Title: Colleague

Author: Kuroi Tenshi [kuroi_22@hotmail.com]

Pairing(s): KoshSen (I realize now it's been KoshSen all this time, not SenKosh, sorry) ::waves flaglets happily:: ; SenRu [but it won't last long]; RuHana (just mentioned/implied later so if you're looking for RuHana action, this isn't the fic for you)

Warnings: Shounen Ai; Uhm, words? Cursing (A bit, so be warned!)

Rating: PG-13

FIC NOTES: This one actually has something to do with the fic itself. ^^;; I'm not entirely sure how old exactly Koshino and Sendoh are in the series. Most likely 15 or sixteen? I have absolutely no idea. But let's all pretend they're sixteen, neh? Agreed? ::takes out fire poker:: Yes? Good. Thank you.

AUTHOR'S NOTE: I can't shut up, I know. But humor me, neh? It's been so long since I badgered anyone with my fic and author's notes. Anyway, it finally dawned to me that this fic is starting to be dragging. Took me long enough, eh? Shows how slow a person can be. ::sigh:: So anyway, I decided to have a change of pace. I hope things won't go too fast, as I'm trying to change from being too slow. But hopefully, it won't be dragging. ::crosses fingers:: Oh, yeah, I've been horribly out of practice as of late. Crash and I had been separated for more than a month and a half, with occasional get-togethers that were far too brief and far in between, mostly due to reports and school-related stuff. I'm a bit rusty. Read at your own risk.

DEDI: I decided to dedicate this part to my new spiritual adviser (LOL), Shinri Ayase. ^_^ I know I've been badgering you endlessly for readings and all that so...here, this one's for you! Believe it or not, they helped, one way or another, sort the mess I keep in my head (Why else do you think am I writing fics rather than attending rehearsals? I quit! ::grins::). Ignoring the fact I'm skewering languages: mucho arigato!

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Part 8

                "It's been a long time," Morikawa Hiroshi remarked with a smile, the dimples in his left cheek that Koshino knew so well showing, as he crossed the short distance between them and kissed him.

                The shorter young man's eyes widened, then fluttered close, invaded by suppressed feelings of long ago. Reiko and Sayaka exchanged gleeful high-fives while Sendoh stared in surprise, rooted on the spot he stood.

                When Hiro pulled away he was wearing a happy grin. "It's great to be back, Hiro-kun." [1] He noticed the somewhat startled, to say the least, but shocked best described it, faces of his friend and the others. "It is usual in France to greet their friends with a kiss," he explained and Sayaka nodded, giving Sendoh a brief, impersonal peck on the lips, so much unlike the lingering one Hiro gave Koshino.

                He didn't even notice, or if he didn't, he didn't give it any particular care. Sendoh expected his best friend to retort angrily and even hit the other violently, customs or no— nobody dares kiss Koshino Hiroaki and get away unscathed! But his surprise, which was yet to subside, intensified when Koshino blushed and smiled.

                "Welcome back, Ishi-kun," he said quietly. "I wasn't really expecting to see you home with Sayaka, but it's really great seeing you again..."

                "We bumped into each other at the airport in Paris," Sayaka explained. "Contrary to what we all believed, he's been living in Paris with an aunt for the past half year. It was a surprise—a pleasant one—when I saw him waiting to board the same plane as mine. I decided then and there to invite him. He's just like family; he had to accept!"

                The youngest Koshino nodded slowly, the effects of the unexpected kiss gradually losing effect. However it still posed a problem that with all the unresolved issues between Ishi and him, he was going to be forced to face them. And why the hell did Ishi kiss him in the first place? Kiss greetings be damned?

                Sayaka glanced at Sendoh's direction and smiled. "How terribly rude of us, Reiko!" she admonished lightly, though Koshino detected a hint of sarcasm.  "We've completely forgotten about our guest during the reunion. Sendoh Akira, let me introduce you to Morikawa Hiroshi. You're both very close friends of our brother. I'm sure you'll get along splendidly."

