Chapter FIN! This part is slightly more angsty. Had to cut the lemon juice with something, didn't I? :) While good sex can make you goofy, bad sex can make you bored. Oh, the horror!

Thrilled? Spittin' mad? Drop me a line, I wanna hear!

Enjoy!

We lay together, comforting each other as the storm raged on outside.

I brushed errant strands of damp hair from Ryo's face, and he planted sweet kisses on my collarbones. Every now and again, my knee accidentally brushed against him, and every time, he pretended to believe that it was an accident. No, really, it was.

Somehow, I had never thought that he could be so playful. I thought about my first time having sex, and how wretched I had felt afterwards.

A girl that I had seen hundreds of times before solicited me one night as I sat on a bench in the harbor smoking. I accepted her offer, giving her 2000 yen for thirty minutes of her time. It had been rough, quick, and deeply dissatisfying to both of us. I came quickly, prompting her to offer me oral sex. I hesitated, but allowed her to do it. The feel of her mouth against my skin made me dizzy with nausea. When she finished, I walked away without another word, found an alley and threw up for ten minutes before going home. Two weeks later while riding in the car with my father, I saw the police fishing her body out of the harbor. I started crying so hard that I had to pull over as he vainly attempted to comfort me.

His tongue tickled my ear, and I groaned, shifting my knee again. He giggled in that unaffected, sexy way. I felt a smile tugging at my lips. I was glad to have been his first male lover. At least his experience wasn't like my first.

A man, whom my father occasionally did business with, had taken a shine to me around my 24th birthday. He invited me to his hotel room one night, and I naively went, assuming that he wanted to discuss business. Once inside, his mood quickly turned dark, and he took me aggressively, calling me his "toy". Ashamed, yet aroused, I continued to see him until my father grew suspicious of my prolonged absences and followed me one night. He broke in on us in time to see me being taken from behind. There was a fight, of course, and it terminated with the severance of all corporate and personal ties with this particular businessman. We rode home in deathly silence. His face had turned to marble; I was choking on my own humiliation. Once home, he demanded to know why I had been with the man in the first place. That might have been the most painful experience with him yet, trying to find the words to explain to him that I was gay. Finally, desperately, I blurted it out, turning away from him immediately.

But I'll never forget what he did. He turned my face back, and told me frankly and clearly that I was his son, no matter what. Knowing that I had his acceptance and support was too much to bear, and I broke down crying in his arms. That was the first time in a very long time that I told my father that I loved him.

"…Gui Zhang?"

His voice startled me. I jumped up, dumping him out of the crook of my arm. He looked confused, and more than a little saddened. "Have you heard anything I've said?"

"No. I'm sorry." I scratched my head and sat up. He leaned against me, resting his head on my shoulder. "Well, listen a little harder this time. I asked you if you thought we had a chance to be together once I get back to Japan."

I pulled him close, kissing him on the lips. Our noses bumped, and he exhaled a warm puff of air on my skin. His lips parted, and I took the invitation to greet his tongue with my own. We kissed for some time before I released him, running my fingers over his flushed face. "Ryo, I want to be with you so bad that it's tearing me up inside. But really, it's up to you whether or not we're together. You've got women who want you, and you're still a young man. You might not want to spend your time with someone like me once you meet the right girl."

He looked at me with a look that I had only seen occasionally. It was deeply mournful, and it always hurt me with a thin, sharp sort of pain. Kind of like a needle. Exactly like a needle. "Someone like you? You make it sound like you're a monster."

I ran my fingers through my hair, trying to wipe the sweat from my palms. "I was lucky to have a father who didn't mind that I'm gay. My business connections don't care about my sex life. The only person who cares is Joy, and only because she's lonely. It may be different for you, and it would be shortsighted, not to mention cruel, for me to force you into a relationship that may not be good for you. It may be that you find someone absolutely wonderful who can meet all of your needs in a way that I can't." He sat up to protest, but I silenced him with a finger and a look. "Ryo, I don't want to discourage you. But I'm not going to pretend that you and I will be together forever. We may be. And if we are, I want to love you the very best that I can. But chances are quite good that by this time next year, we'll both be with someone else."

