Title: Million Little Pieces

Author: Keir

Rating: R overall, for swearing, violence, and sexual situations.

The Gist of Things: Kinda filly somethin' chapter? My brains is scrambled. o.o

A/N: All I can say is ARGHH LIFE IS SO...FULL OF STUFF! My updates... ;_;

Kyou grasped the towel around his neck and wiped his brow roughly; his hair was limp as he perspired and his shirt was plastered to his chest. He surveyed the younger students as he dabbed at the pool of sweat between his collarbones. All of them were standing around red-faced and panting, looking completely dejected. "All right, form up again!" the cat barked. The group collectively groaned.

"Senpai," Sanada panted, "isn't that enough for today?" The boy's legs felt like jelly and it was all he could do to keep from collapsing.

The cat's brow furrowed. "Aren't you on the kendo team?" He was making an effort to learn names and things with Yuki's coaching, but rising temper started to make his mind go blank.

Sanada nodded pitifully, trying to slow his heart-rate. "Yes, but coach never works us this hard."

Kyou held back his indignant reply; Shishou always said you got more with sweets than vinegar. He scowled at that thought, then sighed as he relented. "Fine, we're done for today, but tomorrow we're running laps. I don't want you panting all over the stage disgracefully." The boys quickly perked up and began talking animatedly. They jostled and joked with each other as they grabbed their things and filed out of the gymnasium and Kyou almost regretted calling the practice as he saw their energy. Soon, though, he was alone and the silence itself was a reward; he felt the tension ease out of his body and his thoughts settle quietly.

The bare walls of the gym echoed as he made his way into the men's dressing room to grab his things. He stopped with his hand touching his school dress shirt, bit his lip and looked behind himself. No one was there; he could indulge for once. His workout shirt came over his head, shorts sliding down his legs. The cool tile floor felt good on his bare feet. The shower was all his. Blazing hot water pounded out of the old shower head; he could hear the ancient pipes shaking behind the wall. He almost purred in the heat.

But in the silence Kyou couldn't stop himself from thinking. He had woken up next to Yuki that morning, of all people, and although the rat had looked so soft and beautiful, Kyou had bolted from his own room come sunrise. Like a coward, he thought ruefully. He splashed water angrily onto his face, washing away the sheen of sweat. The locker room smelled horrible like so many unwashed bodies and clothes, but he was willing to brave it a few more minutes for the hot water.

Once he felt thoroughly cleansed of his workout, he grabbed a rough towel and dried off. He noted the smell on his gym clothes with distaste; he would have to wash them tonight. He threw his school uniform back on haphazardly, fastening only three buttons on his shirt, and stuffed his dirty clothes into his bag. He walked back out into the gym and came to a stop after a few steps.

Hatsuharu stood from his seat on the bleachers and smiled. "How was your shower?" Surprise and then anger flooded the orange-haired boy's features. The ox made a placating gesture with leather-gloved hands. "I didn't look, I promise. I saw the clothes on the floor of the changing room and decided it was best to leave you alone." Pale fingers reached up to finger the other boy's hair. "Besides, your hair is wet; anyone could tell you just came from the shower."

Kyou scowled, ruffled that the ox could have been watching and he would have never known. "Why are you here?"

"To walk you home."

"I'm not some helpless woman! Walk Tohru home, stupid cow," the cat growled.

Normally there would have been some response. Something, anything; Kyou could remember when they were little and he would say the worst thing that would come to mind just to wipe that annoying blank look off Haru's face. But now...nothing. The ox stood statue still without a word, eyes unblinking for so long that it began to unnerve Kyou. "...Haru?"

The younger boy blinked and his eyes focused on the cat's. "I'm working on a new technique to keep myself from going Black." The cat rolled his eyes, annoyed that the ox had him worrying over nothing. "I talked to Hatori about what you found in that book," Hatsuharu continued. "He's very upset that you took it."

"You told him about that? What kind of idiot are you! He would have never noticed until you pointed it out to him!" The ox grew that blank, unmoving look again and Kyou ground his teeth. "Stop that! You're bugging me with your face," he snarled.

"You know what annoys me about you?" Suddenly Hatsuharu's eyes went dark, his eyebrows drawing down, the planes of his cheeks changing as his lips drew back. A leather-gloved hand shot out and grabbed the cat's jaw; the material was cool and Hatsuharu's fingers were burning hot. "The fact that your mouth is always yap, yap, yapping when it could be doing other things." The ox's other hand shot out and grabbed Kyou's butt, propelling the older boy forward. A devilish smirk crossed Hatsuharu's lips as he sensed victory over his prey, his face drawing close...

Kyou's hand flew up, covering the ox's face, blocking the oncoming kiss. He thrashed against the other's grip. "What the hell are you doing, Haru!"

