CHAPTER NINE
Talk

'Here goes nothing.' Jed thought as he looked in Yuki's direction. He faced back to the ceiling and tried his best to look as blankly as possible. With the most uncaring voice he could muster, he said, "What about last night?"

He could see Yuki's eyes glare even harder at him. Of course he knew what Yuki was talking about. He's talking about that damned kiss. He wanted to know why he kissed him.

But Jed already thought about this. He had 24 whole hours to do so. He thought how he would react when Yuki brought up the issue. He memorized the lines that he would say and how he should say them.

He knew exactly what to do in a situation like this, and that is to act like he didn't give a damn.

With his face still facing the ceiling, he removed his headphones and hung them around his neck. He heard Yuki sigh deeply and leaned back to the chair.

"Don't mess with me, Jed. You know what I'm talking about." Jed looked into Yuki's direction and he saw the author cross his arms on his chest. "The kiss you gave me."

"Oh, that..." Jed sat up straight and faced Yuki. "Didn't Seguchi-san supply you with all the information you needed?"

"No, so why don't you just tell me. Why did you kiss me?" Yuki asked.

"You won't swallow the pills." Jed simply said. "You won't drink the medicine willingly. If I force you to open your mouth and shove the pills in, then you'll just cough it out."

"So, that's why you kissed me?" Yuki asked, a bit taken aback by Jed's reasoning.

"Yes." Jed glared at Yuki and faced away. "And for the record, it wasn't a kiss. It was a strategic move." He looked straight into Yuki again, "It worked, didn't it?"

"Ch." was the only thing that came out of Yuki as he broke his gaze with his bodyguard.

God, he could just kill this man. Why was he being punished like this? The nerve of the man in front of him was driving him nuts.

But the real issue behind all of this was why the hell did he care? Why did he want an explanation about something which clearly meant nothing to the other person involved? Why did he have to confront that person about what happened?

'I mean, why should I care?' Yuki thought. That was exactly the issue here. He had slept with a lot of people. Why did a single kiss had to be such a big deal?

He glanced at the brown-haired man in front of him. He was scribbling something in his notebook. Yuki could see him in full concentration. Whatever he was doing was definitely something important.

He dismissed the thought quickly.

He didn't care if that guy had something important to do. As of now, he only wanted one thing revenge.

He raised his eyebrow and eyed Jed carefully. With a smirk he said, "Look, if that's how bad you wanted to get laid, all you had to do was ask."

Jed stopped writing and looked at his notepad for a few moments. 'I got your attention, didn't I?' Yuki thought as his smirk just grew wider.

Surprisingly, Jed turned his head and face Yuki, still wearing that blank expression on his face. "I think you got it all mixed up in that head of yours. Sorry, I don't do my clients."

"Excuse me?" Yuki said as he controlled himself from strangling Jed.

"I know you like me, Yuki..." Jed smirked at him and continued, "Your eyes show every emotion that you're feeling, remember?" Yuki remembered the words from the park the other night.

But the bastard wasn't even finished yet, "But like I said, I don't dig people like you." Then Yuki saw him continue writing on the notepad.

God only knows how infuriated Yuki was. He wanted to grab the guy's katana and slice that incredibly big head of his. He wanted to kill the man.

But Yuki was more of a thinker, not a feeler. So he calmed himself and thought of the best way to recover from all the things that his bodyguard just said, "Oh really? Then what kind of people do you dig?"

Again, Jed stopped writing.

Honestly, Jed had no idea what kind of people he liked. He didn't even have the chance to like anyone in the past seven years. He was at a loss in those times. How the hell could he find himself falling for someone if he couldn't even keep an eye on himself? Besides, in his line of work, falling in love or even just liking someone is definitely out of the question. Well, except for that one person... He quickly erased the thought. 'It could have never worked...'

He looked at Yuki. The blonde's face was full of hidden meanings. He could clearly see it but it was something he couldn't define.

"It's none of your business." Jed bluntly replied. "Besides, why are you getting yourself so stressed out for such a petty thing like a kiss. You've screwed with almost all the singles in Tokyo, why do you have to be so affected by one... single... kiss...?"

Jed saw Yuki clench his fist. He definitely hit a nerve by the way he said those words and, frankly, it made him really happy.

He knew that Yuki liked him, in some inverted way, but still he could see it. But he also knew it was not him that was making Yuki question his actions. It was because of his damn resemblance to his ex-lover. That was the only explanation for the author's actions.

He looked at Yuki more intently. Maybe he did, no -does-, feel something for the author but even if he did, he knows better than to feel something for someone that he had only met for almost two months. Moreover, he shouldn't give importance to someone who was only attracted to him because of his resemblance to that person's ex lover.

