Disclaimer: ::reads letter from mail:: Dammit! Yuu just wrote to me and said that, although she realizes that I REALLY love Fushigi Yuugi, she won't give it to me. ::pout::
Author's notes: Mucho mucho thanks to EVERYONE who reviewed... and a little extra to Antenora for actually giving me the swift kick in the pants I needed to get this chapter finished and posted. ^_____^
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He walked the streets of New Orleans, his face straight and expressionless. It had been weeks since he was out, and he gulped the cool New Orleans air as if it was water. The wind picked up, swept the blonde hair that had cause him so much pain and ridicule back from his face, a face that looked like stone. His cold blue eyes remained fixed on the road ahead of him, blinking only when they had to. He neither smiled nor frowned, his eyebrows did not draw up in thought or down in displeasure. He had no emotion, save one... Vengeance. He would have his revenge.
Nakago walked into a building, threw 5 dollars on the counter inside the door.
"Take desk 12," the old woman behind the counter told him.
He nodded, walked to the desk marked by a thick black pen with the number 12 on it, sat down, and signed on to the internet. He resumed his search where he had left off weeks earlier.
For hours, throughout the entire night, he worked tirelessly at the computer, following lead after lead, finding dead end after dead end. He read countless articles, muddled through broken links, but did not become frustrated or angry.
It was dawn when Nakago left the twenty-four hour computer lab at dawn, walked back to Ayuru's apartment. He had done what he could for the night, and now, going back to the apartment, Ayuru wouldn't suspect a thin
He had rounded the corner onto Chartres, and was just about the door of the building where Ayuru's apartment was located, when a voice made him stop.
"Ayuru! Hey, Ayuru!"
That voice... I know that voice... but, it couldn't be... could it?
Nakago turned slowly, saw a figure jogging across the street toward him.
"Hey!" Chuin greeted, smiling. His smile faded when he saw Ayuru was wearing the same clothes he had on the night before. "Ayuru, have you been out all night?"
Nakago's eyes widened. Tomo... it IS him, isn't it? He nodded. "Yeah. I had things to do."
"Wow... you better get some sleep.. you look like hell." Chuin grinned at him.
Nakago forced a smile. "I'm heading there now. Bye." He turned, and walked away from Chuin, who stared after him for a moment, then ran to catch up to him.
"Wait a sec!"
Nakago turned back. "Why?"
Chuin stopped, stared at the ground. "Um, well, because... I wanted to know what you were doing for lunch today."
"I'll be busy," he answered coldly, his blues flashed.
The silver-haired man blushed. "Oh. Well, then I guess I'll see you at the club. Bye."
"Ayuru" nodded, spun around and walked into the apartment building, leaving Chuin standing on the sidewalk.
Well, Chuin thought. That's that. He certainly has no interest in me.. He went back to his own apartment, brow furrowed. Strange though. He wasn't that distant last night.
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Ayuru woke up, found himself lying flat on his bed, still wearing the clothes he had on the night before. He glanced at the clock on his bedside table. "One o'clock? You have got to be kidding me!" He sat up, looked around him. The last thing he remembered was standing on the street, watching Chuin walk back to his apartment.
He sat a few moments longer, wondering about the clothes and sleeping so late, and then it dawned on him.
Fuck! his mind yelled. What did you do last night, Nakago? Ayuru jumped out of bed, tore his clothes off, and went into the bathroom. He looked at himself in the mirror. His hair stood up at wild angles, and he had dark, puffy, circles under his eyes. "You were out all night, weren't you?" he accused his reflection. "Why can't you leave me alone! Don't you realize that I don't want you here? I am not you, and you are not me! Just stay the fuck away!" He pulled his fist back to slug the mirror, but stopped. "No," he said, his voice softer, nearly a whisper. "I won't be like you."
Ayuru went to the shower, turned the water on as hot as he could stand it, and took a quick shower. Nakago knew the same people Ayuru did... except for Chuin. He better not have done anything to him, he thought. When he was done showering, he went back into his bedroom and pulled on a pair of jeans, a dark blue button-down shirt that he left unbuttoned, and his black boots. Then, he ran down the stairs and jogged across the street.
