Blank Pages

By Carter Tachikawa

(Chapter 5)

Note: The song at the end is by Tina Turner and it's called "Private Dancer". Weiss Kreuz is not mine either.

* * *

(The past, some time ago)

"Tell me they are not late again!" Birman exclaimed to the clock on the wall. The minute hand was just moving around slowly. It was almost five and neither Ken nor Kase had shown up for work yet. She began drumming her fingers and whistling some Broadway tune while she paced around the room. Those two were hopeless when it came to doing anything on time. She needed them now more than ever and they chose today to be late. Things were not turning out well.

Damn! Come on, you two! Time of the essence! She began praying. She wasn't the only one who was getting worked up. People in the other rooms were going around looking for the happy couple. They had a lot of time to do other things before work but sometimes they got too caught up in their other things. And they got caught up in each other. If those two are still in bed, I'll_

"You've got a worm on your nose, Kase."

"Yeah, well I saw you swallow a caterpillar during that entire thing! I guess when it evolves, you can literally have a 'butterfly' in your stomach!"

"Oh, that was lame!"

Birman whirled around to find Ken and Kase walking in together, arms linked, and kissing each other. As sweet as they looked, she was furious.

"You two!" She yelled, storming over and pushing Ken off Kase. "Where have you been?! You were supposed to be here an hour ago!"

Ken looked up. "Sorry, Birman. We lost track of time."

"That's what you said the last time! I mean, I can cover for you and I know how much the other job means to you but_". That's when she noticed that the two of them were dirty, mud clinging to their hair and clothes. That's when she wanted to kill them both.

"Look at you!" She snapped. "First, you're late and now you're dirty?! What is wrong with you? I…I don't believe this!"

"Believe it." Kase wrapped his arms around Ken. "We play with kids when we're not working. And things can get a little naughty."

"Well, yes, because they are children but…"

"Who said anything about the kids?" Ken murmured, playing with Kase's muddied hair. "They are well-behaved. We are naughty. Kase insists on getting dirty every time we go out."

Birman shuddered. "I didn't need all the details, thank you very much. Listen, I'll deal with this later. You have fifteen minutes to change. Now get in!" She pointed to the doors behind her. Kase nodded towards the door and dragged Ken into one of the rooms. Birman grew frustrated again when she saw that.

"You're changing in separate rooms!" She snapped, pulling Ken out and putting him in the other room. "And don't touch each other until we're done! When it's nine-thirty and you've done what you're supposed to do, then you can fool around all you want. But until then, keep your hands to yourselves!"

"You're no fun, Birman." Kase teased from his room.

"That's because she's jealous!" Ken replied. "She's jealous cause I've got you, you've got me, and she's got no one!"

"Do you want me to hurt you?" Birman snapped.

"I'd rather have Ken hurt me. In bed!" Kase hooted. They both started to laugh. Birman rolled her eyes, threw her hands up in the air, and walked away. If those two weren't so good at what they did, she would throw them out, head first, into the streets. But they were popular and talented guys, Ken especially. And they were good lovers to each other. Who cared that they were both guys? Romance was romance. Birman was used to their way of doing things. It was cute. They were like any ordinary male and female couple. They celebrated each other's birthdays, Valentine's Day, and their anniversary. They shared each other's lives and dreams. More importantly, they loved each other. If Kase was in trouble, Ken was there for him and vice versa.

They're the perfect couple. Birman thought, feeling slight envious. Her previous relationships had never been as strong as Ken and Kase's. Perhaps none of the men she ran into were anything like those two. The men she dated lacked something. But Ken and Kase had loads of that something, the something that made their relationship work. They were indeed a perfect couple.

"Aw, I got dog shit all over my good pants!" She heard Kase exclaim.

"Then don't even think of getting into bed wearing those!" Ken yelled back. There was silence for a few seconds. Then he yelled again. "Never mind! I think I got some on my pants too. We should be careful when we're rolling around on the ground."

"At least we can get in bed together wearing clothes."

"Why do we need clothes to begin with?"

"Good point."

Well, almost perfect.

She heard them laugh again before she turned around and went to mind her own business.

* * *

(Present)

"Will you tell me already why you've come back?" Ran snapped at his best friend. Yohji was leaning against a wall, sipping a beer at eight in the morning, and looking crushed. He left Schu's closet only minutes after his boyfriend put him in it. Then he came home to forget the whole incident. "You leave, you come back. Then you leave again and now you're back looking more miserably than ever. What happened?"

"What do you think happened?" Yohji shot back. "Schu ditched me again. I don't know what he is up to."

"He?"

