Chapter 8: Chapter 7

Witch's thoughts: sorry guys, I know it took long. but it's a fact now: I am not able to write something smut-ish to save my life T-T I tried, I really did, but only something like this came out :sigh: also, this chapter seems to be opressing, but deal with me. just needed it to be like this.

comments are love?

In pleasant, quiet darkness, Ryouta was floating. He felt light and calm and a little sleepy. He couldn't open his eyes, but he didn't need to. Comfortable and warm, he didn't want to move or even to think. After so many days when he felt nothing but misery, here and now offered much more consolation than the reality. Floating further, Ryouta felt quite happy and relaxed. Didn't know why though, but did it matter?

Ryouta didn't notice right away, but he realized that something was touching him. Not unpleasant touch at all, but not familiar either. Something solid, but small patted his head and went through his blond strands. With his eyes closed, Ryouta couldn't see what it was that stroked him so lightly, but he assumed it was a hand. Whose or why he didn't know, but still didn't care too. It felt good and tired Ryouta cared only about that. It felt good. So relaxing…

Gradually, from one hand, it raised to pair of hands, caressing and stroking his face and hair, then neck and shoulders. Slowly, lovingly, at the same time a little roughly, as if someone wasn't used to doing that. Hands were warm and big, with calloused fingers but short nails. Allowing himself to dive a little more in this pleasure, Ryouta made himself more comfortable in blind darkness and sighed with satisfaction.

However, to his surprise, he felt another pair of hands, this time touching him from feet up. At the beginning only massaging fingers and heels, then ankles, still moving up to the knees and then… Ryouta felt himself blush madly, he felt hot from embarrassment when the hands reached his tights. Still stroking and touching so very lightly, but these touches were much less innocent than those by the first pair of hands. Which disappeared suddenly, leaving him amazed and a little confused.

Suddenly, without any warning, Ryouta opened his eyes. Widely, because he saw something that made him speechless. A wave of heat, overcoming his face, attacked his whole body, making him feel hot and bothered, but he couldn't move, too terrified to even blink.

He saw himself half-lying in the middle of black, empty nowhere. Darkness felt fuzzy and quite soft, what he could feel directly being stark naked. However, that was not what stunned him. He blinked, in a split of second feeling ice cold and then hot again, drowning in stormy eyes of Yukio Kasamatsu.

Ryouta moaned quietly, feeling than senpai's hands didn't stop at his tights at all.

Does it feel good, Kise?

Not being able to answer, Ryouta only moaned louder. Feeling heat emanating from senpai's body made him even more excited than he already was from his closeness. Having him right there, nearly lying on the top of his own body, Ryouta couldn't believe that it was really happening. Here, now…

- Is it good, Kise? – senpai asked again, this time with more urgency in his usually harsh, low voice. At the same time, he leaned further down and kissed Ryouta's collarbone, what resulted in Ryouta's trembling and even louder groan of pleasure.

/

Senpai…

Ryouta blinked a few times, before he woke up completely. He stared at the ceiling with blank eyes for a moment, before memories of the dream flooded into his mind.

Nearly falling down from his bed, Ryouta managed to untangle himself from the sheets, before he sat down on the floor, covering himself with a blanket to hide sounds of his despaired sobbing.

/

The next morning began normally, but apparently not for everyone. Yukio carefully observed Kise, who behaved quite suspiciously, even for an airehead idiot he usually was. Things became weird, that was true, but as a captain on Kaijo, Yukio couldn't allow his players to go around and avoid him or jump from his way with a faint shriek. Not to mention to look so pale and sick so early in the morning. However, when he tried to talk to Kise, he paled even more, stuttered some words of apology and ran to infirmary at top speed, leaving Yukio bewildered and a little annoyed.

"Oi, captain." Kobori caught the rebound from his unsuccessful shooting and turned to Yukio. "what did you scare Kise again for?"

"I scared him?" Yukio barked back with a frown. "he is behaving like an idiot on his own. Who knows, what's he thinking."

"Oh, really." Kobori looked as Kasamatsu went to the other half of the court to harass some newbies, thinking that he himself behaved like an idiot sometimes. But, something was wrong with Kise, everybody saw that and wondered. However, nothing was revealed, as Kise escaped. One thing that was known for sure was that Kise's fear was linked to Kasamatsu. Which wasn't strange at all, but the reason for it was covered with a mist of a secret. Kobori sighed. Nothing could be done without either Kise or Kasamatsu talking. And he wasn't going to be the one to try and force into talking. Just no.

The training continued more or less smoothly.

/

"Kise- kun!"

Ryouta twitched and nearly fall down back with his chair. His manager was eyeing him with concerned, but slightly annoyed look.

