Chapter 2

The CLAMP artists own CCD. This fan fiction is in no way meant to infringe on that ownership. It was written for entertainment purposes only. This story is the sequel to Change and Revelation, Correspondence, and Research and Discovery. To better understand this story you should read them in order.

Chapter 2

Nokoru's eyes widened with horror as he realized that the trajectory of the teapot would land it right in his lap. There was no way he could get out of its way in time. He could catch the pot or the girl. There wasn't enough time for him to catch both. There was no choice at all. Quickly the chairman leaned forward to catch the girl cringing in anticipation of the painful landing of the tea.

The pot spun in the air as if in slow motion as the piping hot tea rushed out of the delicately painted container. A fog of water vapor wafted over the table as the chairman choked back the guttural yell that was attempting to escape his throat.

'I will not scream in front of the lady.' Nokoru scolded himself silently as the waitress clung to his arm.

She staggered pulling him forward. The movement caused the hot fabric to press into the already tender skin. The chairman managed to keep his silence only through shear willpower. Bright hot light filled his vision as the scolding hot tea soaked into his lower body. One shinning tear rolled down his cheek. Standing Nokoru franticly scanned the room. He knew he had to find a restroom where he could separate the hot tea soaked pants from his burning skin.

On the other side of the table too far away to catch the teapot or the girl, Suoh could only watch as boiling hot tea spilled down Nokoru's trousers. "Rijichou!" He called out reaching his hand uselessly towards the falling pot, his voice think with worry."

The sound of the waitress crying broke though the haze of pain that had begun to envelop the chairman's mind. Nokoru glanced down at the girl who was beautiful despite the eyeliner running down her oval face making tiny streaks or the frayed mess that had once been a finely woven midnight braid. Nokoru could never resist a woman in trouble. And this lovely creature who was crying so hard that the words she was murmuring were barely intelligible was no exception.

"I just spilled tea on Imonyama Rijichou, Oh Rijichou I am so sorry!. I can't believe what I just did. Please forgive me!" Her distress was so great that she had fallen to her knees. Taking her apron off she began dabbing at the chairman's pants.

"Accidents happen, there really is no need for you to go through this trouble." Nokoru jolted backwards as the girl's hands brushed against his groin, almost causing the waitress to fall. Instinctively he reached out to catch her. Steady once more she continued press the apron into the saturated trousers, not really noticing where her hands were touching. "I am such a klutz, please let me clean this up for you Rijichou."

"No, please stop." The chairman blushed as the apron stroked the length of his lap. Trying to back away from the manhandling once more he raised his hands in protest. "Truly, I am fine."

"You are very kind but I know my duties Rijichou, I must make this up to you."

Suoh lifted a hand to hide his smile as the waitress attempted to blot up all the tea. It was obvious that she hadn't realized why Rijichou was objecting so strenuously. Deciding his friend needed some help, Suoh slipped off of his cushion.

Trying to concentrate on the waitresses distress instead of the hot tingling that was beginning to unfold with in, Nokoru was taken by surprise when a familiar hand descended onto his shoulder.

"Rijichou? Are you all right?" Suoh asked leaning towards his friend in concern.

The touch combined with the soothing sound of Suoh's voice, the warmth of his friend's body pressing up to his and waitresses frantic rubbings proved to be more than Nokoru could take. Unable to do anything about it the chairman felt himself react to the physical stimulation.

He nearly died of shame when he saw the waitresses lovely eyes widen in surprise as she felt his reaction. Blushing about three shades of red the girl instantly dropped the apron backing away as if she had been the one burned.

Suoh bit his lip to help keep in the laughter that threatened to burst out as the scene played out before him. He sobered as he realized what must have triggered his friend's responses. 'Why would he react that way to my touch? I know he's gay but could he be attracted to me? I wonder, what is it he wanted to tell me?' An image of Nokoru's face filled his mind as he remembered gazing down into the sapphire depths of his friend's eyes when he had protected the chairman from a rampaging robot several days ago. What was that emotion he'd seen flickering in those bright pools? "Could it be desire? Is that what Nokoru wanted to tell me tonight?" Suoh wondered as he tried to wrap his mind around the idea that his best friend might like him as more than a friend.

Pulling himself together Nokoru bowed towards the waitress his face once again serene. "I apologize for startling you."

The bow seemed to free the girl from her temporary paralysis. The waitress bowed her own head in shame. "No, you tried to warn me. The fault was mine." She whispered miserably.

Dropping her eyes she blushed a red so deep she matched her dress. Gentle hands lifted up her chin so she could look upon the chairman's face. She stared at him completely mesmerized as she looked up into the chairman's vivid blue eyes. The girl's bottom lip was trebling with emotions that were barely held in check. Something she saw in those eyes made her frown stretch into a smile.

Suoh shook his head in admiration as he watched the chairman change the waitresses sorrow into adoration in the blink of an eye. "Nokoru is simply amazing." Suoh decided as he watched Nokoru work his unique brand of magic. "He is ignoring what must be a very uncomfortable situation just to help sooth the waitress. Though one should expect nothing less from Rijichou." He reminded himself.

