Disclaimer- Gravitation is not mine.

Warnings- same.

A/N- Here's the second half.

(Chapter 7: At Destiny's Door part 2)

Several drinks later, he was still sitting at the bar. He had drowned his sorrows in alcohol, and he continued ordering one drink after another. It did put him in a better mood, but at a high price. Because of his drinking, he was running low on cash and common sense. Later, he would have to decide between a place to stay and a train ticket, since he hardly had any money left. But now, he was too upset to care. And it was all because he thought Ryuichi was purposely ignoring him. Little did he know…

Ryuichi was actually keeping a close eye on Tatsuha from where he was sitting. He was shocked when he first saw the teen in the club, and too unprepared for another encounter between them. He was with his girlfriend too. It was bad timing, and he didn't know what to do.

Ryuichi was completely flustered after seeing Tatsuha again. The teen looked really good, and truth be told, Ryu wanted to see him more than anyone could've imagined. He didn't want to treat the boy like he did, but it just wasn't the right time or place. And to make matters worse, Tatsuha saw that kiss. It was unplanned and not something Ryu meant to do. It just…happened, and now he felt awful.

Ryuichi knew he was going to apologize to Tatsuha for all of his rude behavior before the night was over, but until then, he would have to secretly watch over him.

There were a few times when Tatsuha caught Ryuichi staring at him, but every time he stared back the singer turned away. This only supported the idea that Ryu was ignoring him, and he took a long sip of his drink to cope with it.

A bartender walked by with a concerned looked on his face. "Don't you think you should take it easy with that drink?"

"Aww, don't worry!" he chuckled, "I can hold my liquor."

It was true, he was an experienced drinker, but this time he may have overdid it. The drinks were very strong and he had a lot of them. Luckily, he was still able to speak well enough. But even so, his face was bright pink.

As he took another sip of his drink, a woman sat down next to him. She had long black hair that was tied back with a pink ribbon, and she also had a very flirtatious personality. Turned out, Ryuichi Sakuma wasn't the only person there with his eyes on the boy.

"Hey there! Why's a handsome guy like you all alone?" she grinned, "No girlfriend?"

"No…" he replied, then he pointed to himself, "…all alone. I'm used to being the heartbreaker, but this time it's different." He pressed his hand against his chest, "It really hurts, ya know?"

Tatsuha looked down and saw that he was almost finished with his drink, so he tried to order a new one.

"Sorry," the bartender replied, "but I've got to cut you off. You've had too many, I'm not allowed to keep serving you."

The teen let out a deep sigh. With only one sip of alcohol left in his glass, he raised it into the air.

"Here's to…well…here's to money, here's to freedom…but most of all…" he turned to the woman sitting next to him, "…here's to you." He drank the rest of his drink.

"Thank you very much. I'm honored. Really." She smiled and winked at him, "Listen, I can't really do much about your drink situation. But if it's a good time you're lookin' for, you've found it. How 'bout a dance?"

Tatsuha looked up at the top floor and saw Ryuichi staring down at both of them. "Yeah, sure," he smirked, "Let's dance!"

They both walked to the dance floor and started dancing. The DJ turned up the volume, and upbeat music was blaring through the speakers. She swayed her hips back and forth, and he felt her body moving against his. Their movements were in sync, and they danced until they were almost out of breath. After a few songs, they stopped in the middle of the dance floor.

"Hey!" she shouted over all the noise, "You're a good dancer!"

"Thanks."

She grabbed his hand and pulled him, "Let's get outta here! Okay? I know a place where we can have some privacy."

She started leading him off the dance floor, but someone stopped them.

"HOLD IT!"

Tatsuha felt a hand grab his shoulder, and it squeezed him tightly.

"Ouch! Let go!" He brushed the hand off and turned around. When he looked up, he saw the hostile face of a slightly taller and very muscular man. The man looked like he'd been drinking, and he sounded furious.

"Who the hell are you?! Where do ya think you're goin' with my girlfriend?!"

