[DISCLAIMERS]
Yoippari: Phenocrystian and Yoippari own everything. Everything in the entire world.
Pheno: *furious whispering*
Yoippari: Uh wait… oh… really? Hmmm…  Apparently, we don't own anything. *looks around* What about this pencil?
Pheno: *shakes her head sadly*
Yoippari: What about him? *grabs Ken by the collar*
Pheno: *teary-eyed* No.
Yoippari: *frowns* Screw that. *grabs Ken and Pheno and slams the door on the fic police*

[AUTHORS] : Yoippari (sama) & Phenocrystian (the great)
Pheno : Yoippari added the last part behind my name. I added something behind hers as well. Just to be fair. And Yoippari wrote almost ALL of this while I was lying in my bed coughing my lungs out. Glomp her. *points* I'll bathe in the sidelight. You'll love the next chapter. I swear. So… you know what to do.

[WARNINGS]
Yoippari: Hey everybody… Ash has been really sick. You should all send her flowers and chocolate covered bishonen. Seriously. Shoo. Go on. Uh… hmmm.. I don't think I need to warn you about anything here. Honestly.. I shouldn't have to warn you period because if you've read the first five chapters you already know we're twisted little hentais.
Crawford: "Hentais" is not a word.
Yoippari: Is too.
Crawford: Is not.
Yoippari: *tries to push Crawford out the window*
Crawford: *wicked laugh and stands his ground* I saw that coming.
Yoji: But not this. *shoves Aya into Crawford*
Aya and Crawford: *-.-;;; as they fall twenty stories*
Aya: Hn.
Crawford: That wasn't very nice.
Yoippari: Anyhoo… uh.. hmm.. looks over past warnings… oh! I need to thank reviewers!

*whips out roll call* Karina, Alyssa, blackjack, Siberian, Rhys, Lady Iron, Kami-chan, Jade, Lolz, Sylan, Felicity, Iris-V, Fei (hentai squeal! – go read White!!), fox, frostbite, starlight kitty, newtypeshadow, Camille, and Lott.
Everyone: Hai?
Yoippari: *blushes and toes the ground* Thank you. Now... on to Chapter 6…
Ash: *cough cough* I'm aliiiiiiive… *cough cough* .. sort of… zzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… *falls over*

CHAPTER SIX


"Ken!!"

Ken moaned and clutched his head. "Hai…" he groaned as he slunk in through the back door. One more trip and the last of the flowers would be loaded, ready to be delivered by the friendly, neighborhood, completely and totally hung over, florist.

"Ken-kun?" Omi's worried face popped up right in front of Ken's. Ken flinched. And grabbed his head again. Ugh. He needed to remember not to make any sudden movements.

He leaned his cheek against the cold glass of one of the floral refrigerator doors. Ahhh. His eyes slid shut as the heavenly cold seeped into his skin.

Or maybe not make any moves at all.

"Ken-kun?" A tremulous little voice next to his shoulder.

Oh yeah. Omi. "Hai…" Ken mumbled.

"Ken-kun, you don't look well at all," Ken felt a soft touch, a flutter of fingertips across his forehead. "Maybe you should go back to bed…"

"Iie."

Ken flinched at the harshness of the single unsympathetic syllable. He cringed and his hand involuntarily crept to his temple again.

"But Aya-kun!!!" Omi sputtered. "He's sick!"

"Iie," Aya repeated firmly.

Omi blinked in surprise. No, Ken wasn't sick? Or no he couldn't go to bed? Aya was so confusing sometimes. Omi followed the taller man out of the back room, giving the oblivious redhead a healthy dose of  "genki Omi reasoning" on Ken's behalf.

Ken shifted position, flattening his palms against the cold glass, trying to convince himself to push his aching head away from the refrigerator and get on with the business of the day's deliveries.

But he could hear Omi's voice, distant, passionate, ranting away on his poor pathetic behalf. Preoccupying Aya for the time being. Giving him a moment of blessed respite. Ken almost smiled at the younger man's unrestrained mothering tendencies. Almost.

He slowly opened his eyes and stared blindly at the blossoms exploding in a riot of color before him. His mouth a firm, grim line.

Oh Jesus Christ.

What had he done?

Ken slowly turned around, his back pressed fully against the glass, and slid to the floor. He braced his forearms on his knees, slowly lowered his forehead down to rest on his arms. And took a deep shaky breath.

He would not throw up again.

He squeezed his eyes tightly shut and took another unsteady breath.

He'd known. Since the moment he'd literally rolled out of bed this morning and hit the floor with a painful thud. From the moment he'd realized he'd never make it to the trash can, let alone the toilet, in time to avoid vomiting up what little was left in his aching stomach. From the second he'd stepped under that scalding hot water and realized he'd never be able to wash it away. He'd known.

