Kitten in the House
Aya carried the garbage bag out to the dumpster, shivering as a blast
of autumn wind hit his thin frame. As he turned to head back into
the Koneko, he heard a tiny mewling sound from a cardboard box. He
went to the box and opened it, a pair of tiny blue eyes stared up at
him. The calico meowed again, loudly this time, sounding almost like
a scream. Violet eyes considered it for only a moment, before Aya
picked it up carefully in one long-fingered hand and carried it
inside. The kitten cried more and nestled against his orange
sweater, chewing on it, in an attempt to nurse. He walked into the
shop.
"Oi! Aya! We need your help over here," Yoji called out.
Aya
ignored his lanky teammate and continued into the kitchen.
"Aya!"
Yoji followed him into the kitchen. "Where're you going?
We're
swamped out there and it's closing time. Yer the only one those
girls will listen to." Aya continued to ignore Yoji and went to
the
refrigerator for some milk. "Aya!" Yoji grabbed the
redhead's arm
and spun him around.
"Be careful," Aya spat out. "This kitten needs to be
fed." He then
turned around and pulled the milk out.
"Aya?" Yoji questioned in disbelief. "Lemme help."
He took the
milk from Aya's hand. "Go sit down and keep it warm.
I'll warm some
of this up and find a medicine dropper." The blonde poured some
milk
into a bowl and popped it into the microwave. He then poked his head
into the shop. "Oi, Omi. We got a medicine dropper
anywhere?"
"Yoji-kun! We need help out here!"
"I know, I know, but this is a little more important."
Omi's look turned from hassled to concerned in an instant.
"There's
one with the med. kit in the bathroom. Is everything alright?"
"Fine, except that we need to feed a starving kitten."
"KAWAII!!" several girls chorused.
"Ladies, we need to close shop now. But please do grace us with
your
lovely presences on Monday. Our week just doesn't start off
right if
you're not here. And you shall fill our weekends with pleasant
dreams," Yoji gushed. There was a chorus of giggling and sighs
as
the girls slowly filed out of the shop. Once the girls had left,
Yoji headed back to the kitchen with a roll of his eyes, leaving Ken
and Omi to close up.
Aya looked up at him with an impatient glance as the kitten climbed
around on his shoulders, "Well?"
"Here," Yoji went to take the kitten off of Aya's
shoulders but was
stopped by a hot glare.
"I'll feed him."
"Alright already. No need to be so mean about it." Yoji
brought Aya
the warm milk and medicine dropper. He watched, fascinated, as Aya
tenderly fed the tiny fuzz ball. After it had eaten its fill, it
snuggled up against Aya with a purr and fell asleep. Yoji smiled up
at Aya, "Looks like you've made a new friend. What're
you gonna name
it?"
"His name is... WB."
Yoji's look grew puzzled, "WB? As in Warner Brothers?"
He
chuckled.
Aya glared, "No." He then rose from the table and went up to
his
room, thoughts spinning. Illiterate moron. His thoughts moved to
his childhood with Aya-chan.
"Ran niichan! Look what tousan and kaasan got us!" The
eight-year-
old girl stood still, carefully holding a calico kitten in her arms.
Although her body was still, her eyes danced with joy. "We can
keep
her if we promise to feed her and take care of her. Will you help
me?"
The redheaded boy smiled. Aya-chan had wanted a kitten for so
long. "Sure Aya. So what are you going to name her?"
"Neko-chan!"
Ran's face drew into a thoughtful frown, "Just cat?"
Aya became serious, "Not just cat, Ran. She's my dear,
special
kitty. See?"
"Aa."
The kitten was young enough that it hadn't been weaned yet, so
they
had to bottle feed the kitten. Aya usually did it, but Ran helped
from time to time...
Aya's reverie was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. He
didn't respond. He never did. The door slowly opened and
Yoji's
head peered in. "Aya?" When he received no response, Yoji
stepped
in and closed the door behind him.
"What do you want?" Aya asked coldly.
"Look, I didn't mean to insult ya. What does WB really stand
for?"
Aya continued to glare. Yoji sighed heavily and sat on the edge of
the bed. "Relax Aya, I really want to know."
"WB Yeats was an Irish poet."
Yoji smiled. "I should'a known it'd be something
literary." Aya
didn't reply, instead he ran a finger down the sleeping
kitten's
back. "You're real good at this Aya, a natural." The
red head's
usual mask of indifference slipped for a moment, to be replaced by a
look of nostalgia and sadness.
