Disclaimer: I still don't own the boys. How I wish I did. Enjoy. ^^
Chapter Five
The slamming of doors was enough to get the attention of the younger half of Weiß. Ken and Omi dashed into the hallway to find Yohji standing outside Aya's door with a quite dumbfound look on his face, accented by the bright redness to his left cheek and the split lip he touched gingerly. Yohji stared at the shut door was if it were foreign thing he had never before seen in his twenty-two yearlong life.
"What the hell did you do now?" Asked Ken upon seeing Aya's imprinted hand on the other man's cheek.
"The bastard hit me." He responded simply with a mutter and began to walk away toward his room to tend his "injuries." No bruises would mar Kudou Yohji's pretty face; no split lip would go on for more than he could help. He wasn't sure what he had been thinking first by kissing Aya like that and then finishing it with such an absurd question. He had been asking for that backhand.
* * *
Aya wasn't sure what to think at that moment. He had hit Yohji simply out of pure instinct. Why had he brought up that damn mark on the side of his neck… that "hickey" as it had been referred to. He hated that word. It made him feel dirty – if that was the right word for it. But then, no one gave it a second thought when Yohji came home with obvious traces of a hot date from the previous night. In fact, Ken and Omi usually teased him about it, yet cheered him on. It was different though. Aya did not date. It was a well-known fact.
… he kissed me. He suddenly realized. Yohji kissed me.
It was when he turned away from the door that Ken simply burst inside. Did the guy even know the meaning of knocking?
Obviously not.
"Yo, Aya. What the hell just happened between you and Yohji?" He demanded none too happily.
"Hn." Was Aya's only reply. The icy Weiß leader had not even bothered to turn around and look at him. Instead, he moved to the dresser, from which he withdrew a change of clothes.
"What kind of fuckin' answer is that… hey! I'm talking to you. Wh-where the hell are you going? Pay attention to me damnit!" Ken shouted after him.
Aya had casually taken his clothes and moved past the hotheaded assassin, moving down the hall toward the bathroom. But before he managed to get the door shut and locked, Ken pushed it back open and stepped inside, ignoring the Glares O' Death© that were being cast his way.
"Do you mind?" he asked the former soccer player in a weary but nevertheless icy tone.
"Yes, I do as a matter of fact." Ken held the door open. Just in case Aya had any ideas of forcing him out by shutting it in his face. It definitely wouldn't be the first time it would happen. "What gives you the right to punch Yohji like that?"
Silence
"Well, answer me damnit!"
"Leave me alone…" Came the quiet warning.
"Not until I get an answer out of you."
The clothes Aya had carried in from his room were set down on the edge of the sink. Amethyst eyes met cyan ones, narrowed and demanding for answers, through the small mirror in front of him. "Have you asked him?"
Ken was taken back by the unexpected response. "Well." A pause. "Iyah."
"Then go do that and leave me alone." Returned Aya, turning around to press a hand firmly to Ken's chest. The younger man was pushed back and out onto the hall. The door, slammed shut. Aya leaned back against it, exhaling wearily.
Finally alone.
You are never truly alone my beautiful kitten.
That voice! Aya pushed himself away from the door and whirled around. Obviously the small bathroom was deserted and he simply came face to face with his own reflection in the small mirror over the sink. He recognized that voice… it was the voice that had taunted him the previous night. The one responsible for whatever had happened in that parking lot. The mission could've been a failure because of him. Yet the teasing, soft breath that taunted his ear with a whisper was hard to forget, or the sweep of silky lips past his own.
No!
Aya turned away from the reflection in the mirror, which had distorted itself to reveal the face that taunted him, those shining jade orbs, that wolf-like grin. With a snarl at himself, he stepped out of the black mission pants he still wore and stepped into the shower. The water was allowed to run cold for a few minutes, chilling him, causing shivers to tease his body but it felt good nevertheless. It even seemed to help him get those nonsense thoughts out of his mind. Since when did he think like that about the enemy? Hell! Since when did he even think like that about anyone? Enemy or not, he had no time for this nonsense. His mind was set on one single thing and that was revenge. He would avenge his sister if it was the last thing he did.
And then what, little kitten? After Takatori is dead, what will you do?
It was hard to distinct his own voice from that taunting whisper that intruded his mind.
"Leave me alone, you fucking bastard." He hissed quietly, forcing his eyes shut as the water streamed down his face.
Not until I get what I want… the voice was nearly purring now. This plus the chilly water temperate made Aya shiver involuntarily.
"What do you want?" Another hiss. He wondered why he was even playing along with this game. If anyone saw this they'd be sure he had lost his mind for good. Answering the voices in his head. He sure was starting to lose it.
Your beautiful body sprawled in ecstasy over black satin sheets…
Aya paled considerably and made a grab for the marble wall, supporting himself against the effect that perfect purr had over his body. The damn body that betrayed him. But it wasn't always so. Why was it happening now? He shut his eyes, pressing them almost painfully shut so that he would go away. His mind was toying with him. Lately he hadn't been feeling too well; maybe that was why these things had been happening.
