TITLE: Shades of Gray 6 / ?
AUTHOR: Hana-chan gohana_chan@yahoo.ca
CATEGORY: dark, angst, yaoi,
PAIRINGS: (Nagi) x Ken x Nagi Omi+Aya, Others later.
RATING: varies - R violence
WARNINGS: This has yaoi in it.
SPOILERS: The series, Dramatic Precious, Dramatic Image III -Schwarz,
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, Schwarz, or anything connected to them.
ARCHIVE: FanFiction.Net http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=81835
NOTES: The fic WILL still make sense if you don't know the Dramatic CDs, but it might be a bit of a spoiler.
FEEDBACK: Please! This is my first WK fic and I'd like to hear what people think so I'll continue writing.
~*~*~*~*~ scene break ~emphasis~
::telepathy:: //phone or headset//
Shades of Gray
Chapter 6
"He's right about you in leather, or vinyl though," Aya-chan said thoughtfully to Nagi as they walked towards the closest shop in the mall that sold club wear. "If you ever feel adventurous, I could turn you into the ultimate wet-dream that will make everyone who sees either of you, or better yet, both of you together cream themselves at the thought of ~dancing~ with you."
"I can't believe the way you talk," Nagi muttered, cheeks pinking slightly.
"Funny isn't it?" she responded. "Ken's the one with the experience, but he can't say a dirty thought out loud without blushing three shades of red, while I've never done anything other than kiss, and only with Ken and Red at that, and I can talk or act it up as if I were a sex goddess." She shook her head in amusement. "Where do you think you fit in on that scale?"
"I must be somewhere in between," he commented softly. "I can't even ~think~ about wearing some of the things you've described, but I can talk about sex in a general way without blushing. Is Ken really that experienced?"
"Yeah, but only from the last year or so -- since I woke from my coma and they vanished to Koyoto. You haven't had much of a chance to really ~talk~ with him, but he's got some issues, and sex is one way for him to cope. It's either that, or do some really bad shit, if you'll excuse the expression. If it's any consolation, this is the first time he's been seriously interested in anyone long enough to toss the casual, um, flings out the window so to speak."
"It's only been a week though, not even," protested the kinetic.
"I know, but normally he'd have been out every night, and he'd have made his way thorough several men and women each night, if only quickies in a corner. When he's in a bad way, he's something of a slut. Don't get me wrong - I love him to death, but while I like the freedom of ~acting~ a bit like a slut, he gets off on ~being~ one. Not literally of course - he doesn't take money for sex, and he only does it on his own terms with who he chooses, but . . ." she shrugged.
Nagi frowned and nodded. "He sounds a bit like Schuldich," he said. "He gets like that sometimes, all leather and fuck-of-the-hour. I never really understood that myself, but he's been there for me for years now and while I don't understand it, I'm willing to accept it as part of who he is. Like you, I'm not a very casual person."
"I didn't think so," answered Aya-chan. "You seem to have more of a book-knowledge sense of sex, like me. A lot of mental experience, but little or no physical experience."
"You. . . you wouldn't be wrong there," he said softly, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to the girl. "The only experience I have, besides what I do with Ken, is with Schuldich. I had a brush with what would have been a ~very~ bad experience, and he helped me get over it by showing me what sex ~should~ be like in case something happened again and he wasn't there to rescue me."
Aya-chan shuddered. "I hope nothing like that ever happens to me," she said. "I mean, I've been trained to take care of myself, but . . ."
"Me too," murmured the dark-haired boy. "But sometimes training isn't enough. It didn't happen though, so I only have good experiences to date but. . ."
"Let's talk about something else. So, do you have any favourite colours or anything?"
Nagi blinked at the total shift in the conversation. "Rich blues, I guess," he said after some thought. "I don't usually think much about my clothing - I wear school uniforms a lot because they're practical and comfortable."
"Well, I think that blue would suit you - it would bring out the colour of your eyes. Black would be good, maybe silver or grey as well. How daring are you willing to go?" she asked. "I think that snug pants, jeans maybe, would look good, and a tight shirt, something that would lift when you raised your arms, some sparkly gel for your hair as well." Tilting her head to the side she looked at his face. "A touch of makeup would go over ~really~ well, but we can work up to that if you want. So, opaque but snug sound good? If you want, we can get stretch material so that there's some give - that's the worst thing about leather - it's very form fitting."
An hour later Nagi stood outside the change room of one of the less outrageous clothing stores looking dubiously at himself in the mirror as Aya-chan stood back and looked at him appraisingly.
He was dressed in a royal blue nylon-satin t-shirt that showed off every ripple of muscle, as well as his nipples, which had peaked in the chill air of the shop. He had on a pair of black velvet jeans that were very form fitting, showing off his lower body to great advantage, especially in profile. They sat low on his hips, and the shirt barely touched the top edge showing tantalising glimpses of skin when he moved.
"I feel foolish in this," he said, looking at himself in the mirror again.
"Trust me, you don't ~look~ foolish," the girl replied. "Ken will be drooling over you all night."
"It's just not me," he protested.
"Then don't be you, or rather, be a different part of you," she said. "Haven't you ever wanted to be totally hot and sexy and have people lusting after you, knowing that you have the power to grant their wildest dreams or totally smash their hopes? Or have you ever wanted to just cut loose and be something totally opposite of what people expect you to be?"
Nagi blinked as he mulled that over. "I've never thought about it in those terms, but I have wanted to just do something that would totally shock the others if they ever found out - they just assume I'll act a certain way, and I guess I just do what's expected."
"Well, now's your chance to do that. The outfit is amazing, and as long as you find it comfortable, it shouldn't be a problem. If it helps, think of how you want Ken to feel, and try to make him feel that way."
"You mean, if I want Ken to go out of his mind with lust and fuck me on the spot, I should try to act as if I expect him to do just that?" he asked, trying to get the concept straight in his mind.