"Girlfriend?" Tatsuha looked puzzled, "Wait a minute! I didn't know she was your--"

"Leave us alone, Nagi!" the woman interrupted, "I don't want you anymore!"

Tatsuha turned to her, "What?!"

"Oh, you're gonna pay for this, punk!" The man grabbed the back of Tatsuha's hair and pulled. And then, a huge fight broke out.

The music stopped playing and people backed away from the two opponents. They watched in awe, pointing and gasping as Tatsuha and the man had it out in the middle of the dance floor. Some people thought it was exciting. They circled around them and cheered them on.

They both scuffled to the ground. They rolled around on the floor, pulling and swinging at each other, as they battled for the offensive position. In the middle of the tussle, the man grabbed Tatsuha's leg. He yanked it as the teen fought against him, but Tatsuha was able to kick away. Then, he struggled to get back on his feet as quickly as possible.

The fist fight was painful. Tatsuha got hit a few times in the face. He felt his skin burning, and his fists were throbbing. But despite his wounds, he was winning. He dodged and dealt most of the blows. At one point, he threw a punch to the man's stomach and knocked the wind out of him. Then, after the man threw a punch to his shoulder and missed, the teen grabbed hold of the guy's arm. Using all of his strength, Tatsuha managed to flip the guy over and onto the ground.

It was finally over. The guy he tossed lay on the ground, unable to get up. Tatsuha won the match. He stood there for a minute, trying to catch his breath, and then turned to leave the dance floor. As he walked away, he suddenly heard gasps coming from the crowd, and the people standing next to him wore shocked expressions on their faces.

And then, a voice amongst the crowd called to him. It sounded alarmed and terrified, and it came from the top floor.

"LOOK OUT! BEHIND YOU!!"

Tatsuha turned around just in time to see the man standing up again. The guy snarled, and wiped the blood from his busted lip. Enraged, he ran and grabbed the nearest chair and charged straight for the teen. Without a second to think, Tatsuha braced himself as he watched the guy raise the chair into the air and over his head. He didn't blink as he looked up and saw the chair about to strike, but he also saw something he didn't expect. It was a blur at first, the way it moved so fast, but then it became clear.

A pink bunny wearing a red bowtie flew through the air.

It soared over Tatsuha's head and collided with the other guy's face. The man was thrown off for only a second, but it was long enough for the teen to act. With a swift fist, Tatsuha was able to land a strong right-hook straight into the man's face. The guy fell (for good this time) and the chair landed on the ground next to him.

Of course by now, security was already plowing through the enormous crowd. Tatsuha saw them and ran. If caught, he would go to jail along with the guy he fought. He had to keep away from them.

Tatsuha was able to push through the crowd before security could reach him. He grabbed his backpack, ran through a dark area in the club, and found another way out. He escaped through the back door, which lead to a quiet backstreet. The backstreet also had a sign pointing in the direction of one of Tokyo's main streets, so he followed it.

Once outside the club, he began to slow down. There weren't any people around, which worked out perfectly for him. He didn't want to deal with anyone's awkward stares. He didn't want anyone to see him in his condition and look down on him. He just wanted to be alone, so he could figure things out.

He stumbled around as he walked. Alcohol was partly at fault for his inability to walk straight. Injury also contributed a little. He limped around on his sore leg for a while as he wandered down the street, and his entire body was decorated in scratches and bruises. He was a complete mess.

"I need…to find a…place to stay," he panted, "I need to…clean myself up." He dug through his backpack for his wallet, and when he realized that he didn't have enough money left, he dropped down to his knees. "No," he whispered sadly, "What am I gonna do now?"

Footsteps began to echo in the distance. Someone was running toward him, and he immediately assumed that a security guard was hot on his trail. He got up and started running, but the footsteps got faster. He looked back, and saw Ryuichi chasing him.