                The blond held out his hand and the spiky-haired teen shook it briefly. He ignored the way Hiroshi's eyes moved to Koshino for the briefest second before he smiled at the brunette. "Sayaka's been telling me about Koshino's new friend. I'm glad to finally have met you, Akira."

                "I'll say the same thing to you, Morikawa-san," he replied smoothly. Inwardly he was banging his head against an imaginary wall. What was he being unpleasant for? He loved meeting new people and make new friends. And this one used to be his best friend's closest friend—next to him, of course.

                Reiko smirked and clapped her hands to get their attention. "Now that introductions are over, let's have dinner. I don't know about you guys, but I'm starving."

                "Yeah, dinner!" Koshino exclaimed. "Let's have dinner. I'm sure they already have it ready in the dinning hall."

                "I missed this place," Sayaka said, taking Sendoh's arm that she passed by on her way inside. She smiled at him. "What a night it's been, neh, Sendoh? So full of surprises…"

                The meal remained relatively uneventful enough. Sayaka and Reiko kept the table lively with their talk, with Sendoh joining in. Both Hiro's kept their silence, occasionally adding a short comment or two on particular topics.

                Mashed potato with gravy. Yum. Koshino picked on his food. This tastes like crap, he thought to himself as he force-fed himself another forkful. Across him sat Ishi, quietly listening to the conversation around him. He stole a quick glance at him before averting his gaze back to the mangled goo on the expensive china.

                He was confused as hell. Why did his sisters love tormenting him so much? They knew about his issues regarding his former best friend. Reiko knew about Sendoh. So why did they plot against him by bringing all three of them together in the same house for a whole weekend?

                And then Ishi kissed him… How many times did he dream of the particular moment happening? How many sleepless nights had he gone through, lying awake at night as he imagined those soft lips against his? And now it happened, but at the wrong time, a year and a half too late. Why?

                "Asato and I broke up."

                Koshino's head whipped up from where he was sure it was permanently stuck staring at his food. Now where the hell did that come from? And why disclose such confession during dinner when people were struggling to put food in their stomachs? Koshino's already small appetite seemed to have vanished completely.

                Sendoh's fork froze mid-air, looking around the table uncertainly. Was he supposed to be hearing this conversation? It seemed a tad too personal, even for someone like him who took liberties concerning friends and their personal business. Was Koshino going to whack him senseless later after dinner for getting involved, never mind the fact he was merely an unsuspecting and innocent listener?

                Reiko cleared her throat and smiled faintly. She wasn't exactly expecting Ishi to answer up front when she had teased him, asking about his boyfriend from before. And it was apparent from her brother's dazed look he hadn't been paying close attention to the conversation around him. It was only Ishi's quiet declaration he heard. "Sorry to hear that, Ishi. You were great together. But look at it this way, you're better off with someone who isn't stupid enough to let someone like you go."

                Hiroshi smiled and turned to her after taking a sip from the glass. "You're right. The breakup made me realize things I've taken for granted. It gave me the chance to realize how important some things—or people—are." He said the last part looking directly at Hiroaki. The youngest of the siblings cleared his throat and played with his fork, willing the blush away.

                Of course the little exchange didn't go unnoticed. Sayaka, fully recovering now, stood up and held up her wineglass. "To those important to us," she proposed with a smile.

                "To those important to us," Reiko agreed, lifting her own glass in the air. The other minors in the room raised their glasses with orange juice in response. "To those important to us."

~*~*~*~

                This is a nightmare. Koshino was convinced of this by ten-thirty that evening. After dinner, each had retired to their respective rooms, Hiroshi occupying the guestroom just a door away from Hiroaki's room, as he usually did back in the days when he slept over. Sendoh, much too reluctant to impose, had set a futon at the floor next to his best friend's bed. After roughly an hour and a half of being in the same country with his oldest psychotic sister and former best-friend-slash-center-of-teenage-infatuation, he was nearing lunacy.