"Exactly. I do it when I go out. There's only one guy I might feel like going all the way with right now, and I act as if he's going to find me sexy enough to jump right there. He never goes too far which is nice - I'm not sure ~why~ he doesn't, a lot of others are only stopped by the fact that 'Killer Kenshin' is my 'twin' brother, but when I go out, I go with the feeling that people will find me totally irresistible and they do. It's a mental thing - if you act a certain way, people believe you."
"I can understand that - I acted like I had every right to be a bodyguard in the past, and people believed I was, even though I was only a scrawny fifteen year old. I think I can act sexy for Ken; actually, I find myself doing that anyway, even now. This is just going a step further isn't it?"
"Exactly. So going to go for that outfit?"
Nagi looked into the mirror again and made his decision. "I'll get it. And. . .and maybe that see-through black shirt too."
Aya-chan grinned. "I liked that one as well, but I didn't want to push you. Both are amazing. When you feel like looking like the living embodiment of sex, I'll take you to what Ken and I call the plastic-and-leather store - that way you can totally blow Ken's mind."
"I still think you're exaggerating, but I'll try it at least this time."
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed in the results. Ken may be easy on occasion, but he's got very particular tastes - hot and bishie is a definite must and you certainly fit the bill. Change back into your clothes and I'll meet you by the counter."
Nagi nodded and went back into the change room. He had to admit that the outfit did seem to suit him. It reminded him of a toned-down outfit that Schuldich might wear. He wondered what the redhead would have picked out for him if he'd asked. Probably something leather. He wondered what Ken looked like in a "fuck-me-now" outfit. Hot images danced through his mind and he quickly pushed the thoughts aside when he felt the stirring tingle of arousal. He definitely didn't need to get an erection ~now~.
Carefully folding up his new outfits, Nagi checked to make sure his slacks and shirt were presentable before he left the little room. As he stepped up to the counter he saw that Aya-chan was talking to a couple of girls her age. He didn't want to interrupt, but her gaze landed on him and she clapped her hands and practically glomped him.
"Nagi-kun," she said cheerfully, come meet Ami and Imari. We used to go to high school together. They just invited me to go to Black Magic's opening with them. Isn't that an amazing coincidence?"
Nagi looked at her in stunned confusion. This girl wasn't acting anything like the one he'd just been talking to by the change room. There was also a flash of desperation in her eyes, as if she wanted him to say something. He had no clue what to think right now however.
"So, are you Aya-chan's boyfriend?" one of the girls, Imari, asked.
"Um, no," he said carefully. "We're just friends,"
"Sugoi!" cried Ami. "Does that mean you're free?"
Nagi's eyes widened at the implication. "No, no I'm not," he explained hastily. "I'm seeing someone."
They both looked very disappointed but Nagi was relieved. He had no idea how to deal with the two girls. He was almost never in the presence of people near his own age, and flirty girls like this really threw him off balance. Normally he'd just give them a cold look and ignore them, but it was hard to do that with Aya-chan hanging off his arm the way she was.
"Are you ready to go, Aya-chan?" he asked, wondering what they'd think of him adding the diminutive to her name. Actually, he hadn't even thought of it as that before now since that was how she'd introduced herself to him. He'd have to ask her why she'd added the "chan" to her name as if it belonged there.
"We'll see you at the party right, Aya-chan?" Ami asked.
Nagi felt the girl slump against him, though she nodded brightly.
"Well, we have to finish shopping. We'll pick you up at the flower shop with Hiro at around nine all right?"
"I'll be ready," Aya-chan said brightly, waving at the girls as they sauntered off.
As soon as they were out of sight, Aya-chan sighed loudly and let go of his arm. "Sometimes I hate being me," she muttered softly. "Sorry about glomping you," she said. "They'd been eying you, and one or both of them were about to glomp you so I thought you'd be more comfortable if I was the one who did it instead."
"What was all that about?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "When I knew them in school it was before my coma, and soon after I woke up. I was a very innocent and bubbly person, more cute than annoying I like to think, but it's a hard thing to deliberately replicate now - I haven't been that innocent in over a year - most definitely not since I started training and ended up being a secret member of Weiss."
"That's a relief," he commented. "I had been wondering if you had a ditzy twin sister or something. I like you much better this way. The way you were acting was. . . unnerving."
She just winced then grinned. "I like this me better as well, though the sexy one who goes to the clubs is fun too; a bit messed up though since everyone thinks she sleeps with her twin."
Nagi blinked at that. "They what?"
A wicked smirk crossed her face. "When Ken and I started going out to the clubs, we ended up telling people that we were twins - it kept them off my back and let him be with whoever he wanted. Unfortunately, we didn't take into consideration the way we should or should not be acting. We got a bit carried away when we were dancing and ended up practically making out on the dance floor. It was my first kiss actually, but it must have looked really twisted from the observer's point of view since we were supposed to be twins instead of just good friends."
"So everyone got the wrong idea and it stuck."
"Exactly. I don't really mind so much now, it's actually a lot of fun because it's so, I don't know, wicked and naughty if you know what I mean. It's funny when we go shopping, or out alone because we get all clingy just to see what sort of reactions we can get," she snickered at the thought, and Nagi couldn't help the small smile that crossed his lips.
"You two have a lot of fun, don't you?" he asked wistfully.
"Yeah, we do. More, when we totally let ourselves go. You should try it - the amazing scandals you could have clinging to each other in public like that . . ." She snickered. "You should come up with a name so you can be someone else when you party - it's a lot of fun."
"I might. I don't know what I'd call myself though."
"I'll think about it and try to come up with some suggestions. It doesn't really have to be that different from your name - heck it could be your last name if you wanted it to be." She winced slightly as she heard a girlish squeal of excitement from further down the mall. "I wonder if I have anything acceptable to wear to this stupid party," she said under her breath.
