AUTHOR : sara-chan

PAIRING : Ran/Ken

DISCLAIMERS: Weiss kreuz belongs to Takehito Koyasu. Ran and Kenken aren't mine. * cry *

WARNINGS: shonen ai, sap, fluff

NOTES: Here is the next chapter. More RanKen cute moments!!! This fic is progressing nicely, I think. I like reading and writing "get together" fics. It's so fun and cute, don't you think? Thank you for your reviews! I was so happy to read them! Thank you!

IT'S LOVE

Chapter 4: A NEW BOND

Ken dropped down on the green grass and sighed heavily. He was tired, his body ached everywhere, and his clothes were dirty after falling more than once; but it was worth it after seeing the look of immense joy reflecting in the eyes of 'his kids' before they left for home.

The brunette turned his head to his right. Aya was laying there too, an arm over his closed eyes. A grin crossed the brunette's face when he looked at the redhead's dirty clothes. The kids hadn't let the older man take a break once. As soon as they had known that Aya was his friend, they had been all over him, wanting to play with 'Ken ni-chan's friend'.

Ken snickered when he remembered the 'oh-shit-help-me-or-I'm-gonna-kill-you' look Aya had sent him back then. Ken would have never guessed that kids could be the weak point of his fearless leader. Ken had taken pity of him and proposed to play a match and Aya had followed… though the redhead hadn't had a choice when he saw the puppy look the kids had sent him.

"What are you laughing at, Hidaka?" a deep voice grunted.

Ken snickered. There wasn't a point in hiding it anymore. "Well, I was thinking about asking you to be a soccer coach with me for the kids. You seemed to handle them pretty well this afternoon."

"I suggest you not to ask if you value your life, Hidaka," was the replied Ken received, but it wasn't as cold as usual, rather drained, Ken thought amused.

The brunette sat up and turned toward his friend. He put his shin on the palm of his hand and grinned. He was finding too much fun in embarrassing the redhead. For a minute, he wondered why he didn't feel strange or odd to act so at ease and tease the older man. He had never done that before with Aya. Ken could even admit that Aya scared him sometimes with his cold and emotionless attitude. But he wasn't afraid of him. It was a scared feeling in an admiring way. He admired and respected the older man. There was something about Aya that made Ken want to follow him wherever he went in a mission, even if it was dangerous and crazy. Because Ken trusted him. Well, that was how Ken had always felt about their unapproachable leader.

But these last days, precisely since last night when they met in the backyard, something new had developed between them.

Ken didn't know what it was, maybe a deeper friendship than before… though he didn't know if they could have been called 'friends' before since they never really had the time to talk together. Ken couldn't see himself asking the redhead: "Hey, wanna chat?" during a mission. Aya would slice him with his katana for endangering them. At this thought, the brunette rolled his eyes. 

But now it was different. He felt at ease with the redhead. He was joking with Aya, and had even played soccer with him! Yeah, they were good friends now. He was sure of that, even if the older man hadn't said a thing about it.

"What are you grinning about now?" Aya said as his arm left his face and his brow furrowed. "I think you are enjoying yourself too much, when I'm feeling like I have been running for 10 hours."

Ken had just the time to see a smirk on the older man's lips before he saw all the soccer balls being thrown at him one after the other.

"Ayaaaaaaaa!!! Stop it!" he yelled as he jumped on his feet to escape them.

"I can't hear you, Ken," Aya smirked while he kept on throwing the balls to the younger teen. He didn't use all his force, so Ken wasn't hurt that much when one ball found his target.

"Ayaaaaa!" the said target whined between his laughs, he was having a hard time concentrating.

It was already 9 p.m. so the part of this neighbourhood was silent. Ken's laughs echoed in the night like a crystalline music.

When Ken didn't feel anymore balls hit him, he sighed loudly, laying back on the grass. He sensed someone standing before him. His chocolate eyes rose up and saw Aya offering a hand toward him. Ken accepted his offer with a smile.

"I will take my revenge later, Fujimiya. You can count on it," he said with a playful glint in his eyes.

His smile faltered when he saw the serious look on the redhead's face. Aya was staring at his own hand that was holding Ken's with a frown. The brunette felt Aya make some distracting circle paths on the back of his hand. Ken felt a shiver run along his back for an unknown reason. What was going on?

"Aya?" he asked softly.

"It had been a long time since I last played soccer and enjoyed myself; thank you, Ken." Amethyst eyes looked down at him with an unreadable emotion. He didn't know why, but at this right moment, Ken noticed for the first time how hypnotising Aya's eyes could be. It was like looking into a purple pool; he could drown in them endlessly.

A bit dazed, Ken shook his head, but he still felt his hand tingle where Aya was holding him.

"You're welcome, Aya," he smiled.

He knew he had said the right words when he saw Aya's eyes shine with a warm light he had never seen before. The redhead dropped his hand and together, they picked up the soccer balls.

***

"I feel like cooking ramen tonight! Wanna join me for dinner?" Ken asked his friend as they headed back to the shop.

"I'd rather not," Aya answered with a snort.

"Hey! Are you implying that I can't cook?" Ken pouted with his huge chocolate eyes.

"You *can't* cook Ken," the redhead said matter-of-factly.

It was true. Aya, Yohji and Omi had been the unfortunate victims of Ken's cooking once, and it was a painful experience the redhead would rather forget. In a few words, Ken in a kitchen was as suicidal as willingly fighting Schwartz without weapons.

"Forget it Ken. I'm cooking and that's final," Aya said with the Look, aka, the 'I-will-kill-you-painfully-if-you-say-no" look.

Ken chose to answer him maturely and stuck out his tongue, at which Aya rolled his eyes. Then both of them walked back home in a companionable atmosphere… though they did continue bickering at each other the whole time.

TBC…

How was that? Love it? Hate it? Please tell me!!!

See ya!

Sara-chan