Disclaimer: I do not own Sekaiichi Hatsukoi, all rights belong to Shungiku Nakamura.

Thank you to dendodge for betaing.

Thanks to mochiusagi, nertz, and damons-hot-as-hell for reviewing! Thanks for all the story alerts and favourites!

Enjoy.

Chapter 7

Kisa's eyes widened dramatically as he slowly turned to face the one person he didn't want to see: Yukina Kou. Kisa's hand dropped from the handle as he fully faced Yukina, who stepped forward away from the shadows.

"Yukina…"

"It's nice to see you again, Kisa-san," the writer replied, smiling slightly as all the anger he harboured for the other man melted away.

"I thought you'd hate me after what I said to you on the flight."

"Same here. I heard about your apartment, I'm really sorry."

"It was my fault for not locking the damn door," Kisa said bitterly as he descended the rest of the stone steps. Yukina smirked.

"Anyway, don't tell me you fell for the 'I need a bottle of wine' trick?"

Kisa went red as Yukina burst out laughing at Kisa's naïvety. "Shut up!" He snapped. "Why are you down here?"

"I got told I'd see you again."

Kisa gulped. Yukina was really desperate to see him. "Well, that was stupid. If I hadn't come down, you wouldn't have seen me."

"That's true," Yukina agreed, shrugging his shoulders. "But you did come down, and that's all that matters."

Kisa scoffed as he began to look around the cellar. He bent down to look for a bottle of wine to bring back up. "It's like you said, Yukina, I only came down here for the wine."

"There isn't any wine here. There never has been," Yukina admitted. Kisa stopped walked around and straightened up, refusing to turn around.

"What?"

"This cellar hasn't been used for 50 years, so stop looking and talk to me, Kisa-san."

"What do we have to talk about, Yukina?"

Yukina folded his arms and leaned against an old wine rack. "Oh, I don't know… our relationship?"

"There wasn't a relationship, Yukina!" Kisa exploded, getting sick of explaining the same thing over and over again.

"Then why did you feel so guilty about sleeping with your ex, if it was just 'casual' as you claimed?" Yukina countered, kicking himself from the wine rack and walking towards Kisa.

"Because… You're a good kid and I didn't want to hurt you."

"Is that because you care about me, Kisa-san?"

Kisa's face heated up. "N-no!"

"Then why are you going red, Kisa-san?" Yukina was edging closer to Kisa's back, his fingertips brushing Kisa's arm. The smaller man shuddered under the touch.

"How do you know I'm going red?" Kisa defended.

"Because you always get defensive when you start to blush."

Kisa whipped round suddenly and was met with Yukina's chest. "You think you know me that well, huh?"

"Kisa-san, do you care about me?"

"N-no…"

"You're lying," Yukina revealed as he bent down to capture Kisa's lips with his own. Kisa raised his arms up to push Yukina off, but instead wrapped them around Yukina's neck, bringing him closer. Yukina pushed his tongue into Kisa's mouth, and the shorter man moaned appreciatively as their tongues danced. Yukina's hands were on Kisa's hips, pulling the older man closer as they backed up onto a wine rack. They broke apart when Kisa's back made contact with the wood.

They stayed silent as they tried to regain their breath. Once he was breathing normally, Kisa stood up and walked over to the cellar door. "I have to go."

"Wait! If you don't care for me as much as you claim… what was that?"

Kisa turned back around. "Something that shouldn't happen again. Go back to Hayata-san, Yukina. Goodbye."

Kisa pushed down hard on the stiff door handle, opening the large wooden door. With one final glance back to a hurt Yukina, Kisa walked back up the stairs and disappeared from sight.

"Wait, what?" Morimoto screeched down the phone. "He did what?"

"He kissed me, Kana," Kisa repeated as he waved to the barman to grab his attention. He had gone to a bar near his home, hoping to unwind after a stressful month.

"Did you push him away?" Morimoto asked, her tone held nothing but suggestion.

"… No…"

"Aha!"

"No 'aha'! It means nothing!"