Surely there was a perfectly sound explanation for this. His breath was shaky, uneven. What was happening to him?
* * *
Minutes later he stepped out of the shower and made a shaky grab for a towel, holding it against himself. The whispering inside his head had stopped but it had only been replaced by self-questioning and reprimands that led nowhere. He managed to slip into the clean clothes he'd brought in when getting way from Ken and finally emerged into the hallway. It was deserted, thankfully. He noticed the door to Yohji's room was ajar – it was shut completely when he left his room.
It didn't matter.
Not even when he kissed you…?
Not again… please not again. He clenched his teeth and moved downstairs. His stomach was complaining; he hadn't eaten anything since before they had left on the mission the previous night.
It didn't mean anything, you realize. You know he's but a slut, you're but another conquest.
Aya paused halfway down the stairs. His hand tightening ever slightly around the handrail. A conquest… it did make sense, didn't it? Yohji lived for his nightly conquests. Perhaps he'd been searching for a challenge. What better challenge than the self-reserved, icy leader that did not give a shit about anyone else other than his comatose sister. It made perfect sense.
Setting his perfect mask of ice in place, he continued down the stairs.
* * *
After storming into his room, Yohji had searched madly for an anti bruising cream he kept just for situations like these. He sat on the windowsill overlooking the street, smoking in silence when Ken walked in. Someone had to teach him about knocking. He had more than once stumbled upon Yohji and one of his few dates he brought home with him. It was much safer to go back to their place instead of allowing a stranger within their home. There was too much at risk.
The older man glanced up, emerald eyes peeking out from beneath wavy strands of golden brown hair. A brow was arced questioningly as he exhaled a cloud of smoke into the air.
"What happened out there?" Was Ken's first question. His tone, unlike with Aya previously, was reasonably calm, worried even.
Yohji blinked and looked back toward the window, taking another long drag from his cancer stick. "It was nothing."
"You're starting to act like him!" The younger man exclaimed, crossing the room toward Yohji. He leaned against the wall across from the smoking playboy, crossing his arms expectantly.
"Oh fuck you." Yohji chuckled but still didn't look at him. He couldn't exactly tell Ken what had really happened in there, now could he? He, the chaser of women, who had just made a move on their icy leader. It was unheard of.
Ken grinned but still awaited his answer.
"I just probably said a couple of things I obviously shouldn't have said. I pretty much asked for it." He shrugged it off nonchalantly and took another drag, this one a bit more desperate as he hoped Ken would buy that and let the matter drop. But he knew the soccer player better than that and something told him that the younger assassin was not about to just let it drop that easily. Oh but one could hope, ne?
"Why are you defending him?"
Yohji nearly choked on his cigarette and looked at Ken. "What!"
"You're defending him. Why?"
"The bastard punched me, why the hell would I be defending him?" A guilty person's answer.
Ken arced a brow, cyan blue eyes meeting Yohji's emerald gaze. "You've been acting weird since last night's briefing."
"Define weird."
"Almost nervous every time Aya's around. When we found him in the lot you took all responsibility. Fuck, you even stayed the night in his room when we had already made sure he was fine."
Yohji looked at him. The current cigarette was getting to the end. He reached in his pack for another one and lit it from the still lit butt, puffing desperately on it. He was starting to feel ever so awkward with the conversation. And he thought Omi was the enlightened one, but at least the kid did not pull these interrogations.
"You also haven't had a date all week." Ken continued with his observations, noticing Yohji's growing discomfort but not hesitating in the least. Quite on the contrary, he pushed the case further. "Have you got a thing for Aya, or something?"
"Baka!" That had done it. Yohji gave Ken a light slap to the head and moved away from the windowsill. No, of course he didn't have a thing for Aya; that would be suicide. But then again, he hadn't gotten punched because of the kiss. Or at least he didn't think so. The punch had come when he mentioned that hickey on the pallid man's neck. He still wondered where it came from; jealousy perhaps? He didn't know. Hell this was a slightly confusing situation he had here and Ken's questioning and observations did not help matters. He hated how the former soccer player, despite his hot temper and general clumsiness was still quite aware of what was going on around him, more so than he allowed others to realize.
Until moments such as this.
He felt Ken's hand on his shoulder and glanced back at his shorter teammate, a questioning look in his emerald orbs.
"Don't bother, Yohji. The guy's an icicle." His voice sounded so sincere that it almost startled Yohji. He had to blink in order to make sure that it was still Ken whom he was talking to.
It was.
Ken offered the puzzled Yohji a genuine grin and slid past him. Instead of walking around him, no, he had slid against the older man, fingers brushing across Yohji's bare waist as he moved toward the door.
A cigarette fell from parted lips, collapsing to the wooden floor.
Luckily Yohji had managed to put it out before a fire was started. However, he still stared at the now closed door. What had just happened?
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I'm not sure whether or not I like this chapter. But hey, at least it's longer than the others! ^_^ Mmm… we also have some interesting things taking place now. I blame this mild change of events on Nikol. She's such a bad influence on me. Don't forget to review!!