"Aya-chan was better," he murmured quietly.
"You two had a kitten when you were younger?" Yoji asked,
his
interested piqued. It was so rare for Aya to open up about anything,
especially his past.
"Neko-chan," Aya smiled fondly. "She was Aya-chan's
baby. I just
helped out sometimes."
"I wasn't allowed to have any pets. Dad was allergic and Mom
thought
they were too messy. They wouldn't even let me keep the goldfish
one
of my buddies got for me for my birthday," bitterness coated
Yoji's
voice. "Dad just flushed it down the toilet." Yoji lit up a
cigarette as he always did when he felt himself growing upset.
Aya held out his hand after Yoji took his first drag. The blonde
handed it over to Aya, then lit another for himself. "Tousan
said
that having a pet would teach us responsibility." The redhead
inhaled deeply and slowly released the smoke from between his pursed
lips.
Yoji watched the languid motions, transfixed by those lips.
"Asuka
had a dog. It was the ugliest mutt you'd ever meet..."
"Did you keep it?" Aya inquired after a long silence.
"Nah," Yoji replied quietly as he exhaled a streamer of
smoke. "Didn't want any reminders of her. Gave it to some
kid.
Whatever happened to Neko-chan?" Aya's face drew back into
the
expressionless mask and he remained stonily silent. "Aya?"
Yoji
prompted.
"Get out," Aya demanded coldly. Yoji opened his mouth, but
Aya cut
him off with a terse, "Now."
"Jeez Aya. You're the moodiest person," Yoji muttered as
he left the
room. He paused in the doorway and turned around, "The cat was
killed in the explosion, wasn't it?"
"Yoji," Aya growled in warning. The blonde flashed him a sad
expression, then left the room.
----
Over the next few weeks Aya and Yoji managed to wean the kitten and
litter train it. WB started out sleeping only in Aya's room, but
as
it grew bigger and bolder, he began wandering around upstairs.
Yoji's room became his daytime nap place. Nights he spent curled
up
on Aya's lower back. As kittens will do, WB grew by leaps and
bounds... literally. He sprinted down the stairs and careened around
corners with Ken in pursuit. The entire building, shop and living
quarters, became his playground. While Omi hacked away on his
computer WB curled up on the boy's lap and napped or swatted at
fingers that flew over the keyboard. Upon his first meeting of Manx,
they discovered the kitten was as big a flirt as Yoji. He curled
himself around Manx's ankles purring happily and meowed cutely up
at
her. When she began to pet him, the kitten licked her palm.
"He's been spending too much time with you, Yoji," Aya
commented with
the faintest of grins.
"He's better at this than you are Yoji!" Ken snickered.
"Manx
doesn't give you half as much attention!"
"Just wait until he's fat and lazy. You won't like
`im so much
anymore," Yoji muttered in reply.
And so it went for the next six months. The cat purred himself into
everyone's heart, particularly Aya's. He and Yoji took WB to
the vet
for his exam and shots. They also made sure they got him
fixed. "This just isn't right," Yoji complained.
"We're taking away
his manhood."
Aya rolled his eyes in exasperation, "You would say something
like
that. This is for his own good. Unlike you, when this cat goes into
heat, he doesn't have every good looking thing within a five mile
radius falling for his charms."
Yoji sniffed. "I don't know whether I should take that as a
compliment or an insult." Aya just shrugged.
Aya was shorter tempered the rest of the day, snapping at the
giggling school girls more than usual. Yoji smoked more than usual
and pretty much ignored the girls.
"What's with those two?" Ken asked of Omi as they closed
up the shop
after sending the other two off for supplies.
"I think they're worried about WB."
"He's having his nuts cut off! It's not like it's a
hear transplant
or anything. Geez," Ken rolled his eyes and made this statement
as
Aya and Yoji walked back in the door. Both directed their best
glares in his direction. "Ehh... heh heh... Welcome back
guys." He
then made a mad dash for the greenhouse.
When they brought the kitten home, both pampered him to his little
heart's content. They fed him treats and saucers of cream. When
he
wanted attention, he received it. Aya mainly took care of watching
the stitches, making sure they stayed clean and unlicked. Yoji
usually hovered over Aya's shoulder in mother hen fashion.