"You like it, little kitty, don't deny it. You squirmed so nicely when we did it last time; all that wiggling you're doing right now is getting me hot," Black Haru said smugly against Kyou's hand, the words muffled. "Don't worry, I promise I'll do all the work."

"You said you were going to behave! You said you wouldn't kiss me if I didn't want it!" Kyou protested.

"You want it, kitten. You want it more than you could ever imagine." Black Haru's voice was a deep, rough purr; it felt as if a finger had been run down the cat's spine, making him shiver. His own reaction startled Kyou; he'd never heard Hatsuharu sound so...sexy. The ox looked ridiculous with a tan hand over his mouth, but his eyes were so intense, so deep and dark. Their gazes locked together and the cat felt his muscles relaxing, his body turning pliant under that intimate stare as his hand fell from the ox's mouth. There was honest feeling there in Haru's eyes, Kyou thought, the ox was letting Kyou see inside that complicated mind unabashedly. Even so, the cat resented the younger boy's statement; he hated it when people assumed things about him, even if they were right. He knew he wanted it and that scared him more than anything else.

He couldn't stop his mouth from moving. "I slept with Yuki last night." He cursed himself as soon as the statement passed his lips.

Hatsuharu's arm relaxed around Kyou's waist, hand moving from the cat's butt to cradle the small of his back. "I know. I stopped by this morning to see you and Shigure told me he saw Yuki leaving your room. He seemed very eager to share the information," Hatsuharu said darkly.

"We just slept!" Kyou defended himself. "I didn't want to..." He waited in nervous silence under the other's odd stare. "Are...Are you Black or White right now?"

"I don't know," Hatsuharu answered honestly, eyes searching the cat's face. "I feel calm, but...my body is tempted by you he way my Black side is." The ox drew in a deep breath, smelling the cat's clean hair, the smell of soap freshly washed from his skin.

Kyou fidgeted, fingers kneading Hatsuharu's arms awkwardly. "Don't you ever get in trouble for not wearing your tie?"

The ox blinked, slow to respond as the cat's scent diverted his attention. "Sometimes, but I don't really care."

The cat blushed as the ox continued staring at him; he hated that he blushed. He shifted restlessly. "I don't know what to say," he growled irritably.

Hatsuharu's eyes were so dark they were almost black, the deepest dark chocolate. "You can do whatever you want," he replied, thinking of several things he'd like to do to the cat.

Kyou growled at the unhelpful response. He took a breath and steeled himself, then leaned in and brought his lips to the other's. They touched softly and the ox tried to restrain himself. It lasted only a moment before the cat began pulling back, but Hatsuharu would have none of it. He pulled Kyou flush against him and attacked. Protests were silenced by insistent lips as Hatsuharu's tongue insinuated itself into the cat's mouth. The ox groaned as his lover fought back; the cat bit the younger boy's lower lip. "You said you weren't going to kiss me!"

"My White side made that deal." Hatsuharu's eyes were completely feral, his breathing heavy.

"So you're Black now?" Kyou snapped, confused and hating it.

"No." Before Kyou could berate him, the ox's leg kicked out swiftly, knocking the cat's support out from under him. He bore his lover to the floor. Kyou's body was so warm, his mouth so sweet. The tide of his Black thoughts washed over him, willing him to let go, to "black" out and let his deepest desires take over.

And yet...

Memories of his first time with Kyou, though blurry, nagged him. He remembered with shame the cat's protests, his struggle. But Kyou had also acquiesced and said "I love you;" the cat would never say anything he didn't want to, even under pressure. Plus he was so receptive to touch, his skin must be so sensitive. That tan skin, Kyou's tight heat, the pleasure of riding him to completion...

Kyou lay beneath the ox, bewildered as the other's weight bore down on him, pinning him to the floor. One moment the younger boy was hot and heavy, the next he was staring down at the orange-haired boy, unmoving. That stare was freaking Kyou out. "Haru? Haru!"

The ox blinked, his eyes focusing on Kyou's cinnamon ones. "I can't do this."

The cat growled. "Can't do what?"

Hatsuharu blinked. "Have sex with you."

"I wasn't going to let you have sex with me!" Kyou spat indignantly, shoving at the ox's shoulders and twisting under his weight.

"Careful, kitten. You wouldn't want to lie to me."

The ox's eyes were that feral deep brown; Kyou tried to be delicate with the situation. "I'm not lying, Haru," he spat. The ox's stony stare was making him nervous and angry at the same time.

Wordlessly, Hatsuharu pressed forward with his pelvis. Kyou's head fell back and a strangled moan came from his throat. His hips betrayed his lack of control as they writhed upward, questing for that euphoric sensation.

"See? Lying kitty."

Kyou scowled, seething at his embarrassment, fingers digging painfully hard into the ox's arms. "I could easily flip you, idiot."

Hatsuharu's lips stretched into a smirk reminiscent of his Black side. "That's the point, kitten: you haven't. Now who's a dirty pervert?"