As soon as Nokoru was certain that he had quelled the girl's fears he turned her around and firmly but gently nudged her into the startled Takamura's arms. "Please forgive my rudeness but I really must make a visit to the men's room."

"Yes of course, I am sorry I have made such a mess of things. Would you like something more to drink when you return?" The waitress asked her dark eyes apologetic.

"Yes," Nokoru responded as he turned towards the restroom. Halfway there he turned back to face the waitress and a bemused Suoh. "Anything cold will do just fine."

Suoh couldn't hold back the laughter any longer. The waitress blushed prettily at the sound, before she headed off to find the chairman something to drink.

In the men's room, the chairman found a stall and pealed the still very warm trousers away from his tender skin. Leaning against the wall, Nokoru used his cellular phone to call the Imonyama mansion.

"Hello? Yes, It's Nokoru. I need a pair of black pants. Bring them to the new restaurant near the University section of campus. The address is the one I have marked on the blotter. Yes, that's right. I will be waiting for you in the restroom." There was stunned pause on the other end of the phone and the young chairman could almost hear his servant's unasked questions. Mercifully the man said only that he would be right over. As Nokoru hung up the phone, he sent up a prayer of thanks to whoever had blessed his family with servants who knew when not to question instructions.

By the time the chairman finally made it out of the bathroom the salmon was already on the table. "Ah there you are. I didn't think you were ever going to come out of there. Are you all right?" Suoh queried with a hint of humor still glowing in his topaz eyes.

The chairman chuckled. "I am a little tender, but I was lucky enough to avoid any really serious burns." Sitting down, Nokoru gazed wistfully down at his fish. "I had hoped that we would be able to talk more before the food came. Ah well, I will just have to tell him after we eat." Nokoru promised himself.

The heir to the Takamura clan found himself smiling as he watched his best friend dig into the salmon as if afraid that something else might go wrong if he hesitated. "Poor Nokoru, this night hasn't been as relaxing as I hoped it would be." Suoh's smile widened as he glanced back over to the lonely piano. "But at least my little surprise should cheer him up."

Lifting a bit of tender salmon to his lips Suoh relished the delicate flavor.

"Mmm, this is delicious." He concluded meeting the distant azure gaze of his dearest friend. "What do you think? "

The blue eyes refocused as the chairman's chopsticks paused in mid air. "Uh", Nokoru said intelligently as a sheepish look crept across his face. He had been so preoccupied with deciding how to reveal his feeling that he hadn't really tasted what he was eating. After a moment of letting the fish rest on his tongue he decided that it was quite good. "Very good, He responded to his friend once his mouth was free of food. "Perhaps we should see if we couldn't get the recipe for Akira. As good as this is I can only imagine that it would be absolutely incredible should he prepare it."

"A good thought. We can ask the waitress when she returns." Takamura speared a bit of salmon onto the end of one chopstick. He watched Nokoru's chin firm up as the chairman seemed to come to a decision.

Setting his chopsticks down on the plate, Nokoru deiced that he had his fill of waiting. He might not be able to enjoy his food afterwards but it wasn't like he had gotten much out of what he had eaten so far.

"Suoh, the reason I have been on edge lately.." The chairman let the words fall away as beautiful music filled the dining room.

Inwardly Suoh cursed while outwardly his face remained as calm as ever. 'Of course the music starts just when he was about to tell me what has been bothering him. Darn but our timing is off tonight.'

Following the sound of the music Nokoru turned to look towards the piano. His mouth dropped open in surprise when he saw who was at the keyboard. "Yudaiji Idomu!" he breathed in a whisper as a smile split his face. "I knew he was going to be coming back for a visit, but I didn't know he was already here. This is wonderful!"

"You knew?" Suoh asked disappointment showing in his golden eyes. His heart leapt to his throat as Nokoru turned that shining face back in his direction.

"Yes I did, he wrote me a letter telling me that he would be visiting soon but I had no idea he meant this soon. But this was a very nice surprise any way Suoh so don't feel bad."

A thought entered Suoh's mind then, chilling him down to his core. He had just gotten used to the idea that Nokoru might have a crush on him. 'What if I guessed wrong? When did he get that letter? Perhaps he has feelings for Yudaiji. Was that the realization he had at the lab?' Something inside him rejected that idea forcefully, but as he glanced over at the beatific expression on his friend's face he wasn't quite so sure of himself. 'Why should it bother me to think that Nokoru might have found someone to love? He is an adult. Who he decides to date is his own business. But even so I feel...what? What is it that I feel?'