When he saw Ryuichi running after him, he ran faster. He tried his best to get away from him. The last thing he ever wanted was for Ryuichi Sakuma to see how bad he looked.

But Ryuichi wouldn't give up. He picked up the pace, and ran a lot faster. "Wait!" he yelled, "Wait, Tatsuha! I want to talk to you!"

After hearing his calls, Tatsuha kept running. However, it was getting harder for him to keep his pace in his condition. He lost his balance, and stumbled a bit. Then he straightened up and kept running.

Ryuichi called again, "Stop! Please wait!"

Tatsuha wouldn't listen. He felt as though he were about to collapse. His skin was stinging with every step he took, and his chest tightened as he gasped for air. But he wouldn't stop running.

Suddenly, Tatsuha's condition got the better of him. He tripped, and fell to the ground. He was able to get back up and he staggered for a moment, but he was too hurt and tired to keep going. He dropped back down to his knees.

When Ryuichi finally caught up with him, he wrapped his arms around him in a comforting embrace. "Oh!" he sighed with relief, "Please be more careful, Tatsuha."

His entire body warmed up in Ryu's arms, and he felt like he could breathe again. But the feeling changed when he remembered how Ryuichi also held that blonde-haired woman in his arms. He remembered how Ryu rejected him…how he ignored him…how everyone ignored him…and how they all thought poorly of him. He remembered the reason he was running away in the first place, and he began to think Ryuichi was mocking him. "What are you doing?!"

"Sorry," Ryuichi smiled as he held Tatsuha closer to him, "I'm just so happy you're okay."

"I'm not okay! Let go of me! Don't touch me!" Tatsuha shouted, as he tore himself out of Ryu's embrace and backed away. He breathed in and out slowly to calm himself, "…I'm not okay."

Ryuichi looked shocked and confused. He stared at him, and he wasn't sure how to react. "Tatsuha?"

"Go away!"

"No, let me help you." Ryu reached for Tatsuha's arm in an attempt to help him up, but Tatsuha brushed it away.

"No!" he refused, "I don't want your sympathy! I don't want your help! I'm on my own now, I don't need anyone!"

Tatsuha was reaching his breaking point. His frustrations were too much for him to handle. All of the responsibilities he dealt with, his family members' distrust, his training for taking over after his father… they all built up inside of him, and they were all coming out at once. When he added alcohol to the mix, he ended up having a major meltdown on his hands.

The teen angrily grabbed his backpack and stood up. He turned away, put the backpack on, and started limping. The backpack was still open, and Ryuichi noticed that there were clothes inside. Then he put two and two together.

"Tatsuha…are you running away?"

Tatsuha hesitated to speak at first, but then he answered the question. He spoke without turning to look at him. "…I'm leaving Tokyo tomorrow on a train," he mumbled, "and I'm not coming back."

"No one knows about this?"

Tatsuha slowly nodded his head, and Ryuichi felt a sharp pain shoot through his chest. He immediately jumped in front of the teen and blocked the only pathway. The singer wasn't going to let him leave so easily, and because of that, he was about to learn the hard way that there's no reasoning with a drunk person.

Ryuichi shouted, hoping that it would help stop him. "You shouldn't! Your family will worry and--"

"It's none of your business anyway." Tatsuha interrupted, "Why don't you go back to the club?"

When Ryuichi heard him say that, he got upset. He moved closer to Tatsuha and looked into his eyes. Tatsuha had never seen him look so serious, and Ryuichi's tone was much deeper.

"How could you say that?" he whispered, "You're my best friend's brother-in-law, and I just watched some guy beat the crap out of you! So it is my business!"

Tatsuha laughed, "Ha ha! If you think this is bad, you should see the other guy!

"I don't care about the other guy!" Ryuichi yelled, "I care about you!"

There was a long and awkward silence after that. Tatsuha didn't know what to say. They both just stood there and stared at each other. Then, Ryuichi broke the silence. His voice was much calmer.

"Let me help you. We'll go talk to Tohma."

"No."