The cat bared his teeth, cheeks burning with shame. He braced his upper body and heaved upward with his hips and legs, forcing Hatsuharu's weight up and off of him. The ox flew over the cat's head, landing painfully on his back. Kyou twisted lithely to his feet. "You're the pervert. You want a fight, then come on!"

Hatsuharu picked himself up, his leather-gloved hands flexing as adrenalin pumped through his body, exciting him. "There you go with that mouth again, yap, yap, yapping. All you had to do was shut up and I would have made you feel good with a little of this and a little bit of that." He groped his crotch; nothing turned him on like seeing his little kitten flustered and spoiling for a fight.

Kyou's jaw clenched as he threw the first punch. Black Haru deflected, trading his own punch with a teasing smirk, egging the cat on. The cat snarled at that grin; there was room for his fury and nothing else. The heat of battle rose inside him as he attacked Hatsuharu full-on.

The ox moderated his breathing, controlling himself tightly as he defended against the onslaught. Kyou was beautiful in his anger, eyes full of fire, muscles bunching and extending beneath smooth skin. He had never really been able to enjoy the sight of the cat as they fought before; his Black side had always overtook him, blurred his thoughts with madness. In this new space between Black and White he was calmer, firmer in the fight against Kyou; somehow he held is own now.

The cat's body ached but he could never admit defeat; his limbs protested every punch, every kick, every twisting dodge. How was Hatsuharu doing this? How had he not been defeated yet? By now he usually had the ox pinned, humiliating him once more, but the other's movements were so smooth, so fluid now. Kyou poured more energy into the fight, trying to move faster, to attack stronger. The ox couldn't win, he wouldn't win!

Suddenly Hatsuharu let his guard down, his hands falling to his sides abruptly. Kyou halted his punch mid-swing in a panic, his knuckles coming within inches of the ox's pale cheek. Hatsuharu's hand came up to cup the cat's fist, the leather cool and smooth. He nuzzled Kyou's hand with his cheek. "I love you, Kyou."

The orange-haired boy's eyes widened, his breathing ragged; Hatsuharu had caught him off-guard. He noted that feeling inside himself, that feeling he only got when fighting the ox. The black and white-haired boy's eyes were so soft, so wide and sweet...

Kyou was on him, Hatsuharu realized, his brain slowly catching up. Kyou's lips were moving against his with a zeal, a lust, a tongue asking for entry and gladly allowed within. It was an ungainly position with the ox bending down to reach the other, so he grasped the back of the cat's thighs, hoisting him high. Kyou's legs pressed tightly against the ox's sides, mouth working desperately. Hatsuharu's fingers tangled in blazing orange hair. Kyou paused in his attack, panting softly. The ox smiled. "If I'd known that was all it took to get this kind of reaction..." The cat growled lightly under his breath, leaning in for another kiss when a soft cough interrupted them.

Keisuke stood within the gymnasium's double doors, his face bright red. "Ah, senpai, Sohma-san, I had heard your family had a superb grasp of the martial arts. Seeing the both of you fight was wonderful. But...I think I've seen something I wasn't supposed to now." Hatsuharu slowly lowered the cat to his feet, face impassive. "I'm sorry, I didn't realize you were still here and I just came back for some of my clothes...Um. I thought that you were cousins."

Kyou bolted. He bolted without a second though, fleeing into the locker room and through the back door. Shame burned him. How could he have let that happen? How could he have let some stupid schoolmate see that?

The ox sighed but made no move to go after Kyou. "Very distantly related," Hatsuharu said calmly. "It's really a formality that we call each other 'cousin' at all."

"Will Kyou be all right?" Keisuke asked uncomfortably.

Hatsuharu shoved his hands into his pockets. "Don't worry; Kyou is very sensitive."

"Ah, yes, well...Um, I'm sorry for interrupting. I won't tell anyone what I saw, it seemed very, uh, private."

"That would be appreciated." Hatsuharu nodded to the boy he vaguely remembered as being in the same year as himself and took his leave, following in the path of the terrified cat. He maintained his calm exterior as he had a thousand times before, but inside his heart was wrenched. Everything had been going so well, he had seen himself winning Kyou and in an instant it had all been ruined. He could only hope he could coax the cat around, that he could win more of those kisses again.

A/N: I do deeply apologize on a lack of updates on ANYTHING. Some of you may have read my author page and know that I am going through some medical difficulties. Recently I had an ultrasound done at a hospital and I am, apparently, full of gall stones that are "stones going on boulders" as the nurse put it. Now, most people don't even now what a gall bladder is, so it's fun. XD Anyway, my diet, it freaking sucks. Almost everything I eat causes excruciating pain, so I eat like...bread. :P

Anyway, no biggie, at some point in time they're going to take the little bastard out and I'll feel better. Woo!

Also...there's a profanity filter on this site now? haha