"It means he's still into you!" Morimoto said as her own voice began to get louder, battling the deafening music in the background. "Are you at a club?"

"Yes…"

"Typical!"

"Hey now!" Kisa shouted back down at Morimoto as the bartender walked over and looked at him. Kisa covered the mouthpiece and gave him the order. "One beer please."

"Shouta! SHOUTA!"

"I'm here!" Kisa yelled back when he removed his hand and adjusted the phone back to its position. His conversation was soon interrupted when a handsome stranger tapped Kisa's shoulder. The man gave a charming smile and asked if the seat beside the jet-haired man was taken. Kisa shook his head slowly, his eyes not leaving the new man. "Kana? Yeah, I've got to go. Bye…"

"Shouta, wha-" Morimoto was cut off as Kisa snapped his phone shut. He turned his attention to the stranger beside him and began to make small talk with him. It didn't take long for Kisa to talk the man into leaving the club with him as they made their way to a love hotel nearby.

The well-lit rooms glowed from outside as sophisticated music drowned out people's idle chit-chat. Kisa and Onodera walked in through the front door of the huge house they'd been invited to, soaking wet from the April rain. Onodera took his umbrella down as he handed it to a patient-looking brunet with intense crimson eyes. The man stretched out his hand and nodded towards Kisa and Onodera's wet coats. Kisa shrugged his shoulders and handed it over. The man bowed and introduced himself. "I'm Yanase Yuu, Yukina's editor. You two are...?"

Kisa and Onodera swapped glances. "Kisa Shouta and Onodera Ritsu, from The Japan Times."

Yanase's eyes narrowed slightly at the name but he moved to look at the list on the table in front of him. He threw the coats on the sofa beside him, and Onodera and Kisa shared a look at the gesture. Yanase scanned through the list quickly and let out an "aah" when he had found what he was looking for. "Here you are, Kisa and Onodera from TJT. Please enjoy yourselves," he said as he pointed to the ballroom.

Onodera and Kisa shared one last look before putting a fake smile and nodding towards Yanase. The pair then ventured into the ballroom, trying to ignore the hard stare Yanase gave them as they walked away.

"Why is he staring at you like that, Kisa-san?" Onodera asked, smiling at authors and fellow publishers.

Kisa knew why, but he didn't say anything; instead, he accepted the glass of champagne that was offered to him and took a long gulp. He was really beginning to regret agreeing to come to this party.

"It's going to be the biggest publishing party of the year, Kisa. The best of the best will be there. Usami Akihiko, Takano Masamune, even Yoshino Chiaki! Not to forget their editors and publishing companies. Rubbing elbows with them will make your section of the newspaper the talk of Tokyo!" Ichinose announced, excitedly.

Kisa stared at Ichinose in shock. "You want me to go to a publishing party? Me? Not you?"

"I can't unfortunately, I have another appointment," Ichinose admitted.

"Whose party is this?"

"Yukina Kou, the author you interviewed, all the more reason for you to go!"

Kisa gulped. He really didn't want to be anywhere near Yukina at the minute. Not since the incident in the wine cellar, which had left Kisa's head reeling and made everything he knew come tumbling down. "I can't go, Ichinose."

Ichinose scoffed and tucked her long brown locks behind an ear. "Look, Kisa, I'm asking you to do a favour for me. You don't have to go alone, take Onodera with you."

Kisa seemed to perk up at the mention of his co-worker. "… If Onodera goes, then I will too."

Ichinose clapped her hands together in delight. "Thank you so much, Kisa. If I could go myself, I would, but I have a previous engagement which cannot be cancelled."

"Well, whatever it is, have fun." Kisa got out of the chair and headed to the door.

"Kisa."

"Yes?" Kisa replied turning back around.

"Wear that suit you wore to the Christmas party last year," Ichinose recommended, holding a pen between her two hands.

Kisa looked at her quizzically but shrugged his shoulders and said goodbye, remembering to close the door as he left the office.