"Stupid party?" he asked. "I thought that you wanted to go to the club on opening night."
"I did, but I ~didn't~ want to go as Aya-chan the good-little-girl. It's going to be ~so~ boring since I'll have to behave myself. No skimpy, not-quite-slutty, outfits and no overly sexy behaviour. Aya-chan wouldn't act like that after all."
"You mean you're going to have to act like ~that~?" he asked thinking of her previous behaviour.
She nodded. "Maybe not quite so annoying, but basically sweet and innocent. I don't even know if I can pull that off anymore. Killing people tends to take away a person's innocence."
"Well," Nagi said, not wanting to comment on the 'killing people' statement. "At least you have an excuse to go home early if it gets too dull."
"True," she said, cheering up a bit. "I'd rather not go to what will basically be a frat party in some of the private rooms, but maybe I can sneak downstairs and watch you and Ken dance."
"Dance?" he asked worriedly. "I don't know if I can dance very well."
"You can't?" she asked in surprise. "It won't really matter, I guess, if you're willing to get close to Ken. Just glomp onto him and follow his motions. You could probably find a creative way to use your powers so that they'll help you match his movements. If you don't feel like dancing you can probably find a seat and make out for most of the night anyway."
The boy's eyes widened. "He's not going to expect us to, you know. . ."
"Go all the way in the club?" she shook her head. "If you want to, he'll be happy to oblige, but he won't suggest it. Like I said before, he really likes you and won't do anything that will make you feel really uncomfortable. He's good at telling what people are feeling, and he'll just be miserable if you are. Don't worry about it."
Nagi sighed in relief, but a part of him was seriously turned on by the idea of having sex, or at least making out where people could see him. He'd been both mortified and turned on when he'd found out that Aya-chan had seen him masturbating in the tree. He wondered how he'd feel with people watching him playing tonsil-hockey with Ken in public. Blushing, he pushed the thought away, filing it away in his mind as 'something to avoid thinking about in public'.
Glancing at his watch, he was surprised at how late it was. He was supposed to be back at the house in an hour. "I've got to run, Aya-chan," he apologized. "I'm supposed to be home in an hour. Thanks for all of your help,"
Aya-chan smiled. "No problem, it was fun. So, are you guys going to meet at the shop?" she asked.
"Probably," he said. "You're being picked up at nine aren't you? What's your brother going to think about that, out of curiosity?"
She winced and shrugged. "All three of my 'brothers' will probably flip out and interrogate whoever comes to get me, but Oniichan will let me go if I pull an Omi on him."
"Pull an Omi?"
Stopping abruptly she let her eyes get very wide and pleading. "But, Oniichan, it's only a party. Please let me go. I promise not to drink anything that someone else brings to me and I'll be home by midnight." She fluttered her eyelashes, eyes looking wet with tears. Nagi took one look at the expression, and though he knew it was totally false, he found that he wanted to say yes to her just so that she'd stop looking at him like that.
"Effective isn't it?" she said smugly. "Omi doesn't use that look very often, but when he does, no one can turn him down for anything. I learned from the best." She grinned at him. "It also helps that Oniichan has a crush on Omi - the combination is particularly devastating. I make a point of using it as little as possible to keep it potent"
"I can see why they fall for it. I knew it was put on, but . . ."
She snickered. "I know - that's the best thing about it - it's so obviously false, but they can't seem to help but fall for it. It makes it a lot of fun to use. So, I'll see you tonight?" she asked.
Nagi nodded. "I'll come by way of the tree again. Somehow I don't think that the look would stop your brother from trying to skewer me if I came in the front door."
"Well, he probably wouldn't skewer you, but he'd definitely not let me go out, and Ken and I would both be in for the lecture of our lives. I'd rather be at the club thank you."
"Me too," he agreed with a small smile. "See you tonight, then," he said to her as they approached the doors that led outside. Waving, he took his purchases and left the mall. He wondered briefly what would happen if he introduced Aya-chan to Schuldich. Shaking his head at the picture, he decided not to think about it - it was just too weird. One thing he did know - he was very interested in going out tonight - he would finally get the chance to actually touch Ken the way he wanted. He was definitely looking forward to it and he hoped that nothing would happen to spoil the evening.
~*~*~*~*~
Aya-chan made a face as she looked into the mirror. The peacock blue spaghetti strap top and dark navy flared jeans looked good on her, but she could hardly believe that she'd ever worn something so, well, cute.
Pouting slightly in irritation she glared at her reflection. Something was wrong with the outfit, but she couldn't place it. She had her hair down and curled slightly in the style that everyone thought was so sexy, but it seemed wrong with the outfit, false looking somehow.
Glancing at her dresser she spotted her various hair ties. Grinning suddenly she parted her hair and quickly braided it into two braids the way she'd worn it up until the guys had returned to the flower shop the previous year.
Tying off the second ribbon she smiled at the result. The look she had was that of innocent sex appeal - cute but sexy. Maybe the night wouldn't be a total waste after all - she couldn't act like she did when she was out with Ken, but she could flirt in a seemingly unconscious manner. She wouldn't do anything too outrageous; there wasn't much point in having to fight off unwanted advances, but a little flirting should be okay.
Sighing, she shrugged and left to knock on Ken's door. "Hey, Ken," she called through the door. "You decent?"
"Not really," he replied. "I'm a killer who sleeps around. I've got pants on though."
Grinning, the girl opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind her. Ken's back was to her and he did indeed have pants on, a pair of skin-tight black satin ones that showed up even more detail than Nagi's velvet ones did.
He turned around with two shirts in his hands. "Which do you think I should. . ." he trailed off as he saw her than started snickering. "You look like you're fifteen."
She pouted exaggeratedly. She wasn't too upset because she'd expected a reaction like this from him - she felt the same about the outfit after all.