Both men began spending more time together. Playtime with WB would
sometimes lead to long conversations. Yoji would regale Aya with
stories of the more bizarre cases from his P.I. days. Or he would
probe Aya about this or that book on the shelves. Western literature
mingled with that of Japan. Books on history and philosophy stood
beside collections of poetry. "What's this one?" Yoji
asked as he
picked up a leather bound volume.
"Don't read it!" Aya commanded as he snatched it away.
"You keep a journal?"
"It's none of your business," the red head snapped.
"Ok, ok," Yoji raised his hands in defeat. "But if you
ever feel
like sharing..." he trailed off at Aya's glare.
"Don't you have a date or something?" Aya asked of Yoji.
"Nah, not tonight," he replied with a flip of his honey brown
locks.
Violet eyes regarded the lanky man suspiciously, "You've been
home a
lot lately."
Yoji turned on his most charming smile, "Why would I go out with
some
woman who rambles on inanely when I can have the pleasure of your
warm company?" Ok, so that was mostly true... except for maybe
the
warm part. It was the warmth of winter in Tokyo compared to the cold
of winter in the Arctic. But hey, it's more than Aya'd ever
shown
him.
Aya stared flatly at Yoji, unsure of what to make of the comment.
The man had been doing that a lot lately. Over the last week
they'd
spent many evenings here in Aya's room, playing with the cat and
talking about nothing in particular. Is this what normal people do?
Aya couldn't help but marvel internally at how utterly not like a
killer he felt. Even some of his grief over leaving his sister in
Tokyo without ever visiting was at bay during these evenings.
"Do
you ever stop flirting?" Aya asked.
"Not when I'm around someone beautiful." He winked at
Aya and
brushed a finger over one porcelain doll pale cheek then
rose. "G'night Aya. Be sure to get a good night's
sleep.
Tomorrow's gonna be a long day and a longer night."
Aya didn't respond, only staring at the spot Yoji had occupied
moments earlier. Strangely, the room felt chillier and darker
without the man's entertaining... no!... annoying presence. Aya
grabbed a pillow and threw it at the door. What are you doing
Kudoh?! He unconsciously placed his hand over the cheek that Yoji
had touched.
The next day began gray and drizzly. Yoji pulled the pillow over his
head after smacking the alarm clock. There was nothing more he
detested than mornings... except maybe rainy mornings... rainy
mornings that followed a night of bad dreams. Asuka, Asuka, will you
ever leave me alone? You died twice, wasn't that enough? Do you
have to die again every night in my dreams? A loud banging at the
door and Ken's bellowing pulled him from his daily ruminations.
The atmosphere of the Koneko was more subdued than usual. The one
plus to rainy days, the rabid fangirls didn't show up in their
usual
droves. Aya glared more than usual and Yoji postured less than
usual. Only Omi's genki nature and Ken's clumsiness kept the
day
from being a total downer. WB seemed to pick up on the mood when
they closed the shop early that afternoon. He wrapped himself around
Yoji's ankles with a loud, rumbling purr. The lanky assassin
reached down and absently scratched behind the cat's ears and
under
his chin before going into his room and closing the door.
The cat followed Aya into his room and curled up on the bed with a
demanding meow for attention. Aya ran his hand down WB's silky
coat,
lost in thought. For once, it was Yoji and not Aya-chan who occupied
his thoughts as he had since last night. He shook his head as if to
erase from his mind those playful eyes and charming grin. "I
don't
need to be thinking about this. I need to rest for the mission."
He
stretched out on his back and WB climbed onto his chest where he
curled up and fell asleep. Why can't sleep come that easily to
me?
He closed his eyes, but the feel of Yoji's finger still burned on
his
cheek.
The mission was routine enough. Infiltrate the home of a drug lord,
take him out and destroy the place. Nothing more difficult than what
they'd done in the past, right? What they hadn't counted on
was the
enhanced guard around the place. Their intelligence had been grossly
off.
"Alright, here's the new plan," Omi announced and gave
new
instructions. Yoji and Ken would provide a distraction and take out
the guards. In the chaos, Aya would sneak in and take out the target
while Omi set up the explosives.
"Saaa... Why do KenKen and I get stuck with all of the extra
work?"
Yoji complained. Normally he wouldn't be averse to taking out
the
extra guards, but with the lack of sleep he was more cranky than
usual.
"Sounds like you're gettin' too old for this line of
work," Ken
sassed.
"I'll show you old. We'll just see who can take out more
guards,"
Yoji grumbled.
"Don't be reckless!" Omi cautioned.