                The meal had ended without incident following the toast, for which Koshino was thankful. He didn't know how much more his heart could take if more surprises sprung from anyone. Hiro had pleaded fatigue while the sisters immediately locked themselves in Sayaka's room, no doubt to latch evil plots against the youngest member of the family, leaving both players at peace in the mercy of their books as they still had tests to review for.

                He tried to focus on the book he was reading. After a few minutes he realized he had been reading the same line for the past few minutes without understanding a word. His brain was much too muddled to bother with English translations.

                Why? The word kept echoing in the silence of Koshino's troubled mind. He didn't need this kind of crap right now. He had more than enough of his share before the evening commenced. He had tests coming up. He had to escort a girl he didn't know to a dance tomorrow. And let's not forget the task of helping and giving Sendoh one hundred and one percent support of his conquest for Rukawa's heart.

                What did he do during his past life to have merited such distress? A fortuneteller had told him years ago he had been part of an amoebic community in his past life. In Koshino's opinion, that earned him the right to demand good karma in this life. So why was everything so messed up right now?

                Answer: Thou Hath Broken Best Friend Rule Number One—TWICE.

                But the rational part of Koshino was arguing that so what if he did? He hasn't breached Best Friend Rule Number Two: do something about said feelings. If anything, he's been paying for the so-called transgressions by helping said best friends hook up with partners of their choice. So why was he still stuck with bad karma?

                "I wanna be with you…"

                The soft, almost inaudible utterance reached Koshino's sensitive ears. He peeked to the side of his bed to see Sendoh admiring a snapshot of—you guessed it—Rukawa used as a bookmark on his Geometry book.

                The shorter sighed exasperatedly. "Sendoh, if all you're gonna do is moon over that block of ice while we study, I suggest you try keeping it to yourself. Some of us are trying to unravel the secrets of the universe here. It would be much appreciated if you could keep your love-sickness to yourself."

                His best friend sat up from where he was lying on his stomach and grinned. "I can't believe this! Kosh, you're being funny! Is the world coming to an end?"

                A little more to the left, a little more to the right and you've hit the bull's eye.

                "Close. We've got Math and English exams coming."

                Sendoh snorted. "You're studying for that? You've been reviewing for these tests since the start of the semester. If you study more, your brain will explode. I know you can do it without opening your notes, you don't even have to glance at it!"

                If he omitted lots of words and replaced them with another, he could almost translate what Sendoh said as a compliment.

                "Just shut up," he replied irritably instead. He shook his head and started with the English translations once more. He grabbed a pen and tried scribbling translation of quotations from Japanese to English. What is...essential is…invisible…to the…eye. [2]

                Too bad what's expected to act as the "eye" when spotting what's "essential" is defected as well, he thought sourly. He inwardly sighed and continued with his work, forcing himself to remained focused on his task, fiercely driving away all thoughts related to his current dilemma.

                Sendoh, on the other hand, stole quick glances in Koshino's direction while the shorter boy busied himself with schoolwork. After a moment's hesitation, he cleared his throat. "I know it's not really my business, but being your best friend and all," he began with a beguiling smile, "who's Hiro, really?"

                "Morikawa Hiroshi. His father's a stockholder of the different companies under Koshino Enterprises. Oh, and his mom's American, obvious from his looks."

                Sendoh frowned. "But that still doesn't tell me much about him. How come I never heard of this Hiro until recently? Why didn't you tell me about him?"

                "What's there to tell?" Koshino replied indifferently. "To be honest, I don't see what the big deal is. Why are you suddenly interested in him? Don't tell me you think he's The One. What would that make Rukawa then?"

                The spiky-haired teen bristled. "My interest on people isn't only limited to those I'm interested romantically in."

                "Of course. Let's not forget the enthusiastic lackeys who worship the ground you walk on. For without them, you will surely be leading a very hard life without devout followers willing to do your every bidding. I'm sure if it's possible, they'd do your breathing for you."

