Disclaimer: Don't own it. This was made for fun, not profit.

House of the Rising Sun

Chapter 6: The Lovers

Haru didn't explain to his mother and father's questioning looks, when he got home. For that was where he went. He went home to pack, then, he was going to go down to the train station, and buying a ticket out of there. He'd tell them what he was doing once he was packed. Maybe they wouldn't argue, then.
Well, in all honestly, the packing thing gave them a fairly good idea as to what he was doing. His father had no objections, and his mother was a little sad. But he was an adult. If he wanted to move out, he could. They should just be supportive, and his mother offered him a little money to help him.
Haru blinked at her a few times, before smiling and giving her a quick hug. "I'm not leaving because of you." He promised her simply. Well, not JUST because of her, anyway.
"What kind of mother would I be if I just let you leave, Hatsuharu?" she wondered with a small chuckle.
"Thanks," He shook his head a little, and giving her a quick peck on the cheek. He eyed his father for a moment, before giving him a quick, slightly stiffer, hug, as well. "Bye." He mumbled to both of them.
"Send a letter or, something." Shigure grinned, and Akito nodded in agreement.
"Yeah," Haru promised. "When I get settled in--wherever I'm going." It sounded a bit ridiculous, when said out loud, actually. His parents sweat dropped helplessly. But after all the things that had happened recently, they had both come to the conclusion that moving out would be best for their son. "I'll figure it out before I get to the train." Haru muttered, a little defensively. Maybe he'd go to New York, that'd be a good place to start fresh.

Either way, he left. And no matter how sweet and cliché it would be, Kyo did not show up at the train station to stop him. Nope, he just stayed at the House and continued to let complete strangers fuck him whenever they pleased, while the younger man left town.

Well, as it turned out, Haru never made it to New York. He DID make it out of Louisiana, though. However, if he wanted to have a place to sleep, he could only get somewhere in mid-West Virginia. So, that was where he went. However, time passed and late December was drawing close. Christmas, to be exact. He'd managed to avoid going back home for Thanksgiving, but Christmas was another matter. He and his mother had been arguing about it since about half way through November, and there didn't seem to be any excuse Akito would accept that could get him out of it. It wasn't like he couldn't afford the ticket back; he'd gotten a job as soon as he'd been able to find out, there. And it wasn't a problem of getting time off. No, it was just the issue of not WANTING to go back. He was quite aware of how hard it would be to go home, and not see Kyo. He was also aware of how hard seeing him would be, knowing there was no way in hell things would be the same as they had been when he'd left. Akito wasn't accepting no though. It was an amazing miracle, but she also got Shigure to try talking their son into it as well! Neither of them really cared what the problem was, they just wanted there son home! He could have his first Christmas in his new place some other time!

Well, after a long, very hard fight, Haru gave in. He STILL didn't want to piss his mom off. So, he went home on the twentieth. That didn't make him look forward to it, anymore, though. Akito was excited to have won the battle, though, and when her son appeared she hugged him almost quite literally to death.
"Mother!" He choked out finally. "I can't breathe!"
"Sorry, dear." His mother chuckled before letting him go. "It was good traveling here?" She wondered, fussing over him, as was her way.
"It was fine." He confirmed with a small nod. "You two been okay?" Maybe his father hadn't ruined them, yet...
"Well enough," Akito turned an irritated eye on her husband and elbowed him a little. "He's only snuck out to gamble a few times. That I know of." She added that last part in an angry hiss. Shigure just shrugged and tried looking innocent.
"You've been to the Rising Sun?" Haru blinked at his father a few times, trying to keep the edge of hope out of his tone. "Or--just other places...?"
"I went in once. But then your mother found me and I haven't gone back yet." His father sighed dramatically.
"How long ago was that?" He wondered, quite curious about it. "Was Kyo still there?"
"About a month after you left." Shigure murmured. "And I don't really know anyone but the host and hostess."
"Kyo's the only red head working there." Haru informed him quickly. "Did you see a red head?" It was so unlikely that Kyo had quit, it almost hurt a little. But he still wanted to know. It would be easier to avoid him, if he knew where he was working. Or, at least that was what Haru told himself, as to why he wanted to know so badly.
His mother raised an eyebrow at him, and his father snorted a little. "I wasn't really looking?" So he couldn't really say he'd seen a red head.
"Oh," Keeping the disappointment out of his tone was harder than the hope. But, why would Shigure have been looking, anyway? It had been stupid to ask.
"You could always go take a look yourself." Shigure laughed at him. Akito frowned up at her husband, but she did know her son had a friend at that whorehouse.
"No!" Haru protested quickly. "No, I don't want to see him. I don't think." After all, what good would come out of it? Kyo had regularly, and clearly, informed him that their relationship was purely professional. And, even if it weren't, Kyo wasn't going to stop being a whore for him. Could he really stand to be close to someone who constantly had strange men touching him?
"All right," His father shrugged.
"Don't encourage him." Akito finally spoke up, and then she pulled off her son to fuss over how he'd been living on his own.

