The Color of Chinese Bellflowers
Chapter eleven: You Can't Catch Me
Disclaimer: Loveless is property of Yun Kouga.
A/N: This is an original AU fic. For the next few chapters time will move alot slower, about two days difference between two chapters at most. And if you were wondering, physical contact is plentiful in this story. 0:D
The next morning, Soubi read the newspaper in the kitchen as he always did. Kio was the only maid up and cooking this morning, as poor little Yuiko refused to leave her room. Whether or not it was her embarrassing position last night or a small hang over he didn't know and he didn't want to know. The fish the young adult was cooking burned a little bit and the resulting trail of smoke traveled over to tickle Soubi's nose. Ritsuka didn't approve of him smoking in the kitchen, but Soubi gave into the urge any way lighting up and blowing a smooth white puff of smoke that bounced off of the morning newsprint and rolled up to the ceiling, causing it to grey oh so slightly. Letting out a small groan Kio handed the plate of fish to Soubi, and stood there watching him with his hands on his hips. "Maybe it was a mistake taking in a teenaged girl. We're already overflowing with hormonal mid-pubescent boys as it is."
"The mistake wasn't taking in a teenaged girl, the mistake was getting four minors drunk." The two were talking about the scene Soubi had stumbled upon about twelve hours earlier. Kio had seen, forgotten and unnoticed standing in the party room doorway across the hall.
Kio pouted and looked away, "you act like it was all me handing out the sake, you encouraged them too."
"I have to admit I did after I had a few drinks myself. It was our mistake then. Besides you'd be pretty heart broken if Yuiko left." The blonde flipped a page in the newspaper, with an almost cocky smile. He knew that he was right.
"Hey don't put me in the same category as you. Yuiko would be a normal choice for men our age."
"Normal?"
"Ok then, your normal is thirteen year old kids like Ritsuka."
"Don't forget Yuiko is the same age too."
"Wrong! Her birthday was just last week she's fourteen now." When he finished the sentence he paled slightly. He was now staring into the eyes of a triumphant Soubi. "Not that that means she's my choice or anything! I'm just saying she had a birthday recently!"
"Why do you care about a bothersome teenaged girls birthday?"
Kio knew he was completely and utterly defeated. "Ok then. So where is your precious Ritsuka? Normally you would be reading to him right about now."
Silently, Soubi continued reading the newspaper. Or rather, moving his eyes around the page and thinking about the situation more so than actually reading. None the less, he ignored his good friends question.
"What are you mad at him or something?"
"He never came home last night." Soubi recounted.
"Are you sure? Maybe he snuck in while we were out of it and he's over-sleeping upstairs. Should I go check?" Kio's eyebrows pulled together in worry.
"Even if you did he's not in there."
"How can you be so sure?" Kio asked. As a subtle response, Soubi stared up at his lanky friend. At first Kio didn't get it, he was just confused. But then he looked closer at what Soubi was trying to show him. Deep bluish purple bags traced his lower eyelids, and his eyes were irritated. "You ... you stayed up all night waiting for him didn't you?"
Turning his eyes away and back to the morning paper he nodded slowly. "Thankfully though the snow stopped around the time he left. So wherever he is, I hope he isn't cold."
Trying to lighten the suddenly heavy mood, Kio forced a laugh. "I wouldn't worry, kids his age run away all the time. I ran away when I was younger too! I stayed hiding on a small road behind this teahouse, the owner liked me. He'll come back once he's hungry enough."
Unfortunately for Kio that reasoning didn't seem to help improve his friend's mood. He just nodded- an almost unnoticeable gesture- and went back to pretending to read the paper. "And so you're still upset," Kio sighed, twirling a lock of hair around his fingers in thought. He took a seat next to Soubi on the floor, sitting almost too close. Their hips were brushed together. "What is it that's got you so troubled? I haven't seen you like this in a while." His mind traveled back to the unpleasant memories of Soubi's depression, in the days before he met Ritsuka.
"I hate you Soubi." the words barely audible coming from the blonde.
"Ugh," Kio rolled his eyes. "I would say he's just like the other Aoyagi bastard if he wasn't such a good kid."
"They still said the same thing to me."
"Seimei meant it though. Ritsuka doesn't know what that means." The mop headed youth felt a familiar anger boiling in the pit of his chest.