He looked upset, despite my attempts to soften the blow. I stood up, picking up my cigarettes from the table where they had been waiting patiently for me to come and burn them, and strolled towards the window. Lighting one, I exhaled a plume of smoke and stared out. This stupid storm. Non-stop rain pissed me off without fail.

I felt his arms around my shoulders, his cut cheek caressing my own. We slowly began to rock back and forth, as my cancer stick burned and I blew toxins all over the room. As the cigarette slowly gave up the fight and crumbled to ashes, I stubbed it out and stood, turning to face my young lover.

He was tall for his age…or was I just short? It didn't matter. I liked being able to look him in the eyes. They were so beautiful, large and brown and guileless.

I reached out to run my hands through his hair. God, what an awful style…but he wore it so well. Those liquid eyes closed at my touch, and I smiled. Being able to turn him on so efficiently was deeply gratifying. I ran a finger over one nipple, and he made a pleased sound deep in his throat.

Unable to resist any longer, I traced a damp path over his chest with my tongue, and he sighed, his body shaking. "Oh, Gui Zhang…"

My lips left a trail of kisses all the way down to his navel, and he grabbed my head again. I gotta get him to stop doing that.

"Gui Zhang…are you going to do that…thing…again?"

I smiled slyly. "You want more of it?"

"I want to do it to you."

I felt an unmistakable ache between my legs. Hazuki…you'll be the death of me, one way or another.

I knelt in front of him. This didn't even feel as though it was really happening. The eerie sound of the wind, the weak moonlight, the rasping of my lover's voice…urk! I felt a jolt as he thrust himself into my mouth rather roughly. I was afraid that would happen, and I tried to pull away. A pair of well-manicured palms on either side of my head let me know that I was going nowhere fast. I attempted to relax my throat, and he attempted to hold back.

One of us succeeded.

My watch beeped cheerfully, announcing that it was now 4 a.m. I turned it off as I blew another cloud of smoke out of the window. The moonlight was gone, and the dawn was still dawdling, leaving this side of Earth in a dreary state of indifferent darkness. The rusting lampposts struggled valiantly to offer some sense of light; most of them had given up the battle long ago and flickered out. The remains of the typhoon littered the road, with an occasional gust of wind making itself known. The cool breeze entered through the open window, circulating the warm, humid air in the room. I faintly wondered if the room smelled of hot sex, but decided that I didn't care. It should smell like hot sex, damn it, and anyone who didn't like it could take a hike right off Worker's Pier.

I looked back at the bed. The sheets were crumpled and soaked with our exertions. I couldn't stop a smirk from breaking out when I thought about what Ren Dan would say upon getting those bed linens back. It'd probably sound pretty ugly.

The door opened, and Gui Zhang came back into the room, towel clutched furtively around his waist. I laughed at him. "Sneak-a-shower?"

"Yeah," he muttered in that hoarse growl before looking at me sharply. "What the hell are you doing with my cigarettes?"

I spread my hands. "Isn't it obvious?"

He walked over to me and plucked the clove from my lips, taking a long pull and exhaling. "You're too young for these."

"I guess." He handed me the cigarette before sitting on the edge of the bed. "What time does that hand wash open? Joy's coming back over here at 10."

I shrugged, flicking away ashes; he frowned. "Hazuki, we don't want Joy to see us like this, do we? Try to care a little more."

"I think that they'll be open at 8."

"Mmm." He laid himself down, scratching his stomach. For such a simple and unconscious gesture, it was terribly sexy. "I'm going to get some sleep, okay? Wake me up when the clothes come back."

I nodded and turned away from him, staring out over the horizon as I inhaled from the dying clove.