"Tatsuha--"

"No way!"

Tatsuha clenched his fists and stared at the ground as he spoke, "Look, there's no way I'm going back to see Tohma! I…I can't face him like this."

The amount of concern Ryuichi had in his voice grew. "Then what will you do? Where will you go?"

"I--!" Tatsuha raised his voice for a moment, and then stopped in the middle of his sentence. He stared at Ryuichi with sad eyes, trembling, and he looked as though he were about to cry. "I…" he repeated hastily, "I don't know!"

Without another word, Tatsuha pushed pass Ryuichi. He limped further and further down the street, until he reached the end. While he walked, he didn't hear Ryuichi say or do anything, and he didn't look back. He just kept moving forward.

Tatsuha was about to head for the main street, when he heard echoes coming from the backstreet he had just left.

"Don't leave!"

They were hard to hear, but they started getting louder.

"Don't leave!"

Tatsuha didn't think anything of it, and he didn't bother paying attention to it. But suddenly he heard Ryuichi's voice, and it was right behind him.

"DON"T LEAVE!"

"Huh? What?!"

"STAY WITH ME!"

Ryuichi grabbed Tatsuha and wrapped his arms around his waist, embracing the teen from behind. He pressed the side of his face against Tatsuha's back and shouted again.

"STAY, TATSUHA! DON'T LEAVE ME!"

"Wh-What? Ryuichi?"

The singer blushed after he realized what he had said, and he turned an even brighter shade of red once he realized how he was holding the teen.

"Ummm…I mean…stay at my place, at least for tonight. You're hurt, Tatsuha. It's late and you've got nowhere to go. I can see that I won't be able to change your mind. So, rest at my place tonight, and then you can be on your way tomorrow."

Tatsuha paused for a moment, as if he were giving Ryu's offer some thought, and then he spoke.

"Ryuichi?"

"Yes?" the singer answered, as he tightened his grip.

"…You can let go of me now."

"Oh! Right!" Ryuichi let go, and Tatsuha turned around to face him. He was smiling.

"Okay…I'll stay at your place 'till morning."

"Good," Ryuichi smiled back, "I'll call a driver to come pick us up."

Tatsuha nodded, and then set his backpack down next to him while he waited.

Without warning, his head started to spin. His breath shortened, and his vision got fuzzy. He wobbled a bit as he stood, and he was having trouble supporting his weight on one leg (since the other one hurt so much), so he leaned against a wall.

"Hey, Tatsuha?"

"Y-Yes?" he answered, in a quivering tone.

"Are you…feeling alright?"

"Yes…I'm fine."

"Come closer. You can lean on me. I'm much softer than that wall."

Tatsuha's smile grew wider, and he took the singer up on his offer.

"…Thank you," he whispered in gratitude, "Thank you…very… mu--"

He fell to the ground with a loud thud, and the last thing he heard was Ryuichi's voice calling to him. "Tatsuha!"

Then everything faded to black.

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Tatsuha's world went pitch black in only a matter of seconds, and he was having a hard time recovering. It was like being trapped inside a tiny box with chains wrapped around it. He couldn't see or hear anything, and for the longest time, he could barely move.

But then, out of nowhere, he heard a soothing melody. He couldn't name the song, but the voice sounded familiar. It had to be Ryuichi's. The lyrics were hummed to him in a smooth and powerful voice. That voice couldn't belong to anyone else.

Tatsuha felt himself slowly regaining consciousness. And as he listened to the melody, a hand gently grazed his cheek.

When he finally opened his eyes, he saw Ryuichi leaning over him. His idol was still humming, but he stopped and smiled as soon as their eyes met.

"What…happened?" the teen asked, his voice a little shaky.

"You passed out," Ryu answered as he stared down at him, "You scared me."

"Oh, yeah…Sorry, I don't know what happened to me. Ha ha, I guess I just had too much excitement for one night."

