Aya is under a lot of stress. Please keep that in mind.


"Glad to see you're feeling better."

He jumped, spinning to face Satoshi Morita with surprise.

"What?" he asked intelligently.

"You've been missing a lot of work lately," the large man answered with a smile. "I assumed you were ill."

Aya flashed guiltily on his recent 'lazy days' with Yohji, then quickly dismissed the guilt. He wouldn't have traded that time with his lover for anything. He had the right to be selfish once in a while, he told himself - only half believing it. Was it so wrong for him to be with the one he loved?

No, he decided, unwilling to open himself further to the question.

"Oh…it was nothing. Just a virus." he lied.

Morita raised an eyebrow. "A virus named Kudoh, per chance?"

Too startled for subtlety, Aya stopped in his tracks. Morita laughed and winked gustily at him.

"Don't worry; I won't tell anyone." he promised.

Aya gave a slight smile in gratitude, but a cold knot of unease had fallen into his stomach. Aya told himself that he was being stupid and fought to ignore the tangle of old instincts that screamed at him that Morita was standing too close.

This wasn't the first time the man had shown an interest in his relationship with Yohji, those instincts reminded him. He had no reason to ask so many questions.

No, reason argued. He was only curious. Everyone was, but no one else was brave enough to question him.

"Your boy – what's his name? Nama…Nana…"

"Narumoto."

"Right, right. Narumoto. He's doing some impressive work. I know that Nakemura is pleased with the work you've done with the boy."

"He has talent." Aya answered, beginning to walk again.

Morita followed.

"Talent or no – it's all your hard work that's gotten him so far. It's very impressive."

"It's what I'm being paid for."

"Of course, of course," Morita laughed. "You have to admit though, it is a remarkable streak of good luck you've been having."

"I'm sure I don't know what you mean."

"You're too new to the business to have earned much of a reputation yet, and the boy is a complete unknown – but suddenly he's the hottest new star to hit Japan in years." Morita smiled, and Aya felt the inexplicable urge to bathe. "People are going to question how you've become so successful."

"People are idiots."

"Nevertheless, your pretty face is only going to get you so far, Fujimiya," the large man gave a laugh, clapping Aya on the back. "Eventually, you're going to have to do something else to…convince…people, right?"

Aya felt his entire body go cold as the man ran a finger down the length of his arm.

"Take your hand off me," he ordered in a voice that hadn't been heard since the last time he had committed murder.

Morita either didn't catch the dangerous ice, or didn't care. "Oh, come now, Fujimiya," he chided. "Don't play innocent with me."

"You ready to go, bunny thong?"

Morita literally jumped. Yohji was standing at the end of the hall, just outside the door to Aya's office. He stood leaning against the doorframe with his arms crossed, looking achingly safe and beautiful and trustworthy.

"Just give me a few moments, Yohji, and I'll get my stuff." the former swordsman answered with a grateful smile, pulling away.

Yohji gave Morita a mad grin before following Aya into his office.

"Not a word." Aya ordered as he heard the door close behind them.

"Sure love. Just as soon as you tell me that I didn't see what I thought I just saw."

Aya sighed, reluctantly turning to face his lover.

"How am I supposed to know what it is you think you've seen?" he demanded, voice seeping back into coldness.

Yohji scowled darkly.

"He isn't allowed to do that, Aya."

Aya took a deep breath, realizing with a sense of warmth that his lover had not jumped to insane conclusions, and would not be accusing him of doing anything.

What he was really trying to do was worse.

Too bad it was true.

"Drop it, Kudoh," he ordered, continuing to his desk. He was blindly loading things into his briefcase when he felt arms encircle him from behind.

"You got a lot of work to take home tonight, bunny thong?" Yohji asked, nibbling at his ear lobe.

"No," Aya answered warily. "Why?"

"You've packed your stapler and the computer mouse."

Aya blinked a few times.

"Oh."

Yohji sighed, brushing Aya's hair back gently so he could plant a tender kiss against the redhead's neck.

"Its okay, Aya," he soothed quietly.

"I don't know what you're talking about."

"Yes you do – and it's okay. Be upset, bunny thong. Be pissed as hell. I'm here – I'll shelter you."

Aya felt himself relaxing against his lover, and fought that peace with every stubborn fiber of his being.

"You can't always be here, Yohji."

"All you have to do is call."

He felt tears rising, and fought them with all his strength.

"I'm a full grown man. I should be able to take care of myself."

"No you shouldn't. It's natural to have someone you depend on – there's nothing wrong with that. And you've been taking care of things by yourself for far too long, anyway."

Though he fought it fiercely, Aya felt his eyes drifting closed under the gentle, soothing comfort that was Yohji Kudoh.

"You're the one who needs help right now," the blonde went on to explain. "But one day I'll have issues, and you'll be there for me."

Aya felt a tear slip down his cheek, but couldn't stop it.

"It's not like me to be so emotional, damn it."

"Your body knows that you're safe, sweetheart, even if your mind refuses to accept it. It knows that it's okay to release your pain - and you've got a hell of a lot of it to release."

"Don't call me 'sweetheart'."

"Why not?" he asked gently.

"I prefer the other."

"What - ? Oh." Yohji gave a low, masculine laugh, kissing his cheek. "Anything you want, bunny thong. I am yours to command."

Aya turned in Yohji's arms, burying his face against the taller man's chest and allowing himself at last to relax and accept the comfort.

Yohji's arms tightened around him until they were almost too tight – just the way that Aya liked it. "Don't bring up Morita again, all right?" Aya asked at last. "I'll handle him myself."