                "Are you trying to provoke me?"

                "Just stating facts, Aki-chan."

                "You know what this looks like? It looks as if you're deliberately saying those things so I can forget about asking you about Hiro!"

                "Aren't you the sharp one?"

                "It's not working, I'm telling you," Sendoh stated firmly. "You can say all the mean things—I'm quite used to them by now so I'm immune to it, by the way—but I won't stop asking about that Hiro-guy!"

                "Hiro-guy?"

                "Well, he's not all that, you know." Without him realizing it, Sendoh's frown deepened into a scowl. "So I've lived my whole life in Japan and I don't speak French, nor do I have foreign blood in me, but I don't go kissing people without warning."

                "You don't?"

                "Just go with the flow, you know what I mean!"

                "Fine. Go on then. I'm all ears," Koshino replied, sitting straighter on the bed and crossing his arms across his chest.

                "I don't get it. What happened between you guys? I know you're not the kind who forgets people easily just because they moved out of the country. If I moved to another city, I'm sure we'll still remains best friends. But what happened that you cut off all communication with the guy?"

                It's not exactly what, rather, it's a who, the brunette replied mentally. "I didn't exactly cut him off from my life. We just…drifted apart. He lived in America—then Paris—and me, in Japan. You're really making a fuss over nothing. How did that English saying go? You're making a mountain out of an anthill."

                His best friend didn't seem convinced of his explanation and Koshino couldn't blame him. But what was he supposed to do? Tell him everything? And after that, tell him all about the details of Koshino's secret…feelings…for him?

                "When can I expect you to tell me the whole story?" Sendoh finally said after a long pause.

                "Let me mentally check my calendar," he replied, and after a second, "no, Armageddon isn't scheduled in another seven thousand years. Let me get back on you on that one." [3]

                "When you're done being witty, I'll be in the veranda. Maybe some time on your own will help you realize your best friend's simply worried." He stood up and took his math notebook with him.

                Koshino didn't look away from the row of plushies on the wall he firmly kept his eyes locked on, even after he heard the faint click of the lock behind Sendoh. He knew Sendoh loved the veranda adjacent to his room. There were a few chairs and a hammock placed there to take advantage of the cool air at evenings.

                He used to spend his evenings at the veranda not too long ago, with Hiro lying on the hammock and him sitting on one of the chairs, staring at the clear night sky, spotting constellations and making up names for clusters of stars they spied on.

                But now was probably not the right time to reminisce. He had one and a half years of that done. He knew he hurt his friend, by refusing to tell him anything. They were friends after all, best friends, in fact. He deserved to know. Yet he couldn't bring himself to open the wounds that were just beginning to heal.

                'Best friends tell each other everything, don't they?' Mr. Teddy said from their corner.

                'I remember distinctively witnessing a pinkie-swear at the start of school last year. It was between a young man with unique hair and another one with black,' Mr. Horsey added.

                "But…"

                'And I can still recall the warmth of your embrace as you whisper muted confessions into my ear,' the newly mended Mr. Smiley stated softly.

                Koshino was sure he was going insane. He was letting plushies nudge him into making a decision for one thing. And for another, they were actually doing a damned good job of convincing him. [4]

                "Rukawa…I promised him I'd help him, didn't I? And it wouldn't be fair on his part. He might feel he owed it to me to be…that it was because he asked, now he has to return my feelings…" He shook his head. "I…can't."

                His eyes fell Ms. Smiley, who has been mended as well, though one of her ribbons was forever lost. Even after emptying the pool and cleaning the pipes in search of the striped red and white ribbon that went above what was supposed to be her ears, it was yet to be found. The one he was able to salvage was torn at the sides and its color had faded, much like her skirt.

                "I may have to move in with Sayaka after tonight," he muttered under his breath, trying to keep his mind off the tribal drums resounding in the vicinity of his chest. Standing up, Koshino took a deep breath and followed his friend out the room.