"I meant 'she'." Yohji sighed. That whole night incident was making forget everything. "I don't know what she is up to. Maybe she's sleeping with that ex-boyfriend of hers. I heard voices in the other room. I don't know who that other person was but I know they weren't there for just a second. Man, I can't believe it! I find the love of my life and he _I mean, she_ is already cheating on me!"

Ran returned that sigh. "You're not even sure of that, are you?"

"Well, no, but it makes sense." Ken, who had been sitting on the floor and eating an orange while reading a sports magazine, spoke up. Yohji and Ran turned to him. "I don't think your boyfriend or girlfriend or whatever is cheating on you purposely though."

"Not cheating on me purposely?" Yohji scoffed. "What's that supposed to mean? How can someone not cheat purposely?"

"It's been done before. Anyway, I think your 'Schu' is in a difficult situation that he or she can't tell you about. Or rather, they are afraid to tell you about it. If someone else is involved, then they are the one calling the shots. Schu is the vulnerable one. Schu is the one trying to make everything right and is unsure what to do. That's what's going on."

Yohji blinked. "What have you been drinking?"

"Certainly not the same thing you're drinking."

"Ignore him." Ran muttered. "I can't keep him away from the beer and cigarettes whenever he's depressed."

"But everything I'm saying makes sense." Ken pointed out. "Admit it. That's exactly what's going on right now. Just wait and see."

Ran glanced at his best friend who really wasn't listening to anyone at the moment. With a disinterested shrug, Yohji plopped down on the sofa and turned on the TV. A commercial for a soap opera came on and so did an ominous announcer. Images of bloodied bodies and caskets flashed on the screen.

"Last year, a serial killer entered Thistlevane Valley and murdered six people, including his own fiance!" The voice boomed. More images of gory, dead bodies came up. "The killer was finally found and shot to death by his own husband. And everyone was safe when they found out he was gone. But next week…"

Ken looked up with interest when he saw a beautiful blond woman with a large stomach lying on a bloodstained bed. Her eyes widened with shock as a shadow appeared over her.

"Oh no. No! It can't be!" She shrieked, holding up her hands. "No, Francisco! You can't be alive!"

The voice picked up from there. "But it is. Francisco comes back to all his husbands, wives, lovers, and children. He claims to be a changed man. The question is…"

The screen went black and a woman screamed.

"Is he telling the truth?" The voice whispered. "Tune in next week to Hearts and Deceit: Francisco's Return to find out for yourself. And this time, pray everyone makes it out alive."

Another scream and the commercial ended. Yohji, slightly amused, began changing the channel. "They're making such a big deal about a character coming back? Big deal, he's returning to all his lovers and things. How many times has he gotten married anyway?"

"Six." Ken promptly replied. "And he's still married to four of them."

Ran and Yohji looked at him in awe. Ken didn't seem to notice.

"He's married to the twins, Evelyn and Gwendolyn, as well as the male twins, George and Shane." He went on as if he knew the entire script. "He was married to Miguel too until Miguel shot him off the cliff and then jumped to his own death. Not to mention that he's engaged to Joanna, he raped Constance and she's carrying his twelfth child, he's having an affair with Anne and her brother Stewart, and he has eleven children from all six of his marriages. Only six are biologically his though. The others were adopted because males can't get other males pregnant."

Ran and Yohji did not stop staring. Finally, Yohji switched the TV off and tried to get through to their houseguest.

"Okay." He said slowly. "Forgive me for not knowing so much about this soap as you do. I was curious as most people are." He rolled his eyes. Ken finally noticed that and blushed.

"Sorry." He apologized. "It's just that I follow Hearts and Deceit religiously. I stopped following it after Francisco died though. It'll be interesting to see what they do with his return and if they'll still keep him as a soccer player from South America turned serial killer in North America."

"Wow." Yohji was now a little bit more amazed. "Talk about changing your career."

"I'd rather talk about something else." Ran cut in. "Like what Yohji plans to do about his girlfriend?"

Yohji gulped. Why did Ran have to bring up the subject? He had been reminded of that morning one too many times already. He tried calling Schu as well but the line was busy. He was afraid to go back to Schu's place now.

"He's going to call her." Ken said. "Right now."

Yohji's jaw dropped. "What?"

"Do it." Ken nodded towards the phone. "She's not with anyone now. I'm sure of it."

"I don't think I should_"

"Trust me." Ken interrupted again, this time sounding hard and rough. "Grab that phone, dial her number, and talk to her. Everything will be fine. I know it. All you have to do is make that call."

Yohji was still a little worried about that decision but he decided to follow it. While he dialed the numbers, Ran looked over at Ken who spitting the orange seeds into a bowl. There was something about this young man that Ran found strange. He didn't seem like a criminal still. But he wasn't normal. He was beautiful, smart, and gentle and that made Ran even more suspicious.