'I mean why should he be so worked up by some single kiss I gave? If it really didn't mean anything, then he should have just dismiss any thoughts which concerned it.' He did, why shouldn't Yuki just do the same? God, the time he spends in this household just brought him closer and closer to the edge.

"I really don't know..." Jed was shocked to hear the sudden voice. "I have to get out." And with that, he stood up and went to the bathroom to take a hot shower.

As soon as Yuki went out of the living room and turn the faucet on, Jed sighed deeply. 'Finally, he quit.' Jed leaned back to the sofa and closed his eyes.

He thought about the things he considered just moments ago. He admitted to himself that there is something there... something for the author. But he knew the complications. He knew every damn thing as to why he shouldn't feel something for someone like him... A person who didn't care about anyone but himself. A person who was cold-hearted and selfish. A person who was better than him.

Yes, Yuki was better than him. He kills people for money. He was more selfish. He was more cold-hearted. Every bad quality that Yuki had, he had worse. He didn't deserve to feel something for someone. Someone who could never understand what he went through. There was no person who was worse than him. No one, and that was final.

He gathered himself again and repeated to himself that he shouldn't feel any emotion... He wouldn't care for anyone except for his sister. If he was to care for someone, and that someone should be Yuki, then he only has one more month to do so. He did promise that this would be their last assignment and his agent, Red, promised that he would keep his end of the bargain. This was the last. After all of this, he's through... of everything.

He got the notepad in front of him. He looked at it for a few minutes and read the words on the page.

Where you are seems to be as far as an eternity
Outstretched arms, open hearts
And if it never ends then when do we start?

It was the lyrics. It was the words that could fit perfectly into the melody of the piece he played. He found out that the keyboard in his room was MIDI capable. He connected it to his laptop and converted it to an mp3. After that, he recorded it to his i-pod to listen to it. Somehow he hoped that it could somehow revive something from his past, relying on the fact that he played it without any knowledge of exactly how. But of course it failed. The only thing that came out of his head were these words.

He thought of the melody. The first piano piece that he ever played in Yuki's apartment. The only piano piece he knew. He didn't even know when he learned to play the piano. 'C'mon. I didn't even know anything about myself other than the past seven years of my life.' Jed answered the curiosity within him.

He didn't even have the title for it. He continued to read the lyrics.

I'll never leave you behind or treat you unkind
I know you understand
And with a tear in my eye, give me the sweetest goodbye
That I ever did receive

Since when did he learn to write lyrics, anyway?

Jed closed his notepad and massaged his temples. His head was starting to hurt again. He stood up and went to his bedroom, carrying with him his i-pod and notepad. He placed them inside his drawer and fetched a brown leather trench coat from the cabinet. He put it on and got his katana which was lying on his bed. He hooked it on his belt which gave it the advantage of not being seen in plain view.

He bent down and looked under his bed. He reached for something and pulled it. It was his sports bag. He rummaged through his belongings and got a plastic bottle - aspirin. He removed the cap and got two pills from it. He closed it, put it back in his bag, and pushed the bag back.

With the pills in hand, he went to the kitchen and poured himself a glass of water. He put the pills into his mouth and pushed it down with water. He sighed deeply. He could feel the medicine doing its job fully. He could feel the migraine start to go away.

He heard his stomach growl. He looked at his watch, 2 p.m. 'No wonder... I skipped lunch. Damn it!' He estimated the time for Yuki to finish. 'Let's see... 20 minutes to take a shower then another 10 minutes to get ready.' He looked at his watch again. 'Only ten minutes had passed, I can still eat before we leave.' With that, he went to the fridge and fetched some loaf bread. He put it on the table and turned around to get more ingredients for his lunch.

'I shouldn't have done that. I don't even know why I did that. I should've just let it be. Why do I have to ask him those stupid questions?'

Yuki hung his head low as he felt the water trickle down his spine. How could he be so pathetic? Especially in front of the guy he hated so much.

Yuki wanted to do something, something that could somehow change everything that happened in his living room. He wanted to forget, but of course he knew such a thing could never happen. He lost. In that little game of wits he and Jed just did, he lost. For the first time, he lost. He lost to someone who was selfish, arrogant and thought so highly of himself.

'Move on, Eiri.' Yuki said to himself. That's right. He had to move on. One lousy argument was just the beginning because he now swore to himself that he would win the next time any situation like this would happen again.

He turned the faucet off and wrapped a towel on his waist. He went out of the bathroom and walked down the hallway towards his room.

Jed stopped. With food in his hands, ready to take another bite from his sandwich, he halted. He looked straight through the living room and through the hallway, and there he was. Half-naked, with a towel wrapped around his waist which was threatening to fall with his every step. He stared at him until he reached his bedroom, opened the door, went inside, and closed it.