"Don't be foolish," Aya imparted before the other two
took off.
After lots of action and blood, the target was killed. The men then
returned to the Koneko. Something was off though. Normally when
they returned from a mission, WB pounced them. There was no pouncing
this evening. "Where's the psycho cat?" Yoji asked.
Aya went up to his room to see if WB was there, but there was no sign
of the cat. "He's not in my room either," Yoji reported
from where
he lounged in the doorway. He entered the room and lit up a
cigarette for Aya. "He probably found a new hiding place,"
Yoji said
after a long silence. Aya didn't respond.
"Uh, guys, we think we know what happened to the cat," Ken
reported a
short time later.
"A window in the back of the shop was broken and the registers
are
busted open. But, the tills were in the safe, so no money was
stolen," Omi continued.
"Thanks Omi," Yoji said and Ken and Omi left. "Guess he
got bored
and decided to go exploring. He'll probably be back in the
morning
begging for a treat." Yoji tried to sound casual. Aya just sat
in
brooding silence, not even bothering to kick Yoji out before curling
up on his side, facing away from his teammate. The blonde heaved a
deep sigh and squeezed Aya's arm. "I'm just across the
hall," he
offered before leaving.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, without a trace of the rain
clouds of the previous day... or the cat. Aya snapped and snarled
when he even bothered to talk. Yoji kept casting concerned sidelong
glances at the red head.
The next day was a repeat of the last. And the next. And the next.
For a week things continued as did that first day without the cat.
That evening Omi and Ken decided to go out and see a movie to escape
the oppressive atmosphere. Yoji sat at the kitchen table, a glass of
whisky in front of him. Damn but he missed that cat... and the time
he had spent with Aya. Since the cat's disappearance he had been
totally closed off to spending any time with Yoji. He raised the
glass to his lips to take another sip but paused halfway to his mouth
when Aya dragged himself into the room. "Hey," Yoji greeted.
Aya
looked across the room with a haunted expression. "You miss
`im too,
huh?"
The red head crossed the room to stand before Yoji and he sank to his
knees as tears began to leak silently from his eyes. "Why?"
he
whispered brokenly.
Yoji wrapped one arm around Aya's shoulders and stroked his hair
with
the other. "Why what?"
"Why does everything I care about leave? My parents dead.
Aya-chan
in Paris with Sakura. WB... Why do they all go?"
Yoji's chin came to rest on the top of Aya's silky head.
"I don't
know. Maybe we're all cursed or born under bad stars." He
paused
and trailed his hand down Aya's hair and over a smooth cheek.
When
Yoji reached the sorrowing man's chin, he tilted it up,
"I'm still
here."
Aya's eyes tightened at the corners in confusion, "Yoji?"
Emerald eyes gazed deeply into violet for a long moment. Then, Yoji
closed the distance between their faces and brushed his lips over
Aya's in a gently caress. They ghosted over a cheekbone and up
to
his ear where Yoji murmured quietly, "I care. A lot. And
I'm still
here. I'm not going anywhere."
The swordsman's arms tightened around Yoji's too thin frame
and Aya
buried his face in Yoji's neck. Yoji brought his lips back to
Aya's
in a tender, lingering kiss. A breeze blew in from the slightly open
window, sending a shiver through Aya. He looked up at Yoji with
heavily lidded, shadowed eyes. The taller man nudged Aya into a
standing position and held onto one arm just above the elbow, guiding
him upstairs. Yoji led Aya to his room, "Why don't you get
some
sleep?"
"Don't go," Aya pleaded quietly.
Yoji nodded and followed Aya into the room. Aya laid down on the
bed, and Yoji followed after divesting himself of all but his
underwear. Yoji spooned up behind Aya and held him close. After a
short time both men drifted off to sleep.
The next morning dawned bright and shiny once again. Yoji cracked an
eye open as he felt Aya stirring beside him. For once it wasn't
a
fight to consciousness, finally he felt refreshed after a night not
plagued by nightmares of Asuka's death.
"Yoji," Aya nudged his ribs. "Look." There at the
end of the bed
was a bedraggled WB. Aya scooped the cat into his arms and cradled
it close.
"Well what do ya know?" Yoji mused as he scratched behind
the cat's
ears. WB's eyes slid open and he meowed up at his humans
hungrily.
After being assured he would be fed, the cat gave his humans a smug,
self-satisfied look.