"I know that. Think I'll pull off innocent-good-girl then?"
"Definitely," he said. "You look good, but so. . ."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, sticking her hands in her back pockets. "Wear the dark red shirt," she told him, trying to change the subject. "It's dark enough so that it won't clash with Nagi's outfit."
"So now I'm matching his outfits?"
Aya-chan rolled her eyes. "Of course you are; you have more clothes than he does so you have to match him. Besides, you always match with me even though we're almost never together at a club."
Ken grinned at her and slid the shirt on, buttoning the formfitting, glossy material in a slow, deliberate manner. The girl shook her head, smiling at his actions. Sometimes he was such a tease.
There was a quiet tap on the window and Aya-chan clapped her hands and dashed to the window, opening it quickly. "Nagi-chan, you're here," she squealed.
The telekinetic winced. "I still don't know you very well, but that was scary."
"I ~do~ know her very well, and you're right," replied Ken.
Snickering she was about to respond when Youji's voice echoed through the building. "Aya-chan, you're ride's here."
Blinking, she looked at the door and sighed. "Well, here's hoping that I don't die of boredom," she said to the two guys. Winking she waved at them. "Have fun boys."
Slipping out of the room, she walked towards the front door.
~*~*~*~*~
Youji watched the young man who'd come to pick Aya-chan up and take her to the party she was going to. He ~seemed~ to be a decent sort of person - good looking, polite, dressed to impress but not too outrageously, but something about him was bothering the blond. he reprimanded himself silently.
Realizing that he was glaring, Youji smoothed his expression. Glaring was Aya's job, his job was to interrogate the prospective suitors. This one who was chatting conversationally with Omi had passed the glare test, the inquisition, and Omi's casual questions with flying colours. Shaking his head, he decided to get rid of the problem. "Aya-chan, you're ride's here," he shouted up the stairs. He had to get rid of the kid before he overanalysed this to the extent that he either gave himself an ulcer, or locked the poor girl in her room. She was twenty years old and wouldn't thank any of them for dictating what she could or couldn't do. He knew what men would do with someone as good looking as Aya-chan, hell, he'd ~been~ one of them for years - a more gentlemanly one to be sure, but he'd still broken a number of hearts. He didn't want to see the girl he thought of as his little sister used by some immature, hormone-crazed boy.
he shouted at himself, resisting the temptation to clench his fists. It wasn't the first time she'd gone out, but it was the first time she had been picked up by a guy.
There was a soft sound on the stairs, and he turned to see the girl in question coming down them dressed in a tank top and jeans. She looked very good, in an innocent way, making him think of candy that people couldn't resist wanting to taste. he reprimanded himself when the image of the waiting boy trying to do just that popped into his mind.
"Bye, Oniichan," the girl chirped sweetly. "Bye Youji, bye Omi - I'll see you later."
"Just be home by midnight," demanded Aya.
The girl rolled her eyes. "I promise," she said as she left the shop.
Youji frowned at them until the car was gone from sight.
"Well, he seemed like a nice guy," Omi said quietly. Youji had to agree, but he didn't want to - after all, Ken seemed like a nice guy as well, but he loved to kill people.
Aya grunted, then sighed. "It could be worse," he said. "I still wish she wasn't going anywhere at all."
Omi chuckled. "She's older than me, Aya. If I'm old enough to kill people, she's old enough to ~date~."
The redhead glared at the younger man then stalked off and flung himself into the armchair in front of the blank television screen. Youji admitted that Omi had a point, but reminding Aya that they were still assassins while Aya-chan lived with them wasn't the best idea in the world. While Omi went over to try and placate his crush, Youji decided to go upstairs and either see what Ken was doing, or find something to distract himself with. Now that Aya-chan and the boy, Hiro, were gone, he didn't feel so unsure about him, but until she was safely home he didn't think he'd be able to relax.
Glaring at his own thoughts, he went upstairs, trying not to stomp. He really hadn't needed to remind himself about why he hadn't had sex in close to a year - that he couldn't seem to get past killing Asuka and tended to subconsciously transmit that to whoever he was intimate with wasn't helping his peace of mind when it came to his 'little sister'.
Stopping at Ken's door he raised his hand to knock, then hesitated. After a moment, he lowered it and turned to go up another flight of stairs to his own room. No need to ruin Ken's night as well - it's not like the brunette needed to be reminded to watch out for Aya-chan anyway - after all, he was probably at least as protective as Aya, Omi, and Youji were, and he was the one with the berserker rages.
Irritated with himself, Youji entered his own room and closed the door. Flicking on his stereo, he lay on his bed and tried to think of anything that wasn't connected to Aya-chan or his own life.
It was easier said than done. He found that whenever he didn't have a specific task to occupy his concentration he dwelled on the past. That was him, Kudou Youji, living in the past. It wasn't even a good one, but then, his future wasn't so special either - no women, or men for that matter, there because he couldn't trust himself not to strangle them.
Like he'd strangled her.
Irritated with himself he rolled off his bed and threw on the one sweater in his closet. He had to get out of this place before he drove himself crazy, and he didn't feel like drawing attention to himself. He mostly dressed sexy now as a form of self-torture anyway - what was the point in looking hot when he couldn't risk going through with anything?
Letting his hair fall around his face like a veil, Youji slipped his sunglasses on and made his way downstairs. Aya and Omi were in the living room pretending not to watch each other as they read books. The blond wondered if they'd ever get the nerve to actually sleep together, or at least date.
"I'll be back later," he called to them as he slid his shoes on and left the building. Going for a walk at night wasn't what he really wanted to do, but at least it was better than sitting in his room worrying. Who knew, maybe something interesting would happen.
TBC
AUTHOR: Hana-chan gohana_chan@yahoo.ca
CATEGORY: dark, angst, yaoi,
PAIRINGS: (Nagi) x Ken x Nagi Omi+Aya, Others later.