He pounded on Chuin's door. Please be home, please be home. On the third knock, the door opened, and Chuin stood on the other side, staring at Ayuru in surprise. "Ayuru?"
"Hi, Chuin." He leaned against the doorframe. "Uh, can I come in a minute?"
Chuin stepped back, opened the door wider. "Sure."
Ayuru followed him into the cozy apartment, sat down in one of the chairs. Chuin sat across from him on the one couch. "So, what's up?" he asked.
The blond musician stared at Chuin. What was he going to say? Somehow, 'My alternate personality might have seen you this morning,' just wouldn't work quite right. "Uh, well..." Aw hell, just go for it. No harm in trying. "What are you doing for dinner tonight?"
Chuin's beautiful amber eyes grew wide. "N-nothing. Why?"
"I was going to cook tonight, and I always make too much, so I was wondering if you'd consider eating with me." Ayuru wasn't sure the exact reason for inviting Chuin to dinner, but he knew that there was something about the boy that he really liked.
"You aren't inviting me over because you were too busy to have lunch with me today, are you?" Chuin asked.
Lunch? He invited me to lunch today? Ayuru opened and closed his mouth. What do I say to that? "No, no... although, I do want to apologize for being cold to you this morning. I was very tired."
Chuin nodded. "Well, you were up all night working, so I guess I forgive you."
Ayuru smiled, relieved. So, Nakago... you're being nasty to people you don't even know, too? "Great. So then, I'll see you around six?"
"Six is great." Chuin walked Ayuru to the door. "Bye."
Ayuru went back across the street to his apartment. I have a dinner date, he thought. It was his first date he had had in at least a year. Nakago's presense didn't do much for helping him get dates. He walked through the door, gazed around the living room. I have massive cleaning to do. He sighed, shrugged. "Oh, well."
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Chuin sat on his couch, flipping through channels on his 20 inch television. He was restless, nervous. Ayuru may have been cold this morning, but this afternoon he was extremely amiable... AND he was invited to dinner. He hadn't yet gotten a taste of real New Orleans food, and given that Ayuru grew up in the city, chances were, he was making something Cajun.
Standing up with a huff, Chuin threw his remote on the couch. "Time to go explore the city," he said aloud. "And hope I don't get lost."
He had heard people talking about the cemeteries in New Orleans, and how everyone had to be buried in a tomb above ground due to the high water. If they were buried in the ground, the water would rise and the bodies would float away. Chuin giggled a little as he thought of random skeletons floating through the streets. My god, am I morbid, he thought.
There were quite a few people out on the streets, walking around in the heat of the afternoon. The humidity was high, as were Chuin's spirits. He strolled down Chartres, whistling the song that Ayuru had performed at the club the previous night. He walked, gazed appreciatively at the old buildings, until he walked out of the city. Here, old Louisiana plantations nestled in between each other, the houses huge and looming, but nearly hidden from view by vines that grew up the walls and onto the roof. Chuin stopped and looked at one, recognized it as being the house from "Interview with the Vampire." He turned then, looked across the field that ran beside the house, saw a large, iron gate. He went that direction.
"Lafayette Cemetery" was the largest cemetery in New Orleans. As Chuin walked through the gate, he could see why. Endless rows of low, stone tombs ran on a seemingly random pattern. Just when Chuin thought he had found a path, a tomb came out of nowhere and blocked his way. He had just found one like that, and spun in several circles, looking for a way to get out, when a name caught his eye.
He walked up to the tomb, stared wide-eyed at what the inscription said.
"Beloved parents of Ayuru."
The names had been worn off with time, but what really intrigued him was the fact that they died on the same day. "July 10, 1992," he read aloud. That was a week away. A week before the ten year anniversary. Whoa.
Chuin arrived back to his apartment several hours later. He had spent almost three hours in Lafayette, reading inscriptions on the tombs. In the apartment, he flopped down onto the couch, looked at the clock on his VCR. "Four o'clock," he muttered. "Two hours." He sighed, jumped up again. "Christ, Chu, calm the hell down!" he reprimanded himself. He could feel the anxiety gnawing at his stomach. It was just dinner, and Ayuru made it sound like it was a because-I-always-too-much-food dinner.