End
Aya carried the garbage bag out to the dumpster, shivering as a blast
of autumn wind hit his thin frame. As he turned to head back into
the Koneko, he heard a tiny mewling sound from a cardboard box. He
went to the box and opened it, a pair of tiny blue eyes stared up at
him. The calico meowed again, loudly this time, sounding almost like
a scream. Violet eyes considered it for only a moment, before Aya
picked it up carefully in one long-fingered hand and carried it
inside. The kitten cried more and nestled against his orange
sweater, chewing on it, in an attempt to nurse. He walked into the
shop.
"Oi! Aya! We need your help over here," Yoji called out.
Aya
ignored his lanky teammate and continued into the kitchen.
"Aya!"
Yoji followed him into the kitchen. "Where're you going?
We're
swamped out there and it's closing time. Yer the only one those
girls will listen to." Aya continued to ignore Yoji and went to
the
refrigerator for some milk. "Aya!" Yoji grabbed the
redhead's arm
and spun him around.
"Be careful," Aya spat out. "This kitten needs to be
fed." He then
turned around and pulled the milk out.
"Aya?" Yoji questioned in disbelief. "Lemme help."
He took the
milk from Aya's hand. "Go sit down and keep it warm.
I'll warm some
of this up and find a medicine dropper." The blonde poured some
milk
into a bowl and popped it into the microwave. He then poked his head
into the shop. "Oi, Omi. We got a medicine dropper
anywhere?"
"Yoji-kun! We need help out here!"
"I know, I know, but this is a little more important."
Omi's look turned from hassled to concerned in an instant.
"There's
one with the med. kit in the bathroom. Is everything alright?"
"Fine, except that we need to feed a starving kitten."
"KAWAII!!" several girls chorused.
"Ladies, we need to close shop now. But please do grace us with
your
lovely presences on Monday. Our week just doesn't start off
right if
you're not here. And you shall fill our weekends with pleasant
dreams," Yoji gushed. There was a chorus of giggling and sighs
as
the girls slowly filed out of the shop. Once the girls had left,
Yoji headed back to the kitchen with a roll of his eyes, leaving Ken
and Omi to close up.
Aya looked up at him with an impatient glance as the kitten climbed
around on his shoulders, "Well?"
"Here," Yoji went to take the kitten off of Aya's
shoulders but was
stopped by a hot glare.
"I'll feed him."
"Alright already. No need to be so mean about it." Yoji
brought Aya
the warm milk and medicine dropper. He watched, fascinated, as Aya
tenderly fed the tiny fuzz ball. After it had eaten its fill, it
snuggled up against Aya with a purr and fell asleep. Yoji smiled up
at Aya, "Looks like you've made a new friend. What're
you gonna name
it?"
"His name is... WB."
Yoji's look grew puzzled, "WB? As in Warner Brothers?"
He
chuckled.
Aya glared, "No." He then rose from the table and went up to
his
room, thoughts spinning. Illiterate moron. His thoughts moved to
his childhood with Aya-chan.
"Ran niichan! Look what tousan and kaasan got us!" The
eight-year-
old girl stood still, carefully holding a calico kitten in her arms.
Although her body was still, her eyes danced with joy. "We can
keep
her if we promise to feed her and take care of her. Will you help
me?"
The redheaded boy smiled. Aya-chan had wanted a kitten for so
long. "Sure Aya. So what are you going to name her?"
"Neko-chan!"
Ran's face drew into a thoughtful frown, "Just cat?"
Aya became serious, "Not just cat, Ran. She's my dear,
special
kitty. See?"
"Aa."
The kitten was young enough that it hadn't been weaned yet, so
they
had to bottle feed the kitten. Aya usually did it, but Ran helped
from time to time...
Aya's reverie was interrupted by a quiet knock on the door. He
didn't respond. He never did. The door slowly opened and
Yoji's
head peered in. "Aya?" When he received no response, Yoji
stepped
in and closed the door behind him.
"What do you want?" Aya asked coldly.
"Look, I didn't mean to insult ya. What does WB really stand
for?"
Aya continued to glare. Yoji sighed heavily and sat on the edge of
the bed. "Relax Aya, I really want to know."
"WB Yeats was an Irish poet."
Yoji smiled. "I should'a known it'd be something
literary." Aya
didn't reply, instead he ran a finger down the sleeping
kitten's
back. "You're real good at this Aya, a natural." The
red head's
usual mask of indifference slipped for a moment, to be replaced by a
look of nostalgia and sadness.