"Yeah, that, and you drank too much." Ryuichi's smile disappeared then, and there was a hint of seriousness in his reply.

Tatsuha blushed at the comment. He turned away from Ryu's gaze, and looked around the room instead.

He quickly noticed that he was lying on top of a large bed, and that Ryuichi was sitting next to him on its edge. There were two doors (one directly across the room, and one on his left), a few posters on the walls, and a chair or two, but the room was too wide and his vision was still a little fuzzy. He wasn't able to see a lot of details. All he really knew was that he wasn't on the street anymore.

"Where am I?"

"You're at my place, in one of my guestrooms." Ryu answered, and then he smiled again, "Ya know what, Tats-chan, you're a lot heavier than you look!"

Tatsuha smiled in response, and in his excitement (after finding out where he was), he tried to sit up too quickly and got a little dizzy. "Whoa!"

"Hey, Hey!" the singer cautioned, "Take it easy! You've had a rough night."

Tatsuha nodded. "I'm fine, I'm fine. Really" he assured, as he pushed his body forward and sat up straight.

After he pulled himself together, the teen looked down and noticed that both of his hands were sloppily wrapped in bandages. There were band-aids stuck to different parts of his body as well. Ryuichi saw that he had a questionable look on his face, so he began to explain.

"It's not as bad as it looks. You had a few cuts and bruises, but nothing serious. It should heal pretty fast. You don't have to see a doctor or anything." Ryuichi's smile widened and he laughed again, "Ha ha, well, maybe I should've taken you to one. He'd probably be better at wrapping bandages than I am. This is my first time ever wrapping bandages on someone. So, I guess I'm kinda bad at it. Sorry 'bout that, but please bear with it."

Tatsuha shook his head. "Oh no, don't be sorry. You did a really good job!" he lied, "I feel better already."

"Thanks." Ryu replied, as he stood up from the bed and walked to a corner of the room. He returned to the bedside with a backpack in his hands. "Well, here's your backpack," he said while handing it to him, "Would you like anything? I want you to feel as comfortable as possible while you're staying here."

Tatsuha looked around and pointed to the door on his left. "Is that a bathroom over there?"

"Yep!"

"That's great. I'd really like to clean up a little."

"Sure, na no da!" Ryu beamed, "And don't worry about your bandages. They're waterproof!"

"There's a shower, right?" the teen asked as he rose from the bed. But when he got to his feet and stood, he wobbled a bit and quickly crouched down to the ground.

"Whoa! Wait a minute! Don't stand up so fast."

Ryuichi rushed over to Tatsuha and helped him back up. Then they both sat down on the edge of the bed. "Yes, there is a shower," he answered, "but I don't think you'll be able to keep standing up on your own while you're in it."

At that very moment, Tatsuha turned to face his idol, and Ryuichi saw him differently. The teen didn't seem so helpless anymore, and there was a hunger in his lustful black eyes that devoured every inch of Ryu's body. It was almost heart-stopping, and Ryuichi began to feel a little nervous.

"So…" Tatsuha spoke slowly and in a seductive tone, "are you offering to join in and help me?"

Ryuichi immediately turned bright red and he could barely speak, "…um…uh…I-I can…help y-you…" He had a hard time finishing his sentence, and all the while, Tatsuha was leaning in closer and closer. Their lips almost touched, when Ryu shouted, "I'll fix you a bath! Then you don't have to stand! Wait here!"

Ryuichi leaped off the bed and ran into the bathroom, and the next thing Tatsuha heard was running water. After a few minutes, Ryu came back into the room, and he was acting like his usual energetic self. "I've started it for you!" he cheered, "but it'll take a while for it to fill up."

He sat back down next to Tatsuha and kept talking, "So, this is the room you'll be sleeping in. If you need anything, anything at all, I'll be in my room. It's right down the hall. And don't worry about waking me up either, I don't mind."

"Ryuichi"

Tatsuha's tone hadn't changed at all from before, and it almost made Ryuichi too nervous to answer.