"Please, pay attention, Kise-kun. This has a great importance for your further carrier."

"I'm sorry, Yoshizawa-san." said Ryouta with sincere repentance. "I'm listening, I'm listening."

The woman looked at him, cocking her head to the side.

"Well, I can see that you are not in the right state of mind to listen, Kise-kun. Let's finish for today."

Kise jumped from his chair in protest.

"I can still work Yoshizawa- san! I know I caused you trouble last time, but I won't do it again, promise!" he claimed, running after his manager, when she was walking through the office, shooing away the secretaries that wanted to ask her something. Not listening to Ryouta, she went to the parking lot and opened the door to her car.

"Get in, Kise-kun."

There was something in her voice that caused Ryouta to shut up and do as she said. Only after the door was slammed shut after him and Yoshizawa-san sat down herself at the driver's seat, did she spoke.

"It seems there is a lot on your mind lately, Kise-kun." she began looking for something in the glove compartment. "Ignoring work is totally not like you."

Ryouta slouched in his seat.

"I know. And I'm sorry. That won't…"

"Well, I guess youngsters have it harder nowadays." she leaned on the seat and massaged her temples with tired gesture. "I realize that you might have a lot of personal problems, Kise-kun. Just in the future tell me that something is wrong, okay? I don't want to worry about you as I did back then."

Not knowing what to say, Ryouta looked down at his knees. He knew he wasn't himself those couple of days, but he couldn't help it. He hardly slept and his nerves were driving him crazy, as for the first time in his whole life he did not know what to do at all.

"I'm sorry…"

"And apologizing again and again isn't like you either. Ryouta-kun." Yoshizawa-san turned in her seat to face him. "I don't know what is wrong. If you don't tell me, I will not be able to help you. But if you cannot or don't want to tell me, please, just try to keep up the work, alright?"

Ryout knew she was right. He shouldn't neglect work, because he causes problems for others… but his problems nearly entirely took his time. Not even for a second could he think about something else. How could he focus on work? But going on sick leave would cause much more troubles, so Ryouta was going to work every day, each day paler and thinner, but still trying to smile sunnily as he used to.

Yoshizawa-san sighed.

"There will be a party held by one of the largest agencies in the country, Ryouta-kun." she continued casually, as if they were still at the office "it would be desirable that you present yourself the best way you can. It would be profitable for our agency as well, so the president have hopes for you."

"Party?" Ryouta asked with doubt. He wasn't in the mood for parties.

"Yes." Yoshizawa-san must have seen his lack of reaction, because she sighed yet again. "and you will be there."

"But I…"

"You will. Believe me."

When she looked like this, Ryouta couldn't talk back. No matter how many times he tried, he just couldn't refuse. She was a scary woman.

"Now, that we agreed you are going, the last thing to talk over is your partner. Do you have someone in mind you would like to bring along?"

"What? No! I… no! Yoshizawa-san, can you stop, please? I'm not sure I'm the right person to do that…"

"You mean, you are not that Kise Ryouta who advertised Calvin Klein? Dolce&Gabbana? That new perfume "Gigolo"? well, if that's not you, then it really is impossible, huh?"

Yeah, he couldn't talk back. She was just too good in persuading. This time, Ryouta sighed heavily and pressed his eyes in tired gesture.

"Okay, okay, I understand. But let's make it short, alright? And no partner, please…. For now it's too much for me."

Yoshizawa-san didn't comment on that. Instead, she smiled a little to herself and started the engine.

"Right. The party is in three days. You should go shopping and a little haircut would be preferable. Do you have a hairdresser you like? The hairdo from last time was quite nice…"

Ryouta was listening with only one ear about preparations, people he would have to talk to, girls he would have to listen to and all this noise he didn't want to put up with right now. Miserable, he thought that it was a high time to go to bed and not come out anytime soon. Looking into the car window, he observed streets just to make his eyes busy with something and stop thinking. His head hurt. He wanted to go home.

When Yoshizawa-san navigated through traffic jam in the shopping district, Ryouta thought only about coming home and going to bed, but not to sleep. He didn't remember when was the last time he slept normally. He was so tired and still had that stupid shopping to do… he looked through window one more time and then bumped painfully his forehead on the glass. Ryouta moaned from pain, looked again and then stilled. Still looking at something in the crowd, he said:

"Can I go home for today, Yoshizawa-san? I don't feel well."

"Eh? But you were okay few minutes ago…"

"Please!"

Hearing pure hurt in his voice, the manager said nothing more. Seeing in the rear-view mirror that Ryouta really looked sick, she signaled turning and drove to the way his home was.

In the shopping district, Kasamatsu-senpai finished kissing with some girl and went with her into the cinema.