"And the closet fiasco from last night?" A flash of strange emotion waved across the blonde's eyes, his eyebrows twitched slightly and Kio gritted his teeth. "I'm tired of your whining." Following a split second decision, Kio's closeness came in handy. Reaching out he forcefully pushed Soubi on to his back in the floor. He landed with a loud and painful sounding thump! "I'm sick of your complaining." Using a strength no one knew Kio had he grabbed Soubi's wrists and pinned them to the floor over his head. "So why don't you shut up." Throwing his weight over the blonde he straddled Soubi's hips, careful not to push any two certain organs together.
Soubi's face drew in mild confusion, as Kio gently leaned over and captured the older mans lips with his. Taking advantage even more of the moment Kio's tongue reached out to glide over Soubi's bottom lip, then nibbled on it. Soubi did nothing but lay in the floor, no motion to stop his friend, no motion of opposition. After only a few seconds the surprisingly seme pulled away, but remained in his position sitting on Soubi's hips. He observed the older mans hair was spread out in a wavy ash blonde pattern that snaked across the floor, he hadn't noticed how long those locks had gotten.
"See? I just pushed myself against you like Ritsu and I'm sure some other men and women have. You're not in love with any of us now, are you?"
The blonde's eyes pushed downward minutely, but Kio had been friends with him long enough to know that was a sign he was thinking of something new.
"No not really. This is in relation to Ritsuka and Yuiko, correct?"
Kio reached down and poked his friend on the nose, a gesture which Soubi quickly shook off. "It sure is. Especially since they both were drinking last night do you think either of them knew what the hell they were doing?"
Slowly, Soubi shook his head. "No. I see your point now but can you please get off of me?"
Pouting, Kio stood and raised his hands to his hips again. "So please don't be so harsh on Ritsuka when he comes back." Pausing, he audibly shuddered. "I'm sticking up for that bastard's little brother, go figure."
"I've already noticed they're not very much alike. Seimei's heart isn't as pure." Even though the weight of Kio was gone, he remained laying in the floor and intertwined his fingers to rest over top his belly button.
"It used to be though, so let's hope Ritsuka takes a better path though." With that, Kio left the room closing the door behind him.
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
"Yuiko? Yuuikooo." Kio cooed gently through her door. A feminine pout was all of the answer he got. "I know you're awake, are you feeling ok? Is there anything I can get you?"
Yuiko slid her door open gingerly, taking the utmost care not to make noise with it. "My head hurts..." Her feline ears drooped down, and her fluffy tail hung limp out of her tail bone. Her eyes traveled slowly from the floor to peer up into Kio's sympathetic eyes. Tears of frustration formed in her slitted Asian eyes, which seemed even more slitted at the time due to her current aversion to light and sound.
"Hey, hey now! None of that." Pulling a silk handkerchief from his pocket he gently dabbed at the corner of her eyes, absorbing her tears. His voice sank to a low whisper so her headache didn't flare up. "Come on over here." Putting his hand on the small of her back, he walked her back to her futon making her sit on it. He sat cross legged in front of her. "The first time I was hung over, someone else special did this for me." He smiled gently, while Yuiko looked hopeful for relief. Raising his hands, he barely placed his thumbs on to her temples, tracing forward in rolling circles. After about a minute, his thumbs moved to the inside corners of her thin eyebrows. Applying pressure this time he massaged the two spots in circles. Afterwards from the outer corner of her eyebrows his thumbs traveled upward a few inches to her top of her forehead and gently massaged again. Then finally, the upper center of her forehead where the body's top chakra point is located. When he was done Yuiko gently opened her eyes, and smiled.
"Feeling any better?" he asked quietly.
She nodded gingerly, fearing that if she moved her head too much it would start to hurt again. "Yes, I'm feeling much much better. Thank you Mr. Kio."
"Please don't call me mister, it makes me feel like an old man. Just call me Kio." Seeing the unsure look on her face he smiled and joked with her, "and if no one else is around you can call me K-kun."
She giggled, "okay K-kun. So uhm, is Mr. Soubi okay? He looked upset last night..." her face blushed with the memory.
"No one is upset." He lied, they still didn't know where Ritsuka was. "I talked with Soubi this morning and he understood."
Clapping her hands together she smiled, "that's good, I was so afraid he would kick me out of the okiya or be upset with Ritsuka."
