Note: This chapter starts a bit boring, sorry. But you might enjoy it anyways! Thanks so much for reading, And thanks again for words of encouragement from the fans of this story! Much love to you all XD MWAH!

Losing My Religion

Part 7

After cram class Bon hurried back to his dorm while Shima was occupied with futile attempts at flirting with Kamiki and Konekomaru was too busy trying to keep him in check, or at least keep him from embarrassing himself too much, to notice Bon's departure. Rin had told him to come right over if he wanted to eat dinner on time, but even though the demon insisted he had said he needed to go to his place first and would meet him within an hour. Now that he was back at the dorm he didn't know why he'd even bothered to go all the way there in the first place. The only reason he didn't leave with Rin to his place as soon as class finished was that he didn't want Shima and Konekomaru to know he was spending the evening with him again. It wasn't normal for the two to spend so much time together, so it would be naive to think it would go without suspicion. Either that, or Bon was being paranoid.

Now that he thought of it, The dorm wasn't a good place to be if he wanted to avoid either of the boys since they both roomed with him. That actually made it the worst place. He felt a deep frustration with himself settle in his gut. Since when had he ever felt the need to be so shady? This wasn't him. Hiding things, and even lying. Though the things he'd said that day were hardly such, more like fibs, as small as they were. But still, for things intangible they weighed heavier than bricks upon his shoulders. As a good Buddhist, better still, as a good person, Bon was not the dishonest type and it bothered him more than such small things would a lesser man.

With a weary sigh he figured he might as well make the trip to his room worthwhile, so he rummaged in the closet for something to change into. He pulled on one of the few pairs of street clothes he owned. Plain jeans and a orange and white striped v-neck. With no more use for hanging around the small room, and the chance of his friends showing up any minute, Bon decided to make his way over to Rin's.

Soon he found himself standing at the front entrance to the old dorms thinking that perhaps he should have checked in the mirror back at his place to see if he looked okay. The little insecurity was fleeting though. Who the hell would care how he looked? He was only going to see Rin after all. The demon-boy didn't notice half of the world's objects until he tripped over them. Well maybe that was exaggerating a bit... but still, he doubted Rin would pay any more attention to his looks than he did his studies. He paused before knocking to take a large calming breath in.

As if he'd been waiting close by it for his friend's arrival, the door flew open four seconds later to reveal the smiling black haired boy. "Took you long enough!" he exclaimed as he motioned the other inside.

Bon didn't bother to argue the fact that he was well within the hour he'd committed to. He simply said, "you're just impatient," as he removed his shoes. Rin glared at him for that.

He eyed the boy down and then up again when he noticed the unfamiliar attire. He'd never seen Bon out of his uniform before and he really approved on the lack of it. The often severe looking teen appeared more relaxed somehow without it. "What?" Bon snapped at the twice over he was given. Rin's behavior had him feeling a little self conscious and the fact that the half-demon held that power over him with a simple look made him annoyed in turn. He did however like the attention and the excitement it awarded him... He forced his breathing to come evenly.

"Nothing. You just look good is all," Rin said with nonchalance. He turned on his heel a millisecond later to lead the way the through the building. Bon stood shocked at the entrance way for a moment, then physically shook the charge from his body with a quick toss of his head from side to side and followed.

He'd just barely made it through the door and already he wondered how he would ever make it through the evening. Rin was sure to put his heart under arrest by the end of it.

As it turned out, Rin wasn't that great a teacher and gave his pupil the menial task of cutting carrots and other vegetables while he himself cooked and mixed all the ingredients. Bon felt more like an assistant. He finished with the pile of veggies and inspected them. His small julienne cuts were nowhere near as uniform as as the ones Rin had made in a demo, and it had taken him twenty times as long too. He frowned not liking being bested at anything, especially by Rin.

He leaned against the counter and watched the master of the kitchen work.

"We're not actually going to make the noodles?" he asked as Rin poured some store bought udon out of a vacuum pack into boiling water.

"No, it would take too long," he replied. "besides I wanted to show you something easy for your first time."

Bon snorted in annoyance. "No kidding. How hard could soup be? And you still have me doing nothing but cutting vegetables!"

"I would've had you do the rest if that didn't take you so long!" Rin pointed at the mound of lopsided, irregular sticks. " I can't see how it did anyways," he goaded and then snorted out a small laugh at Bon's expense.

Bon's cheeks tinged lightly with pink and he scowled. "Whatever. Your still a lousy teacher."

Several minutes (and insults) later, Rin placed the creation of their labor in the fridge. And Bon, being as combative as possible, because that's just how he rolled around Rin, had to debate with him over whether it was really necessary to chill the stuff after they'd just heated it. He was certain he had a good point when an exasperated Rin quickly ran out of reasons and finally ended the disagreement with the feeble argument: "That's just how it's made, okay!" Bon smirked like a know it all, but let the other have his way. Even if he had to go hungry for one more hour, he was happy as long as he was right.