RATING: varies - R violence
WARNINGS: This has yaoi in it.
SPOILERS: The series, Dramatic Precious, Dramatic Image III -Schwarz,
DISCLAIMER: I don't own Weiss Kreuz, Schwarz, or anything connected to them.
ARCHIVE: FanFiction.Net http://www.fanfiction.net/profile.php?userid=81835
NOTES: The fic WILL still make sense if you don't know the Dramatic CDs, but it might be a bit of a spoiler.
FEEDBACK: Please! This is my first WK fic and I'd like to hear what people think so I'll continue writing.
~*~*~*~*~ scene break ~emphasis~
::telepathy:: //phone or headset//
Shades of Gray
Chapter 6
"He's right about you in leather, or vinyl though," Aya-chan said thoughtfully to Nagi as they walked towards the closest shop in the mall that sold club wear. "If you ever feel adventurous, I could turn you into the ultimate wet-dream that will make everyone who sees either of you, or better yet, both of you together cream themselves at the thought of ~dancing~ with you."
"I can't believe the way you talk," Nagi muttered, cheeks pinking slightly.
"Funny isn't it?" she responded. "Ken's the one with the experience, but he can't say a dirty thought out loud without blushing three shades of red, while I've never done anything other than kiss, and only with Ken and Red at that, and I can talk or act it up as if I were a sex goddess." She shook her head in amusement. "Where do you think you fit in on that scale?"
"I must be somewhere in between," he commented softly. "I can't even ~think~ about wearing some of the things you've described, but I can talk about sex in a general way without blushing. Is Ken really that experienced?"
"Yeah, but only from the last year or so -- since I woke from my coma and they vanished to Koyoto. You haven't had much of a chance to really ~talk~ with him, but he's got some issues, and sex is one way for him to cope. It's either that, or do some really bad shit, if you'll excuse the expression. If it's any consolation, this is the first time he's been seriously interested in anyone long enough to toss the casual, um, flings out the window so to speak."
"It's only been a week though, not even," protested the kinetic.
"I know, but normally he'd have been out every night, and he'd have made his way thorough several men and women each night, if only quickies in a corner. When he's in a bad way, he's something of a slut. Don't get me wrong - I love him to death, but while I like the freedom of ~acting~ a bit like a slut, he gets off on ~being~ one. Not literally of course - he doesn't take money for sex, and he only does it on his own terms with who he chooses, but . . ." she shrugged.
Nagi frowned and nodded. "He sounds a bit like Schuldich," he said. "He gets like that sometimes, all leather and fuck-of-the-hour. I never really understood that myself, but he's been there for me for years now and while I don't understand it, I'm willing to accept it as part of who he is. Like you, I'm not a very casual person."
"I didn't think so," answered Aya-chan. "You seem to have more of a book-knowledge sense of sex, like me. A lot of mental experience, but little or no physical experience."
"You. . . you wouldn't be wrong there," he said softly, finding it surprisingly easy to talk to the girl. "The only experience I have, besides what I do with Ken, is with Schuldich. I had a brush with what would have been a ~very~ bad experience, and he helped me get over it by showing me what sex ~should~ be like in case something happened again and he wasn't there to rescue me."
Aya-chan shuddered. "I hope nothing like that ever happens to me," she said. "I mean, I've been trained to take care of myself, but . . ."
"Me too," murmured the dark-haired boy. "But sometimes training isn't enough. It didn't happen though, so I only have good experiences to date but. . ."
"Let's talk about something else. So, do you have any favourite colours or anything?"
Nagi blinked at the total shift in the conversation. "Rich blues, I guess," he said after some thought. "I don't usually think much about my clothing - I wear school uniforms a lot because they're practical and comfortable."
"Well, I think that blue would suit you - it would bring out the colour of your eyes. Black would be good, maybe silver or grey as well. How daring are you willing to go?" she asked. "I think that snug pants, jeans maybe, would look good, and a tight shirt, something that would lift when you raised your arms, some sparkly gel for your hair as well." Tilting her head to the side she looked at his face. "A touch of makeup would go over ~really~ well, but we can work up to that if you want. So, opaque but snug sound good? If you want, we can get stretch material so that there's some give - that's the worst thing about leather - it's very form fitting."
An hour later Nagi stood outside the change room of one of the less outrageous clothing stores looking dubiously at himself in the mirror as Aya-chan stood back and looked at him appraisingly.
He was dressed in a royal blue nylon-satin t-shirt that showed off every ripple of muscle, as well as his nipples, which had peaked in the chill air of the shop. He had on a pair of black velvet jeans that were very form fitting, showing off his lower body to great advantage, especially in profile. They sat low on his hips, and the shirt barely touched the top edge showing tantalising glimpses of skin when he moved.
"I feel foolish in this," he said, looking at himself in the mirror again.
"Trust me, you don't ~look~ foolish," the girl replied. "Ken will be drooling over you all night."
"It's just not me," he protested.
"Then don't be you, or rather, be a different part of you," she said. "Haven't you ever wanted to be totally hot and sexy and have people lusting after you, knowing that you have the power to grant their wildest dreams or totally smash their hopes? Or have you ever wanted to just cut loose and be something totally opposite of what people expect you to be?"
Nagi blinked as he mulled that over. "I've never thought about it in those terms, but I have wanted to just do something that would totally shock the others if they ever found out - they just assume I'll act a certain way, and I guess I just do what's expected."
"Well, now's your chance to do that. The outfit is amazing, and as long as you find it comfortable, it shouldn't be a problem. If it helps, think of how you want Ken to feel, and try to make him feel that way."
"You mean, if I want Ken to go out of his mind with lust and fuck me on the spot, I should try to act as if I expect him to do just that?" he asked, trying to get the concept straight in his mind.