"Aya-chan was better," he murmured quietly.
"You two had a kitten when you were younger?" Yoji asked,
his
interested piqued. It was so rare for Aya to open up about anything,
especially his past.
"Neko-chan," Aya smiled fondly. "She was Aya-chan's
baby. I just
helped out sometimes."
"I wasn't allowed to have any pets. Dad was allergic and Mom
thought
they were too messy. They wouldn't even let me keep the goldfish
one
of my buddies got for me for my birthday," bitterness coated
Yoji's
voice. "Dad just flushed it down the toilet." Yoji lit up a
cigarette as he always did when he felt himself growing upset.
Aya held out his hand after Yoji took his first drag. The blonde
handed it over to Aya, then lit another for himself. "Tousan
said
that having a pet would teach us responsibility." The redhead
inhaled deeply and slowly released the smoke from between his pursed
lips.
Yoji watched the languid motions, transfixed by those lips.
"Asuka
had a dog. It was the ugliest mutt you'd ever meet..."
"Did you keep it?" Aya inquired after a long silence.
"Nah," Yoji replied quietly as he exhaled a streamer of
smoke. "Didn't want any reminders of her. Gave it to some
kid.
Whatever happened to Neko-chan?" Aya's face drew back into
the
expressionless mask and he remained stonily silent. "Aya?"
Yoji
prompted.
"Get out," Aya demanded coldly. Yoji opened his mouth, but
Aya cut
him off with a terse, "Now."
"Jeez Aya. You're the moodiest person," Yoji muttered as
he left the
room. He paused in the doorway and turned around, "The cat was
killed in the explosion, wasn't it?"
"Yoji," Aya growled in warning. The blonde flashed him a sad
expression, then left the room.
----
Over the next few weeks Aya and Yoji managed to wean the kitten and
litter train it. WB started out sleeping only in Aya's room, but
as
it grew bigger and bolder, he began wandering around upstairs.
Yoji's room became his daytime nap place. Nights he spent curled
up
on Aya's lower back. As kittens will do, WB grew by leaps and
bounds... literally. He sprinted down the stairs and careened around
corners with Ken in pursuit. The entire building, shop and living
quarters, became his playground. While Omi hacked away on his
computer WB curled up on the boy's lap and napped or swatted at
fingers that flew over the keyboard. Upon his first meeting of Manx,
they discovered the kitten was as big a flirt as Yoji. He curled
himself around Manx's ankles purring happily and meowed cutely up
at
her. When she began to pet him, the kitten licked her palm.
"He's been spending too much time with you, Yoji," Aya
commented with
the faintest of grins.
"He's better at this than you are Yoji!" Ken snickered.
"Manx
doesn't give you half as much attention!"
"Just wait until he's fat and lazy. You won't like
`im so much
anymore," Yoji muttered in reply.
And so it went for the next six months. The cat purred himself into
everyone's heart, particularly Aya's. He and Yoji took WB to
the vet
for his exam and shots. They also made sure they got him
fixed. "This just isn't right," Yoji complained.
"We're taking away
his manhood."
Aya rolled his eyes in exasperation, "You would say something
like
that. This is for his own good. Unlike you, when this cat goes into
heat, he doesn't have every good looking thing within a five mile
radius falling for his charms."
Yoji sniffed. "I don't know whether I should take that as a
compliment or an insult." Aya just shrugged.
Aya was shorter tempered the rest of the day, snapping at the
giggling school girls more than usual. Yoji smoked more than usual
and pretty much ignored the girls.
"What's with those two?" Ken asked of Omi as they closed
up the shop
after sending the other two off for supplies.
"I think they're worried about WB."
"He's having his nuts cut off! It's not like it's a
hear transplant
or anything. Geez," Ken rolled his eyes and made this statement
as
Aya and Yoji walked back in the door. Both directed their best
glares in his direction. "Ehh... heh heh... Welcome back
guys." He
then made a mad dash for the greenhouse.
When they brought the kitten home, both pampered him to his little
heart's content. They fed him treats and saucers of cream. When
he
wanted attention, he received it. Aya mainly took care of watching
the stitches, making sure they stayed clean and unlicked. Yoji
usually hovered over Aya's shoulder in mother hen fashion.
