Wow, I was expecting some protest, but not that much. O.o I mean really guys, I gave full warning. Though, I'll admit, at the time I was thinking that I may have made a tad more so then necessary. But I loved it! I loved writing it! T.T I'm so twisted… But, even so, thank you guys for your comments. I even got my first almost-death threat. n.n;; But, just so you guys know, I don't think there'll be anymore parts quite as heart wrenching as the last chapter. Still angst, yes, but not as "OMG MY EYES BURN FROM THE ANGST!" –ishness.

Also, I've decided to do something fun; did you guys know that there's a reply button next to your comments so I can reply? Well there is, and I'm putting it to work. Anyone who commented will know this, but from now on I will reply to all comments, so if you have questions, suggestions, etc., just put them in your comment and I'll get to them. There's some rules though like there are some questions I won't be able to answer. So you can ask why people do certain things, etc., but if I reply telling you I can't, then you just found yourself a clue my friend. XD

So yeah, here's the next chapter. Not as angsty, but it's still definitely there, just so you know. Oh, and anything that's Nintendo's isn't mine. Darn.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

"Hmm… that's odd," Yuki commented offhandedly. Rikuo looked up from his file and gave him a questioning glance.

"What's odd? Is it something about the case?"

"No, no, nothing like that," Yuki replied. Rikuo sighed and turned back to his work. The cutie's face dropped as he blinked surprised. "Rikuo! Just because it's not about the case doesn't mean you can just shrug it off! Don't you want to know what's odd?"

"…you're not going to leave me alone about are you?"

"No, I'm not."

"Alright, fine. What's so odd?"

"Link's not here," stated Yuki. Rikuo stared blankly before looking about the office as if to see if this were really true. And, as it turned out, it was true. The young detective hadn't shown up yet, and it was already noon. The man pursed his lips before shrugging.

"Eh, it's no big deal babe. It's not like he has to come in; it's Saturday after all. Saturday's aren't mandatory work days."

"But, but Link's never missed a chance to get his work finished. And you know just as well as I do that with the work load we've been getting, Saturday's may as well be mandatory. There must be something wrong," Yuki fretted. Rikuo sighed and finally just shut his folder, put down his pen, turned his chair and looked Yuki straight in the eye.

"You're not going to be able to think about anything else, are you?"

"What? Well, I mean, I'm just wondering what happened…"

"Yuki, look at me. Can you, or can't you, get any work done when you don't know what's wrong with the kid?" Rikuo asked in a very straightforward mannor. Yuki bit his lip before shaking his head and leaning back in his chair. His lover sighed, rubbing his temples before looking up at his partner with a light smile on his lips. "Well then there's no choice. I'm relieving you of your duties for the day."

"Wha… But Rikuo, there's a lot of paper work, and I know you hate it…"

"Yuki…"

"And, and that's not to mention there's still a lot of research to do, and now that we have a deadline," Yuki continued. Rikuo rolled his eyes. "And, and I just… I can't just dump it all on you…"

"Yuki," Rikuo interrupted as he took hold of Yuki's shoulders. Startled, Yuki looked up suddenly. When had his partner gotten up from his seat? He supposed it didn't really matter though as he lost himself in the calm blue eyes. Rikuo smirked at him. "Look, you'll only be a hindrance here. I know you; you can't work when you're fretting. And you know me; when you fret all I want to do is screw you until you can't even think, let alone fret. So you'll only make things go slower."

"Rikuo…" Yuki murmured as a gentle smile spread across his face. He gave his lover a small peck on the lips. "Thank you. I promise I'll make up for it."

"Oh don't worry, I already have a pretty good idea how I'm going to have you make it up to me…" Rikuo growled, playfully nibbling at Yuki's neck. His lover giggled before pushing his partner off and standing up to grab his coat.

"We'll see about that." Yuki grinned as he walked out the door, shutting it softly behind him. Rikuo couldn't but roll his eyes and laugh softly. His lover was such a worrywart. But then again, it was pretty adorable to see him get all worked up about nothing.

At least, he hoped it was nothing.

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

'I hope Rikuo's right,' Yuki thought to himself as he came up to Link's door. He'd never actually been to the young detective's apartment, but he did know the address and that it was fairly close by. After asking a few people for directions, he was finally pointed to the apartment building. And then, after climbing a couple sets of stairs (it would seem that the elevator wasn't working due to vandalizing) he found himself at Link's door. 'Here goes nothing.'

