"So I was walking home from school- I had stayed late because I had to take a review class. I took the alleyways home, as normal…"

"Idiot," Dee muttered.

"Anyway, someone suddenly hit me from behind. I felt a needle go into my arm," he pulled up the sleeve of his shirt to demonstrate, "I couldn't see my attacker but I guess it was drugged because I…er… passed out."

"Go on," Berkley was watching Bikky just as attentively as Ryo.

"So anyway, when I woke up, I was in a dark room. There were voices: talking about molesting and murder. I can't remember what they said. But I remember a female voice. Someone was about to touch me when I was able to move again so I ran: I didn't really see anyone: there was a door and I just ran as fast as I possibly could and found myself here and ran into Ryo and Dee."

Bikky finished with a dramatic pose. "Cut the drama queen stuff, brat," Dee growled.

"To bad you didn't get a chance you didn't get to see the faces of your kidnappers," Ryo said, quietly, "Is there anything more you can tell us?"

"No. Whatever they drugged me with had just cleared up around when I ran into you. I felt kind of dazed before then."

"A female voice?" Berkley had an odd expression on his face, "You said something about hearing a female voice. Why did that attract your attention?"

Bikky scrunched up his face as though trying to recall something. "Because she sounded like the leader," he said, slowly, "And it was also strange for her voice to be involved in the conversation."

"Hmmm…"

Dee watched Berkley closely, wondering why they detail had so much importance. Berkley had hardly batted an eye at Bikky's story but for some reason he sensed a slight anger below his impassive gaze. Why can I read his expressions so well? he fumed; It's not true that we're a like! Not a fucking god dam bit a like! He quickly dismissed the thought.

"Would you all like to come by my house?" he found Ryo asking, "We can't just sit here in the alleyway talking. Why don't you all come by and get some coffee or something?"

"I'd love to, Babe," Diana pitched in before Berkley could answer, "Just send a few night-shift cops to search the area here, Berk, maybe they'll find something."

"Hmmm…" Berkley was looking around rather than paying attention to the conversation. Dee's eyes narrowed. Berkley was up to something and he would have liked to know what it was.

"Berk!"

"What?" Berkley jumped a little.

"Why don't we go over to Ryo's and stop sitting here in the alleyway? Call the station and get some night-shift officers over here. We aren't on duty."

Berkley nodded, still looking disoriented.

Everyone was gathered around in Ryo's living room, while he handed out cups of coffee. Even Bikky had bugged Ryo enough to let him stay up and listen to the talk. "So you haven't told us why you were in the alleyway then anyway," Dee said.

"What's your reason?"

"We were looking for Bikky," Ryo announced, having just sat down with his cup of coffee.

"And that's avoiding the question," Dee added.

"As long as I hold a job above you, Detective, you will be respectful to me," Berkley growled in a deadly voice.

He and Dee glared at each other until Diana gave a fake laugh. "Silly boys!" she giggled, ruffling Berkley's hair, "Tell them, Berky!"

Berkley sighed. "We had come because we had just gotten a call about the body that you were sitting in front of, happy?"

"No but why should anything you say be the whole story?" Dee muttered.

"Well, it's getting rather late," Berkley sneered, "I wouldn't want to keep you awake. I think Diana and I will be leaving now and perhaps join the night officers and the patrol that will put up the body. Thank you for having us over, Ryo. Get a good-night's sleep."

He and Diana, who gave a flirty wave, left as soon as they had come. Bikky had gotten bored long ago and gone to sleep in his own room. Ryo was cleaning up the cups from the coffee. Dee sat next to the couch, a cigarette in his mouth, thinking. "Reading for bed yet?" Ryo asked, coming back in and smiling.

Dee felt a strange thing happen to him. His stomach flipped. Just because of Ryo's smile. He swallowed and then came back to his own smart-ass self. Putting out his cigarette, he followed Ryo into his room. "Is it just me or does Berkley make everything harder than it is? He's up to something."

He slipped into bed, bare-chested, staring up at the ceiling. "No, I've definitely got the whiff of something odd going on, too," Ryo got into bed next to Dee, "It took me awhile, though. You just understand him better because you're like him, Dee."

Dee turned around and glared at Ryo. "Don't ever, ever say I'm like Berkley. I'm not!"

He felt a sinking feeling. Ryo was perceptive. He had noticed Dee's ability to catch onto everything Berkley did. He turned away from Ryo and then flipped back over to stare him in the eye. "Do you like him?" he asked abruptly.

"What???" Ryo voice suddenly went up a notch, a sure sign that the subject on hand was an embarrassing one.

"Berkley. You know. He's always coming on to you."

"No, he's not. He's just being friendly."

Ryo didn't meet Dee's eyes. "That's a lie and you know it! Look at me, Ryo! He's not just being friendly! He wants you! He wants you almost as much as…"

He stopped and suddenly turned back around, not looking at Ryo. "Almost as much as what?" Ryo asked, curiously.

Dee flipped around, once again. His green eyes looked straight into Ryo's blue ones. "Almost as much as I fucking do!!!!!!!"

"Oh… um… I wonder if Bikky is asleep yet." Ryo looked away.

"Stop it, Ryo! Every time I try to talk about this you try to avoid it!"

He had got on top of Ryo before Ryo could move and pinned him down. "Listen, Ryo, I love you. Goddamn it but I love you. And I can't keep going on like this. I have to know something."

"What?" Ryo looked so afraid Dee almost could not bring himself to say it. He doesn't even like me as more than a friend he thought.

"I just want to know how you feel… I mean, give me a signal or something… tell me if you hate me… I mean…" he stopped and rolled off Ryo, "Oh, never mind."

He nearly buried himself in the covers.

After a moment of silence, Ryo spoke. "It's not that I hate you, Dee. It's not at all like that. It's just that… I'm not ready for any of this… and you just keep pushing me… and…" he stopped, "I wish you didn't always have to take everything too far, Dee."

"You want me to leave you alone." Dee's voice was barely audible.

"Well, kind of… I mean…"

Before he could speak, Dee was back on him again and kissing him passionately. His kiss was too sweet for Ryo to pull away from it. He felt Dee's tongue enter his mouth and then he was pulling away. "There," he heard Dee saying, "That's it. That was my last kiss. I'll leave you alone now, if that's what you want."

He flipped back over and buried himself in the sheets, not saying another word: apparently falling asleep after only several minutes. As for Ryo, he stayed awake for a long time, staring up at the ceiling and thinking.