It should have been like all the others. It should have been quick. It should have been easy. But it wasn't, because it was him.


Gakushuu sighed and craned his neck to the left, trying to stretch out the kink there. It seemed no amount of expensive economic setting would save him from the tension in his shoulders. Despite the ache, his fingers moved at lightning speed over the computer keys.

This proposal wasn't due for another four days why put off until tomorrow what will be more impressive today? Being in such the high position that he was at twenty-six was remarkable as it was but Gakushuu was never the type to be satisfied with what he had. He needed more. More power, more admiration, more money. It wasn't the healthiest of mindsets but he'd never been satisfied with that either. That's why he was still in his office at one twenty-seven AM long after everyone else had gone home, kink in his neck or not.

He didn't feel the presence behind him until the hands were close enough to touch him. That irritated him despite knowing that a regular person wouldn't have known they weren't alone until those hands were already around their throat. He hadn't heard them come in either and although that irritated him also, that was rather par for the course. Assassin's were supposed to be covert and unseen and any assassin that had ever attempted to kill him would have to be exceptional at both.

He could feel the burning golden eyes tracing patterns along the exposed part of his neck. His own eyes not leaving the computer screen, he wondered what the sharp mind that went with those eyes were thinking of at a time like this.

Gakushuu didn't speak or acknowledge those eyes or those hands or that mind until he had finished typing up the proposal and proofread it twice. To the credit of his visitor, they were being uncharacteristically patient tonight.

Once he had completed his work, he hit 'save' one last time to be sure and leaned back in his chair, his head bumping against a hard torso.

He stared up into the golden eyes hovering only inches above, unbothered and not at all alarmed.

"You took your time." Karma grinned, baring his fang-like canines.

"I was being thorough." Said Gakushuu.

With Karma's head angled down, his red hair hung around his face. It almost matched in colour to the smear across Karma's cheek.

"You missed a spot." Gakushuu reached up as though to touch it but stopped short of doing so. Who knew who's blood that was and he knew better than to get any trace on himself.

Karma's grinned widened.

"The colour suits me, don't you think?"

"I don't think much of you at all." Said Gakushuu, sitting straight again, facing his computer.

He could practically hear Karma's lips forming into that childish pout.

"Now that's just mean." He huffed. "And after I came all this way to see you."

Gakushuu could have asked what he was doing here in the first place but it was a pointless question. They both knew. Hearing it spoken aloud wasn't going to change anything.

Ignoring him, Gakushuu busied himself with shutting down his computer.

Karma hated being ignored, something Gakushuu was very aware. That's why he didn't he didn't even gasp when his chair was yanked out from under his desk abruptly.

Karma spun it around so Gakushuu would be facing him.

"You're being awfully rude to me, you know."

"You show up every three to six months unannounced demanding my attention and I am the rude one?"

"That's what I said, isn't it?"

Gakushuu sighed. Karma was always like this. If he'd been a part of his regular life, a subordinate or more likely a rival, he wouldn't have stood for such flagrant immaturity. But nothing about Karma could be described as 'regular'.

From this new vantage point, he took in Karma's unmarked, all-black clothing, the well-fitted pants and high necked sweater, the utility belt on his hips, the gloves on his hands and boots he always managed to move so quietly in.

From what little Gakushuu knew of Karma's jobs, he wasn't the kind of hitman that infiltrated your everyday life, caught you unawares and stabbed you while your back was turned. Karma was more likely to slip in unseen in the dead of night and slip out the same. Gakushuu wondered if any of his bounties had ever even seen his face. He wondered if he was the only one. But they didn't talk about work when they were together.

Although Gakushuu had his wonderings there were things about Karma's life he didn't want to know and he was certain that Karma didn't want to hear about the two unnecessary, half-hour meetings he had each day that could have easily been an email. Their odd little relationship- if you could refer to it as such- just didn't work like that. There were no 'Hi, honey. How was your day?' which was just well because Gakushuu wouldn't have let it go on this long if there were such things.

Karma reached out a hand and pressed a fingertip between the other man's brows. He never would have touched him if his gloves weren't clean.

"Penny for your thoughts?"

"Two for yours?"

"Oh, Gakushuu! Why I am just flattered by such an expensive!" Karma trailed his deft fingers down the side of his face and under Gakushuu's chin, tilting it up lightly. "But I asked first."

"My thoughts don't concern you."

There was that pout again, soft pink lips pursed and puckered.

"Boring." Karma's hand fell away and Gakushuu stood from his chair.

He turned back to his desk and set up clearing up for the night, gathering everything that needed to be taken with him.

"If I bore you perhaps you should leave."

"And leave you all alone with no one to confide in? Never. Unspeakable. Utterly ineffable."

"Is that why you didn't do it then?" Asked Gakushuu.

Karma didn't have a reply for that.

Gakushuu finished gathering his things and then turned back to face Karma. The man was watching him with those burning, golden eyes. So bright and yet telling a story so dark.

This time Gakushuu reached out and touched him. Avoiding the bloody smear, he cupped Karma's face in one hand.

"You could have done it. I know you could have. It would have been over in seconds but here we are three years later. I wouldn't need to confide in anyone if I was dead."

"I changed my mind."

"That doesn't answer my question."

"I'm not trying to."

Gakushuu's grip tightened, drawing Karma ever closer.

"Do you really need me that much?"

"I don't need anyone."

"You can lie to yourself but you can't lie to me."

"I don't lie."

"Everybody lies."

Karma moved in closer, lips so close Gakushuu could have counted each individual wrinkle.

"Not everybody has something to hide." Said Karma, voice but a whisper in a near non-existent space between them.

"Yes, they do." Said Gakushuu.

"But we're not everybody, are we?" The corner of Karma's lip quirked upwards.

"We most certainly are not." Gakushuu returned with his own ghost of a smile.

He lowered his head slightly and let their forehead's press together, closing his eyes. He knew Karma's eyes would be opened. There always were. He was always watching, golden and sharp.

Gakushuu let his hand drift from Karma's up into his hair, gripping it lightly. He could feel Karma's warm breath on his mouth. One might have thought that a killer would have been cold but they would be wrong. Karma was fire. Relentless, uncontrolled, blinding with its light and burning everything they touched. Gakushuu wondered when he had come to almost enjoy that burn.

"I need to go home." Said Gakushuu.

"I'll meet you there."

"I thought you didn't need me."

"I don't."

"You're lying again."

This time Karma didn't say otherwise. He just blinked his golden eyes, lashes flutter just a hair width away from touching Gakushuu's.

"We're not everybody."


YO. Okay, so this little series was originally a collection of one shots that I was shifting over from my A03 account but because of the different formatting and what not, it works much better set up as a multi fic. So, if you're reading and you feel kind of like there is a lot of time between the chapters or they don't flow perfectly that would be because they're are all actually one shots. That being said, there is a story and a somewhat minimalist plot to follow along with, so if you decide to stay and give it a read, I hope you enjoy!

Tabitha Hallows XXX