Now, because that's the kind of irritating bastard he is Shigure had a plan. The next day, he snuck out to the House of the Rising Sun and set about finding this red head and inviting him over to the house for dinner on Christmas.

The whore blinked at him. "Uhm," it was a free meal. Not just a free meal, a GOOD meal. Unlike what he got here. "I'll have to ask my boss?" And he did intended to. Dinner would be good!
Hatori gave him a slightly amused look, when the request was posed to him.
"Your choice." He shrugged. He'd get his present eventually. Even if it was the next day. Kyo grinned and kissed him happily before pittering off again to accept the invitation. He did however have to inquire on the formal-ness. Since, he only had that one set of normal clothes, and they weren't that formal. Shigure assured him it would be all right, and told him he'd be back to show him the way to the house when the time came.

Haru was on the couch, reading, when Shigure left to get Kyo, and that was how he was when his father returned. Only difference was, he had a glass of eggnog now, which was promptly spewed back out of his mouth in surprise when he saw Kyo too. Blushing lightly, he trying to clean up at the same time as he spluttered in high irritation at his father. Phrases such as 'what the hell?' and 'I'll fucking kill you for this later!' appeared quite frequently, but he managed to calm down again, once he got over the initial shock of it all. The whore eyed him in amusement. Well that certainly was fun! He hadn't known Haru was home! (He'd know it was his father though.)
"Nice to see you too, Haru." He chuckled softly at his--friend--if you can call it that. Shigure tactfully retreated from the room.
"I hadn't expected to see you again. " Haru admitted, frowning a little at him, though his blatant rudeness had retreated slightly. "It was just a bit of a shock."
"Your dad invited me." The red head grinned. "And from what I can tell, shock was the effect he was going for."
That stupid--Haru just sighed, and rubbed his temples in irritation.
"Well," He tried to calm down significantly. "It's been a while how've you been?"
"Eh," Kyo shrugged helplessly, coming to sit by him and carefully avoiding the soggy eggnog spots. "Same as when you left." Did Haru really expect anything different? Right about now, though, Kyo really wished he could say something different.
"Oh," Haru nodded, to show he'd heard, and understood, trying to ignore the unpleasant sinking in his stomach. He should have just taking his mother's ranting, and stayed home for the holiday.
"What about you?" The older man wondered, cocking his head to the side a little. "I think, I must have at the very least missed one of your birthdays." He grinned lecherously; though it was fairly obvious his implications were just a joke. They were in Haru's mother's house right now after all!
Haru nodded, and tried to relax a bit. "One." He confirmed. "But, you don't know when it actually is, so, two, since I've met you."
"So how is--wherever you disappeared off to?" The slut pushed for more information. Haru had been gone for a while. He'd forced himself not to think about it at the time, but now Kyo was interested.
"West Virginia." Haru supplied flatly. "I couldn't afford to go to New York, if I wanted to eat and not live in a cardboard box. So, boring."
"You could have made it up to New York!" Kyo snorted. "You just would have had to take a leaf out of my book and whore yourself out." Haru frowned a little, and chewed on the inside of his cheek, a bit. How to phrase this politely...?
"No offense to your lifestyle, but I was trying to avoid that." He decided on, eventually. "I'll make it though, someday."
"Lifestyle?" The red head repeated, blinking at him, before breaking into breathless giggles. "I--i don't think I've ever heard someone call it that before!"
"What would you call it?" Haru asked, his eyebrows high. "A profession? Occupation, maybe?"
"No, no! Lifestyle is fiiiiiine." Kyo smiled. Haru was too polite. Trying to give a nice name to a 'profession' like prostitution. When that's all that really needed to be said right there. Prostitution.
"Mmhmm," Haru smirked at him, and leaned forward a little, suddenly at a lack for conversation.
"We got a new security guy." The whore spoke up in a soft tone. "But he's about as reliable as a nervous park squirrel, and not nearly as fun to be saved by."