Taking another sip of his champagne, Kisa began to walk around the ballroom, feeling slightly out of place. He turned to call to Onodera, but found him talking to tall man with ebony-coloured hair. Kisa smirked at the irony and took another gulp as he scanned the ballroom. His chocolate brown eyes landed on someone familiar and Kisa took a chance to walk over to talk to him.

"Yoshino Chikai." Kisa greeted the timid man with doe blue eyes.

Yoshino smiled slightly. "I remember you; you were at that party a few months ago. You complimented my book!"

Kisa smiled genuinely. "It was a great book."

"I didn't get your name…"

"Oh, Kisa Shouta from The Japan Times." Kisa handed Yoshino a business card, and Yoshino took it with gratitude.

"Weren't you the one who wrote that article on Yukina-san's new book?" Yoshino asked.

Kisa turned away from Yoshino and took a slow swig from his champagne. "Y-yeah… That was me…"

"It was thanks to your article that I read the book. It was excellent, and exactly how you described."

Kisa felt a knot of guilt tighten in his chest; he hadn't written anything about the book in the article: it was all Onodera. Kisa only wrote the parts that contained his interview with Yukina.

"Yoshino." A tall man with short brown hair and blue eyes strode up to the pair. "Takano Masamune wants to meet you."

Yoshino almost dropped his champagne glass. "H-he does?"

"Yes, he said he read your book and wants to compliment you on it personally. Will you come?" The man held out his arm to point Yoshino in the direction.

"Of course! Oh! Kisa-san, this is my editor, Hatori Yoshiyuki." Hatori bowed as a greeting, which Kisa returned half-heartedly. He wasn't entirely pleased having the only person willing to talk to him taken away, but business was business.

Hatori and Yoshino walked away, the shorter of the two chatting away as the taller listened with a gentle smile on his face. Kisa recognised that look; it was the look Yukina wore a lot when Kisa was talking to him on their dates. The jet haired man shook his head instantly. He had to get rid of memories like that; they weren't doing anyone any good, and it was never healthy to hold onto the past.

So far there was no sign of Yukina, and seeing as it was the author's party he should've been present. There was a tap on his shoulder a few moments later and Kisa froze.

"Kisa-san?" Onodera asked, concerned.

"Oh, Ricchan." Kisa visibly relaxed. "You scared me; I thought you were someone else."

Onodera shot Kisa a look of questioning but Kisa looked away. "No sign of the host author, then?" Kisa asked.

"He's in here. He's talking to Yoshino-san and Takano-san," Onodera informed Kisa, who then froze again. "I have to ask, Kisa-san… What are you freaking out over?"

Kisa shook his head stiffly. "Personal business, Ricchan. So… Was that Takano-san you were talking to?"

Onodera's cheeks tinted a light pink. "… Yes."

"Do you know him?"

The tint on Onodera's face darkened to a visible red. "… Yes."

Kisa smirked; Onodera was easy to wind up. "Do you mind if I ask where from?"

"Personal business, Kisa-san." Onodera was now wearing the same smug smirk as Kisa. The shorter of the two let out a laugh as he finished off his drink.

"Hold on, I need to find the bathroom," Kisa muttered darkly as he placed the glass on a table.

"I think Yanase-san knows where it is…" Onodera's voice trailed slightly as he made eye contact with the tall man from before. Kisa followed Onodera's voice and found himself staring at a handsome face with golden brown eyes.

"Is that Takano-san?" Kisa asked. Onodera said nothing but the prominent blush on his face told Kisa all he needed to know. "Don't mind me, I'll find a bathroom," Kisa said to his co-worker. He frowned slightly when he realised Onodera wasn't listening, but left without another word, opening one of the main doors and finding himself in a long corridor.

Kisa had now found a second reason to hate this mansion. The first was that it belonged to Yukina; the second was that it was not easy to find the bathroom in this place. He'd probably been gone for about 10 minutes and if Kisa wasn't so sure Onodera was still fawning over Takano, he would think that the chestnut-haired male would be looking for him.

