets, waiting for Tsukiko. He had gotten a call from her that morning, telling him that she had something she wanted to give him and she couldn't pull away from her work for too long, so she asked him to come over, thus leading to the present day. He wondered what she had to give him that was so important that she would take a short break from work just to give to him? It seemed like he would never be able to understand what goes through the blonde woman's mind.

He looked around. Tsukiko had kept disappearing and reappearing, muttering to herself something about where she put something. Kai then noticed that Miwa hadn't popped out to say hello. Knowing the blond male's personality, he wouldn't pass the opportunity to annoy his best friend to no end. Did he go out? He made sure to ask the moment Tsukiko walked by again.

"He went out," the older woman replied, "He said he was planning on recruiting some people to help out with the play, whether it would be to play extras or to help as crewmembers."

"You couldn't do that in the first place with the main cast?" Kai questioned her.

"I had planned to do so at first for Draco before you offered to play the role. As much as I am against it though, I will admit it is better than searching for someone for who knows how long. And we don't have that much time."

Kai was not sure if this was really how one hires people for theatre, but he wouldn't know for sure since he doesn't work in the business himself. Even if this wasn't the way it's supposed to work, he doubted that Tsukiko would care. She was the type of person that didn't care about what people considered weird or not. She viewed things based on her own feelings and interpretations. In fact, Kai was sure he remembered meeting a few of her friends who happened to be of different sexualities and gender identities. The brunet began to think that if everyone in the entire world were like Tsukiko, maybe it would be much more peaceful and accepting.

"GODDAMMIT! WHERE THE HELL IS THAT STUPID SHITTY FUCKING THING?!" Loud thumps and sounds of shattering glass followed afterwards in the other room. Had he been standing in there during that rampage, Kai figured he would've gotten himself killed by the things that were possibly flung around. The teenage male changed his mind and concluded the world was a lot safer the way it was.

After a bit more time had passed, Tsukiko had finally found what she was looking for, grinning victoriously like she had won a treasure hunt or something, which did sound about accurate given the situation. She walked over to Kai with a rectangular box half her size height wise. It made the brunet question how she had trouble finding it in the first place but that was the least of his problems. What was in that box that Tsukiko felt it was important for him to have?

"A fan," she answered bluntly the moment he asked.

"Why a fan?" Kai questioned yet again.

"Well, today is most certainly a hot day and who's to say how many more days will end up like it? I figured you'd like it to cool down your apartment."

The brunet crossed his arms. "You asked me that before when you first bought the apartment for me and I said I didn't need it. Why do you think I'd change my mind after that?"

Tsukiko scowled at him. "I already know you yourself don't mind the heat, although personally I think it's unhealthy, and normally I wouldn't push it if it was regarding your living standards. However, I am only suggesting taking the fan now because you aren't living alone at the moment. Your apartment must feel like a sauna right now. It would be awful to force someone like him to live like that for the entirety of his stay. He's your guest after all. He needs to be treated with proper hospitality."

Kai was about to retort back, but he knew that nothing he said would change the older woman's mind. She was acting like a mother who wanted to give her son and his new wife a present to celebrate them living together. After placing the fan down, she went over to the kitchen, telling Kai that she had some extra food she was given by the neighbors and figured he would possibly like it. The brunet didn't object to that. After all, who could say no to some free food? Once again, he found himself to be waiting around the blonde woman as she went to get something for him. He couldn't wait until he could go back to his apartment and relax. Granted, Aichi was there, but the blue haired boy didn't really annoy him that much.

Subconsciously, he once again found himself singing the song from his dreams. How strange that the song would not leave him no matter what, as if something within him was afraid to forget. While surely calming, there was something about it that pained his heart as well. Where did the song even come from anyway and how did he know it?

"That song…"

The brunet turned around to see Tsukiko standing there with some containers of food. Her expression was one of surprise and at the same time melancholic. "You know that song?" Kai asked.

Blue eyes widened. "Of course I do," the older woman responded back, lowering her head, "That song was the one your mother would sing to you every night when you were little."

"My mother…?"