"Exactly. I do it when I go out. There's only one guy I might feel like going all the way with right now, and I act as if he's going to find me sexy enough to jump right there. He never goes too far which is nice - I'm not sure ~why~ he doesn't, a lot of others are only stopped by the fact that 'Killer Kenshin' is my 'twin' brother, but when I go out, I go with the feeling that people will find me totally irresistible and they do. It's a mental thing - if you act a certain way, people believe you."
"I can understand that - I acted like I had every right to be a bodyguard in the past, and people believed I was, even though I was only a scrawny fifteen year old. I think I can act sexy for Ken; actually, I find myself doing that anyway, even now. This is just going a step further isn't it?"
"Exactly. So going to go for that outfit?"
Nagi looked into the mirror again and made his decision. "I'll get it. And. . .and maybe that see-through black shirt too."
Aya-chan grinned. "I liked that one as well, but I didn't want to push you. Both are amazing. When you feel like looking like the living embodiment of sex, I'll take you to what Ken and I call the plastic-and-leather store - that way you can totally blow Ken's mind."
"I still think you're exaggerating, but I'll try it at least this time."
"Trust me, you won't be disappointed in the results. Ken may be easy on occasion, but he's got very particular tastes - hot and bishie is a definite must and you certainly fit the bill. Change back into your clothes and I'll meet you by the counter."
Nagi nodded and went back into the change room. He had to admit that the outfit did seem to suit him. It reminded him of a toned-down outfit that Schuldich might wear. He wondered what the redhead would have picked out for him if he'd asked. Probably something leather. He wondered what Ken looked like in a "fuck-me-now" outfit. Hot images danced through his mind and he quickly pushed the thoughts aside when he felt the stirring tingle of arousal. He definitely didn't need to get an erection ~now~.
Carefully folding up his new outfits, Nagi checked to make sure his slacks and shirt were presentable before he left the little room. As he stepped up to the counter he saw that Aya-chan was talking to a couple of girls her age. He didn't want to interrupt, but her gaze landed on him and she clapped her hands and practically glomped him.
"Nagi-kun," she said cheerfully, come meet Ami and Imari. We used to go to high school together. They just invited me to go to Black Magic's opening with them. Isn't that an amazing coincidence?"
Nagi looked at her in stunned confusion. This girl wasn't acting anything like the one he'd just been talking to by the change room. There was also a flash of desperation in her eyes, as if she wanted him to say something. He had no clue what to think right now however.
"So, are you Aya-chan's boyfriend?" one of the girls, Imari, asked.
"Um, no," he said carefully. "We're just friends,"
"Sugoi!" cried Ami. "Does that mean you're free?"
Nagi's eyes widened at the implication. "No, no I'm not," he explained hastily. "I'm seeing someone."
They both looked very disappointed but Nagi was relieved. He had no idea how to deal with the two girls. He was almost never in the presence of people near his own age, and flirty girls like this really threw him off balance. Normally he'd just give them a cold look and ignore them, but it was hard to do that with Aya-chan hanging off his arm the way she was.
"Are you ready to go, Aya-chan?" he asked, wondering what they'd think of him adding the diminutive to her name. Actually, he hadn't even thought of it as that before now since that was how she'd introduced herself to him. He'd have to ask her why she'd added the "chan" to her name as if it belonged there.
"We'll see you at the party right, Aya-chan?" Ami asked.
Nagi felt the girl slump against him, though she nodded brightly.
"Well, we have to finish shopping. We'll pick you up at the flower shop with Hiro at around nine all right?"
"I'll be ready," Aya-chan said brightly, waving at the girls as they sauntered off.
As soon as they were out of sight, Aya-chan sighed loudly and let go of his arm. "Sometimes I hate being me," she muttered softly. "Sorry about glomping you," she said. "They'd been eying you, and one or both of them were about to glomp you so I thought you'd be more comfortable if I was the one who did it instead."
"What was all that about?" he asked.
She rolled her eyes. "When I knew them in school it was before my coma, and soon after I woke up. I was a very innocent and bubbly person, more cute than annoying I like to think, but it's a hard thing to deliberately replicate now - I haven't been that innocent in over a year - most definitely not since I started training and ended up being a secret member of Weiss."
"That's a relief," he commented. "I had been wondering if you had a ditzy twin sister or something. I like you much better this way. The way you were acting was. . . unnerving."
She just winced then grinned. "I like this me better as well, though the sexy one who goes to the clubs is fun too; a bit messed up though since everyone thinks she sleeps with her twin."
Nagi blinked at that. "They what?"
A wicked smirk crossed her face. "When Ken and I started going out to the clubs, we ended up telling people that we were twins - it kept them off my back and let him be with whoever he wanted. Unfortunately, we didn't take into consideration the way we should or should not be acting. We got a bit carried away when we were dancing and ended up practically making out on the dance floor. It was my first kiss actually, but it must have looked really twisted from the observer's point of view since we were supposed to be twins instead of just good friends."
"So everyone got the wrong idea and it stuck."
"Exactly. I don't really mind so much now, it's actually a lot of fun because it's so, I don't know, wicked and naughty if you know what I mean. It's funny when we go shopping, or out alone because we get all clingy just to see what sort of reactions we can get," she snickered at the thought, and Nagi couldn't help the small smile that crossed his lips.
"You two have a lot of fun, don't you?" he asked wistfully.
"Yeah, we do. More, when we totally let ourselves go. You should try it - the amazing scandals you could have clinging to each other in public like that . . ." She snickered. "You should come up with a name so you can be someone else when you party - it's a lot of fun."
"I might. I don't know what I'd call myself though."
"I'll think about it and try to come up with some suggestions. It doesn't really have to be that different from your name - heck it could be your last name if you wanted it to be." She winced slightly as she heard a girlish squeal of excitement from further down the mall. "I wonder if I have anything acceptable to wear to this stupid party," she said under her breath.