Shifting on his cushion Suoh locked his gaze on the elfin face and blue eyes of his best friend as he tried to decipher the feelings he had for this fay being in front of him. "Nokoru is my best friend. Why should I care what he feels for Yudaiji? I love Nokoru. He deserves to be happy so why dose this sit so ill with me?" From deep within a long unheard voice stirred whispering its simple message into Suoh's mind. "Because I want him." In that blinding flash of insight Suoh understood that the voice was completely correct. It was startling to realize that he wanted Nokoru in every way that his friend would allow. It didn't really matter to him to know when his friendship had transmuted into love. All that mattered was that he knew now. A bitter pain filled his heart as he continued to stare at his dear friend. "So I now know who my soul mate is, but I may be too late. Why would he chose Yudaiji over me?"

'Simple,' the tiny voice from before responded, 'it's because you've never told him how you feel." Suoh cringed inwardly. 'That's because I didn't understand how much I felt for Nokoru until now.' Suoh snapped back at the voice. 'And I almost married Nagisa! I would have if she hadn't backed out. She must have seen what even I couldn't see. You are so very wise my dear friend. It must have been hard to walk away. I know you love me very much. I will never forget the gift you have given me. Even if nothing comes of it.' Sighing, Suoh rested his chin on his hands as he felt depression take hold of him.

'Wait a minuet, Nokoru never actually said what it was that was bothering him. What if I told him how I feel? It might not change anything. But I won't let him slip away from me without a fight.' Standing, Suoh threw some money down onto the table before he leaned down to take Nokoru's hand in his own. "I need to tell you something in private." He whispered hastily as he pulled the confused chairman up from his cushion.

Nokoru immersed himself into the music letting all his worries and concerns fade as the delicate strands of the music's spell took hold of him. Sighing as he entered an almost meditative state the chairman grinned. Trust Suoh to think of something so relaxing. This was precisely what he needed to calm him down enough to actually admit his feelings. Blue eyes that had partially closed snapped open wide as a strong but gentle hand took his lifting him from the cushion. Startled by the abrupt action of his friend, Nokoru allowed himself to be led into the men's room. Suoh very rarely did anything without reason so an explanation would come soon enough he knew.

Locking the door to the restroom so they wouldn't be interrupted Suoh turned to face his friend. Lifting his chin Suoh held Nokoru's gaze steadily. Slowly he advanced towards Nokoru coming nose to nose with the chairman before he finally stopped.

Nokoru blinked unable to do anything but stare back into those deep pools of gold. "S-Suoh?"

Wrapping his arms possessively around the smaller man's shoulders Suoh pulled Nokoru into his embrace as he took the chairman's exquisitely shaped mouth into his own.

The depth of Suoh's passion was clear in that bright gaze. Startled beyond words, Nokoru made a tiny sound that encompassed all the feelings in his heart. "If this is a dream please don't let me wake." He whispered against his friend's lips as he melted into Suoh's strong arms. Suoh released Nokoru's mouth so that he could nibble on the chairman's ear. Nokoru stiffened as a dark thought entered his mind. "What about Nagisa, Suoh? I refuse to hurt her."

"She knows how we feel about each other. I think she knew long before either of us even began to consider the possibility that we might be attracted to one another. I think that is probably the main reason why she refused my proposal. Though she didn't say so at the time. No matter what happens between you and I, Nagisa and I are no longer a couple. However, she will always be very special to me. You are simply more so." Suoh continued to nuzzle the chairman as Nokoru's body slowly relaxed once more into the embrace.

Reaching a hand between Nokoru and himself Suoh fumbled with the chairman's belt. He found out that it was difficult to unbuckle a belt when you weren't looking at it. Nokoru stepped away before he could get the belt undone.

"No, I can't Suoh. Not tonight." The blue eyes were gentle but firm.

"Why not, you seem to feel the same way I do."

Nokoru shook his head," It's not that I don't want to."

"Then what is it?" Suoh asked in confusion.

Blushing Nokoru looked down at his crotch. "The Tea.." He started before dropping off at the second word, "I will be all right, but it's still sensitive. I don't think I could do anything right now."

Suoh's mouth formed into a round o. He brushed his hand against Nokoru's angular face feeling some of the silk soft gold that framed it as he turned the chairman's head towards his own. "Forgive me, I should have remembered that. Why don't we just go back out and enjoy more of Yudaiji's music."

"You aren't disappointed?" The chairman asked his eyes still bright with his emotions.

"Of course I'm disappointed, but It's not your fault this happened. We can try exploring each other later when you're feeling up to it." Suoh smirked before becoming serious again," I'm just glad that I am the one you're in love with."

"There was never anyone else." Nokoru assured him settling his arms around the ninja's chest tucking his head under Suoh's chin. "Can we stay in here just a few more minuets, Suoh? I am still not quite sure this is real."

Brushing his lips against the chairman's Suoh held his soon to be lover tight. When they finally broke away from each other Suoh's golden eyes twinkled as he look down into Nokoru's flushed face. "Was that real enough for you?"

"Hmm, It felt real, but I think you should do it again just so we can be certain." Nokoru's smile was radiant.

Grinning at the mischief in his Rijichou's eyes Suoh complied to his friend's wishes. "It couldn't hurt to be certain. He murmured before their lips met once more.

The end! /\_~