Kisa opened one of the wide doors and moaned in aggravation when he realised he'd found another bedroom. He was about to leave until an idea came to mind; Yukina seemed like the kind of person to have en-suite bathrooms. Testing his luck, he walked into the bedroom and opened all the doors. To his relief there was an en suite bathroom, and Kisa ducked inside to relieve himself.

After he had washed his hands and dried them off, Kisa walked back out into the bedroom. It was dark due to the closed curtains and lack of light, but Kisa could make out the shapes of a modern bed and a bedside table with photo frames on it. Kisa walked over to the table and picked up a picture, switching the light on as he did so, and froze in horror. A smiling Yukina was facing him; his arms wrapped around two adults. One was a woman with long red hair and warm hazel eyes; she had a smile on her face, but even Kisa could tell it was false. Beside the woman was a man whom Kisa recognised to be Yukina Sr; he too was wearing a fake smile. The only real smile was Yukina's, and Kisa felt his chest tighten. Yukina used to smile that way at him too.

"I knew I'd find you here," a voice interrupted Kisa from his snooping as the shorter black haired man jumped in surprise, almost dropping the photo frame. Kisa turned to face the person in question and went red immediately. Yukina was standing in the doorway, his arms folded across his chest as he looked at Kisa with an interesting look. He didn't seem mad, just… perplexed.

"Y-Yukina… What are you doing here?"

"It's my bedroom," Yukina stated. "The same could be asked of you, actually."

"Right, okay… What I meant was, why aren't you in the ballroom?"

"Same goes for you, Kisa-san."

"Aah! I needed the bathroom," Kisa admitted honestly. "And you have so many fucking bedrooms…"

Yukina let out a chuckle. "Yeah, sorry about that, it's the house's design."

"Move house," Kisa muttered under his breath. He then looked to the floor, his hair falling in front of his eyes. "Y-you look good…"

Yukina smiled warmly. "As do you. That suit looks good on you…"

Kisa looked up, hearing the tension in Yukina's voice. The taller blond walked into the light and Kisa felt the overwhelming urge to rip his damn suit off and have his way with the author. "Well, I should get back before Ricchan wonders where I am," Kisa muttered when he came back to his senses. He shuffled around the bed and edged away from Yukina. However, he grabbed Kisa's hand and pulled him back, pressing his lips to Kisa's roughly. Kisa was met with a surge of emotions as he felt himself being pushed onto Yukina's bed. The soft mattress melded under his body as Yukina straddled his hips, wringing the tie from his neck. Kisa gulped softly as he watched the satin garment fall to the floor.

Yukina leaned down and kissed Kisa again, his mouth open and his tongue asking for entry. Kisa complied with a soft moan as their tongues tangled. Kisa's hands came up to pull at Yukina's soft locks as the younger man trailed kisses along his jawline and moved down to his neck. A moan escaped Kisa's mouth as Yukina's lips trailed further, nimble fingers undoing each button of his shirt as his hands met with the soft flesh underneath.

"Yukina-san, where did-" A voice interrupted the pair as both Kisa and Yukina sat up in surprise. Yanase was stood in the doorway, eyes wide in shock. "Uh… You know what… Never mind…" The shaggy-haired brunet fled from the scene with a red face. Yukina climbed off of Kisa and picked his tie up from the ground. Kisa sat up straight and began to button his shirt back up.

"Listen, Kisa-san…"

"Look Yukina, I don't know why that happened, but I need you to know that you can't keep doing that," Kisa said sternly, the words tasting bitter-sweet in his mouth.

"Why not?" Yukina demanded as he tied his tie around his neck perfectly.

Kisa scoffed. "For one, you have a girlfriend!"

"Not any more. I broke up with Hayata a few days ago, actually."

Kisa stopped buttoning his shirt and stared at Yukina. "You… did?"

"Yes…"

Kisa coughed into his fist and finished dressing himself. As he picked up his jacket he looked at it, slightly confused, and wondered how it had come off his shoulders in the first place. "Well… That doesn't matter. You breaking up with your girlfriend doesn't mean I can do relationships." And with that final statement, Kisa was out the door, tugging his black jacket back on and leaving Yukina in his dark bedroom.