He knocked softly on the door, listening for a response. Getting nothing he knocked louder. Still nothing. He frowned. Maybe Link was home? But no, the landlady told him that Link hadn't left since he gotten home last night. Evidently she had a habit of knowing when her tenants were home and when they left.

"Link, are you home?" Yuki called through the door as he knocked a third time. Still he didn't get any response, but he couldn't give up. "Link, its Yuki! I came to see if you were alright!"

It was silent and Yuki was about to give up when finally he heard the door's lock click and the door opened partway. Link stuck his head out and, upon seeing Yuki, smiled at him. "Oh, hey Yuki. What're you doing here?"

"Well, actually, to ask you the same. May I come in?" Yuki asked. Link hesitated but nodded, opening the door to let his partner inside. As he walked in Yuki couldn't help but look around the apartment. It was a bit bare, but not too much so. He supposed it was because Link didn't spend much time at home anyway. The hallway led into the living room with a small kitchen to the left and another short hallway to the right, most likely leading to a bathroom and bedroom. He also couldn't help but notice the blinking lights of his answering machine; Link had one old message and a few new ones. That was odd. If Link was home, why didn't he pick up the phone?

"Do you want something to drink?" Link offered. Yuki shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. Thank you though."

"Oh, ok. You can sit wherever you like," he said, as he went into the kitchen; to get himself a drink Yuki presumed. He sat in the armchair and gave Link a pleasant smile when he returned from the kitchen. In the brighter light he could make out dark bags under Link's eyes and tear stains on his cheeks. Had he been crying recently? If so then what on earth for? Yuki continued to ponder and seemed to lose track of time because soon after Link was looking at him oddly and saying, "Yuki? Something on your mind?"

"Huh? Oh, right. Sorry about that," Yuki backtracked, laughing sheepishly. It died off as Link stared at him blankly. The older detective coughed before deciding he may as well get to the point of his visit. "But, I guess I should explain myself huh? Well, I just came to see why you didn't come to work today?"

"Oh, well its Saturday, so it's not like I need to," Link replied, taking a sip of his drink. He winced slightly as he gulped the liquid down. Yuki looked at him curiously.

"Well yes, that's true, but we've had so much to do lately that we don't really have enough time to waste," Yuki explained for the second time that day. Link looked away, taking another sip of his drink and grimacing again. The older detective sighed before continuing saying, "Besides, you always come in on Saturdays. You've told me yourself that you don't have anything better to do. So why are you here?"

"…Well I… Look, I was just feeling a little under the weather ok? So I figured I should just take it easy for a while. It's nothing special," Link muttered. Yuki wasn't going to let him get away that easy.

"Don't give me that. I know you; you'd come to work with a fever if you thought I'd let you get away with it. Besides, if you were just sitting here with nothing to do, why didn't you pick up your phone?" Link's eyes widened a bit. Yuki knew he was closing in on the problem. "Link… does it have anything to do with what we were talking about yesterday?"

"I-I don't know what you're talking about…"

"You know perfectly well what I'm talking about. You asked me how I'd feel if Rikuo was a criminal; you also told me that Derrick isn't really who he seems--"

"I never said that!" Link yelped, looking more then a bit panicked. "I never said he wasn't who he seemed!"

"…But he's name's not Derrick. You did admit that. In fact, I wonder if anything he – or you for that matter – told us is true," Yuki said sadly. Link's face grew a bit pale and he couldn't look at the other man any more. He picked up his drink and took a swig. Immediately he realized this was a mistake as his face reddened and he coughed harshly, the liquid not agreeing with him at all. Yuki rose from his seat and raced to Link's side. "Link? Are you alright!"

"Y-yeah, I-I'm fine," Link choked out, one of his hands instinctively going to his stomach as he cringed. It was then that Yuki put two and two together. He took the drink from the young detective's hand and Link desperately reached to take it back. "W-wait, what're you--?"

"…This is gin," Yuki murmured when he caught a whiff of the alcohol. Link flushed and looked away again, his hand still resting on his stomach. Yuki looked from the drink to Link and back again, completely dumbstruck. Link wasn't an alcohol person! Yes he'd have himself a beer now and then – who didn't – but never such hard liquor like gin. Soon shock turned to annoyance, and annoyance anger. "Link! What the hell are you doing drinking straight gin? Do you have any idea how much alcohol there is in this?"

