Tempus Fugit …

XO'MagickMoon'OX

Chapter 3: Sunburns andSunscreen

Damn. I got burned. Sunburned. On my back. Damn.

I roll over onto my stomach, no longer able to endure the pain brought by lying on my back. Kazahaya is fast asleep. I've been tossing and turning all night, trying to get relief from the hot, burning pain spread between my shoulders blades.

I huff, slamming my fist into the space of pillow beside my head, eliciting a small "pmf" from the fluffy marshmallow. "Damn!"

"Rikuo?"

I freeze. So, the idiot wasn't sleeping after all.

"Rikuo, what's wrong? Why do you keep moving around?"

"It's nothing," I mumble. "Go back to sleep."

"How can I sleep with you making so much noise?" Kazahaya snaps.

I sigh. This is going to be a long night.

I look at the clock … two A.M. With another sigh, I slip out of bed, fully aware of Kazahaya's gaze following my retreating form. I can't sleep anyway, sunburn or no, so might as well go have something to eat. I just hope Kazahaya doesn't follow me. It's because of him that I can't sleep, anyway.

As I open the refrigerator (our hosts granted us full access to anything we might need at all times, including the kitchen), and grab an apple. Sweet and simple. Just what I need.

I sit down at the table, not bothering to turn on the lights, and bite into the savory fruit. Minutes pass, and once again I find my mind wrapped around the thoughts that had been plaguing me while I had attempted to sleep, to no avail, … every thought centered around one light-haired boy.

Kazahaya.

Since that day I saw him there, stranded in the cold with no one to save him from the icy grip of certain death, I can't stop thinking about him. His adorable naiveté, his quick temper and loveable personality. At the same time, though, he can be incredibly seductive and dark … without even meaning to. Those are the moments … the rare moments that poke through his creamy cupcake of a character … that I find the most intriguing.

Adorable, loveable, seductive, intriguing … goddammit …why was he so perfect? Why does he have to be so … so Kazahaya … and then so unavailable? Why did I have to fall for him? Why? Why is love so cruel as to push me towards someone who doesn't love me back?

Unconsciously, I pound the table with my trembling fist, dropping my half-eaten apple. I watch it roll to the floor. Eh, I didn't want to finish it anyway. The tears in the back of my throat were corrupting its sweet taste with angry bitterness. I stoop to pick it up and throw it away when I notice someone standing in the shadows, watching me.

I jump back and gasp, my heart leaping with fright. As Kazahaya steps into the moonlit kitchen, I snarl, "Don't scare me like that, you idiot."

He pouts. "Well, excuse me!"

"You're excused."

"Jerk," Kazahaya grumbles. Then, he says, "What are you doing up?"

I shrug and toss the apple in the garbage. "Couldn't sleep."

"Why? What's the matter?"

I screw my eyes shut, biting back the urge to punch his face in. You! my mind screams. You, you perfect … stupid … cruel idiot. Aloud, I say, "I … just have a sunburn … and it hurts."

Kazahaya cocks his head adorably. "Didn't you put sunscreen on?"

"Yes!" I snap. "I … just didn't get my back very well is all."

Kazahaya opens his mouth to say something when someone cuts him off.

"Do you two need help with anything?"

We turn to see the silhouette of Mr. Yamamoto just before he flicks on the light. I cringe, taking a moment to adjust as a burst of blinding color fills my vision.

"No, we're fine," I manage to say politely. "Thanks."

"I'm going back to bed," Kazahaya mutters as he walks past me back down the hall. I nod and follow. I hear Mr. Yamamoto shuffling around in the kitchen as I close the door behind us.

I flop back down onto my bed, cringing as I land painfully on my back. Kazahaya pulls his lone sheet around his half-dressed body and rolls over so that his back is to me. Soon he falls asleep, and I manage to do the same after another hour or so of tossing and turning.

---

"Gah!" I sit bolt upright as something big and heavy lands on my chest. I look down and see a book … a Japanese to English dictionary. I glance around to see just how a dictionary landed on me, and I see Kazahaya standing over me, grinning a self-satisfied grin.

"Ha!" he laughs. "Revenge!"

I pick up the dictionary and throw it at him. "Idiot! Why the hell did you drop this on me?"

Kazahaya ducks as the book sails over his head, hitting the wall in a furious ruffle of pages. "I told you: revenge!"

I rub my eyes tiredly. "Idiot."

Kazahaya just smiles as he picks up the dictionary. "I figured we could learn a thing or two from this." He holds the book up, flipping through the pages and saying something in English.

"What the hell does that mean?" I growl.

"It means," Kazahaya's smug grin widens, "good morning. It's time for breakfast."

I close my eyes and lay back down on my bed. "Just let me sleep for a little while longer," I mumble.

I feel delicate fingers curl around my arm, the soft grip tightening on my wrist. "No, come on. Breakfast is going to get cold, and I want to spend a little time at the beach before we start Kakei's job."

My eyes snap open. "Do we have to start it today?"

Kazahaya thought for a moment. "Well, we only have … er … three more days counting today to find that necklace. And, I mean, you gotta figure it won't be that easy to find, considering the house is probably big and complex."