"Sorry to hear that." Haru replied slowly. Just what was Kyo getting at?

The red head smiled and leaned forward to ruffle his hair. "It's not a big deal. What kind of job did you get off in Virginia?" He made a fluid segue way in subjects.

Haru made a disgusted face, when that subject was brought up. "Desk job." He stated flatly. "Boring as hell, but the pay's okay."

Kyo sweat dropped. "I'd kill to be qualified for a desk job." He blinked and flushed a little after he just let that slip out though. He really hadn't meant to say that.

Haru tactfully ignored the blush, though. "But, it's SO boring," He tried to beat it down a little. "It's not that great, either. Just looking crap up for my boss."

Better than being fucked by your boss and any other stranger who happened to show up.The whore hung his head a little and nodded. "Right," he finally nodded. Then it was just a matter of hiding his annoyance at still being a whore all through the rest of the night. What fun!

"I liked working with you, better." The younger admitted, after a few minutes of awkward silence.

Kyo's smile got all sad like and he hugged the younger. "Aww, that's so sweet." He managed to tease him, even though it was a rather truthful sentiment.

"Well, it's true." He pointed out, hugging him back. And, it was. He'd had a fine time working at the Rising Sun. Before he'd walked in on Kyo being fucked into the desk by Hatori, of course.

"Well, I promise, work was a lot better when you were there too." The slut sighed. He'd enjoyed having a friend who was close to his age.

"Maybe, I picked a bad time to leave, then." Haru muttered, his tone growing more awkward by the minute. He knew that wasn't true. Kyo drew back quickly, and got up under the rather false pretense of going to look out the window.

"It's fine." He shrugged.

"Nnn, I really should have told Hatori myself," He half berated himself, no longer looking at Kyo. "Instead of running away from a problem." He really needed to shut up, now.

"He expected you to leave." The red held informed him. "He didn't really care. Then again, as long as you're not hurting one of us whores, he gets his money, his fucks and his employees aren't late, he's the happiest guy alive." The owner doesn't really care about much.

"Glad he had so much faith in me." Haru rolled his eyes a little.

"It's the same for everyone." The older man chuckled softly. "Except me, I don't think he expects me to leave anytime soon." He added that softly under his breath.

"You could, you know." Haru pointed out, before he could stop himself.

Kyo turned a cool eye on him. "Hey, it's Christmas why don't we find something more fun to talk about. I'm sure we can manage?" He suggested helplessly. He really, didn't want to talk about it. Before Haru had shown up in his life, he'd managed not to think about it. Then, when Haru was gone again he managed to shove it to the back of his mind again. But being around the jerk made it so hard to just sit and resign to his fate.

"Sure." Haru agreed with a small shrug. What the hell? Why not? He hadn't intended for it to come up, anyway.

They got off onto something else and then Akito called them in to dinner. Where she proceeded to pump them both on information concerning their lives. She was well aware that Kyo was a whore, but this was Christmas dinner, so she was willing to overlook that little fact right now. She was mostly pestering her son about finding a nice girl anyways.

They made it all the way through dinner without Akito being rude to Kyo and without Kyo making some kind of inappropriate comment. But by the end of it, the red head and the woman were a bit stressed out. So Kyo politely said he needed to be going, thanked them for everything and headed for the door in the hopes of escaping. It usually worked. He could usually run off. But Akito called after him.

"Oh, Hatsuharu dear, walk your friend home please?" The red head may be a whore but she'd feel horrible if the boy got jumped or something, and she knew her son could take care of them both.

Haru blushed a little, at the idea, but just nodded and got up to go with him. This was looking mighty suspicious, to him. All too much like bringing his girlfriend (or, boyfriend, as this case was) home to meet his parents, or walking him home after a date. But, it couldn't be a date. Because, Kyo was a whore and didn't give a damn about him. Not like that, anyway.