Kai fell deep in thought. The mention of his mother being the one who sang that song to him had awoken some blurry images in his mind. He knew what these images were though. They were memories of his mother singing the song while holding a younger Kai close to her. What was strange was that while they were blurry, his mother's appearance was the blurriest. Why couldn't he see what she looked like?

"Toshiki?"

Hearing his name snapped Kai out of his thoughts to see that Tsukiko was standing right in front of him; barely any distance between them. Her hands, which seemed to have already put down the containers while he was distracted, on the younger male's shoulders. As they made eye contact, Kai noticed that the blonde woman's expression was dark; something he never saw from her.

"Has anything else happened recently?" she asked to the point, "Anything involving memories you may have forgotten or anything that may be affecting your health? Like do you feel any random pains or you have a tough time breathing? How about feeling faint? Or do you have a hard time sleeping?"

The brunet was stunned. Why was she asking all these questions? And why did she bring up lack of sleep? Did she know something? Should he tell her about the dreams he had been having every night ever since he read the book she gave him? How would she react? Would she help him with getting the dreams to stop?

A part of him was ready to spill everything that had been happening to him to the blonde woman, hoping that she would be able to help him and he could finally get some sleep. At the same time, he still had some pride within him and hesitated to say anything. Besides, it wasn't like he was completely sure she knew anything and he'd probably look crazy in front of her. He knew he shouldn't keep quiet for long or the older woman would get suspicious. In the end, he didn't want to risk it and simply just shook his head.

Tsukiko's eyes narrowed. Kai knew that he responded too late. She could tell he was hiding something. "You are being honest with me, right? There's nothing at all?" The younger male once again shook his head. The two stared at each other for a while; neither planning to back down. In the end, Tsukiko finally gave up as she let out a sigh.

"Fine," she spoke aloud, "If you are really fine, I won't push it. But Toshiki, please promise me one thing." As she stared at the younger male, her expression was a mix of seriousness and worry; her voice wavering in desperation as she spoke. "If something does happen, you come to me and tell me right away. I don't want you to hesitate, I don't want you to hide it. I'd want to know immediately… before it's too late."

Kai felt confused. She didn't make any sense. 'Before it was too late?' Too late for what? If it was something involving him, he needed to know. He asked the blonde woman what she was talking about. Her eyes widened the moment he asked. She kept quiet as she pulled away from the younger male. Her eyes glanced down at Kai's body. Kai looked down as well; staring at the grey sweatshirt and beige jeans he was wearing. He knew full well what she was referring to. But was that all it was? He didn't want to bother asking and simply nodded.

With everything all settled, Kai took the box containing the fan and the containers of food which were put into a bag to make easier to carry and began to head home. Tsukiko watched as the younger male left; worry still showing on her face. "Please don't let my fears come true."

XxXxX

Kai was greeted with quite a sight the moment he got back to his apartment. Aichi was sitting on the bed with his eyes closed, half naked with his wings out, fluttering to try to keep cool. Although it didn't show on his face, the brunet was slightly amused with how much the blue haired boy was like an actual bird at times, and yet he couldn't help but stare in awe with how breathtaking he looked as his chest was moving up and down as he was panting, sweat glistening on his face and bare chest. Never did Kai expect to see such an erotic sight in his own apartment. However, he knew that things would get even more awkward if it continued like this, so he cleared his throat, trying to get the winged being's attention.

Aichi's eyes opened as wide as they could, making eye contact with the human in front of him. Startled by the older male's sudden appearance, the blue haired boy was flailing around frantically before falling off the bed. Kai almost dropped the stuff he was carrying ready to help the younger male when he noticed Aichi slowly getting back out, letting out a squeaky 'I'm okay.' He then immediately stood back up, panting a little bit, but otherwise perfectly okay like he said. Kai didn't bother to question it and instead gave Aichi the bag of containers to put into the kitchen while he got out and set up the fan.

As soon as he finished setting the fan up and turned it on, Aichi didn't hesitate to dash in front of it and lean close to it, relaxing as he felt the cool air against his bare skin, his hair flowing through the breeze. Kai went into to the kitchen to check on the food Aichi placed on the counter, organizing them and putting them away where they belonged, whether it was the fridge, freezer, or cupboard. Once done, he walked back over to Aichi, who seemed to feel much better. There was a glaring issue the brunet needed to discuss with the younger male.

