Chapter Seventeen: Threads Tighten

It is with our passions as it is with fire and water; they are good servants, but bad masters.

-Roger L'Estrange

After speaking with Professor Curtiss they came to decide on meeting at Albel's apartment, it wasn't in his name, and very likely wouldn't be an expected place to meet. From there they would have time to figure out if they were going to hide her or not.

She had to admit the nearly empty apartment wasn't really what she expected, it wasn't dirty except for a few pieces of paper near the floor where the phone was, and some dishes that weren't done in the sink. There was a old thirteen inch tv that had a lot of static and only played in black and white. That was connected to a PS2 and a couple of games were around it. There was a futon with blankets that were messed up but looked used. It was rather small and empty, though Kagome wasn't even sure what she would have expected.

"More weapons." was the only thing to come to mind.

The way Albel glared at Sephiroth made her wonder if he wasn't thinking of sharp implements himself as the two slipped into the room. "Hey shivers, litter boy, Pasty said you would be here sooner, they want you to look at the gateway given your skill in the arcane. Said you might be able to give them some different perspective and some other mystical nonsense. Took you long enough to get here."

"There were things we needed to do to make certain we evaded Rufus' notice." Sephiroth commented, rather calm himself, though there was an edge of amusement as he noted the dislike the red eyed boy was sending him. "They expect me to believe you can look out for her yourself? We may as well gift wrap her and hand her over now."

"You got a problem litter boy we can duke it out now, but I figure that wouldn't be too subtle, you are capable of subtle right?" Albel returned with a scoff, picking up a cup with coffee and taking a long drink. "Think you can get over there without destroying half the city?"

"I never said I'd go over there at all. What does this gateway matter to me?" Sephiroth asked, leaning on a wall as if getting comfortable.

Kagome was getting steadily more annoyed as she glanced between the two posturing men, what the hell was wrong with them anyway? We're all the guys she knew high on testosterone lately?

"Both of you SHUT UP!" She finally snapped at them. "Stop talking about me like I'm not here."

"Sure thing shivers." Albel smirked at her outburst. "I ain't the one hindering progress here, some protector, probably just spying to see what he can find out."

"Then why are you cooperating?" Sephiroth didn't reply to Kagome's attitude at all, it was too fun baiting the boy. "You distrust me but invite me into your home?"

"I sure seem attached to it don't I?" Albel chuckled. "I'll miss this futon, it was more comfortable than the last few. Besides, I'm just following orders, I can't help with mystical garbage, I don't know or care to know it."

"I'm sure there is a great deal you don't know." Sephiroth returned but pushed away from the wall again. Fun as it was to irritate Albel, the boy was right, he would accomplish nothing if he just stayed here. "You okay with staying with this kid Kagome?"

"I'll be fine." She was getting good at lying. She didn't actually want to stay alone with Albel at all, but if it could get everything fixed so her life wouldn't be so insane she was okay with that.

"I shouldn't be too long." Sephiroth stated coldly before leaving out the door, closing it as he went. Leaving Kagome to stand in the mostly empty apartment with a boy that more often frightened or angered her than anything. She really wished they'd of picked anyone else...

"You not gonna fall apart on me are you shivers?" Albel asked, watching her after litter boy left.

"Don't call me that." Kagome grumbled, staring at him, she was still annoyed he'd been ignoring her earlier and anger was good, better to hang onto it then to give into fear.

"When you make it not true I'll find another nickname." He replied with a shrug, pushing himself up from the ground to his feet with a lazy grace. "Now then, it's down to the boiler room for us."

"What why?" Kagome blinked at the bizarre suggestion.

"Well, this Rufus or whatever has as far a reach as litter boy says, then he might figure out I've been staying here, and he'll at least search the apartment. Most fools don't look through the whole building. Come on, and don't make a fuss, there's that whole subtly thing I was talking about, attempt to have some." Albel opened the door, gesturing her out after looking along the hallway.

She found her anger starting to be replaced with nervousness as she followed his directions down the hall and down the stairs into a basement that looked as if it should have been condemned ages ago; the paint was faded or completely flaked off, there was rust all over everything metal, the floor was covered in dust, and the lightning flickered several times before finally coming on.

"It's like walking into a horror movie." She thought, rubbing her arms. "This is the part where I yell at the screen for the girl to run like hell."