Both men began spending more time together. Playtime with WB would
sometimes lead to long conversations. Yoji would regale Aya with
stories of the more bizarre cases from his P.I. days. Or he would
probe Aya about this or that book on the shelves. Western literature
mingled with that of Japan. Books on history and philosophy stood
beside collections of poetry. "What's this one?" Yoji
asked as he
picked up a leather bound volume.
"Don't read it!" Aya commanded as he snatched it away.
"You keep a journal?"
"It's none of your business," the red head snapped.
"Ok, ok," Yoji raised his hands in defeat. "But if you
ever feel
like sharing..." he trailed off at Aya's glare.
"Don't you have a date or something?" Aya asked of Yoji.
"Nah, not tonight," he replied with a flip of his honey brown
locks.
Violet eyes regarded the lanky man suspiciously, "You've been
home a
lot lately."
Yoji turned on his most charming smile, "Why would I go out with
some
woman who rambles on inanely when I can have the pleasure of your
warm company?" Ok, so that was mostly true... except for maybe
the
warm part. It was the warmth of winter in Tokyo compared to the cold
of winter in the Arctic. But hey, it's more than Aya'd ever
shown
him.
Aya stared flatly at Yoji, unsure of what to make of the comment.
The man had been doing that a lot lately. Over the last week
they'd
spent many evenings here in Aya's room, playing with the cat and
talking about nothing in particular. Is this what normal people do?
Aya couldn't help but marvel internally at how utterly not like a
killer he felt. Even some of his grief over leaving his sister in
Tokyo without ever visiting was at bay during these evenings.
"Do
you ever stop flirting?" Aya asked.
"Not when I'm around someone beautiful." He winked at
Aya and
brushed a finger over one porcelain doll pale cheek then
rose. "G'night Aya. Be sure to get a good night's
sleep.
Tomorrow's gonna be a long day and a longer night."
Aya didn't respond, only staring at the spot Yoji had occupied
moments earlier. Strangely, the room felt chillier and darker
without the man's entertaining... no!... annoying presence. Aya
grabbed a pillow and threw it at the door. What are you doing
Kudoh?! He unconsciously placed his hand over the cheek that Yoji
had touched.
The next day began gray and drizzly. Yoji pulled the pillow over his
head after smacking the alarm clock. There was nothing more he
detested than mornings... except maybe rainy mornings... rainy
mornings that followed a night of bad dreams. Asuka, Asuka, will you
ever leave me alone? You died twice, wasn't that enough? Do you
have to die again every night in my dreams? A loud banging at the
door and Ken's bellowing pulled him from his daily ruminations.
The atmosphere of the Koneko was more subdued than usual. The one
plus to rainy days, the rabid fangirls didn't show up in their
usual
droves. Aya glared more than usual and Yoji postured less than
usual. Only Omi's genki nature and Ken's clumsiness kept the
day
from being a total downer. WB seemed to pick up on the mood when
they closed the shop early that afternoon. He wrapped himself around
Yoji's ankles with a loud, rumbling purr. The lanky assassin
reached down and absently scratched behind the cat's ears and
under
his chin before going into his room and closing the door.
The cat followed Aya into his room and curled up on the bed with a
demanding meow for attention. Aya ran his hand down WB's silky
coat,
lost in thought. For once, it was Yoji and not Aya-chan who occupied
his thoughts as he had since last night. He shook his head as if to
erase from his mind those playful eyes and charming grin. "I
don't
need to be thinking about this. I need to rest for the mission."
He
stretched out on his back and WB climbed onto his chest where he
curled up and fell asleep. Why can't sleep come that easily to
me?
He closed his eyes, but the feel of Yoji's finger still burned on
his
cheek.
The mission was routine enough. Infiltrate the home of a drug lord,
take him out and destroy the place. Nothing more difficult than what
they'd done in the past, right? What they hadn't counted on
was the
enhanced guard around the place. Their intelligence had been grossly
off.
"Alright, here's the new plan," Omi announced and gave
new
instructions. Yoji and Ken would provide a distraction and take out
the guards. In the chaos, Aya would sneak in and take out the target
while Omi set up the explosives.
"Saaa... Why do KenKen and I get stuck with all of the extra
work?"
Yoji complained. Normally he wouldn't be averse to taking out
the
extra guards, but with the lack of sleep he was more cranky than
usual.
"Sounds like you're gettin' too old for this line of
work," Ken
sassed.
"I'll show you old. We'll just see who can take out more
guards,"
Yoji grumbled.
"Don't be reckless!" Omi cautioned.