A small part of my world imploded. I suddenly didn't want to look for Lan Di, find out anything further about the Dragon and Phoenix Mirrors, or go to China. I wanted to take the Phoenix Mirror, grind it into powder, pack my things and go home. I wanted to hug Fuku-san, tell Ine-san that I loved her, and call all my friends over and have a big party. I wanted to dance with Nozomi and wrestle Ichiro, and ride around on Naroyuki's motorcycle.

And I wanted to be with…him. Holding him close, stealing kisses in public, taking long walks around Yokosuka Harbor at night.

The cigarette fell from my hand unheeded as my head bowed and I fell asleep.

A sharp knock on the door woke me up, and quickly. I glanced at my watch. 8:10? So soon? I grabbed one of Gui Zhang's towels and wrapped it around my waist before opening the door. Ren stood there with the laundry bag, a fresh sheet set, and a rather unpleasant facial expression.

"Here. Gimme the rest of the money."

I counted out 1500 yen and handed it to him. He took a cautious peek into the room. "Do you want the sheets changed today?"

"Uh, yeah," I answered, not really sure how to give him the used ones. He made another, more awkward face, and stepped back. "Just put 'em in the bag. I'm not touching those things with my bare hands. You guys are gross."

"Jealous?" I asked with a devious smile.

"Hardly. I should kick you out for keeping me up all night."

Laughter rang down the hall as he left. I shut the door, chest heaving, and set the bag and linen down before crumpling up on the floor. Imagine poor Ren tossing and turning, hearing bedsprings all night long. Oh, this was rich.

"What's so damned funny?" a voice growled from the other side of the room. Gui Zhang sat up, sporting a horrible case of bed head. The towel that he had been wearing was plastered to his hips due to the humidity, leaving nothing to the imagination. I laughed harder and he made an exasperated noise. "You stupid kid, would you shut up already?"

He couldn't have expected me to comply, as he came stomping over to the laundry bag, took out his suit and got dressed, glaring at me the whole while. Oh well…couldn't expect the sweet side to hang around forever. I sat up, wiping my eyes, and he snarled at me. "Why are you so damn goofy today?"

"Because you're so annoyed, baby," I said sweetly as I kissed him. "And because I never get to smile anymore."

His expression softened, and he looked sad. Likewise, I sobered up as I put my clothes on. He moved out of my way as I went over to the bed, changing the sheets and tossing the used ones in the laundry bag, which I then set on the floor outside of the room.

When I returned inside, he was sitting on the side of the bed closest to the window. I took up a perch right next to him, catching his smooth hand in my own callused palm. He looked at me, wordlessly, as I stroked his hand. We stayed like that for a few minutes, caressing each other's hand, until he broke the silence with a sigh. My eyes dropped involuntarily, looking for some sign of physical excitement. Sure enough, there it was, albeit well concealed.

His voice was strange and shaky; it sounded as if his throat was completely dry. "Ryo, do you want to make love?"

"Again?" I felt overcome by a wave of shyness, and I took my hand away.

He chuckled deep in his throat. "What do you mean, 'again'? We haven't made love yet."

"Well, then, what were we doing all night?"

This time he laughed, full and deep. "That was sex. Love is completely different. Shall I show you?"

There was no way to refuse. I was certain that we had been making love, but if he wanted to do it again, who was I to say no? I took off my well-worn jacket, and he removed his suit jacket as well, folding it neatly before placing it at the head of the bed. So anal…the vague thought flitted through my head that he would probably beat me severely if I decided to scuff his shoes. That thought was crumpled up and tossed away as he kissed me, smelling of detergent and lavender scented soap and his own warm, intoxicating musk.

I tried to pull away, eager to get to the good stuff, but this time he held me, nuzzling, pecking, stroking. I could do little besides moan, and try to get comfortable. My groin was actively protesting its confinements inside a pair of jeans.

And still he moved at that infuriating rate, slowly, temptingly. He ran his fingers over my nipples, taunting them into little erect knobs of flesh. I ran my fingers through his rich black hair, clutching him, begging for release.

