:sweatdrop: Sorry for the long time it took me to update... hopefully it'll be a much shorter wait for the next chapter.

By the way, I won't update until I get at least 100 reviews. Which really shouldn't be all that hard to do, since more than a hundred people have already read this chapter, and so if only twenty of those reviewed, that's the quote filled. Why I'm doing this- points to aforemention 100 people who've already read this- Only three of those reviewed, and I really wanna know if anyone got what was going on with Kakei in this chapter.

Must Get Out

Like clockwork, my mind awoke, and I knew that it was a bit past dawn. The first thing it registered, though, in the blank numbness of time and feeling experienced as sleep was still a cloud over my head, was an uncomfortable soreness. I couldn't understand it until I tried to lift my head, and then was suddenly aware of my body as if it had just materialized, and its uncomfortable position knelt on the floor, head resting on my crossed arms.

Opening my eyes, I reared back as the first thing that met my eyes was Kazahaya's sleeping face in front of me, like a surprise close-up. I sat up abruptly, stretching my sore back and unwinding my cramped legs from underneath me, staring at the sleeping body in front of me. His arm hung limply from the side of the bed, my eyes tracing its path from the childishly small fingers, up the pale, smooth skin briefly clouded by his shirt, leading to the lithe body enveloped carefully in a bundle of covers.

I'd fallen asleep on him, I thought, the memories of the night before flooding my head. Kazahaya crying… me comforting him… falling asleep… and the dream, the memory of a couple months ago. I rubbed my head wearily, noticing with a groan that I had overslept for the first time in years. I had thought it was dawn, at least. It was the least of my problems, but definitely didn't help.

I lifted my fingers, letting them fall softly on his pale face and stroking them. He was completely out cold, wasn't even stirring, but I knew it wouldn't be like this for long. I knew, in fact, was expecting, for him to be haunted by nightmares for many, many night to come. I promised to myself, and in a soft whisper, him too, that I would be with him throughout the nights. I wanted to be with him at all times. Forever, but that was besides the point of the immediate need, which was to be with him for support, and not as… something else.

But I needed to leave for a moment, if only to tell Kakei why his two employees would be absent today.

Standing up, I threw a coat on and walked outside, freshly fallen snow blinding my sight as I made my way down the stairs, past the sidewalk and into the drugstore. The door jingled with an unwelcome merriness and both Kakei and Saiga looked up, the former leaning comfortably against the larger man's body on the couch in the back office.

"Finally! We were beginning to wonder if you'd been doing naughty things all night and had overslept!" the permanently sunglasses-clad man laughed. Kakei's eyebrows were raised, and he though he smiled pleasantly, his eyes had a decidedly chilly look that at any other moment would have intimidated me and told me to not expect pay for that day, no matter how good my explanation was.

"What, you didn't see this coming?" I growled, suddenly realizing that this could have all been one of Kakei's schemes, or that he had known this whole thing was going to happen.

"What are you talking about?" he asked, the glare disappearing, and I saw only surprise and even the slight tinge of concern in his eyes, but that was most likely my stress talking, since I didn't see concern as one of his frequently acquainted-with emotions. Saiga I couldn't tell, not through those stupid sunglasses, anyway. I didn't know what to think of him as it was.

"You're late… and where's the boy?" Saiga's head was cocked to the side, eyebrows raised as he begun to suspect that something serious had happened. Kakei had apparently already reached that conclusion as he motioned for me to sit down, eyebrows drawn together.

I did, appeased with knowing that Kakei hadn't foreseen this and not warned us and simply let Kazahaya go through all that trauma. I wouldn't have been surprised if he had just to make some profit or fulfill some ulterior motive. Maybe I was being too harsh on him, but given the current circumstances, could you really blame me?

"What happened?" Kakei asked softly, and the dark-haired man next to him leaned over expectantly. I figured they already knew something was seriously wrong by my attitude, the fact that the kid wasn't with me, and that I wasn't apologizing for being late. Still, I lowered my eyes, hesitating.

"Kazahaya… yesterday, he leaned against a tree… where a girl had been raped and murdered…"

Saiga ground his teeth together in a vehement growl and I looked up in time to see Kakei's wide eyes for a split second. But then he lowered his face, blonde bangs obscuring his eyes, hand raised on the pretense of fumbling with his glasses. That split second had been enough for me to register the one emotion in them- fear.

I watched as Saiga wrapped his arms around the blonde pharmacist, stroking his back in a manner that seemed soothing and as Kakei remained silent, leaning into his catering motions. I was confused at the change in focus. We were talking about Kazahaya here, and unless it really was hurting them about Kazahaya's vision, this was a misplaced reaction. I was about to ask, to bark out if they'd even heard me right, when Saiga looked at me pointedly, and through the shades covering his face, I could see – more like sense- the dangerous glint in his eyes and the aggressive tilt to his head. The message was clear –Don't ask. It appeared I wasn't the only one aggressively overprotective of … well, there was no good phrase to put there, since Kazahaya and I were nothing, while Saiga and Kakei were lovers. Still, it reminded me of the kind of action I might take were it Kazahaya and I in that position.