"I get all the crap jobs." Albel commented, sitting on a bench that looked as if it had been a more recent addition to the place. "They could have sent someone else to babysit the quivering fool."

"Hey!" Kagome scowled at his comments. "You could try to have a ounce of kindness you know...I don't want to be here either. You don't gotta be such a jerk."

After eyeing a bug crawl under the boiler she rethought her idea of sitting on the floor and sat on the bench next to him with a huff, at least it was wide enough that she didn't have to touch him.

"Somethin' is bothering you more than usual shivers." He observed, leaning a bit forward and watching her face as she continued to look away from him in her annoyance. "I know you tend to jump emotions like a rabbit with a dog at it's tail...but usually not so quick like this. You actually are frightened of this Rufus loser."

"He shot up a whole building trying to kill me..." Kagome sighed as she said it, still not looking at Albel, she figured he'd just call her an idiot for even mentioning it. "Of course I'm scared...I can't do anything against that."

"Eh, don't worry about it." Albel shrugged in a dismissive way. "He's not of consequence, I'm quite practiced at hiding out away from that sort of fool. He'll have a hissy fit when he can't find you on camera somewhere, search the houses of everyone else before ever coming here at all."

"Why's that?" Kagome finally looked back at the strange kid that was sort of her friend, sort of her feared bully. Right now it was good to have anyone on her side.

"Well, I'm the one no one trusts or likes. Least reason for you to be anywhere with me." Albel answered without blinking. "It wasn't just the lack of magic that they picked me. I think they wanted to pick Lezard, but he got caught up with something at that big manor of his. I figure they went there first."

"He okay?" Kagome asked with concern.

"Glasses? He'll be able to handle the idiots they send his way." Albel replied with a roll of his eyes. "Worse that would happen is they'll ruffle that gay velvet jacket of his."

Kagome shook her head once at Albel's aggressive nature but had to smile a little, in the circumstances, it was nice not to have to think about it. In his own way he was reassuring her, she appreciated that.

"Didn't have time to get a sleeping bag. There's a blanket in the backpack under the bench here. You can sleep on the bench when you get tired." He said when she didn't respond to his comment after a while. "It's getting late and once this Rufus idiot gets serious couldn't say how much time we'll get to rest."

"Okay..." Kagome yawned a little at the mention of sleeping, it had gotten late running around the city all day to make sure they'd evaded Rufus on their way here. "Where are you going to sleep though?"

"The floor." Albel answered, shifting to sit there even as he said it. Pulling out the small blanket and tossing it to her. "It's warm enough in here though, might want to use it as a pillow."

"You can't sleep on the floor." Kagome's nose wrinkled at the idea. "There are bugs in here, I saw them."

"Figures you'd be afraid of a few creepy crawly's shivers, you think you'll survive if I turn out the light? Might make the earth quake so much you give us away." He mocked in amusement, leaning his back against the bench at it's edge for support. He closed his eyes as he finished his statement.

Though they popped right back open again as he felt a sharp kick to his side. "STOP..." she gave a small pause as her scream echoed off the walls, wincing at her own noise given they were suppose to be laying low, then added in silent rage. "...calling me shivers!"

He blinked at her slowly after her unexpected assault and yell, he knew enough that she hadn't screamed so loudly the neighbors would think it was anything out of the ordinary, but the fact that she'd actually kicked him when his eyes were closed left him silently considering her.

"What? I'm serious." She finally commented as he continued to hold her gaze for a long time, her moment of bravado passed as she realized a better plan would have been shutting up and going along.

"Serious about what shivers?" Albel asked in his perilous voice, the words intoned slowly but deliberately as he moved back onto the bench, putting an arm across her lap as he watched her from the closed distance. "You don't want me to sleep on the floor...what sort of alternative are you offering?"

Kagome blushed at the very obvious implications of that and stuttered. "W..what? How dare you even..."

She was interrupted when he leaned in and put his face so close to hers she thought he was going to kiss her full on the lips. It made her stomach do somersaults she didn't think previously possible as the butterflies inside migrated to her heart to make it flutter.

"Even what?" He whispered, the warmth of his breath instantly noticeable against her skin. "Why are you always so angry with me anyway?"

"Because you always seem to think you are faultless even though you are only rude." She answered, though she'd dropped into a whisper, uncertain what to do at the close distance. His eyes were possessive and dangerous, but held a lust unlike she'd ever seen, and knowing she was the target of the rarely witnessed feelings she had a hard time looking away.