"Yes, I know. I'm not that stupid," Link muttered under his breath. Yuki bristled.

"Then why? Are you trying to--?" Yuki asked before stopping mid-sentence as Link looked up at him, tears slowly running down his face. The older detective was at a lost of words. He put the drink down on the side table and inched closer to Link, his hand brushing away some of the young man's tears. "Link…"

"… I'm sorry…" Link whimpered quietly, lifting a hand to rub at his watery eyes. "I just… I thought maybe it'd make some of this pain go away." Yuki's eyes widened somewhat, a stab of pain striking his heart as the young detective smiled sadly. "I was wrong though. It still hurts. Oh God Yuki, why won't it go away?"

Link fell forward against the startled man. Yuki swallowed hard and wrapped a cautious arm around his friend. "Link? What hurts?" He shook his head weakly, nuzzling closer as his hands gripped at Yuki's shirt. The older detective bit his lip. He hated to see Link like this. Without really thinking he ran his hand through the young man's hair, hoping to soothe him. "Link, I can't help you if you don't tell me what's wrong. Please, I want to help you." Still though Link shook his head and murmured words that Yuki couldn't decipher. He let out a sigh and held the poor man closer. "Link, I don't know what to do if you won't tell me."

Link stiffened before looking up at the man with almost childlike innocence. Yuki smiled encouragingly as he gently wiped away more of Link's tears. "You… you really want to help me?"

"Of course. I care about you Link," replied Yuki softly. Link looked down, his grip on the older detective's shirt tightening.

"Then… would you do anything to make it stop? To make me stop hurting?" Link asked. Yuki gulped as his unease increased, but he nodded. Really, what all could Link ask for?

"If there's anything I can do, then I'll do it."

"Ok…" Link murmured quietly. Suddenly Yuki realized his mistake, but it was too late.

Without warning Link's hands reached up and pulled Yuki's face to meet his own. His lips crashed into the older detective's wantonly as his body slammed into Yuki's, toppling him over. Yuki's eyes were wide and for a moment the shock of the sudden forwardness of Link was enough to have him frozen where he lay. It wasn't until he felt the young detective's tongue slip into his mouth that he was snapped from his daze.

"Mmph!" was all that came out as Yuki's protests were smothered by Link's mouth. His hands grabbed the young detective's shoulders and tried his best to throw him off, but Link was stronger then him. But that didn't stop him from trying. He continued to try to push him away and tried to turn his head, to rip his mouth from Link's, but the young man still had his hands at the sides of his head and wasn't going to let him move it. Running out of options, Yuki was reduced to flailing aimlessly. His hands moved to Link's back, trying to pull him up by his shirt as his legs pressed into the couch as he tried to buck him off. He tried everything he could, but only found himself breathless and getting no where.

Link didn't seem to notice any of the protest, or if he did he was beyond caring. He continued to explore the unwilling mouth, tasting the sweet taste that was Yuki. He wrapped himself around the older detective's tongue and noticed the shudder that ran through the body beneath him. He finally took his tongue from Yuki's mouth and moved away, catching his breath as he looked down with half-lidded eyes. Yuki looked back up at him with a panicked look in his eyes.

Link's eye widened as he blinked confused while he tried to figure out where he was. It came to him soon after though; Yuki's heavy panting and red face, together with his swollen lips, was clue enough. Link's eyes grew even wider and his face paled as he shot up, finding himself kneeling between Yuki's legs. "Ah… I-I didn't, I didn't m-mean… I didn't know… Oh God!" he cried in disgust, stumbling clumsily as he quickly tried to get off and ended up stumbling and falling backwards, finding himself sitting as far away on the couch from Yuki as he could.

Yuki stared worriedly at Link as he sat up, wincing as pain shot from his head; he must have hit it on the arm of the couch when he fell backwards. He tried to say something, anything, but nothing came to him. Even if he did, it would be hard to get anything through to Link as the poor detective shook slightly as he stammered angrily at himself.

"Ah fuck… Shit I-I can't… Oh God Yuki I-I'm so sorry. I-I just thought t-that maybe, maybe if… ah fuck it, I don't even know what I was doing! Oh God I… Jesus, I can't believe I just… Fuck!" he yelled, his head resting in his hands. Yuki cautiously inched closer, gulping as he reached out slowly.