"Why are your wings out?" he questioned the winged being. While he admitted the sight was rather exotic, he couldn't help but get a little concerned.

Aichi looked up at the older male and smiled sheepishly as he began to fidget with his fingers. "Well, it was hot and there was nothing around to help cool me down so I just let my wings out and that helped somewhat."

That did not calm Kai down in the slightest. "What if it hadn't been me walking through that door?! You saw what happened a couple days ago, right? Miwa could've walked in! Your secret could've been blown!"

The blue haired boy looked down at the ground like a child who was currently being punished for doing something bad. "I didn't think that would happen again after last time…"

A sigh escaped the human male's lips. "Just be careful, alright? You are the one that said your identity needs to be kept secret, right? You can't let your guard down just because I know your secret and I'm letting you stay here."

Aichi nodded. "You're right. It's careless of me." He retracted his wings back into his body, which Kai noted looked like it was easier and less painful to do now than it did the first time, and walked back to the bed, grabbing the white t-shirt that was there and put it on. He then walked back to the fan and sat back down. Kai stared down at the blue haired boy, worried that he might've sounded a little too harsh, despite his reasonable concern. However, all doubts of that were erased the moment they made eye contact and Aichi smiled back at him. Kai looked away, trying to hide the blush that was crawling on his face. It seemed like he was starting to feel new things every day whenever he looked at Aichi, as if something about the boy was stirring something up within him.

"Kai?" the younger male spoke up, "Don't you feel uncomfortable like that?"

The brunet turned his gaze back to the blue haired boy. "What do you mean?"

"You went outside dressed like that. Don't you feel hot like that?"

Kai looked down at his clothes then back at Aichi. "It's fine."

It was Aichi's turn to get concerned. "But Kai, I don't think it's healthy to walk around wearing a long sleeved shirt. In fact every time I've seen you, you've been wearing long sleeved shirts. I'm worried that you might overheat your body like this."

"My body won't overheat," Kai responded, his voice sounded slightly irritated from the nagging, "I'm used to this."

Aichi stood up, walking over to the brunet. "But you shouldn't have to feel used to it. Please Kai! I know you have short sleeved shirts in your closet! Why don't you put one on? You'll feel better-!"

"SHUT UP AND MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!"

Both stood silent upon Kai's sudden outburst. Never had Aichi seen the brunet get angry like that, and he had seen quite a few moments of him angry. Kai couldn't stay any longer, and so he rushed to the bathroom, slamming the door behind him. Aichi just stood in place, holding his hand against his chest, feeling the anguish of upsetting the older male. He didn't think shirts would be a delicate subject for the brunet. Thinking about it, Aichi had never seen Kai shirtless. The brunet would always go into the bathroom to change. Something told him that Kai would probably not want to talk about it though. Of course he wouldn't. They were still only acquaintances. It's not like a friendship between them could grow that quickly. What kind of person was he to Kai anyway? Did Kai really care about him?

Or was he only a hindrance?

Meanwhile, Kai was leaning against the wall as he was trying to calm himself. He wanted to spend some time alone yet he didn't want to leave Aichi in his apartment unattended. He looked straight at the mirror hanging over the sink across from him, staring at his reflection. He clenched onto the sweatshirt he was wearing. It wasn't like he wanted to keep wearing long sleeved shirts every day, even on a hot day like this one. Heck, he found it strange that he hadn't felt overheated wearing them all the time. It was a good thing though, for if he had, he would be forced to wear shirts that reveal the very thing he was trying to hide; the very thing he didn't want anyone to know about no matter what.

He didn't blame Aichi for worrying about him. He couldn't. It was natural. But he didn't know how he could explain what he was doing without giving him reason to worry him even more. It had only been a few days, but he had already figured out the winged being's personality, and he could tell the blue haired boy was one who would try to do anything to make another person happy, even if he got hurt in the process.

A sound of metal clanging rang outside the door. Teal eyes widened. He had a bad feeling. He rushed out the bathroom and towards the kitchen to see the very thing he feared. Aichi was standing near the oven, pans on top, with the oven turned on. The younger male noticed the brunet come out and was about to greet him again when he put his hand down on the oven, jumping in pain upon contact with a loud 'OUCH!'