                Now, standing by the door of the slightly ajar glass door, the brunette tried calming his heart…after making it start beating again. He was seriously considering letting a cardiologist see him. His heart unfailingly accelerates and decelerates whenever he was within five feet of Sendoh. It wasn't normal.

                When he was finally sure he could face the Ryonan Ace without undergoing cardiac arrest, he squared his shoulders and was about to take the difficult first when he felt a hand land on his left shoulder. Turning in surprise, he almost jumped out of his skin the second time in the same minute when he saw the object of his past, and returning, suffering.

                "Hiro-kun," Ishi said with a small smile. "I was just on my way to your room."

                "Is something wrong?" Even with the huge effort of hiding the concern, it was still evident in his voice, especially with the way his eyes darkened in alarm. "You okay?"

                "I am now," he replied, saying it with a smile that made every nerve in Koshino's body tingle. "It's nothing to worry about. But I wanted to talk to you."

                Gawd. My knees are going to give way if you don't stop smiling, you twerp! Koshino was in desperate need of control otherwise he knew he would do something he would regret the next morning. The basketball forward had to use his usual defense: crabbiness to the extreme. "This late an hour?"

                "I wanted to wait till the morning, but I couldn't sleep. I had to talk to you."

                "If you're going to tell me all the gory details about what happened between you and Asato as you did before, forget it. I suffered months of therapy because of that," he teased. But in reality, he really did have sessions with Mr. Teddy and gang for weeks regarding the matter. Hiroshi just didn't need to know about that.

                "No, it's not that…but it has something to do with Asato," Ishi confessed. When the other turned his head to the side, he took his head in his hands and forced him to look into the oceans of emotions he knew so well. "Hiroaki, look at me, you never seem to do anymore. What happened between us?"

                Koshino averted his eyes. "Nothing. You just moved away, that's all. Ishi, you're experiencing jetlag. I think we really should talk in the morning when your head's clearer."

                "I don't wanna wait any longer. I already wasted a year mulling things over, being extremely stupid and another six months gathering the courage. I won't stop now. Hiro, you have to listen to me."

                "But what's there to tell?"

                "Everything," he answered readily, "everything that was left unsaid." Ishi took a shaky breath and closed his eyes for a second. "We've been friends since kindergarten, haven't we? We grew up with each other; we're closer than friends. We're halves of a whole. But what happened on the last year of junior high?

                "Asato," Koshino whispered breathlessly. He shut his eyes and leaned to Ishi's touch. "God, please, let's not talk about this…"

                "You felt betrayed, didn't you?" When he didn't respond, he continued. "I started hanging around Asato too much I forgot all about you. You ceased to exist in my world. I know that's how it must've felt—that's how I felt the second I realized you weren't coming to the airport to say goodbye—"

                "I was behind the pillar all the time," Koshino confessed softly. "I had to see you one last time…" he trailed off, leaving the other to ruefully shake his head.

                "But still, when problems arose, you were there for me, ready to give me comfort and support. You helped me patch things up with Asato. You were there for me, even though it was obvious I preferred Asato to you. How I must've hurt you, Hiro, I'm sorry," he said, pulling Koshino to him and kissing his forehead.

                "You were in love with him."

                "But things didn't work out, you see. He and I broke up not after a month in America. And I realized that what we had…it was better than the sparks and fuzzy feelings Asato gave me. I took you for granted. I was stupid to think anyone could replace you—God, how wrong I was! How many times did I have to stop myself from hopping on the next plane back to Japan?

                "But now that we're split up, we can be together—"

                Koshino abruptly pulled away and glared at him. Despite internal turmoil, his anger and indignation still rose above others. "I can't believe this. I don't do rebounds, Morikawa," he spat, each word pronounced with venom.

                Ishi shook his head. "You don't understand. That's not what I meant—Hiro, I love you! Don't you see? I've been blind to the truth that's been right before my eyes. It was fun with Asato, but with you, your unfailing love…I took that for granted. I took our friendship for granted. I took you for granted."