Who are you? He wondered, staring at Ken's perfectly bronzed body. He was too good to be true. I've got to find out the truth about you, Ken Hidaka. And I will.

* * *

Nagi watched Omi pacing around the dark shop, his face a mask of confusion and worry. It was past closing time but Nagi chose to stay behind. In fact, he told Omi to stay with him. He apparently had something important to say and he wanted to wait until everyone had left. Now that the moment had come, Omi was waiting patiently for what Nagi wanted to say. He went around pulling down shades and locking doors so no one else would come in. However, he didn't hear a thing for five minutes.

"C'mon, Nagi!" He begged. "What's this important thing you have to tell me?"

Nagi turned red. "Well, um, it's about Nanami_"

Omi frowned upon hearing the name of Nagi's girlfriend, Nanami Hibino. "What happened? She didn't like that bouquet you gave her?"

"Oh no! She loved that." Nagi insisted. Then he fell quiet and sat back down again. "It's just_" He paused for a while. He didn't have any idea how he was going to explain this. "It's just, you know, the person I live with_"

"Your parents?"

"No, I live with someone else. He's like a brother if anything. Anyway, he doesn't mind me dating Nanami. But he doesn't want us to move too fast. You know what I mean?"

Omi nodded. "I think so."

"Anyway, Nanami wants to take everything a step forward. That's the problem with her. She has a few mental problems and she has a hard time understanding certain situations. She doesn't understand why my 'brother' doesn't want us to go too far. I try to explain but she just doesn't get it." Nagi sighed. "And I'm beginning to think that she may not be the one for me."

"Now why would you say that?" Omi pouted. "You love her, don't you?"

"Um, well_" Nagi knew he was supposed to say 'yes'. But something was keeping him from doing so. Lately, he felt like he was being pulled away from Nanami. She was a sweet girl but she didn't have everything. He couldn't get into serious discussions with her. Not like Omi, who understood him better than anyone else. They only met two weeks ago but Nagi liked him. He felt there was a close bond between them. Suddenly, he had someone he could talk to about anything. And it made him feel better. Thank God Omi was here to listen about his problems with Nanami. He usually had a solution to most problems. Just now he noticed Omi walking over to the radio and turning it on.

"Just spend the night with her." He was saying. A slow but catchy song came on. "Bring some flowers. I'll help you pick them out if you need it. And get some music. Talk with her. Maybe if it's just a quiet moment between you two, she'll begin to understand you."

"Quiet moment?" Nagi was skeptical. "Can't I sit down and think about this more? Can't we just have a quiet moment without the music?"

It was what he wanted now more than anything. Perhaps Omi's idea would work but he wasn't too sure. Nanami was a special person and to make her understand anything would take time. Omi, on the other hand, was not thinking about sitting down and being quiet. He leaped up to his feet and raised the volume. The music filled the little shop. Then he came face to face with his friend, looking all gloomy and worried.

"Dance with me, Nagi!" And without letting Nagi protest, Omi grabbed him by the hands and pulled him out onto the floor. A confused Nagi just stood there, holding out his arms and looking lost. Omi began to swing him around and Nagi followed.

"I don't know how to dance!" He whispered frantically. Omi looked at him for a second and shrugged.

"Neither do I." He said, making Nagi turn around several times. "Just move any way you want to. And no one's here. No one's going to make fun of us. We're having a good time."

"You may be having a good time", Nagi said, putting both arms around Omi's waist, "but I'm uncomfortable. We're slow dancing! We shouldn't be slow dancing! We shouldn't be dancing at all!"

"You can stop whenever you want too." Omi reminded him. "Just tell me and we'll stop. Okay?"

Nagi nodded in agreement but he didn't feel like stopping at the moment. Omi was enjoying this. And he was right. No one was watching them. No one would say anything. And if anyone protested, then that was their problem. They had to deal with it themselves. So he decided to go along and move with the music. Omi ended up stepping on his toes at least seven times during the dance but Nagi didn't care. Regardless how ridiculous they looked dancing in the flower shop, it felt right. And it felt good. It took them a while to get in rhythm but soon they were moving together. Their moves were solid and smooth, gliding across the floor like they were on ice. All the while, they were in tune with the song, especially the chorus.

~I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

Do what you want me to do

I'm your private dancer

A dancer for money

And any old music will do~

* * *

TBC…

(Yes, I am wicked for ending here and for making you all wait so long. I've had this written for a while. I just didn't have a lot of time to update it. Oh well, here it is! I hope you all enjoyed this. Thanks to everyone who reviewed! I will try to write the next chapter a little faster ^-~. Read, review, be respectful, be true!)