"What the hell are you doing?!" Kai shouted, rushing over to turn the oven off before reaching out for Aichi's burnt hand, holding onto his wrist so as to be careful.

"Kai, wait!" Aichi cried out as the older male was turning on the tap, immediately putting the burnt hand under cool water. The latter was not paying attention to him, focusing on trying to ease the burn. After keeping it under water for a few minutes, he let go of Aichi's hand and began digging around the apartment for a first aid kit he kept around the house as he muttered to himself. Aichi called out for him again, but the brunet would not listen. "You don't have to treat it! I can cure it with my magic!"

That got the older male's attention. He looked over at the blue haired boy, curiosity and wonder shining in teal eyes. "You can heal wounds?"

The younger male didn't respond. Instead, he simply raised his other hand close to the burnt one, the former starting to glow. Kai stared in awe as he watched the burns slowly disappear. After some time had passed, the glow on Aichi's hand subsided, and the other hand which had been injured looked like it didn't even suffer a single scratch.

Kai couldn't believe his eyes. If he had not seen the whole thing in front of him, he wouldn't have even believed Aichi was injured in the first place. He clenched his shirt. If it could heal burns, could he be able to heal any type of wound?

"Unfortunately, healing powers from a member of the Gold Winged Clan have limitations," Aichi replied to Kai's question, "The wounds need to be recent and they have to be wounds that can heal. It won't work on permanent scars or dismembered limbs. It especially won't bring people back from the dead either."

Hearing that answer disheartened Kai a bit. It seemed like what he had in mind wouldn't work. He then remembered why he saw Aichi's healing powers in the first place. "What were you doing in the kitchen."

Aichi lowered his head as he brought his hand to his chest. "I feel guilty about what happened earlier. You've been treating me with nothing but kindness and I've done nothing but make you upset. I thought maybe if I cooked dinner for tonight, maybe it would be a good way to repay you and to make it up to you."

Kai sighed, running his hand through his hair. Of course the whole situation would worry the winged male. Aichi was a very gentle and kind hearted person. It would bother him if he upsetted anyone. Kai knew he had to try to make things right.

"Look," he spoke up, causing the blue haired boy to look up at him, "I find myself wearing long sleeves no matter what. It's a preference… and something I feel most comfortable in. It's my own decision to walk around like this."

Aichi was about to retort but the expression on Kai's face showed that he didn't want to argue back, so he stopped. A hand made its way to the younger male's shoulder. Cerulean hues met teal as the two males made eye contact with each other. The brunet's visage was calm and soft as he stared down at the boy in front of him.

"But I do appreciate your concern," he continued, "Thanks."

It was silent. Neither male said a word after that. There was no need to. They were both content with what was already said. After a bit of time had passed, Aichi clasped his hands together as he gave the brunet a determined smile. "I should get to cooking!"

Before Aichi could walk back into the kitchen, Kai grabbed the collar of the younger male's shirt and stopped him. "Do you even know how to cook?"

"No, but I can try."

Kai stared dumbfounded. While he appreciated the honesty, it was also nerve wracking. He let go of Aichi's shirt and began to walk to the kitchen. "Actually, I will cook tonight. I don't want to risk the apartment burning down."

Aichi glared at the brunet. "I won't burn down the apartment!" Teal eyes looked back at him in skepticism. "... Maybe." A raised eyebrow. "I don't think I'm that bad!"

"Cooking is not something anyone can master by doing it once," the older male explained, crossing his arms, "The smallest mistake could cause bodily harm, or at the very least a terrible tasting dish."

"I won't hurt myself!"

"Like you did about ten minutes ago?"

"I was distracted! I didn't expect you to come out when you did! And it's fine now, right? The burn is gone!"

The two continued to argue on who should cook dinner for the evening; both refusing to back down. It went on for quite a while. In the end, they decided on a compromise. It was decided that Aichi would help with cooking while Kai teached him what to do. Kai made sure that whatever Aichi did would probably be the simplest one could cook. However, and it baffled him how it was possible, but Aichi was able to screw up with everything. He concluded that Aichi was truly a royal with no domestic skills.