"Link, it's alright, just… just calm down ok? No one's hurt, so there's nothing to be so upset over--"

"But I kissed you Yuki! Hell, I was shoving my tongue down your throat! I-I went way over the line. I mean, Jesus you have a boyfriend! God, if Rikuo ever found out…" Link shuddered at the thought. Yuki gently placed his hand on his shoulder.

"Rikuo's not going to do anything, I promise. And, yes, what you did wasn't… proper," Yuki said, unable to think of a better word, "but there's not permanent harm done. It's not like I've never been kissed before." Link looked up at him with a dumbstruck look on his face.

"Yuki, how… how can you be so calm about this? Aren't you mad at me?"

"Well, I am a little frustrated," Yuki admitted. "I mean, I came here to help you, not to kiss you." Link flushed and looked away. Yuki sighed before smiling softly. "But you can make it up to me."

"How?" Link asked quickly, desperate to make things better. Yuki leaned back into the couch.

"By telling me what's wrong so I can help you, properly," Yuki replied. Link's face fell and he bit his lip. Yuki wasn't sure he was going to get a response, but his ears pricked up when the detective started to speak.

"He dumped me," Link said bluntly as he looked down at his hands. Yuki's eyes widened somewhat. "He called me yesterday, in the morning. I was in the shower and heard the message just before I came to work. I guess it wasn't until last night that it finally hit me. I wasn't going to be with him anymore. It was over. He never loved me…"

"Oh Link," Yuki murmured, wanting to wrap his arm around the young man, but found himself still shaken from being pinned. So his arm sort of just hung there, unsure of what it should do. Link noticed and shook his head sadly.

"It's ok; you don't have to force yourself. I'd understand if you didn't want to stay with me either," Link said sullenly, his hands rubbing at his eyes. "I think that's why I did it. You said you cared for me, and I was so desperate to feel some sort of love that I… well, you know. So, if you've changed your mind, I'd understand…"

"…Don't be stupid. It doesn't suit you," Yuki commented, his hand moving forward and gently touching Link's shoulder. He looked up, confused. Yuki gave him a small smile. "I do care for you Link. Not as a lover, true, but I do as a friend. I want what's best for you."

"Yuki…" Link murmured softly as he leaned forward and rested his head on Yuki's shoulder. The older detective let him stay, his arm wrapping around Link's shoulders and holding him close. It was then that Link finally let go, tears falling from his eyes without any restraint, any shame. Yuki comforted him, and did so well into the afternoon. Even when Link had cried himself to sleep, Yuki stayed and soon found himself dozing off.

And that's how Rikuo found the two; Link's head resting on Yuki's lap as Yuki's head rested against the couch. He stood there, leaning on the doorway with a smirk on his face. That was so typical of his lover. Really, Yuki was too kind for his own good.

Rikuo couldn't find it in him to wake either of the blondes, so he rummaged through Link's closet to find spare blankets. He laid one over the two and then went to sit in the arm chair. He murmured "You owe me babe," as he curled up and fell asleep in the chair. Really, did you think he'd leave his lover alone with another man? No way, not even with Link.

As he slept, it did occur to Link that he really wasn't as alone as he felt. He had friends here who really cared about him, and friends and family back home who cheered him on, and would always welcome him back with open arms. Yet this still wasn't enough to numb the pain. Even in his sleep his heart ached. He curled up and whimpered quietly.

"Dark…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

…I'm so going to be pummeled by all the diehard DLxL and RikuoxYuki fans. XDDD I'm sorry people, but I've been dying to see these two together! Seriously, since like chapter two of Four of a Kind (My first LOZ fic, in which Yuki, Rikuo, and Poe were first introduced) I've always thought they'd be kinda cute. Course, I still love DLxL and RikuoxYuki to death, so the pairings will stay as such, but as I was writing the scene I was like "Hmm… OMG! Here's my chance!" and tadaa. LinkxYuki. XDDD I know, I'm so weird. I mean really, who thinks up oddball pairings within their own story? Well, me evidently.

Please comment, because not only does it make my warm and fuzzy in the inside, but you'll get a personal message from yours truly. Think of it as a gift from me for getting my up to three-thousand hits. Oh, btw, if you don't want a reply for one reason or another, just mention that in your comment and I won't reply. But the rest of you, comment! Please!