Kakei finally lifted unreadable eyes up to me, removing himself from Saiga, who still looked at him preoccupied, a firm hand resting across his lover's shoulders. He continued watching Kakei for a moment, until the blonde man shook his head lightly, at which point the sunglasses turned to me.

"How's the boy taking it?" there was a decidedly fatherly tone to his voice, one that comforted me in knowing that at least he cared about Kazahaya.

"Not good… Cried all night…" I saw Saiga's hand squeeze the smaller one beneath his comfortingly, "He's sleeping now," I stood up, deciding that it wasn't my place to say anymore, and that there was clearly something going on here that I didn't understand, "I wanted to tell you why neither him nor I would be here today… and I doubt he's coming tomorrow," that was more my decision than it would be Kazahaya's.

Our employer waved his hand dismissively, "Of course… he can take as many days off as he wants…" he murmured, his eyes and tone convincing me that, like Saiga, he was concerned too, and wasn't the cold employer we sometimes made him out to be. I was angling to leave, but his icy eyes were pinned on me, clouded with something I couldn't understand, "Sit down."

"I have to-"

"Sit."

So I did, miffed that he was stopping me from getting back to Kazahaya, but chilled by the edge in his voice. What he had to say better be important.

"There's… a lot of things that are going to go through his mind. You're going to have to watch him very carefully, and make sure you know what he's doing at all times," Kakei began, his voice becoming distant, and there was something so dead in his eyes, that it reminded me of Kazahaya. I had to turn away, ignoring the barrage of images of beautiful hazel eyes deadened by pain, choosing instead to gaze at the window behind him, focus on the falling snowflakes. I could see out of the corner of my eyes that Saiga's hand was squeezing the blonde's shoulder comfortingly. Kakei sighed, and there was a definitely sad look about him, and his voice held an almost pleading tinge to it. It almost seemed as if he was vulnerable, and it very much reminded me of Kazahaya.

"And there's a number of things you're going to have to be careful not to do… don't call him pet names," he glanced briefly at Saiga at this, who nodded to show understanding, "Don't come up behind him, or touch him suddenly. Give him warning about everything you do, because he'll be jumpy and easy to scare," he drifted off, lost in thought for a moment before continuing, "He'll probably take long showers, lots of them. Just… let him do what he needs, but be careful he doesn't hurt himself.

"Most importantly though, show him that you care. Stay with him whenever he wants you to… he's probably the clingy type, and hover around you all the time, which is better than becoming isolated and rejecting others... He's the type who needs to have someone he trusts, and that's you."

I filed all of those tips into my head, realizing with a start how true they were- they made complete sense. He broke off, standing up and making his way to the window, staring blankly out of it. Saiga kept his gaze trained on his lover. Golden eyes finally turned to me, looking directly into my eyes.

"Kazahaya's strong… but he has a delicate heart…Take care of him."

Of course I'm going to, I thought with an ironic tinge to my thoughts, but only nodded at both of them. I already knew that about Kazahaya. I was determined to take care of him.

"Tell the boy we're sorry, k? We'll stop by…" I was expecting for Saiga to say 'After we close the store' or something similar, but he appeared to hesitate, looking over his shoulder at Kakei, who'd gone back to staring out the window, "When we can, alright?"

Something was definitely going on here, and though I had my theories, it seemed so… unrealistic, flipping everything I thought Kakei to be. On the other hand, it made perfect sense. Oh well, I had enough on my mind without worrying about what had gone on between Kakei and Saiga in there…

I closed the door behind me, walking through the store, wishing there was a smiling figure waving to the customers behind the counter, or scrunched up in concentration over a stack of boxes. And up the stairs I went, wishing that time would slow and I would never have to open that door to find those hazel eyes brimming with pain.

Kazahaya was still sleeping, his beautiful, pale face lax, looking almost peaceful. It was almost heartrending to see how my hand could cover his entire face, an adult's tainted hands over a child's angel skin. Cupping his chin and tilting it up gently, I leaned down and brushed my lips over his, willing my strength to enter him. I wouldn't give up.

There's a lot of reviews, so I'm not going to respond to all of them... sorry!

Bofuu... etc: Looong name, so I just shortened it, lol. Um... the goil is from when I was obssessed with Newsies, and they're from New York, so instead of Girl, it's pronouned Goil, and so... animegirl turns to animegoil, which I like a whole lot better. And yeah... the lady does put her hand on the shoulder. I messed up there, I was doing the dancing stuff from memory, and forgot. Thank you for pointing it out, I really gotta fix that...

ShadowKissAngel: Yes, i acutally have read all of Tokyou Babylon... that was such an intense series...

Zeto: I didn't get it... what's the difference between Rikuou/Kazahaya and Kazahaya/Rikuou :sweatdrop:

Arandomchan: The drug line being repeated just shows a break in scene.

Mentaru: Of course I'll read your GD fic... what's the title?

To everyone else :awe:; Wow, I'm glad everyone likes this so much! really really really glad. I know this chapter didn't have much, more of an... intermediate chapter, but there's a lot more coming, so don't be disappointed!