"Stupid party?" he asked. "I thought that you wanted to go to the club on opening night."
"I did, but I ~didn't~ want to go as Aya-chan the good-little-girl. It's going to be ~so~ boring since I'll have to behave myself. No skimpy, not-quite-slutty, outfits and no overly sexy behaviour. Aya-chan wouldn't act like that after all."
"You mean you're going to have to act like ~that~?" he asked thinking of her previous behaviour.
She nodded. "Maybe not quite so annoying, but basically sweet and innocent. I don't even know if I can pull that off anymore. Killing people tends to take away a person's innocence."
"Well," Nagi said, not wanting to comment on the 'killing people' statement. "At least you have an excuse to go home early if it gets too dull."
"True," she said, cheering up a bit. "I'd rather not go to what will basically be a frat party in some of the private rooms, but maybe I can sneak downstairs and watch you and Ken dance."
"Dance?" he asked worriedly. "I don't know if I can dance very well."
"You can't?" she asked in surprise. "It won't really matter, I guess, if you're willing to get close to Ken. Just glomp onto him and follow his motions. You could probably find a creative way to use your powers so that they'll help you match his movements. If you don't feel like dancing you can probably find a seat and make out for most of the night anyway."
The boy's eyes widened. "He's not going to expect us to, you know. . ."
"Go all the way in the club?" she shook her head. "If you want to, he'll be happy to oblige, but he won't suggest it. Like I said before, he really likes you and won't do anything that will make you feel really uncomfortable. He's good at telling what people are feeling, and he'll just be miserable if you are. Don't worry about it."
Nagi sighed in relief, but a part of him was seriously turned on by the idea of having sex, or at least making out where people could see him. He'd been both mortified and turned on when he'd found out that Aya-chan had seen him masturbating in the tree. He wondered how he'd feel with people watching him playing tonsil-hockey with Ken in public. Blushing, he pushed the thought away, filing it away in his mind as 'something to avoid thinking about in public'.
Glancing at his watch, he was surprised at how late it was. He was supposed to be back at the house in an hour. "I've got to run, Aya-chan," he apologized. "I'm supposed to be home in an hour. Thanks for all of your help,"
Aya-chan smiled. "No problem, it was fun. So, are you guys going to meet at the shop?" she asked.
"Probably," he said. "You're being picked up at nine aren't you? What's your brother going to think about that, out of curiosity?"
She winced and shrugged. "All three of my 'brothers' will probably flip out and interrogate whoever comes to get me, but Oniichan will let me go if I pull an Omi on him."
"Pull an Omi?"
Stopping abruptly she let her eyes get very wide and pleading. "But, Oniichan, it's only a party. Please let me go. I promise not to drink anything that someone else brings to me and I'll be home by midnight." She fluttered her eyelashes, eyes looking wet with tears. Nagi took one look at the expression, and though he knew it was totally false, he found that he wanted to say yes to her just so that she'd stop looking at him like that.
"Effective isn't it?" she said smugly. "Omi doesn't use that look very often, but when he does, no one can turn him down for anything. I learned from the best." She grinned at him. "It also helps that Oniichan has a crush on Omi - the combination is particularly devastating. I make a point of using it as little as possible to keep it potent"
"I can see why they fall for it. I knew it was put on, but . . ."
She snickered. "I know - that's the best thing about it - it's so obviously false, but they can't seem to help but fall for it. It makes it a lot of fun to use. So, I'll see you tonight?" she asked.
Nagi nodded. "I'll come by way of the tree again. Somehow I don't think that the look would stop your brother from trying to skewer me if I came in the front door."
"Well, he probably wouldn't skewer you, but he'd definitely not let me go out, and Ken and I would both be in for the lecture of our lives. I'd rather be at the club thank you."
"Me too," he agreed with a small smile. "See you tonight, then," he said to her as they approached the doors that led outside. Waving, he took his purchases and left the mall. He wondered briefly what would happen if he introduced Aya-chan to Schuldich. Shaking his head at the picture, he decided not to think about it - it was just too weird. One thing he did know - he was very interested in going out tonight - he would finally get the chance to actually touch Ken the way he wanted. He was definitely looking forward to it and he hoped that nothing would happen to spoil the evening.
~*~*~*~*~
Aya-chan made a face as she looked into the mirror. The peacock blue spaghetti strap top and dark navy flared jeans looked good on her, but she could hardly believe that she'd ever worn something so, well, cute.
Pouting slightly in irritation she glared at her reflection. Something was wrong with the outfit, but she couldn't place it. She had her hair down and curled slightly in the style that everyone thought was so sexy, but it seemed wrong with the outfit, false looking somehow.
Glancing at her dresser she spotted her various hair ties. Grinning suddenly she parted her hair and quickly braided it into two braids the way she'd worn it up until the guys had returned to the flower shop the previous year.
Tying off the second ribbon she smiled at the result. The look she had was that of innocent sex appeal - cute but sexy. Maybe the night wouldn't be a total waste after all - she couldn't act like she did when she was out with Ken, but she could flirt in a seemingly unconscious manner. She wouldn't do anything too outrageous; there wasn't much point in having to fight off unwanted advances, but a little flirting should be okay.
Sighing, she shrugged and left to knock on Ken's door. "Hey, Ken," she called through the door. "You decent?"
"Not really," he replied. "I'm a killer who sleeps around. I've got pants on though."
Grinning, the girl opened the door and slipped in, closing it behind her. Ken's back was to her and he did indeed have pants on, a pair of skin-tight black satin ones that showed up even more detail than Nagi's velvet ones did.
He turned around with two shirts in his hands. "Which do you think I should. . ." he trailed off as he saw her than started snickering. "You look like you're fifteen."