Skipping the subject of Ritsuka, he apologized. "Nothing that happened could be blamed on either of you two. It was Soubi and mine's fault for getting you guys drunk."
"I think it's everyone's fault, we all accepted the sake without hesitation." Kio couldn't believe that came out of her mouth. Number one, it was just so cute and pure he couldn't stand it. And Number two, it showed a lot of responsibility he didn't think fourteen year old girls had. She stood suddenly, taking uneven and heavy steps towards her door. "I need to go apologize to Ritsuka for what I pushed him into last night."
"You cant he, uhm.."
She turned her face over her shoulder to look at him, "he?"
"He left go to pick up some things for me in the market, and I asked him for a lot so he won't be back until later today." While saying that he couldn't look her directly in the eye, he hated lying. Well at least, in situations like this.
"You mean because of me sleeping in Ritsuka had to go to the market in my place? Great," she pouted again, "Now I'll really have to apologize when he gets back."
"So don't worry about it until he gets back! In the mean time though, why don't you come to the kitchen and I'll make you a breakfast that's easy on your stomach." Food was the one thing Kio knew that would get her mind off of anything. And sure enough her ears perked straight back up, "if you really want to!"
Standing and joining her, Kio smiled. "I really do."
.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.
"Hey mop head when's Ritsuka going to be back? It's almost night time, and unless you sent him to find a wild Iriomote cat or something he should have been back by now!" Youji's question was loud and annoying.
"Maybe I did send him to find an Iriomote cat." Kio ignored the obvious sarcasm on the boys voice.
"You mean Ritsuka isn't back yet?" Natsuo asked. From outside of the door Kio heard Yuiko spring to her feet. Since she couldn't be in the room while Kio and Soubi dressed the three boy geisha she waited outside of the door. Kio grimaced.
"Ritsuka isn't back yet?!" Yuiko screeched. "It's been all day!"
Soubi looked at Kio suspiciously from his usual seat beside the mirror. "Kio, what did you tell them about Ritsuka?"
He rubbed the back of his head in guilt with a sheepish smile. "I told them that I sent Ritsuka out to get a lot of things this morning."
Natsuo's keen mind picked it up first, "you lied!"
"I didn't lie!" His cheeks puffed out immaturely.
Soubi sighed, "well he did but only to keep the panic down."
Yuiko's voice sounded from her spot, "what panic? What happened to Ritsuka?"
Youji gave Kio a sly look, the kind that reads 'you got caught! Na na na!' while Natsuo stared at him more seriously, flicking a long maroon colored curl over his thin shoulder.
"Ritsuka ran away last night and has yet to return." Soubi said, very plainly. "The snow stopped when he left though, and he's well known in Gion now thanks to Natsuo and Youji so the chance of him being sheltered by someone is good." Silently, everyone in the room seemed to suddenly be fascinated with the floor. No one could stand to look up at one another in the face.
"While you two are out tonight, I'd like you to ask around. See if he's been seen. I'll contact a few patrons that I know personally. We'll all try our best to find him as quickly as possible."
In unison everyone nodded. Kio was surprised at the business like way Soubi was handling the apple of his eye being missing. Kio ushered the two geisha out of the door, turning back to say goodbye to Soubi. But when he did he found that Soubi, tired from being up all night waiting just in case Ritsuka came home, had laid on his side and fallen asleep. Although it was not a peaceful sleep. Putting a hand on the nearby Yuiko's shoulder he smiled the kindest smile he could muster. "I'm trusting you to see those two off tonight ok?"
Sniffling up her tears, Yuiko nodded and trotted off behind Youji and Natsuo dutifully. Turning his attention back to his older friend he pulled a spare futon out, and rolled Soubi on to it. "If Ritsuka means that much to you, I'll be the one to stay up for him tonight. Good night, Soubi"
The blonde didn't respond, and snuggled deeper into the futon.
Oh noes Ritsuka-kun is missing! I hope they find him soon . Please review!
PREVIEW FOR CHAPTER TWELVE - January 18th, 2007
Soubi looked straight into Kio's eyes. The blonde had never looked so utterly broken. He blinked, then walked his way to the stairs. Although, his step was different. He was walking kind of funny. "Soubi? Did you hurt yourself or something?"
He was blatantly ignored. He watched as his seemingly injured friend gingerly made his way up the stairs and onto the second floor. Tripping over the last step he landed on his elbows with a thud. "Soubi!"