He lay back, pulling me with him as we stretched out full length on the bed. I felt him shift his weight to turn me over, and I closed my eyes, hoping, expecting to be topped at any moment. But no…he skimmed my shirt up and ran his fingers over my torso, outlining my ribcage. I let out a sigh, which quickly turned into a gasp as our crotches made contact. Damn him, he was just as hard as I was! How could he move so damned slowly!?

He kissed the tip of my navel, and I shivered as he moved lower and his nose brushed the soft trail of sparse hair that led directly to my pants. My watch warned me that it was 8:30, and I couldn't help but grin at the contrast between living here and being at home. Feeling him pant all over my lower abdomen was definitely preferable to waking up to scolding from Ine-san for coming in late.

A soft gliding buckling sound, a wriggle of my hips as he tugged at my pants and briefs simultaneously, and I was finally freed, aching and rigid and hot. And damn him again…he wasn't doing anything about it!

His hand lowered, and I thrust towards him, anxious to feel his touch. But he avoided contact and instead ran the very tips of his fingers over my inner thighs. I made a strangled sound as my back arched and he looked at me, amused. "I can't tell you how many times I've had dreams of doing this."

"Ten?" I muttered as I watched his hand torment me.

"More or less. Usually in Warehouse No. 8, although once I dreamed that I was in your room…"

I closed my eyes again. "When have you seen my room?"

"The time I brought you home from the harbor. Remember?"

I did, all too well. Struggling to sit up, I grabbed his hand. "I remember you touching my face a lot."

His lips curved. "Believe me, if your friend hadn't been there, we might have been doing this a long time ago. Lie down if you want me to continue."

I was supine on the mattress in a matter of seconds, treated to the lovely sight of his head moving up and down between my legs shortly thereafter. I reached for him, scooping up the black mass of pure silk that he called hair, and spilling it through my fingers luxuriantly.

Ah…sweet ecstasy. He tantalized me, bringing me to the edge over and over before finally grazing me with his teeth and getting a mouthful of DNA for his efforts. I gasped for air, opening my eyes just in time to see his throat bob. There's nothing quite as gratifying as to see your lover swallowing whatever it was they licked off of you.

I let out a sigh, happy. "Is that lovemaking?"

He smiled. "Not completely. Where's that bottle of lotion?"

I looked. After thirty seconds with no success, he began to look. A vein began to tic in his temple and I fought the urge to start laughing. And fought it hard. Whassamatta, baby can't find his bottle? This last thought made me spasm, and he looked back from his position on the floor. "Stop laughing, fool."

I ignored him, choosing to make a comment about the advantages of him remaining in that position, prompting him to straighten up immediately. As he did so, he hissed something in Guangdongese Chinese. That jerk…speaking in languages that I didn't know…

And then I saw what he was staring at in disbelief. The bottle, upended, its contents splattered between the wall and the floor.

And that's when I really laughed.

Fuck.

Fuck fuck fuckitty fuck fuck.

I straightened up so fast that my knees popped, protesting. On the bed behind me, Ryo laughed his fool head off.

"How could this have happened?…" I muttered to myself, not really expecting to get an answer. But I noticed that the dresser had moved, just a little. A sliver of new looking wall plaster was showing on the bed's side, where there had only been grimy paint before. Which meant it had been moved. Or kicked.

My brain worked even faster. While Ryo had been topping me, I had noticed - very vaguely, but I had noticed it – that one of my feet was trapped against something. The dresser? The vibration from our sex could have very easily made it move. And if we could dislodge a damned dresser, then of course we could knock over a flimsy bottle of lotion. I groaned, cursing through clenched teeth, and jammed my hands in my pocket. Just as impulsively, I pulled them out again. "What's this in my pocket?"

"A condom, I hope," Ryo grinned. "We'd have some ugly kids together otherwise."

"Actually, I think they'd be quite handsome if they took after me." He tackled me and we hit the floor with a resounding thud. I cringed to think of the desk clerk's reaction. Ryo buried his face in my shoulder and laughed again. Goodness, he was silly today.