Once all the food was cooked, they sat down at the table. It was easy to tell who cooked what with what colour it was. Kai picked up a dish that was cooked by Aichi and took a bite. The blue haired boy stared in anticipation, awaiting the older male's thoughts. The brunet swallowed and looked straight at the boy opposite him.

"This is the worst thing I have ever tasted my entire life," was his response.

Aichi looked down at the table, feeling let down. He thought that he would probably make something really good so he wouldn't come off as a burden to the older male, but he could see that it had the opposite effect. "I'm sorry."

Kai took another bite from the terrible tasting food much to the blue haired boy's surprise. "Well, you'll just need to make sure to do better next time."

Cerulean eyes widened as they gazed back up at the other male. Did Aichi hear that right? Was Kai going to let him try again? He couldn't contain the smile that grew on his face nor the tears that began to flow down his cheeks. Kai looked over with slight worry, but was quickly assured by the blue haired boy that he didn't need to be.

After the younger male was able to calm down and the two finished eating, they began to lounge around, not really doing anything in particular. Both were completely quiet before Aichi finally spoke up.

"Are you really sure there isn't anything I can do to pay you back for all the trouble I've been causing?" he asked.

Kai stared at him. "I thought you coming with me to visit Miss Tsukiko was your way of paying me back?"

Aichi shrugged. "Well, you said you were going to ask that of me anyways so I don't think it's really 'paying back'."

A sigh escaped the brunet's lips. "Listen; you really don't need to do anything."

"But haven't I done nothing but cause you trouble?"

"Didn't we already have this talk on the first day?"

There was only silence. Another sigh was released as Kai got up and walked over to the bookcase near the desk, pulling out a book. He then handed the book over to Aichi. Aichi stared at the cover. It read 'Fairy Tale Collection'.

"You really want to make it up to me?" the older male continued, "Read that."

Aichi glanced up at the brunet. "Aloud?"

"To yourself."

The blue haired male stood up. "How is this paying you back? Is there some hidden meaning behind it or…?"

Kai laid down on the bed face up with his arms under his head. "It's to occupy and keep you quiet while I take a nap and ease this headache I have."

"You sure you don't want any medi-?!"

Aichi stopped the moment he noticed the older male scowling at him. Apparently he really wanted the younger male to be quiet. The blue haired male turned around and began reading the book. He read a couple paragraphs before his attention turned back to Kai, who had already fallen asleep. He analysed the sleeping human. Aichi already believed the brunet to be good looking, but he couldn't believe how beautiful he looked sleeping. His skin, pale compared to the winged male's, looked almost as white as snow, as if he would feel cold to the touch. His face was very pretty too; long lashes, strong cheekbones, a chiseled jaw; he looked more like a typical fairy tale prince than Aichi. He didn't mind though. He was so entranced, he didn't realize he had been leaning over the brunet nor did he realize his hand reaching out to touch his cheek.

Teal eyes met cerulean as the older male opened them. Aichi's entire face turned scarlet upon realization and immediately pulled away and brought the book close to his face, trying to pretend it didn't happen. Kai could feel the blue haired male looming over him as he tried to sleep. The moment he feels like he knows what the winged male is thinking, he surprises him with unpredictability. He reasoned that he probably wouldn't get to understand the younger male fully.

"What story are you on?" the older male asked, getting back the other male's attention.

Aichi stared confusingly at the brunet before realizing what he meant. He looked at the title. "It says it's called 'The Little Mermaid.'"

"Had you read any of it?"

There was only silence. Aichi was not sure how to respond to that. He knew Kai wanted him to read the book, even if it was just an excuse to make the younger male stop pestering him. Still, he didn't want to disappoint him in any way.

Kai continued. "If you really want, you can read it aloud. I don't mind."

Aichi looked back at the brunet. Was this Kai's way of saying he wanted Aichi to read aloud? With no hesitation, his eyes glanced back to the book and he began to read out loud. Kai never told him to stop even after he finished that particular story. Aichi continued to read until both fell into a deep slumber.

Pinkshuchan: And that is the chapter. Not really much to this one, but I do feel like it does have something that will lead to events of future chapters. Read and Review!