"Yes…Tats-chan?"

Without any warning, Tatsuha boldly leaned in and placed a hand on Ryu's thigh. He pushed himself closer, until both bodies touched, and he whispered sweetly into his ear, "Why can't I sleep with you?"

Ryuichi blushed. "Ah! Tatsuha!" he cried, "You're too close!"

He tried to put some space between them, but before he could move, Tatsuha wrapped his arms around him and pulled him closer.

"Wait!" he shouted, "Hold on! Wait a--"

Tatsuha pressed his lips against Ryu's before he could finish his sentence, and he felt him relax in his arms almost instantly. When he was sure that Ryu had calmed down, he lightly flicked his tongue against his idol's lips, prompting him to open his mouth for a deeper, more passionate kiss.

Ryuichi felt his heart beat faster, so fast that he could hardly breathe, and he began to tug aggressively at Tatsuha's shirt. The teen broke their kiss for only a second so that they could catch their breath, and in that second, he looked into Ryu's eyes and realized that they had changed. They were the piercing eyes of the singer he'd seen performing on stage many times before, only this time they had a gleam of desire.

The teen captured his lips again, and their mouths fused together for an even longer period of time. Ryuichi wrapped his arms around the boy's neck, and after their lips separated for the second time, he breathed a submissive whimper into his ear.

He suggestively fell back and stretched his body across the bed. Tatsuha took this as an invitation and crawled on top of him. They kissed affectionately, and after the kiss was broken, Tatsuha slid his hand underneath Ryu's shirt and moved it across his body until it rested on his bare chest.

Ryuichi didn't break eye contact with Tatsuha the entire time, until the younger began to press his mouth against his neck, then his eyes closed automatically. He was surprised at how the young monk handled his body so well, and he softly moaned in approval.

Tatsuha left a trail of soft kisses from Ryu's chin to just under his collarbone. And each time he pressed his lips to Ryu's skin, it would get warmer. The lead singer felt his body heating up. By now, he was panting uncontrollably. His heart was pounding in his chest, and he trembled a little every time he felt small gusts of Tatsuha's breath beat against his skin.

But pleasure turned into pain in a split second when an over-ambitious Tatsuha, still slightly inebriated, forgot himself and bit down on Ryu's neck.

"Ouch! Too hard!" Ryu shouted, as he covered the spot on his neck with his hand. He reflexively pushed Tatsuha off of him, and accidentally caused the teen to fall off the bed and onto the floor. Tatsuha slowly stood back up, and they stared at each other awkwardly.

They both were very quiet, until Tatsuha tried to apologize.

"Ryuichi…I…I didn't mean to--" he panicked, "I'm sor--"

"Oh no!" Ryuichi jumped up from the bed (completely ignoring what the boy was saying) and rushed to the bathroom, "The water! I forgot the water! I left it running!"

Tatsuha stood silently in the room, and when Ryu came back, a confused expression appeared on his face. The singer was his usual self again, and he acted as if nothing had happened.

"Okay, Tats-chan!" he cheered, "The bath's ready."

Tatsuha followed him back into the bathroom, which was very nice and stylish-looking. It had a polished marble floor, a sink, a very spacious shower, and a huge bath tub. His confusion was replaced with shock as he looked around the room. "It's so big."

Ryuichi smiled and pointed to the bath, "I put pink bubbles in it!" He walked over to the tub and put his hand in the water. "Get in while it's still warm. Oh, and I didn't fill it up all the way, just in case you pass out again. I wouldn't want you to drown."

"…Thanks."

His idol nodded as he grinned, "Uh-huh. Take off your clothes. I'll be right back with some towels." And with that said, he closed the door and left the room.

Fifteen minutes later, Ryuichi walked back into the guestroom carrying a large stack of towels and giggling. He stood outside of the bathroom door and started to whisper. "Tatsuha," he giggled, "I'm coming in. Hope you're decent!"