I nod. "Yeah, you're probably right." Whoa, that's a scary thought.

I let him drag me into a sitting position by the wrist he has taken captive before I actually take control of myself and slip out of bed. I'm just so damn tired. What time is it? Nine in the morning? Five hours of precious sleep.

But the savory smell of breakfast is enough motivation to help me the rest of the way to the kitchen. Again, Mr. and Mrs. Yamamoto are out on their morning run. Kazahaya and I eat breakfast in near silence. Once we've finished, we begin getting ready for another trip to the beach.

Considering our experience yesterday, it's only right that I'm none too excited.

But Kazahaya is as stoked as ever, and I can't help but smile inwardly at the innocent delight gracing his ethereal face. Sometimes, he really is like a child.

I pull out the sunscreen and cover my body in the privacy of the bathroom while Kazahaya does the same in the bedroom. I'm wary of the raw burn on my back, and try to cover every inch as much as possible. Then I pull on my shirt and sandals and wait for Kazahaya in the hallway.

I pound on the door. "Idiot! Hurry up!"

No sooner had the words escaped my lips, the door flies open. "'IDIOT'!" he roars.

I smirk. His expression is priceless. This makes up for not giving him a rude awakening this morning. I turn down the hallway, preparing to head out the door.

"Wait!" Kazahaya calls.

I stop. "What now?"

"Did you get your back okay?"

I blink, though he doesn't see it with my back turned and all. "What?"

"With the sunscreen, I mean."

"Yeah. Now let's get going."

"Rikuo!"

I turn, my eyes – I'm sure – flashing with irritation. "What?"

"You really can't get your back covered completely by yourself … that's why you burned yesterday. Let me help you before we go." The sincerity in his eyes is so honest … I don't know what to say.

I know that if I really let him help me with my sunscreen, it will put me in a bad situation … a very bad situation. Idiot. He doesn't know how I really feel about him. He doesn't know that if I let him touch me like that that I'll … ugh … he's such an idiot!

Finally, I find my voice and say, "Why do you want to?" Then, I can't help but plaster a smirk on my face and jibe, "Do find pleasure in rubbing my back?"

His face blushes a deep shade of crimson, his pale green eyes flashing defensively. "No! You pervert! I just wanna help you! Why do you always have to make fun of me when I'm just trying to be nice?" He crosses your arms and mumble, "Besides, if you get burnt anymore than you are now, you're just going to be irritated and miserable, and then you'll make the rest of my vacation a living hell!"

He's got a point there. I huff.

"Rikuo! Come on. Don't be so stubborn and let me help you!"

He's not going to give this up, is he? I huff again and cross my arms. "Fine."

I march back across the hallway and push past him into the bedroom. I grudgingly pull off my shirt and sit down on the edge of the bed, my arms automatically crossing again. My face is set into a grimace, although the thought of what is about to happen intrigues me, to say the least.

Kazahaya's beaming, grabbing the bottle of sunscreen and sitting down behind me. I feel my heart begin to pound as he squirts the creamy stuff into his palms.

"Whoa," he says. "You really did get burnt."

Then, without warning, he reaches out and begins working the sunscreen into my back. I shudder for a moment, but only because of the cold sunscreen against my warm flesh. Then, I shudder again for entirely different reasons.

Kazahaya works the sunscreen across my back, his touch gentle. I curse at the goosebumps rising on my arms and screw my eyes shut, trying to block out the images forming in my mind. His hands slide down to my lower back, and I tense. He works his palms in small, circular motions. Actions that would seem lulling and calming are actually just the opposite; they're exciting and arousing. I draw a deep breath to quell my raging emotions as his hands move back up to my shoulder blades. His touch softens as he runs over my burn, a searing pain shooting across my back for a brief moment. Then he continues up towards my shoulders, drawing to a close.

Is it my imagination, or is he seeming to take longer than needed to carry out the simple task of applying sunscreen? Maybe it just feels like it's taking forever, as I feel a flush course through my body. Damn him.

These are the moments, the moments I was thinking about in the kitchen just hours ago, how he's so adorably naïve, and yet unknowingly seductive. It's just not fair, not fair that he's so close, and yet he doesn't love me back. Doesn't love me back.

Then, he pulls away and caps the bottle. "Done."

"You don't … you don't need anyone to … do your back, do you?" I ask awkwardly, praying that the answer is no.

"Nope."

Thank God.

"How is that?" I pry. "How is it that I need someone to do my back, but you don't?"

"I can cover my back on my own." He slides off the bed and smirks, adding, "It's smaller than yours."

I scowl. "Now can we go?"

He nods. I don't bother to pull my shirt back on, seeing how I'm just going to take it off again as soon as we get to the beach.

"So, after the beach, we're going to start Kakei's job?" I ask as I follow Kazahaya out of the room and down the hall.

"Yup."

I have a bad feeling about this. Kakei's little 'jobs' are never as easy as they sound. Of course, when you're dealing with a sadistic, beguiling man such as Kakei, nothing is what it seems.