And so the boys sat at the table opposite one another, waiting for the hour to be up. Rin had made them some tea and Bon felt content to be mostly silent and half listen to Rin, who yammered on about unimportant things. Even with the the half-demon going on noisily, his tail and arms moving fluidly through the air as he talked, the tea and kitchen table worked their unexplained magic on the atmosphere, making it calm and domestic respectively. The nervous tension caused by his proximity to Rin quickly seeped out of Bon's muscles and he smiled easily.

He allowed himself to simply enjoy the others company in its entirety, and let the friendly warmth of the smaller teen slip over him with no need to grasp its easiness. He felt humbled at being so lucky to have someone like Rin in his life. Someone in the middle of everything complicated, yet simple in a pure way on his own. Bon now realized he could learn a thing or two from this person. As his ears filled with the the animated voice and melodic chuckles, he drown himself in the flashes of excitement and happiness that rolled their way like gentle waves in the blue oceans that were expressive eyes.

In their endless depths, and the moment, Bon lost himself.

A feeling of unmatched calm settled over him. Never before had he heard the hum of everything so crystal clear. Not even when sat cross-legged, beads in hand, on the floor of the still temple of myou dha, silent mantras moving upon his lips for hours. Not even kneeled behind his father with the beautiful chant caressing his ears, the old man's gentle strength encompassing him. Now, it was all around him, it was in him, a ghost of a whisper yet deafening all at once. He could feel the vibrations, the lucent elegance of everything.

It must have shown on his face somehow, because the words abruptly stopped flowing from Rin's mouth and it hung part ways open instead of continuing its flapping. His eyes were lit with something layered beneath awe as he gaped in silence at Bon. One would have thought he'd seen the dying streak of a shooting star slash at the dark sky or the billowing curtains of the aurora light up the night for the very first time. The monk had no idea what the look in his own eyes was at that moment, but Rin must have been able to perceive from them at least some of the great peace and wholeness he felt if that stricken look meant anything.

With deep brown eyes trained to blue, Bon smiled softly at Rin.

He lifted the steaming teacup to his mouth to find the contents still very hot. Gently, with puckered lips, he blew across its surface and watched the tiny ripples his breath created.

Suddenly missing those soft eyes on him, Rin searched Bon's abnormally at ease face. He looked so different from usual like that. It was a deep contrast to the usual dangerous aura he exuded. That same one that Rin had always been attracted to and had very recently found sex appeal in. Different, but still the same old Bon. And Rin felt the pull to the other no less than normal. Far from it in fact, there was a gravity stronger than ever in that moment. He looked so young like that... and handsome. Beautiful even, if Rin wanted to be extra sappy about it. His gaze came to a rest on full lips. Something snapped within.

Fast as lightening, Rin leapt across the wide table right onto its surface, on hands and knees a mere five centimeters from the other he paused. But long before the cup in his hands could be put down, before his pursed lips could shift to form surprise, before Bon could even begin to register what was going on, Rin had his mouth pressed right up against those lips.

The action had all the momentum of an explosion against his consciousness. Bon was so surprised he jerked backward from the nearly innocent kiss... and right over onto the floor him and his chair crashed.

Leave it to Rin to absolutely demolish his zen.

He saw stars for a split second and then groaned loudly. It was too hard to figure out what hurt more. The spot on the back off his skull were it'd connected with the linoleum, or the sting of the hot tea spilled across the skin of his abdomen. "Oh shit!" Rin was off the table with the same speed he'd used to get on top it. He was down next to Bon in an instant, his face hovering over the fallen teen's. "Are you okay?"

He blinked his eyes open to see a a slightly blurry Rin peering down. His vision rapidly cleared though to reveal much worry in the blue eyes assessing him. "Owwwww," Bon groaned pitifully as he decided his head hurt far worse than the minor burn.

"I- I'm so sorry!" Rin started to ramble so fast he didn't even breathe between the half-formed sentences pouring out. "I-I don't know what I was thinking- and-I'm so sorry!-you're not hurt right?-I didn't mean to-" Bon remembered the circumstances that had brought him to laying on the floor. "-This is all my fault! Please say you're okay! I'm - mmph!"

The last apology was muffled and then completely cut off by Bon's lips.

He let up on the force he'd used to pull Rin's face down to his, but left his arm hooked around the back of the others neck. The kiss ended, making it only a second or less long, but still long enough to shut Rin up. The boys now stared at each other, eyes like saucers, shocked at themselves and the position they were in. Rin breathed heavily, Bon's heart beat like the wings of a humming bird. Those shallow sounds were the only ones rushing in his ears... until he smiled and spoke,

"I'm more than okay."