"That's the secret Kagome." Albel answered, leaning a bit more forward but off to one side, kissing the edge of her mouth as one of his hands held down one of hers to the bench. "I'm not faultless. Often better and, rarely, a little worse than most of the fools out there, I'm just honest about it. I'm no more prideful than any of the rest."

She froze as he kissed the side of her lips, but he stopped there and finished his statement, staring at her again. "I'm not sure why you're afraid of me, they're all much more capable of wanton destruction than I."

"You are much more willing to use your power than they are." Kagome pointed out. She half wanted to tell him to back off, but even the aggressive contact was comforting somehow. "Are you really surprised?"

"Suppose not." He grinned a bit, and she felt all her insides tense at once when he took her other hand and held them both down, leaning his face close to hers again. "But I don't really wanna discuss the other fools at all. They aren't nearly as worthy of my attention as the creature I have right here in front of me."

She had already figured he'd had a crush on her, but the compliment was so rare coming from him it somehow meant more, albeit in a deranged way, than the many others she'd gotten lately. She swallowed a bit, half wanting to tell him to back off, and not really sure what else she wanted...

"You going to run away again Shivers?" It was a challenge, she was certain of it, and he was there next to her, smelling vaguely of freshly cut timbre. Seeming rather amused as he watched her, the sparkle of his red eyes pushing her to retreat. She knew if she backed down she'd never stop being called shivers.

Instead, she leaned in, letting her eyes slide closed as she kissed him. It was surprising how soft his lips were, she'd expected something rougher and while they weren't quite velvety the way his grasp tightened around her wrists and held her firmly in place when she went to move her hands made her heart race in a way she didn't expect.

He deepened the kiss, his tongue tracing at her lips only a moment before slipping along her teeth experimentally. She found herself mimicking him and the deep throated whimper he offered when she returned the favor of searching only pushed her further. The fact that she was making out with someone she'd pegged as a homicidal maniac hadn't quite passed her thoughts yet...

He broke off the heavy embrace long enough to push the bench from the wall and lay her across it, his speed making it hard for her to catch much of a breath with which to form a protest before he'd put the blanket behind her head as a pillow and leaned down to resume, the short pause only seeming to heighten the carnal demand of his lips. It was as if his overwhelming desire was infecting her. She couldn't quite grasp the way it made her feel when his teeth teased along her bottom lip and he shoved both her arms above her head to hold them with a single hand as the other traced her body.

He was far more forward and possessive than any of the men in her life had been, but he held a frightened edge to his zealous if willful affection that held her hypnotized. An antagonistic dance moment to moment, as if was both in completely controlling of their embrace yet also fearful that at any time that authority would be stolen away.

She felt her bra being moved up above her breasts, shoved aside as if were a obstacle, his hand tracing her breast before he broke off another short moment to lick his finger. Drawing the wetness across her nipple and grinding into her hips with his as he began to kiss along her jawline to her ear, suckling on the lobe a moment and growling in echo when she moaned at his efforts.

It was as if her entire body was humming in accordance to the buttons he pushed, some part of her mind was screaming bloody murder for how inappropriate this was, but it might as well have come down with laryngitis. It was as if each kiss, each caress, each press of his hand or hips against hers set her body aflame in ways she hadn't realized were possible.

He tugged the sweatpants she'd had to borrow from Sephiroth down, his free hand sliding between her legs and teasing over her womanhood her as the trail of his lips reached her exposed breast. His tongue flicking over the nipple the same time his dexterous fingers drug nails along the inside of her thigh.

The wide variety of pleasurable attention made her shiver and he pulled her up again, pressing her into a kiss as he mentally cursed the school uniform for having a belt.

End Chapter

All us fans of Albel out there wish he'd hold us down and do naughty things to us, everyone knows it's true :P Anyway, whew, that was fun to write...now people can't bug me that Albel didn't get a kiss yet... rawr!

-Aura

To my reviewers:

As always thanks for all the wonderful attention, it makes me feel happy other people enjoy my insanity.

DeathNoteMaker - Rufus is always an asshole...as for others being involved, can't yet say...

Black Firelight - Ha!...Ha! All sorts of Albel!

Ringo - I haven't decided yet. I sort of use this as a creative outlet to do with what I will as I go along. Very little planning goes into this compared to almost any other fiction I work on.