She pouted exaggeratedly. She wasn't too upset because she'd expected a reaction like this from him - she felt the same about the outfit after all.
"I know that. Think I'll pull off innocent-good-girl then?"
"Definitely," he said. "You look good, but so. . ."
"Yeah, yeah," she muttered, sticking her hands in her back pockets. "Wear the dark red shirt," she told him, trying to change the subject. "It's dark enough so that it won't clash with Nagi's outfit."
"So now I'm matching his outfits?"
Aya-chan rolled her eyes. "Of course you are; you have more clothes than he does so you have to match him. Besides, you always match with me even though we're almost never together at a club."
Ken grinned at her and slid the shirt on, buttoning the formfitting, glossy material in a slow, deliberate manner. The girl shook her head, smiling at his actions. Sometimes he was such a tease.
There was a quiet tap on the window and Aya-chan clapped her hands and dashed to the window, opening it quickly. "Nagi-chan, you're here," she squealed.
The telekinetic winced. "I still don't know you very well, but that was scary."
"I ~do~ know her very well, and you're right," replied Ken.
Snickering she was about to respond when Youji's voice echoed through the building. "Aya-chan, you're ride's here."
Blinking, she looked at the door and sighed. "Well, here's hoping that I don't die of boredom," she said to the two guys. Winking she waved at them. "Have fun boys."
Slipping out of the room, she walked towards the front door.
~*~*~*~*~
Youji watched the young man who'd come to pick Aya-chan up and take her to the party she was going to. He ~seemed~ to be a decent sort of person - good looking, polite, dressed to impress but not too outrageously, but something about him was bothering the blond. he reprimanded himself silently.
Realizing that he was glaring, Youji smoothed his expression. Glaring was Aya's job, his job was to interrogate the prospective suitors. This one who was chatting conversationally with Omi had passed the glare test, the inquisition, and Omi's casual questions with flying colours. Shaking his head, he decided to get rid of the problem. "Aya-chan, you're ride's here," he shouted up the stairs. He had to get rid of the kid before he overanalysed this to the extent that he either gave himself an ulcer, or locked the poor girl in her room. She was twenty years old and wouldn't thank any of them for dictating what she could or couldn't do. He knew what men would do with someone as good looking as Aya-chan, hell, he'd ~been~ one of them for years - a more gentlemanly one to be sure, but he'd still broken a number of hearts. He didn't want to see the girl he thought of as his little sister used by some immature, hormone-crazed boy.
he shouted at himself, resisting the temptation to clench his fists. It wasn't the first time she'd gone out, but it was the first time she had been picked up by a guy.
There was a soft sound on the stairs, and he turned to see the girl in question coming down them dressed in a tank top and jeans. She looked very good, in an innocent way, making him think of candy that people couldn't resist wanting to taste. he reprimanded himself when the image of the waiting boy trying to do just that popped into his mind.
"Bye, Oniichan," the girl chirped sweetly. "Bye Youji, bye Omi - I'll see you later."
"Just be home by midnight," demanded Aya.
The girl rolled her eyes. "I promise," she said as she left the shop.
Youji frowned at them until the car was gone from sight.
"Well, he seemed like a nice guy," Omi said quietly. Youji had to agree, but he didn't want to - after all, Ken seemed like a nice guy as well, but he loved to kill people.
Aya grunted, then sighed. "It could be worse," he said. "I still wish she wasn't going anywhere at all."
Omi chuckled. "She's older than me, Aya. If I'm old enough to kill people, she's old enough to ~date~."
The redhead glared at the younger man then stalked off and flung himself into the armchair in front of the blank television screen. Youji admitted that Omi had a point, but reminding Aya that they were still assassins while Aya-chan lived with them wasn't the best idea in the world. While Omi went over to try and placate his crush, Youji decided to go upstairs and either see what Ken was doing, or find something to distract himself with. Now that Aya-chan and the boy, Hiro, were gone, he didn't feel so unsure about him, but until she was safely home he didn't think he'd be able to relax.
Glaring at his own thoughts, he went upstairs, trying not to stomp. He really hadn't needed to remind himself about why he hadn't had sex in close to a year - that he couldn't seem to get past killing Asuka and tended to subconsciously transmit that to whoever he was intimate with wasn't helping his peace of mind when it came to his 'little sister'.
Stopping at Ken's door he raised his hand to knock, then hesitated. After a moment, he lowered it and turned to go up another flight of stairs to his own room. No need to ruin Ken's night as well - it's not like the brunette needed to be reminded to watch out for Aya-chan anyway - after all, he was probably at least as protective as Aya, Omi, and Youji were, and he was the one with the berserker rages.
Irritated with himself, Youji entered his own room and closed the door. Flicking on his stereo, he lay on his bed and tried to think of anything that wasn't connected to Aya-chan or his own life.
It was easier said than done. He found that whenever he didn't have a specific task to occupy his concentration he dwelled on the past. That was him, Kudou Youji, living in the past. It wasn't even a good one, but then, his future wasn't so special either - no women, or men for that matter, there because he couldn't trust himself not to strangle them.
Like he'd strangled her.
Irritated with himself he rolled off his bed and threw on the one sweater in his closet. He had to get out of this place before he drove himself crazy, and he didn't feel like drawing attention to himself. He mostly dressed sexy now as a form of self-torture anyway - what was the point in looking hot when he couldn't risk going through with anything?
Letting his hair fall around his face like a veil, Youji slipped his sunglasses on and made his way downstairs. Aya and Omi were in the living room pretending not to watch each other as they read books. The blond wondered if they'd ever get the nerve to actually sleep together, or at least date.
"I'll be back later," he called to them as he slid his shoes on and left the building. Going for a walk at night wasn't what he really wanted to do, but at least it was better than sitting in his room worrying. Who knew, maybe something interesting would happen.
TBC