Jed froze, not just physically, but all of him literally froze. He could just swear he felt his own heart stop beating in a second or two there. 'What was that? What the fuck did I just do?'

He put his sandwich back to its plate and brought his hands to his face. 'What is the fucking matter with me? I can't let this happen again... God...' He removed his hands from his face and picked up the sandwich. 'No. I can do this. I can't let myself be like that again... I won't let that happen.' With a determined mind, he took a big bite from his lunch, and another one, and another one. After three bites, he finished the whole thing. Then he got the water beside the plate and drank it all in one gulp. He breathed heavily and dropped his head on the kitchen counter.

"I never thought that guys like you could eat that fast."

Jed brought his head up only to be met up with Yuki's. He glared at him and said, "Now, you know." He stood up and put all the dishes on the sink. "So, where to?"

Yuki looked at him blankly and turned around. Jed followed him out of the apartment and on the corridors towards the elevator.

"Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Jed.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up.Pick up!"

Yuki turned around and raised an eyebrow on Jed. Jed was oblivious to his actions and got his cellphone from his pocket. He looked at the screen, his face clearly showed confusion.

'Why would she call me in the middle of the afternoon?' He opened it up and put the receiver on his ear. Yuki turned around and pressed the down button of the elevator.

"Yeah."

"I'VE GOT A SURPRISE FOR YOU!"

Jed quickly removed the cellphone from his ear and inhaled. He brought the cellphone back and hissed on the mouthpiece. "Damn it, Kat. Do you have to shout?"

"Sorry... I was just so excited. Look, I want to meet you tonight. Me and the band are going out to have a drink."

"Can't"

"What do you mean, you can't?"

"What do you think does it mean?"

"Smartass! Anyway... YOU HAVE TO GO! Like I said, I've got something for you. The last time I told you we were going to have a drink, you didn't come."

Both men got inside the elevator. Jed looked at Yuki, who only looked at the door of the lift. He sighed and as soon as Kat heard that she yelled again.

"YEY! YOU'RE THE GREATEST, JED! I'll meet you at the Rage RestoBar at around ten. I know that you work for the whole day and night, so you can bring Yuki-san with you. It's a really great place so he'll definitely hook up with someone. THANKS, BRO! BYE!"

"Damn that kid..." Jed said as he closed his phone and placed it back to his pocket just in time for the "ding".

Both men got out of the elevator and walked to the front door of the building.

"What kind of a ringtone was that?" Yuki asked him a bit bewildered by the noisy tune.

"Kat recorded it right before we left home for Tokyo. She said that it would be better if it was a bit annoying so that it would be certain that I would pick it up."

"Smart girl. She really knows you, doesn't she?" Yuki asked again as they both stepped out of the building and to their respective vehicles.

Jed looked at Yuki straight in the eye and Yuki found himself look straight into him. He knew what Jed was thinking. He was thinking why he was suddenly talking to him, when just moments ago, they were having their little argument. The last time he checked, they were supposed to ignore each other, completely. But the curiosity just got the best of him.

Jed broke their eye contact and sat on his Ducati and looked down. Then he smiled, a small but a sweet one. He lifted his head, still with that radiant smile, and looked at Yuki.

Yuki only found himself rooted to the spot. 'Oh my God...' Yuki thought as he looked at Jed. He smiled. The cold-hearted bastard smiled and Yuki found himself mesmerized by it. He never thought that he would feel like this towards someone, again. One smile... That was it. Just one bright smile made his heart beat so fast that he felt like it would free itself from his ribcage any time soon.

"She knows every inch of me." Jed told him as he shifted his gaze downward and back to him again. Yuki saw him sigh and remove the helmet from the handle of the bike. He put it on and waited patiently for Yuki to get in his car.

Yuki looked down and composed himself unnoticeably. He had plenty of time to think about this, but not now. Not that he was right in front of him. He got the keys from his pocket and pressed the alarm button to set the alarm off. He opened the door and got in. He closed his eyes and breathed deeply. Fully composed now, he started the ignition, warmed up the engine a bit, switched the gear to reverse, stepped on the accelerator and finally drove out of the building.

Author's Notes:

I am so so so sorry for the very late update. Hope y'all like this one. If there are still some grammar corrections, all are welcome.

And to all the people who reviewed, thanks a lot guys!

Before I forget, there's a scene back at CHAPTER 6 : VISITATION that I added... just a tiny one.

Thanks a lot for reading, and peace out.

Here's another song for all the emo's out there:

Everywhere I go
Everyone I meet
Every time I try to fall in love
They all want to know why I'm so broken
Why am I so cold
Why I'm so hard inside.
Why am I scared
What am I afraid of
I don't even know
This story's never had an end
I've been waiting
I've been searching
I've been hoping
I've been dreaming you would come back
But I know the ending of this story
You're never coming back
Never!