He'd fucked the enemy.

He'd betrayed them all.

He was a complete moron. An idiot. A screw up. A disaster.

A traitor.

He'd stayed under the water until his skin turned red, until he couldn't feel his toes, until the water turned icy cold and shocked him into action.

And then… Aya.

Oh dear god. Of all days, why couldn't it be Yoji's day to open the shop with him? Why? Why did it have to be Aya?

Ken's head dropped a bit lower between his shoulders, his chin nearly touching his chest. The nausea was passing.

Aya had known. Known something was up. Ken was pretty sure Aya didn't know exactly what was up. But he'd definitely clued into Ken's guilt. In a heartbeat.

Oh yeah. And he'd picked up on the whole horrendous hangover from hell thing, too.

Damn him.

"I hate Aya..." Ken half moaned, half whimpered.

"Who doesn't?"

Ken's head jerked up. Ooh. Too fast. The back of his head hit the glass door with a sickening thunk. "Ow..." he whispered, voice hoarse.

He slowly cracked open one eye, then the other, and peered up at Yoji.

Yoji was grinning.

Asshole.

Ken swore softly and closed his eyes again. "Hate you, too," he grumbled.

He heard Yoji's soft laughter, felt Yoji's hand gently ruffle his hair. He cringed away from the touch. "Ow!" he hissed again.

Yoji laughed. "I didn't even touch you!"

"Yes, you did," Ken moped sulkily, eyes clenched.

A moment of silence passed between them, punctuated only by the more insistent assertions of Omi's relentless sermon form the adjoining room. "Just how much do you remember about last night, Ken-ken?" Yoji asked softly.

Ken blinked blurrily up at the lanky blonde standing before him who suddenly seemed so very, very tall this morning. "Huh?"

Yoji snorted and tapped a cigarette out of his ever-present pack. "Jesus. I was hoping you'd remember at least something…" Yoji teased.

"I remember..." Ken started defiantly, "lots…" his voice trailed off.

Yoji paused in lighting his cigarette. The flame held before him, hand cupped around it, cigarette dangling from his lip. He quirked an eyebrow. "Oh really?"

"Yeah." Ken said moodily. He stifled a groan. Why was everyone picking on him today? Why wouldn't they all just leave him alone?

Yoji took a long drag of the cigarette. He blew the smoke up towards the ceiling, away from the young man sulking at his feet. "Such as?"

"I remember the club, the music, the smoke, those… people… dancing…" Ken broke off for a moment. He looked away.

"That it?" Yoji asked casually.

"No," Ken said irritably. "I remember a lot more than that." He glared at Yoji. "Why do you care?" he spat angrily. Didn't Yoji get it? He didn't want to talk about it. Any of it.

A sudden epiphany hit Ken right between the eyes. Oh god. Yoji knew. Yoji knew, didn't he? And this whole conversation… Yoji was trying to force him to admit it. Admit what had happened. Last night. At the club... in the alley… with… that German… bastard…

Ken suddenly felt violently ill.

"Whoa. You okay, Ken?" Yoji crouched down before Ken, sitting back on his heels. Shit. He'd pushed it too far. Dammit. He hadn't thought Ken would remember the car ride home. He was pretty far gone… but maybe…

"I'm fine." Ken croaked.

"Yeah right," Yoji muttered. He firmly pushed Ken's head down as far as he could. "Take deep breaths, Ken. Just take deep breaths."

"It would be a lot easier to breathe if you weren't trying to smother me, Yoji," came the muffled reply.

Yoji jerked away. "Sorry." Then he laughed. His casual "this is so not my fault" laugh.

Ken shot him an evil look.

"C'mon, Ken-ken. Get up." Yoji climbed to his feet and extended a hand to the bleary-eyed youth slumped against the refrigerator.

Ken shook his head slowly from side to side. "Uh uh."

"Come on," Yoji sighed heavily. He reached down and grabbed Ken's bicep and somehow managed to haul the soccer player to his feet.

Ken grabbed onto Yoji's forearms and swayed unsteadily. "Uh… Yoji? I don't feel so good…"

Yoji laughed again. "No shit."

"No. I mean I really…" Ken lunged for the trash can and just barely made it. He blinked and stared into the bottom of the trash can. How in the hell could there possibly be anything left in his stomach? He coughed and slowly began to slump against the wall.

"Oh no you don't." Yoji slipped an arm around Ken's chest and hauled him upright.

"Yoji…" Ken whined. "Come on… Just let me die here…"

Yoji snorted. "I don't think Aya would be too happy with me if I left a stinking corpse on the workroom floor."

Ken flinched. "Aya…" he moaned miserably.

An evil snicker escaped Yoji. "Wish I'd been around to see your happy little reunion this morning."