"It's all right." Kyo was almost flustering, but then Shigure just ushered them both out the door. The poor slut sighed and just headed off for the House.

Mainly because he knew his mother would throw a fit if he didn't, Haru trailed a few paces behind him, the way there. That had been one of the most stressful evenings of his life.

It was all painful and awkward the whole damn way back, and when the shadow of the House started looming, the red head stopped in his tracks. He didn't want to go back right now.

"You okay?" Haru blinked at him, coming to a halt just behind him. Kyo just backed up the rest of the way into him, not to knock him over or anything like that, but he looked up and back at the taller man.

"Thank you," He told him carefully.

"Not a problem," He assured him. "Sorry that my mom was so standoffish."

"Your mom was fine." The red head giggled lowly. "I'm, just glad you came back for a little while." Even if it hadn't been to see him.

"Yeah, well," He tried to make it sound like nothing. "You risk physical injury for trying to skip out on Christmas dinner, in my family."

Kyo turned and hugged him. "Yeah, well," He repeated, teasing his friend a bit. "I missed you either way."

Haru honestly started to say 'I missed you too', and just move on. The words were actually on his tongue, but they never came out.

"Why?" He asked, instead.

"Because I'm actually almost close to you." The slut struggled to explain.

"That's not what I meant." Haru protested a little. "Well, not ALL I meant, anyway."

"OH? What else am I explaining to you?" The red head wondered dryly.

"Well it's just missing generally means caring, and--" He trailed off, not really sure how to finish that. How could Kyo care about him, when the last time he'd seen him, he'd just finished fucking Hatori? When he was probably going to go inside, and do it again, right now? Kyo gave him a sad look before pulling him down to kiss and silence him. At the moment it was better than saying he did care, or telling Haru to shut up.

Haru just blinked helplessly at him, once the kiss broke. This didn't make any sense. None. At all.
"But--why...?" He stammered, once he'd found his voice again. If Kyo really felt that way, why had he been so supportive about him leaving?
"Because I care?" The red head suggested.
"That's not what I meant." Haru shook his head. "I meant why do you care? Why me?" Why not any of the other hundreds of guys he'd done?
"I really need a reason?" Kyo looked up at him oddly. "I can't just care, just because?"
"I'm just confused," He confessed softly. "I think."
The whore paled slightly, but you couldn't really tell in the dark. He really should have thought a bit more before kissing Haru. He was just going to go back to his home soon.
"Sorry about that,"
"Not your fault," Haru shook his head. "It's just that last time I saw you," He trailed off, not really sure if he wanted to finish that or not.
"Last time you saw me, I---?" Kyo prompted.
"You had just finished doing Hatori." Haru finished, flushing darkly. "Or, being done, I guess. That's not the point, though." He pulled away from Kyo, and ran a hand through his hair, nervously. "I don't know why it was so weird--well, yes I do, but,"
The older man sighed. Oh, he got it now. "Hmm," he murmured his understanding. He should probably head back to the House then. That was where the whore belonged.
"I guess, I'm being stupid, though." He continued, not looking at Kyo, so he didn't see the recognition on his face. "I mean, it was a long time ago, right? I should just get over it."
"No, it's all right. You can't get over it. I'm still a whore.." Kyo sweat dropped. He may not want to be, but that didn't change the facts.
Haru blinked up at him in bewilderment. "It's not that?" He wondered, raising an eyebrow. "That wasn't what I meant--" They seemed to be having a communication problem. "I just meant, that it's weird to see your cru--" He quickly cut himself off, and rerouted that sentence. "Er—friend--messing with your boss."
"Ah yeah, well, that's still because I'm a whore." Kyo sighed.