The twenty-one year old decided that the only way for him to calm down was to take a shower, so he did just that. He spent longer than usual on his long silver hair, wanting it to be perfect for Ayuru. It was shampooed twice, deep conditioned, and blow-dried so it hung silky and straight. Chuin ran his hand through it a few times. "Beautiful," he remarked, grinning at his reflection. For tonight's "date" he chose a pair of silky black pants and a long-sleeved silver shirt that was sparkly.
Finally, after what felt like an eternity, it was fifteen minutes before six. He pulled his black boots on, grabbed his house key and put it in his pocked, and walked across the street. When he knocked on the door, he saw his hands were shaking.
Ayuru answered the door, opening it with a sweeping bow. "Enter, good sir. Dinner hath, uh, not quite been serv-ed."
Chuin bowed as well. "Why, thank you, my good man. I offer my assistance if you so desire it."
They laughed together as Chuin walked into the apartment. He sat at the small counter while Ayuru started checking things on the stove. He was wearing tan khakis and a checkered button-down shirt. "Do you want some wine?"
Chuin nodded. "Sure."
Fifteen minutes later, Ayuru had set the food on the dining room table and he and Chuin sat down. "So," Chuin said, looking at the food on the table. "What are we eating?"
"Well, this is gumbo... a very traditional New Orleans dish. And we have Cajun chicken, and parsley potatoes," Ayuru answered him.
"Mmm, can't wait to try it."
The two ate and talked, mainly about generic things. Then, near the end of the dinner, Ayuru stared at Chuin with a sad look on his face.
"What is it?" Chuin asked, setting his fork down.
"You know how I told you last night that I understood a little about your life in PA?"
He nodded.
"Well," Ayuru put his own fork down, folded his arms on the table. "It's because my parent's are dead, too. They died almost ten years ago in a fire."
"Oh my God," Chuin remarked. Whatever he had been thinking at the cemetery, it wasn't this.
"My grandma raised me since then... she lives in a house on the outskirts of the town."
Chuin looked at Ayuru. His head was down, and his blonde hair was spilled around his face. "Ayuru?"
The other man picked his head up. Chuin nearly gasped at the pain etched on that handsome face. "What brought this up?"
The corners of Ayuru's mouth lifted in a slight smile. "Well, the ten year anniversary is next week, and... would go with me to visit their graves?"
Chuin's mouth dropped open. "You want me to go with you?" He was shocked. He had only met him two days ago, and he wanted Chuin to go with him to his parents graves? "I, uh..."
"If you don't want to, that's fine... I mean – "
"I would love to," Chuin jumped in, cutting Ayuru off. He picked up his wine glass, drained its contents. "Ayuru, this dinner was amazing. I think you missed your calling."
Ayuru smiled, grateful for the subject change. "I'm glad you liked it. Traditional New Orlean's cooking really isn't too difficult. You just have to know what spices to use."
Chuin helped Ayuru clear the table, and the two washed the dishes. Chuin insisted on washing, while Ayuru dried them. Once, when Chuin was handing Ayuru a plate, their hands touched. It seemed as if electricity crackled between them from that slight touch.
When Chuin went to hand Ayuru the last dish in the sink, they looked into each other's eyes at the same time.
Dammit, Ayuru... You know this is a bad idea! his mind bellowed. Be quiet, he told it. I won't lose to Nakago. He grabbed Chuin's wrist, pulled him forward gently. Their eyes didn't waver, until Ayuru leaned in. Then, they both closed their eyes as their lips touched. Ayuru ran a hand through Chuin's hair as the kiss deepened. Chuin's arms locked around Ayuru's back, felt the muscles there tense.
After a few moments, they broke the kiss off, each panting slightly.
Chuin spoke first, a wide grin spreading across his face. "So, what's for dessert?"
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Note: GAH! I know, that sounds so bad!!! But someone has to be a little naughty, or there is just nooooooo point to this!!! Don't hurt me!