Ken groaned and buried his face against Yoji's neck. "Please… don't remind me."

"Okay. Enough of this." Yoji pushed Ken upright and guided him towards the stairs. "You're going back to bed."

Ken suddenly tensed and pushed against Yoji. "No, I can't. I have deliveries…"

Yoji arched an eyebrow and gave Ken a look that clearly said, What? Are you completely stupid?

"I'll make the deliveries, Ken."

A relived smile curved Ken's lips. It was such an innocent look of warmth and gratitude…. If he hadn't just tossed his cookies, Yoji definitely would've kissed him. Consequences be damned.

But Ken apparently completely missed the moment. And in that instant, Yoji was fairly certain Ken remembered a lot less of last night than the hung over idiot thought he did.

"Thank you, Yoji."

"Yeah. Well… you owe me."

Ken nodded and began to climb the stairs very, very slowly. Yoji watched him for a moment and then turned to leave. "Dammit," he swore. "Ken…"

Ken stopped on the stairs and peered back over his shoulder. "Huh?" His face fell. "Oh please, Yoji. Please don't say it." Ken closed his eyes and shook his head slowly. "Please don't say you have a date and you forgot about it and I really do have to make the deliveries."

Yoji resisted the urge to laugh. "Nooo... I just need the delivery tickets, if you don't mind," he drawled in a condescending voice.

"Oh." A deep flush crept up Ken's pale cheeks. "Ummm… Okay. I just… I don't know…" Ken patted down the pockets on his shirt, dug his hands deep into his khakis. A deep frown creased his brow as he searched his clothing. "I know I had them…"

Yoji sauntered up to Ken and twisted Ken's shoulders so that Ken's back faced him. He stuck his hand deep into Ken's back pocket and pulled out a wad of crumpled delivery tickets, copping a discreet feel as he withdrew his hand.

"Oh." Ken stared blankly at the tickets in Yoji's hand. "Oh," he repeated.

Yep. Oblivious.

"Go back to bed, Ken," Yoji gave Ken a gentle shove and shook his head as he watched the brunette slowly navigate the stairs as if every step sent shock waves of pain through his brain. Ken paused at the top of the stairs and shot Yoji a puzzled look over his shoulder.

"Yoji… did I… did I kiss somebody last night?" Ken blushed violently. "I mean before we came home… Did I... I remember…" he frowned, trying hard to dredge up the events of the previous night.

Yoji froze.

"Was it... I think it was…" Ken paused. "…was it that girl?"

Yoji eyed Ken critically for a moment. Then he grinned. "Go to bed, Ken-ken."

Ken stood there a moment longer trying to cling onto the slippery memory before he finally gave up, smiled weakly at Yoji over his shoulder and disappeared upstairs.

Yoji's lips twitched. Yep. Ken had no idea.

No idea at all.

:+: OUTTAKES :+: (Actual Film Footage from the making of Crossfire)

Ken: *leans head back – shattering of glass as refrigerator door shatters* "Owwww…"
Yoji: *dies laughing as he picks up glass shards and deposits them into nearby bin*

Omi: "But Aya-kun.. he's sick!"
Aya: *pinches Ken's rear* "You have no idea little man. I'm one sick guy, hear me roar. Rrrroooooooooowr."
Ken: O.O
Yoji: *hysterical laughter*

Omi: "But Aya-kun.. he's sick!"
Aya: *pauses* Line?
Director: "Iie."
Aya: Shi-ne?
Director: "Iie."
Aya: Shi-ne?
Director: "Iie."
Aya: *stomps foot* Well then, dammit! If it isn't "Shi-ne" what's the use of the fucking line?
Yoji: *parodies Aya behind his back, stomps his foot and everything*
Aya: *GLARE*
Yoippari & Pheno: *palms up in a parody of being held at gunpoint*
Yoippari: *sticks out tongue*
Aya: Shi'ne.

Yoji: "Dammit… Ken…"
Ken: *spins around* "Huh? … Whoa… whoa… aaaaaaaagh!" *topples and falls down the stairs*

Yoji: "Dammit… Ken…"
Ken: "Huh? Oh please, Yoji. Please don't say it. Please don't *sings* let the suuun go down on meeeee…"

Yoji: "Dammit… Ken…"
Ken: "Oh please, Yoji. Please don't say it. Please don't say you have a date and you forgot about it and I really do have to make the deliveries."
Omi: *perkily* No, he's just late for his STD checkup…
Yoji: *fwaps Omi* Shh, baka!

Yoji: "Dammit… Ken…"
Ken: "Oh please, Yoji. Please don't say it. Please don't say you have a date and you forgot about it and I really do have to make the deliveries."
Yoji: *bounds up the stairs and grabs a O.O Ken and dips him* I do have a date. With you. *snogs noisily*