"Don't be foolish," Aya imparted before the other two
took off.
After lots of action and blood, the target was killed. The men then
returned to the Koneko. Something was off though. Normally when
they returned from a mission, WB pounced them. There was no pouncing
this evening. "Where's the psycho cat?" Yoji asked.
Aya went up to his room to see if WB was there, but there was no sign
of the cat. "He's not in my room either," Yoji reported
from where
he lounged in the doorway. He entered the room and lit up a
cigarette for Aya. "He probably found a new hiding place,"
Yoji said
after a long silence. Aya didn't respond.
"Uh, guys, we think we know what happened to the cat," Ken
reported a
short time later.
"A window in the back of the shop was broken and the registers
are
busted open. But, the tills were in the safe, so no money was
stolen," Omi continued.
"Thanks Omi," Yoji said and Ken and Omi left. "Guess he
got bored
and decided to go exploring. He'll probably be back in the
morning
begging for a treat." Yoji tried to sound casual. Aya just sat
in
brooding silence, not even bothering to kick Yoji out before curling
up on his side, facing away from his teammate. The blonde heaved a
deep sigh and squeezed Aya's arm. "I'm just across the
hall," he
offered before leaving.
The next morning dawned bright and sunny, without a trace of the rain
clouds of the previous day... or the cat. Aya snapped and snarled
when he even bothered to talk. Yoji kept casting concerned sidelong
glances at the red head.
The next day was a repeat of the last. And the next. And the next.
For a week things continued as did that first day without the cat.
That evening Omi and Ken decided to go out and see a movie to escape
the oppressive atmosphere. Yoji sat at the kitchen table, a glass of
whisky in front of him. Damn but he missed that cat... and the time
he had spent with Aya. Since the cat's disappearance he had been
totally closed off to spending any time with Yoji. He raised the
glass to his lips to take another sip but paused halfway to his mouth
when Aya dragged himself into the room. "Hey," Yoji greeted.
Aya
looked across the room with a haunted expression. "You miss
`im too,
huh?"
The red head crossed the room to stand before Yoji and he sank to his
knees as tears began to leak silently from his eyes. "Why?"
he
whispered brokenly.
Yoji wrapped one arm around Aya's shoulders and stroked his hair
with
the other. "Why what?"
"Why does everything I care about leave? My parents dead.
Aya-chan
in Paris with Sakura. WB... Why do they all go?"
Yoji's chin came to rest on the top of Aya's silky head.
"I don't
know. Maybe we're all cursed or born under bad stars." He
paused
and trailed his hand down Aya's hair and over a smooth cheek.
When
Yoji reached the sorrowing man's chin, he tilted it up,
"I'm still
here."
Aya's eyes tightened at the corners in confusion, "Yoji?"
Emerald eyes gazed deeply into violet for a long moment. Then, Yoji
closed the distance between their faces and brushed his lips over
Aya's in a gently caress. They ghosted over a cheekbone and up
to
his ear where Yoji murmured quietly, "I care. A lot. And
I'm still
here. I'm not going anywhere."
The swordsman's arms tightened around Yoji's too thin frame
and Aya
buried his face in Yoji's neck. Yoji brought his lips back to
Aya's
in a tender, lingering kiss. A breeze blew in from the slightly open
window, sending a shiver through Aya. He looked up at Yoji with
heavily lidded, shadowed eyes. The taller man nudged Aya into a
standing position and held onto one arm just above the elbow, guiding
him upstairs. Yoji led Aya to his room, "Why don't you get
some
sleep?"
"Don't go," Aya pleaded quietly.
Yoji nodded and followed Aya into the room. Aya laid down on the
bed, and Yoji followed after divesting himself of all but his
underwear. Yoji spooned up behind Aya and held him close. After a
short time both men drifted off to sleep.
The next morning dawned bright and shiny once again. Yoji cracked an
eye open as he felt Aya stirring beside him. For once it wasn't
a
fight to consciousness, finally he felt refreshed after a night not
plagued by nightmares of Asuka's death.
"Yoji," Aya nudged his ribs. "Look." There at the
end of the bed
was a bedraggled WB. Aya scooped the cat into his arms and cradled
it close.
"Well what do ya know?" Yoji mused as he scratched behind
the cat's
ears. WB's eyes slid open and he meowed up at his humans
hungrily.
After being assured he would be fed, the cat gave his humans a smug,
self-satisfied look.
End