But as he reached for the doorknob, he heard a noise coming from inside. It sounded like frustrated sobbing.

He leaned against the door and pressed his ear to it for better hearing. Inside, Tatsuha was talking to himself, and his voice was shaking. He sounded very upset.

"This is stupid!" he yelled, "I'm stupid! I can't believe I did that! I'm such an idiot!" His breathing was uneven as he spoke, "…Ryuichi probably hates me now."

There was a short pause after that, and then the teen spoke in a calmer voice. "I'm a burden to everyone. No one wants me around. I'm definitely doing the right thing by leaving. All I do is cause trouble for everyone, especially now. After everything that's happened tonight, after all I've said and done, I know Ryuichi hates me. I just know it."

His voice sounded even sadder, "He's doing this to be polite…he's doing this for Tohma."

Ryuichi listened attentively to everything Tatsuha was saying without making a single sound. Tatsuha's broken spirit hit him hard, and his heart felt heavier with every word spoken. After a while, he sat down on the floor with his back against the door, and he hugged a few towels to his chest. As Tatsuha continued speaking, Ryuichi gripped the towels tighter and tighter. Then, he cracked the door open and peaked inside. Tatsuha was in the tub, staring at his reflection.

"I never wanted him to see me like this." he said, as he raised one of his bandaged hands into the air. "Look at me! I'm pathetic!"

In a fit of frustration, he tried to rip the bandage off. He tore a piece off the back of his hand, and it began to throb. His hand was still sore, and it stung with a sharp pain. "AH! DAMN IT!"

"Tatsuha? Are you okay in there?" Ryuichi called in to him, and Tatsuha suddenly lowered his voice. "…yeah!" he answered as he rubbed his hand, "I'm good."

Ryuichi walked into the bathroom, and Tatsuha quickly hid his stinging hand from him. He submerged it in the water and turned his head away from his idol, refusing to meet his gaze.

"I brought towels."

Ryu placed the stack on the ground and waited for a reply. When he didn't get one, he said goodnight. Then he reluctantly closed the door and left the room.

Once he was gone, Tatsuha got out of the tub and dried off. He walked back into the guestroom, pulled some clothes out of his backpack, changed into them, and turned off all the lights.

He collapsed on top of the bed and got under the sheets. Then he made himself comfortable, and before long, he fell asleep.

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A full hour hadn't passed yet, when the door to the guestroom slowly opened, and Ryuichi re-entered the room.

"Tatsuha?" he whispered, "Are you asleep?"

When Tatsuha didn't answer, he quietly walked up to the bed for a closer look. The teen was sound asleep, and when Ryu was sure he wouldn't wake up, he sat down on the bed and watched him.

As Ryuichi gazed down at Tatsuha, he admired how peaceful he looked while he slept. The young monk lay on his back, and his entire body was completely at ease. The sight made Ryu smile, and he ran his hand through Tatsuha's hair. "You must've been dead-tired," he chuckled, "I don't think an explosion could wake you."

The teen began to stir when he felt the singer's touch. He squeezed the bed sheets and turned on his side. "Mmmm, Ryuichi…" he mumbled in his sleep.

At the sound of his name, Ryuichi looked at Tatsuha lovingly, and his smile brightened. He leaned in and spoke into the teen's ear.

"You're wrong, ya know." he said softly, as he placed his hand over Tatsuha's ripped bandage, "You couldn't be more wrong."

Ryuichi held the teen's hand, removed some of the ripped bandage, and brought it to his lips. He gently kissed Tatsuha's bruised skin, and then set his hand back down. "I don't hate you." he whispered, "The way I feel about you… is far from that."

Ryuichi stood up then, and stretched his arms up towards the ceiling. While trying not to disturb Tatsuha's slumber, he carefully pulled the sheets back and crawled into the bed.

"Well, I guess we can sleep together," he yawned, as he cuddled up to Tatsuha's warm body, "…for a little while."

Thanks for reading! See you next chapter (hopefully)!