Thanx so much for the nice reviews. I'm so happy that I have more than a hundred now. Anyway, I have this funny poll for you: Who do you think matches Kimi the best (you don't have to follow the story line)

1) Kai

2) Brooklyn

3) Kenny

4) Mystel

5) Hmm, Tala? Joking!

I'd really like to see your points of view. Who knows? I might change the pairing...

Chapter 36

Beneath the Waters

Miguel's soft skin caressed Tala's damp lap. The water over-lapsed gently the two lovers' bodies. The younger one had his head turned slightly backwards to kiss his lover. Tala could feel Miguel's wet hair waving in the water like seaweed. Soft pressures sprouted behind his back, massaging his muscled butt. Miguel sighed then received his lover's tongue on his. His hand gradually mounted upwards to the porn star's neck, pulling him closer. Tala gripped the cock tightly as he lurched forward. They fell into the centre of the Jacuzzi. The water exploded like a bouquet of wild flowers as the two bodies sank deep through the bubbles. They emerged again, laughing with mirth. Tala caught Miguel's dark gaze and held up one hand to stroke his cheek. The boy blushed but stared back into the porn star's ice-blue ones. He yanked forward and wrapped Miguel's mouth in his. Their bodies entwined in the swirling water. Their cocks banged, hard like frozen rain. When finally they broke apart, their breaths were still one.

"Do you regret coming now?" Tala asked his koi.

Miguel shook his head, smiling sadly.

"How can I? This Jacuzzi is wonderful," he joked.

Tala protruded his tongue into Miguel's mouth once again. They exchanged a brief kiss before parting.

"I wish the time would stop," Miguel sighed.

"Why's that?" Tala wondered out loud, tucking the beige strand of his koi behind the ear.

"So I can have you to myself," he giggled. "Isn't that selfish?"

Tala watched the boy for a long while.

"Everyone is selfish," he finally said. "Just being here with you proves that I'm selfish too since people is dying on this side of the planet."

"Do you remember a guy in my class called Claude who's been all over the news?" Tala nodded vaguely. "He had a crush on me and couldn't work properly. We were meant to be partners in this kind of project at the U. Do you know what he asked me, one day? He wanted to take pictures of me. Of course, I refused and do you know what the guy did? He went through an operation and turned out to look exactly like me. I think he stole a strand of my hair or a cup where I've left marks on with my lips to extract the DNA. Anyway, he took photos of himself as me then wrote at the back of each photograph 'ME' and signed them. Three days later he killed himself by eating himself up, saying that he loved me too much to stand seeing my image in front of him without being able to posses it entirely."

"He masturbated then," Tala commented.

"Tala-san! Don't be so gross," Miguel fended being distressed.

"You're the one who've started telling such a vomiting story," Tala kissed Miguel's forehead. "I've heard about that videotape, all right. But he didn't mention your name in it."

"Don't you think that he was being selfish?"

"By killing himself?"

"By loving."

Tala scrutinized the dark brown eyes of the beautiful boy. What a thing to say. As if it mattered whether the guy was selfish or not. What did it have to do with them?

"Do you want to own me, Tala-san, the way Claude caught hold of my image?" Miguel asked eagerly.

"You mean, do I love you because of your looks or do I just want to posses you?"

"You haven't answered the question."

Tala tore himself away from his lover and sat back at the edge of the Jacuzzi where the bubbles smacked his backside luxuriously.

"Why do you ask this?" Tala asked back.

Miguel waded towards him.

"I just want to know. You have this porn coming up and I can't stop thinking about it. Isn't it weird to be in a relationship and suck other people's dicks?"

"What do you want?" Tala sighed.

"Tala-san, I just want you to answer the question."

"Look, shujin, sex and love aren't the same thing. How many times do I have to tell you?"

"You won't be jealous if I fuck with someone else?"

"No."

"Oh."

Somehow the boy sounded hurt. Tala was surprised: who on Earth would be sad when your boyfriend let you free to do what you want with your body?

"Miguel-kun, I don't give a fuck whether you turn up hours later without eating dinner at home," Tala said, caressing the boy's cheek. "I'm willing to eat with the android while you're up there fucking some hookers. I don't care. What the fuck will it have to do with our relationship? I always believe that a relationship concerns only two people so to Hell with everybody else."

"But you know that not everybody feel the same?" Miguel asked after a while of reflection.

"Why not?" Tala pulled him closer.

"Not everyone can be as inconsiderate as you, Tala-san," Miguel pushed him away. "When we're in love we want that person to be constantly at our side."

"Not all the time," Tala retorted. "You're such a hopeless romantic, shujin."

"Well, at least you have a sentiment of belonging."

"You can never posses a person, just like that photographer couldn't posses you so he just loved your image instead. Do you want that from me? Do you want me to eat myself for you?"

Even though the water temperature didn't change, Tala felt himself starting to boil. He was annoyed with Miguel: why did he have to break the atmosphere after all the efforts he'd been through to stick to the same person, to stand still? Wasn't this a big enough sacrifice? What else did he want more?

"You don't understand." Miguel shook his head.

"Apparently not," Tala said hotly.

The photographer sighed.

"I love you, Tala-san," he said. "I love you more than my life but I can't let the chance escape: I'll never be happy until I know… until I'm certain that I can count on you."

"What chance are you talking about?"

"The chance to live," he answered dreamily. "That's how much you mean to me, Tala-san. Without you, I am nothing. My life, my whole existence will be smoldered into ashes without you. That's why I need you."

"You are a kagema and that's why I love you."

Tala kissed his koi languorously. He did it to shut him up more than because he wanted to. Why does the boy have to be so demanding? He gave up his freedom, his honor to him but he was still unsatisfied? Fuck Miguel.

And Tala did.

I know, weird ending. Don't forget to vote!