I took a quick glance at what I was clutching in my right hand, and quite abruptly a smile broke out on my face. I stood hurriedly, dropping Ryo like a sack of laundry – oh god, not laundry again – and began to undress.

"Huh?" he wondered aloud. "Whatcha got?"

I tossed the small phial to him as I folded my shirt and set it neatly on top of my neatly folded jacket. I began to untie my shoes as he read the label, his voice taking on a level of astonishment.

"Glide-EZ – industrial grade water-based lubricant?!"

"Precisely," I replied in a tone that belied my excitement. I had totally forgotten that Zhu Yuanda gave that to me as a belated sort of gift to my father, the "just in case you need it for anything" kind of gift. I had tried a few drops on my fingers, marveling at how slick they had become, and getting quite a few ideas - most of them bad - of how I could put it to use. I already knew that my father was never going to get this particular bottle of the stuff, but I hadn't imagined that it would come in handy so soon. I folded my trousers crisply and set them down with the rest of my suit, before shucking my underwear and leaving them lonely on the floor. I stood before him, naked and bestial. "Let's get to work."

"Work???" he screeched.

I'm glad that I already did this once last night. I don't know if I could handle Gui Zhang Chen bending over in front of me and telling me to pound away with such aplomb otherwise.

As it was, due to my earlier inconsideration for his hindquarters and his oral abuse of me, I was actually quite sore. There was no way for me to move quickly, and I suppose he wanted it that way. We rocked slowly, our gasps making a strange melody, punctuated by the occasional sob of pleasure.

He bowed his head, sweat making his olive-colored skin glow in the broad light of day. I kissed him on his neck, the way that he had kissed me in the shower, and he responded in much the same way: moaning loudly. I placed another kiss between his sharply defined shoulder blades, this time using my tongue to taste his sweat. He shook. Hard.

It reminded me of incredibly refined salt water. There was almost nothing else to distract me from the taste of his skin besides the barest hints of soap. I let my tongue flit, and he let out a deep shudder. "Hazuki…"

In response to hearing my name, I sped up. Just a little, though. No need to damage the goods.

He began to counterthrust a little faster. Just a little, though. No need to damage the goods.

We continued to play this game for a while longer, but alas…he had more experience than I did, and as I rapidly approached a searing orgasm, he was still chugging along. No fair…gotta speed up the process!

I dropped my hand, quickly finding what I was in search of. He hissed as I stroked. What a pitiful little muscle this was, in retrospect. How the hell could it cause so much trouble?

And then I felt a hot spurt on my hand, which in turn triggered my own release, and I knew exactly why.

God bless you, Glide-EZ.

10 a.m. found us dressed, calm, and seated as Joy came bounding up the stairs, chattering away noisily. Yuan's myna bird had nothing on this girl. She was asking him questions as the three of us went downstairs, and he was answering. I was hardly listening. Gui Zhang was going away, and I wasn't. The days were going to be awfully long without him.

"I know this isn't where you would have normally stayed, Gui Zhang, but did you sleep well?"

"Like a baby," Ren Dan snapped, looking up from his newspaper.

"Actually," Gui Zhang said as he opened the door for her, "I didn't sleep at all. Ryo and I had sex all night, and it was great."

There was a pause in all activity in the lobby for five seconds, before Joy smacked his shoulder and scolded him for talking such nonsense. He shrugged apologetically. "Sorry, it was meant to be funny."

"Well, it's not. Ryo's not like you, so quit being gross."

He shrugged again, but winked at me before closing the door.

I laughed; Ren simulated vomitus. "God. I hope to hell that guy never comes in here again. You two are really loud, you know that?"

"I'm sorry," I replied through stifled giggles. "Here." I dropped some wet money on the counter and dashed upstairs, taking care to kick the laundry bag back downstairs before I went in my room. As I shut the door, I heard Ren's voice screaming through the warping media that was the intercom.

"Would you quit throwing things down the friggin' stairs, already! I can't wait until you leave!"

I laughed some more and got ready to go visit Jianmin in South Carmain Quarter. Today was definitely going to be a good day.