"If he touches you again," Yohji kissed the top of his head, "I'll fucking kill him."

"Fujimiya-san?"

Aya gave a small jump, pulling completely away from Yohji as he turned to face his secretary.

She stood in the doorway, pale enough to make him wonder how much she had heard.

"I just wanted to tell you that I'm going home for the day," she said quickly. "Is there anything you need before I leave?"

"No, thank you. I…I'm being taken care of."

A bright blush spreading across her cheeks, she nodded and left quickly.

"You gonna unpack the stapler so we can go home now?" Yohji asked with a small grin.

Aya loved that grin. He had never seen his lover use it on anyone else. That tiny, boyish grin, and he was immediately filled with warmth and the certainty that the blonde loved him.

"Hold me for a little longer first," he requested.

Yohji, as always, was happy to oblige.


Ken had tried, as Miyoko had suggested, to give himself time to get used to the idea. He had distanced himself enough to be able to admit that he wanted his old friends to be happy and that they were, indeed, happy.

Still, it was weird.

Ken was not by any means homophobic. In fact, he himself had experimented a time or two with Kase. It wasn't the fact that they were both men that he found hard to accept.

It was the fact that Aya was dating Yohji.

He had to admit that the relationship certainly seemed to be good for the two men. Aya seemed to be as quiet and stubborn as he had always been, but he no longer radiated a simmering rage or an all-consuming sorrow.

The pale man seemed…content.

And Ken had never dreamed he would see his leader smile the way he smiled at Yohji.

As for the blonde…some of Aya's calm and dignity seemed to have rubbed off on him. Not a lot, but enough for there to be a marked difference.

Yohji was sincere now.

Omi couldn't have been watching them very closely for him to have missed it.

Ken was positive; the two were in love, and love suited them beautifully.

Still, it was weird.

Every time he looked at them, Ken's mind forced him to think about things he would rather not – forced him to acknowledge that his two former teammates now shared something no one else would ever be able to share.

Did they cuddle in the kitchen like Ken and Miyo did? Did they have a song? A movie? What secret jokes and knowing looks did they share in the privacy of their own apartments?

It was weird.

Still, it was good for them.


"This was fun." Yohji said at last, waiting for Ken to pick up the check. He sounded somewhat surprised.

"Yeah, it was." Ken agreed, happy to pay for the meal the four of them had shared. The fact that the entire night had passed without anyone arguing – that somehow the rift in their friendship had begun to heal – was more than worth the cost.

He was reaching for the check when he found himself under the scrutiny of Aya's glare.

"What?"

"Don't. Yohji will pay."

"What? Why me? This was his idea!"

The small redhead elbowed his lover sternly. "Pay," he ordered, the or else left unspoken.

Yohji put on a show of rolling his eyes and sighing, but Ken suspected that the blonde was secretly enjoying the bullying.

He had always had a preference for the strange. Back in Weiss, Ken had quickly learned that being surprised by the man was just a waste of time.

"So…you guys wanna do this again sometime?" Ken asked, watching with amazement as Yohji gave his credit card to the waitress without flirting. As the blonde turned his attention back to the table, he stretched casually and wrapped an arm around Aya's shoulders.

The one time Ken had ever tried that move, he had nearly broken his date's nose.

"I dunno," Yohji drawled, clearly reluctant to make a decision without Aya's input. Ken found himself distracted watching the man's long fingers trace slowly up and down the arm of their former leader. "We'll see. Give me a call, all right?"

"It would be…fun." Aya said quietly. "But I need to check my schedule."

"Right, right, of course."

The waitress came back, breasts brushing Yohji's back as she bent to place his card and receipt back on the table.

The blonde ignored her – if anything, her actions made him frown a little. Aya glared at her, but she didn't seem to notice.

She did, however, notice when Yohji rose without leaving a tip.

"We're gonna call it an early night," Yohji explained to the others, pulling Aya to his side. "You two behave yourselves. Don't do anything I wouldn't do."

"Shouldn't be too hard," Ken grinned, "Considering what a short list that is."

The waitress watched them walk away before turning an expectant look on Ken. Guiltily he began reaching for his wallet, but Miyo stopped him with the gentle pressure of her hand on his arm.

"You shouldn't go after the married ones, hun." she told the woman sweetly.

Ken couldn't stop a chuckle as he allowed his girlfriend to pull him to his feet. 'Married' was a good way to describe the lovers. Ken had never seen a couple more attached.

"I like them." Miyo explained as they got into the car. "They're cute."

Once again Ken found himself amused by her choice of words, but he couldn't help but to agree.

"I'm glad you think so," the brunette grinned. "You can help me convince Omi and Aya-chan to lay off them, then."

"I'd love to."

Silence passed between them for a few moments.

Then:

"Ken? Honey?"

"Yeah?"

"Why does he use his sister's name?"


To Be Continued

Another short one…but it's out quickly.

Only three chapters left, folks!

Response to Unsigned Reviews:

Kirai - Of course I will. And what other pairing exists for me? Yohji/Aya is too hot to pass up, my dear.

CaT70 - "bitch face" ? See, you can come up with the lines, too! Yohji might have to borrow that one sometime.

Acesha - ah, but the dvds were stolen to help me, so it was worth it, right? (puppy eyes) Every time people tell me that they never read Yohji/Aya much before this, I can only blink in shock. To me, it's always been the most obvious pairing. I mean, look at them! My yaoi-dar picks up obvious sexual tension. (LOL) Wow. No one's ever given me a katana before. Thank you very much!

Look for another update on Thursday, everyone!