                He shook his head. As much as he wanted to stay angry with the other boy, he couldn't. Not when anger and happiness was warring within him, with happiness winning by a few notch. However, experience warned him to be wary. Having been hurt once was one too many. If anything, the experience taught him to be careful with regards to wearing his heart on his sleeve. "I don't know…I seriously don't know. This is all too sudden…"

                "And I'm willing to wait for you to get used to it. But one thing's for sure. I won't let you down this time," Ishi replied with all sincerity.

                "You don't understand," Koshino began. "So many things have happened while you were gone…"

                "Then you can start telling me all about it. Fill me in the precious moments lost away from you. I want to know every detail; I want to be part of your life again. Tell me everything and I will listen."

                But where to start? And what about Sendoh? "This is too much in one night," he admitted. "I'm sorry, but—"

                "Shh," Ishi placed a finger on Koshino's lips to silence him. "You don't have to tell me everything now. Just get used to the idea that I'm here again."

                Koshino stared into his blue eyes and felt himself flooded by the past feelings, emotions he thought he had buried and forgotten. Slowly, Ishi bridged the short distance between them and inched his head closer. He instinctively braced himself as he felt Ishi's breath fan against his fluttering lids before they completely shut. He placed a soft kiss on his nose before moving lower to his lips.

                But before their lips met, there was a loud crash from the other side of the veranda. Koshino's eyes snapped open and he paled in shock to find Sendoh standing by the door, staring at them with wide blue eyes, obviously in a similar state with him.

Tbc

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[1] Okay, this may be a bit confusing, having two people whose names start with HIRO. However, keep in mind that to keep things straight, I, the author, will never use plain Hiro for Koshino Hiroaki [at least in this fic]. It would either be Koshino or Hiroaki. When you see Hiro [without the–aki], then I meant HIROshi. Also, I try to use Ishi to mean HIROshi at times, especially when there's an interaction between the two HIROs. Oh, and Hiro-kun is always, always Hiroaki. Got it? Or did I just add to the confusion? ^^;;

[2] From The Little Prince. One of my favorite books. Too common, I know. How many times did we have this as a book report? But still, it's really good; I highly recommend it. Read it more than once and you will see things/events that happened in the story in a different light. Trust me. The first time I read it, I was: good book. On the second then third: WOW! ^_^

[3] This is more of a note of my characterization of Koshino. You can all beg to differ, but this is how I see him (so ha! You can't do a darn thing about it!). He's really nice and caring, but he kind of uses his temperament as a shield. To me, he's one of the most misunderstood characters of the show. Behind his acerbic tongue lies a sensitive young man who's just trying to defend himself from pain or anything foreign and/or unpleasant to him.

[4] In case you're wondering how the heck these so-called "sessions" go, no, Koshino doesn't go insane, nor does he turn schizo. He kinda morphs into a ventriloquist. If you remember in part 2, where the Plushy Gang was first introduced, Reiko knew about the "conference" between them. It's because she heard his brother debate with himself and his plushies, given life and voice by no other than the forward himself.

                Okay, I know the last part isn't exactly the kind you're looking for. I mean, it's a tad too…weird. Even I say so myself. But…I don't know how else to go on with it. It didn't exactly come out as planned. Too much drama? Unrealistic as it's hardly gonna happen to young men, regardless of the fact they're gay? Too bad. I'm like to remind readers once a again that the author is female [could've fooled you, huh?] so I'm not exactly a guru or anything close to being even relatively knowledgeable to members of the opposite sex. As a writer I ought to write characters well, meaning boys should come out as boys. Girls as girls and so one and so forth. However, I'm a bad writer. Boys come out as girls [and they're supposed to be "manly" dammit!] and no matter how I try, most often than not, everybody's gender is feminine. So…please, let's all live with it. Maybe when I've had more experience interacting with the male species, I will be able to finally write them correctly. Until then, you're all stuck with my writing. Continue reading or hit the back button. Your choice.