A/N: Since I've only one week left before school, I'm going to post more chapters more often. This week I'll post two more chapters, and next week I'll post the final three chapters of 'Why'. I might post the first chapter of 'No, Kio' if I have the time. For now, enjoy the story and leave reviews if you like it.

Chapter 7:

After he said he was going out for a while, Sou-chan didn't come back to our apartment until nearly midnight. He looked like he was going to collapse from being overly water-logged. He waved me away, like he was some sort of prince, and went to bed. Damn, he can be really dramatic sometimes.

As I was picking up his wet clothes off the floor (I know, I sound like his wife, or something.), I found something hidden beneath his black shirt. Sou-chan had gone out and bought his own piercing gun. The packaging appeared to be undamaged, but it was dark, so I couldn't really tell if Sou-chan had used the gun or not. I assumed he had bought the piercing gun for me. I mean, mine was getting kinda old and the one he had looked brand-new. I didn't keep it. I set on his bedside table to let him know that I had found it, but I wasn't going to take it…unless he gave it to me himself.

I wonder. Did Sou-chan really pierce his ears? I tossed his clothes in the hamper, and dried my dampened hands on Sou-chan's blanket. I mean, he'd know I was there if I touched him with wet fingers. Kneeling beside his bed, I realized how peaceful Sou-chan looked when he slept. I knew he was really tired, because he forgot to take off his glasses. Oh, he's too much like a little kid sometimes.

I gently stroked Sou-chan's ear, feeling for a hole in his virgin skin. Well, I guess they wouldn't be virgin ears if he had pierced them. But, after a few minutes, I couldn't find any signs of a piercing, not one hole. While I wondered if Sou-chan had pierced himself somewhere else, my hand crept into his hair. Even when it was soaked by the rain, Sou-chan had soft hair. He smelled like rain and Seven Stars cigarettes. That smell always lured me to him. If Sou-chan had laughed in his sleep, I would have found myself beside him the next morning.

"Goodnight, Sou-chan," I whispered, stifling a chuckle. Even as I left his room and went to my own, I could still smell Sou-chan on my hands. His sweet smell, like incense, lulled me to sleep.

The next morning, when I was about half-finished with my latest candy sucker, I noticed something different about Sou-chan while he painted. His hair was the same shiny, blond color, and he was wearing glasses instead of his contact lenses. Then I saw them: a pair of pink butterflies on Sou-chan's ears.

"Sou-chan," I said, taking my candy out of my mouth, "you got your ears pierced! When did you do it?" I was shocked! I didn't find any holes in his ears the night before, so how did he get them now?

Sou-chan set down his paintbrush and looked at me. He had that glint in his eye I knew I couldn't resist. "You look good," I grinned, trying to resist falling to Sou-chan's bottomless gaze. "I mean, you look a little gay, but you look good!" Sou-chan smiled and adjusted his cigarette to keep it from falling.

"You're funny this early, Kio," he said. I glanced over at the digital clock we had finally agreed to buy since I started working. The green digital numbers read '6:30 AM.' Huh. I didn't realize it was that early in the day. It certainly didn't feel like 6:30 AM to me.

"I'm a morning person," I laughed. Wow! Sou-chan's never this excited in the mornings. He must be in a really good mood. He seemed to be proud of his new piercing. Although, he probably could have worn something else besides pink butterflies.

I've noticed that Sou-chan really likes butterflies. He's never told me himself, but it's really obvious. He has a pink butterfly ring, he paints butterflies, and now he's wearing pink butterfly earrings. I can understand. Butterflies are beautiful and small. I remember having a pet caterpillar when I was a kid and watching it grow into a butterfly.

"Sou-chan, you must really like butterflies," I smiled. "You're always painting them. And, you're really good at painting them." Sou-chan stopped painting and took the cigarette out of his mouth. He extinguished it in a homemade ash tray I crafted, and then he didn't look at me. He seemed to be glaring at his painting!

"Butterflies," he muttered. "I hate them."

A/N: I'm not sure how clocks work in Japan, so the American digital clock is the best alternative.