"I know that." Haru all but growled in slight frustration. "But I don't care—"

The red head smiled sadly "You should go home now. Your mother probably wants to see you, and it's Christmas." He reminded. This conversation hadn't helped ease his heartthrob; it'd actually made it worse. But he just didn't see what he needed to. Haru was apparently just a friend, and Kyo was just going to be a whore to everyone else.
"I never did give you your present." He stated quickly, his blush fading a little, but not much. "If I have yet to make a complete ass of myself, and you actually want it."
"It's okay, " The whore chuckled softly.
"It's okay, as in you don't want it, or, it's okay, as in I'm not yet categorized as an ass?"
"You're not an ass just yet."
"Well, good." He nodded slowly. "Uh, I wasn't really expecting to see you, so I didn't buy anything, but--" He paused, before just going for it. "It might be stupid, and presumptuous, but, if you want it, I can give you a night in a bed, that you're not being paid to be in, and a train ticket—somewhere?" He was being stupid again, he knew it. Kyo was a whore, and he couldn't understand why he would ever stop, to be with him. But, he'd never know unless he asked.
"Really?" Kyo blinked at him.
"Yeah," He nodded, still blushing a little, though, it had calmed considerably. "If you want it." He repeated, and he soon found himself with a very excited slut kissing him again. Kyo hugged the younger man tightly and that was apparently his way of saying thank you. "You like it, then?" He snorted with amusement, once that kiss broke.
"Yeah," The red head nodded. He couldn't take being a whore any longer. Not when he wanted a chance to be with Haru.
"Well, good." He nodded, letting his hand fall down too grasp Kyo's. "Come on, then." The shorter man smiled softly and they headed back, away from the whorehouse. Maybe, Haru's mother won't kill him.

No, no killing. But she wasn't impressed that he had brought a real whore home with him this time.
"Be nice, or I'm skipping Thanksgiving, Christmas, AND Easter next year." Haru hissed simply to her, before ushering Kyo up toward his room, to show him where it was. He'd promised Kyo a bed, and they didn't have a guest room. That meant Kyo got HIS bed, which, really, was just fine with him. Shigure just smirked and tried to calm down his wife, while Kyo allowed himself to be ushered and tried to convince Haru not to invoke his mother's wrath. "Threats are usually more effective." Haru murmured in reply to Kyo's attempts, as he opened his bedroom door, to let him in. The red head glanced back at him. It was still Akito's house though! Shouldn't they be polite? Or something? He just sweat dropped and entered the room. It was a nice room! Nicer than at the House. It'd be a good change to be here rather than there. "Ah, I can probably get to the station as early as tomorrow, if you want the rest of your present then." Haru told Kyo, sitting down in a chair, and gesturing for the bed, to show Kyo he could sit there. "Just pick where you want to go."
Kyo flushed a little as he sat down. "Haru, I could pay for my own train ticket." He sighed. "I don't exactly have anywhere else to go, and not much else I can do though."
"Hey, it's part of your present." He snorted. "So, you won't be paying for it." He could think of one place Kyo could go, but he wasn't sure if he wanted to ask.
"I don't know." The red head admitted. "This is all very nice. But there isn't much out there for someone with limited education and has been a prostitute since sixteen." He had to sweat drop a little. He couldn't even ask to go with Haru, because he knew his scrawny ass would be total dead weight on his bills.
Haru frowned a little, to that, and was silent for a few minutes. "You could come with me...?" He offered finally. There really wasn't much else he could do, or offer, or say.
"I could." Kyo nodded with a smirk. "You must be like your mom, picking out a useless money waster. "
"There aren't any casinos in the town I'm in." He'd made sure of that, before he'd moved in. "I don't think I have to worry much."
Kyo got up and carefully placed himself in Haru's lap. "I can really go with you?" He wondered. He felt ridiculous, but he's never had the greatest social relations and wasn't sure if this could be happening.
"If you want to." He nodded leaning back against his chair a bit.
The uh--ex-slut? Kissed his cheek gratefully. "I do." he confirmed. He'd just find a job when he got there. He should have enough money from working at the House to get an apartment of his own or something.
"Kyo," He snorted, a bit helplessly. "I'm asking you to move in, not marry me." No, they wouldn't be able to do that in West Virginia. They'd have to flee to Canada to do that.
"That was a very bad joke." Kyo eyed him dryly.
"Bad senses of humor run in the family?" He offered with a small shrug.
"Bad, very, very bad." Kyo confirmed.
"You can stop teasing me ANY time now."
"No." The red head chuckled. "I think not. You're fun to tease." He still hadn't forgotten how funny it was when Haru had first paid him to do him. That was really funny.
"Hush, okay?" He sighed, a little wearily, but the slight twitch of a small on his lips betrayed him.